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kathydavie's review against another edition
3.0
First in the Vampire Empire steampunk fantasy series about a world split into a Northern Vampire and a Southern Human worlds.
My Take
What were they thinking? Totally unprepared. No clue how to take down a vampire. Yet, in their smug superiority, they decide to send both heirs to the throne out on this chancy tour? Lord Kelvin definitely bears watching.
For the most part, gag. The Griffiths have a good story going with the requisite heroes and villains, but their characters do so many stupid things... The only characters I really liked are Adele, Anhalt (Simon doesn't count), Greyfriar, Gareth, and Morgana. Both kings are pretty out of it, controlled by the people around them.
After 150 years, you'd think they'd know a lot more about their enemy instead of hunkering down and cowering under the heat.
One undercurrent is a shunning of religion, the metaphysical. It's all about the science. Not that they're doing much on the vampire analysis.
interesting that Gareth is fascinated by humans. He points out that vampires "make nothing and create nothing". He's appalled by the laziness and decadence into which the vampires have fallen. The Griffiths have certainly played up the nastiness of the vampires by pointing up the filth, bones, and stench. Ragged remnants, broken windows the norm.
How stupid of Adele to slay Ghast in front of all those vampires, especially Cesare when she knows how tenuous things are between Gareth and Cesare. What did she expect to accomplish?
The bad guys---I include Clarke here---are almost caricatures. Even Gareth is in some ways---such a noble, suffering hero.
The Griffiths' writing needs a greater maturity in the sentences---those uttered by characters and as text. The scene where Greyfriar reveals himself is so hokey. As well as Adele's snide comments later. No, don't get me wrong. She's perfectly entitled to be somewhat skeptical, I would also expect that she would be intelligent enough to weigh his actions with his words.
I did appreciate the subtle difference, point(?), Gareth is making about wanting the worthy to survive. Wanting to maintain the balance of the clans. He is planning for a more honorable survival for both sides whereas Cesare wants to wash in the blood of humans.
The discussion about writing was cute between Gareth and Adele. An unexpected perspective. Oh god, it's so sad how excited Gareth is about his library. It sounds so wonderful and then Adele sees it.
Interesting background on vampire babies.
The Story
The vampires rose and destroyed humanity and its infrastructure in the Great Killing of 1870, forcing mankind to flee to the warmer climes where vampires could not follow. It's been 150 years since that cold winter night and the marriage between Princess Adele and the great American hero, Senator Clarke, will unite two of the strongest empires, paving the way to take the battle to the north, destroy the vampires, and reclaim their homelands.
Only it all goes awry with the attack on the fleet and the kidnapping of the princess. She's Prince Cesare's prisoner and he intends to manipulate his clans to war!
It's Greyfriar who disrupts those plans. The human hero and his weak brother Prince Gareth. Both a thorn in Cesare's side.
The Characters
Princess Adele is the heir to the throne, the future empress of Equatoria. Prince Simon, her younger brother and second in line to the throne, has all the desires of a little boy and he idolizes the Greyfriar, "a hero who fights the vampires in the North". Greyfriar treasures books, especially Sir Geoffrey Randolph's book on vampire anatomy.
Mamoru is a samurai who has been teaching Adele the power of weaponry and spirituality. Too bad he hasn't covered magic yet. Selkirk is a geomancer and spy for Mamoru in England. Colonel Mehmet Anhalt, a Gurkha officer, is in charge of the princess' White Guard. Lord Kelvin is the prime minister and totally and completely hung up on protocol. Laurence Randolph, Lord Aden, is one of the richest men in the Empire and his wealth is derived from coal, timber, and oil. His Imperial Majesty, Constantine II, is the emperor of Equatoria.
Nzingu Mamenna is a sorceress from Zululand and Sanah the Persian collects arcane religious rituals. Sir Godfrey and Mamoru have something going on behind the scenes.
Prince Gareth is Dimitri's heir, but prefers to live in Edinburgh in the castle with his faithful vampire servant, Baudoin. Gareth really needs to be more politically savvy. He appreciates humans, but is mystified by their absorption in art, books, reading, and writing. Morgana is a human servant at the castle who provides human perspective on Gareth.
Prince Cesare is lord of Ireland, a totally de-humanized Ireland. He actually expects Adele to tell him their war plans as well as about any spies in England. He wants to lead the clans to war so he will be acclaimed heir. Flay is Prince Cesare's war chief and is a formidable warrior. King Dimitri rules England and his barbaric, ruthless, younger son Cesare rules him.
Senator Clarke is Adele's Intended. A war hero and vampire killer. All based on one battle for one city which he lost the following year. He's only in this marriage for the notoriety and the power, using everyone around him. He arrives early for the wedding in his ship, the U.S.S. Ranger, captained by Root. He prefers show battles. Major Stoddard is Clarke's second-in-command and doesn't like the senator.
The Cover
The cover is all grays and blacks with the blackest forming Greyfriar and Adele making a stand. It's possible that it's his brother's airships hovering far overhead.
The title introduces a fantastical folk hero, The Greyfriar, almost the only hope left for humanity.
My Take
What were they thinking? Totally unprepared. No clue how to take down a vampire. Yet, in their smug superiority, they decide to send both heirs to the throne out on this chancy tour? Lord Kelvin definitely bears watching.
For the most part, gag. The Griffiths have a good story going with the requisite heroes and villains, but their characters do so many stupid things... The only characters I really liked are Adele, Anhalt (Simon doesn't count), Greyfriar, Gareth, and Morgana. Both kings are pretty out of it, controlled by the people around them.
After 150 years, you'd think they'd know a lot more about their enemy instead of hunkering down and cowering under the heat.
One undercurrent is a shunning of religion, the metaphysical. It's all about the science. Not that they're doing much on the vampire analysis.
interesting that Gareth is fascinated by humans. He points out that vampires "make nothing and create nothing". He's appalled by the laziness and decadence into which the vampires have fallen. The Griffiths have certainly played up the nastiness of the vampires by pointing up the filth, bones, and stench. Ragged remnants, broken windows the norm.
How stupid of Adele to slay Ghast in front of all those vampires, especially Cesare when she knows how tenuous things are between Gareth and Cesare. What did she expect to accomplish?
The bad guys---I include Clarke here---are almost caricatures. Even Gareth is in some ways---such a noble, suffering hero.
The Griffiths' writing needs a greater maturity in the sentences---those uttered by characters and as text. The scene where Greyfriar reveals himself is so hokey. As well as Adele's snide comments later. No, don't get me wrong. She's perfectly entitled to be somewhat skeptical, I would also expect that she would be intelligent enough to weigh his actions with his words.
I did appreciate the subtle difference, point(?), Gareth is making about wanting the worthy to survive. Wanting to maintain the balance of the clans. He is planning for a more honorable survival for both sides whereas Cesare wants to wash in the blood of humans.
The discussion about writing was cute between Gareth and Adele. An unexpected perspective. Oh god, it's so sad how excited Gareth is about his library. It sounds so wonderful and then Adele sees it.
Interesting background on vampire babies.
The Story
The vampires rose and destroyed humanity and its infrastructure in the Great Killing of 1870, forcing mankind to flee to the warmer climes where vampires could not follow. It's been 150 years since that cold winter night and the marriage between Princess Adele and the great American hero, Senator Clarke, will unite two of the strongest empires, paving the way to take the battle to the north, destroy the vampires, and reclaim their homelands.
Only it all goes awry with the attack on the fleet and the kidnapping of the princess. She's Prince Cesare's prisoner and he intends to manipulate his clans to war!
It's Greyfriar who disrupts those plans. The human hero and his weak brother Prince Gareth. Both a thorn in Cesare's side.
The Characters
Princess Adele is the heir to the throne, the future empress of Equatoria. Prince Simon, her younger brother and second in line to the throne, has all the desires of a little boy and he idolizes the Greyfriar, "a hero who fights the vampires in the North". Greyfriar treasures books, especially Sir Geoffrey Randolph's book on vampire anatomy.
Mamoru is a samurai who has been teaching Adele the power of weaponry and spirituality. Too bad he hasn't covered magic yet. Selkirk is a geomancer and spy for Mamoru in England. Colonel Mehmet Anhalt, a Gurkha officer, is in charge of the princess' White Guard. Lord Kelvin is the prime minister and totally and completely hung up on protocol. Laurence Randolph, Lord Aden, is one of the richest men in the Empire and his wealth is derived from coal, timber, and oil. His Imperial Majesty, Constantine II, is the emperor of Equatoria.
Nzingu Mamenna is a sorceress from Zululand and Sanah the Persian collects arcane religious rituals. Sir Godfrey and Mamoru have something going on behind the scenes.
Prince Gareth is Dimitri's heir, but prefers to live in Edinburgh in the castle with his faithful vampire servant, Baudoin. Gareth really needs to be more politically savvy. He appreciates humans, but is mystified by their absorption in art, books, reading, and writing. Morgana is a human servant at the castle who provides human perspective on Gareth.
Prince Cesare is lord of Ireland, a totally de-humanized Ireland. He actually expects Adele to tell him their war plans as well as about any spies in England. He wants to lead the clans to war so he will be acclaimed heir. Flay is Prince Cesare's war chief and is a formidable warrior. King Dimitri rules England and his barbaric, ruthless, younger son Cesare rules him.
Senator Clarke is Adele's Intended. A war hero and vampire killer. All based on one battle for one city which he lost the following year. He's only in this marriage for the notoriety and the power, using everyone around him. He arrives early for the wedding in his ship, the U.S.S. Ranger, captained by Root. He prefers show battles. Major Stoddard is Clarke's second-in-command and doesn't like the senator.
The Cover
The cover is all grays and blacks with the blackest forming Greyfriar and Adele making a stand. It's possible that it's his brother's airships hovering far overhead.
The title introduces a fantastical folk hero, The Greyfriar, almost the only hope left for humanity.
yodamom's review against another edition
5.0
The human world has been nearly destroyed by a great vampire killing war. Humans are living in small closed communities along the equator. A princess from one of the larger settlements is to marry the Butcher an American Vampire Hunter to unite the two nations into one giant campaign to end the Vampires world dominance. Her visit to neighboring towns goes terribly wrong when her ships are attacked and she is taken hostage. Greyfrair, a legend among humans tries to save her and the empires future heir. He is a mystery always covered, a great swordsman, nobody knows his true identity. Their path curves and twists going deep into the politics and horrors of state of the world.
i loved every page, I was swept away into this world the authors created. They created a very visual world, detailed and flowing beautifully. The characters where believable and reacted in a realistic way to their environments. The Vampires are nasty, not human at all, no sparkles. It is book 1 in a Trilogy. I can't wait for the next book !
i loved every page, I was swept away into this world the authors created. They created a very visual world, detailed and flowing beautifully. The characters where believable and reacted in a realistic way to their environments. The Vampires are nasty, not human at all, no sparkles. It is book 1 in a Trilogy. I can't wait for the next book !
selenajean's review against another edition
4.0
I've had this on my list for quite some time and finally gave it a go. It can be hard to find a decent vampire story or at least the type I really like. So I didn't have high hopes between the cover and the fact that it's steampunk with vampires. My last try with a book labeled steampunk vampire ended badly LOL. Anyhow I liked how the vampires were nasty and bad. They were not traditional vampires but it worked. It wasn't a perfect story but I really enjoyed it and will be moving on right away to the next in the series.
tiarala's review against another edition
2.0
There's a good story in here, but it's hampered by the writing. Bouncing POV gets confusing, the completely uneducated, feral-kinda-but-not-really vampires are…weird, and I didn't feel the characters were consistent throughout.
I'm curious where the story is going (it's definitely written as a trilogy) but not sure if I'm curious enough to pick up the next.
I'm curious where the story is going (it's definitely written as a trilogy) but not sure if I'm curious enough to pick up the next.
kacelaface's review against another edition
4.0
First book in a planned trilogy. A fun dark read with vampires, steampunk, alternate history and a bit of romance.
sly99's review against another edition
5.0
http://chocolatedump.blogspot.com/2012/04/vampireempire-book-onethe-greyfriar-by.html
jesslynh's review
5.0
Oh my, what fun! I had tried a Kindle sample of this book right after I finished the unimpressive [bc:Soulless|6381205|Soulless (Parasol Protectorate, #1)|Gail Carriger|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1314020848s/6381205.jpg|6569140] and quickly 'ugh'-ed and kept moving. Thanks to one of my GR friends, I tried it again and even though vamps are the bad-guys (not my thing) I am hooked.
I have added the series to my auto-buy list and am off to buy the next. My only complaint is that for whatever wrong-headed reason, the publisher has turned OFF Kindle Text-to-speech so I can't listen on my daily commute.
Highly recommended--the writing is tight and clear, the characters well thought out and sympathetic--if a bit too black and white at times and the story didn't seem me to be too short or too long.
This totally made up for my up to now lack of reading inspiration this January.
I have added the series to my auto-buy list and am off to buy the next. My only complaint is that for whatever wrong-headed reason, the publisher has turned OFF Kindle Text-to-speech so I can't listen on my daily commute.
Highly recommended--the writing is tight and clear, the characters well thought out and sympathetic--if a bit too black and white at times and the story didn't seem me to be too short or too long.
This totally made up for my up to now lack of reading inspiration this January.
eyreguide's review
4.0
My first introduction to the steampunk type novel with vampires, action, adventure, and romance. It was all quite a fantastic ride. At first, with all the expository information the authors have to set up, the beginning is a bit slow, but with the first attack of vampires, it picks up pretty fast. The new take on vampire lore is interesting - I wonder if they are all capable of the level of humanity of the resident vampire hunk, Gareth. Something I hope to find out when continuing with this series. This novel had an intelligently developed mix of alternate reality, politics, intriguing vampire mythology (and biology), and cast of characters. The time put into developing the world of the novel was well spent when the main conflicts start erupting, and I loved the building of suspense in the predicaments of Adele.
While reading the novel I was struck by what I thought of as two phases of the book - the "Scarlet Pimpernel" phase - where we are getting to know about the Greyfriar (but there is little of the humor in this like in the Orczy novels) and the second phase which felt very Disney's "Beauty and the Beast". I kept hearing the beginning of the title song in my head as Adele found out more about Gareth. And particular scenes reinforced that for me: Adele encouraging Gareth to write, Gareth showing Adele his library, inviting her to eat with him, the attack of "wolves", the fight between the "Gaston" of the story - Senator Clark - and Gareth on the parapet and then he holds Clark over? What? "Tale as old as time... "
This novel has many facets to it and a great gritty, realistic take on vampire mythology. The slowly developing romance was also well done for me too.
While reading the novel I was struck by what I thought of as two phases of the book - the "Scarlet Pimpernel" phase - where we are getting to know about the Greyfriar (but there is little of the humor in this like in the Orczy novels) and the second phase which felt very Disney's "Beauty and the Beast". I kept hearing the beginning of the title song in my head as Adele found out more about Gareth. And particular scenes reinforced that for me: Adele encouraging Gareth to write, Gareth showing Adele his library, inviting her to eat with him, the attack of "wolves", the fight between the "Gaston" of the story - Senator Clark - and Gareth on the parapet and then he holds Clark over? What? "Tale as old as time... "
This novel has many facets to it and a great gritty, realistic take on vampire mythology. The slowly developing romance was also well done for me too.
hidingincorners's review against another edition
5.0
I don't know how to describe this novel other than saying I loved it. The fantasy politics, landscape, world building, characters, and everything were marvelously done. It was a delight to read and I am only upset that I don't have the second one in my hand!
reddyrat's review against another edition
5.0
The Greyfriar by Clay and Susan Griffith is one of the best books I've read thus far in 2011. It's one of those books where I keep going back to re-read my favorite parts again and again.
It is a subtle novel. There is so much going on and such complex world building that it took me several chapters before I really connected with the characters or stories. But once I did, I was hooked.
The Greyfriar vampires are just the kind of supernatural creatures I like. Unlike many novels which envisions vampires as hyper-sexualized creatures, the Greyfriar vampires are dark and violent, more like animals than humans. They do not interact with humans other than to feed or enslave them. Like almost all vampire legends, they are also extremeley intelligent and have a complex political and clan structure. As the book goes on, our opinion of vampires becomes more layered. Perhaps the barbaric views all humans hold of them is unjustified...or perhaps there are only a few very odd exceptions. Regardless, the authors hammer chips into Princess Adele's and the reader's preconceived notions.
It took me awhile to warm to Adele, the main character. She starts out the book naive, having lived a sheltered royal life. I sensed an underlying wish to be someone, but also a strong sense of duty - content to marry a strange, brash American Senator for the political needs of her kingdom. I admired her for being so selfless. However, she was closed - I didn't connect to her emotionally. This changes as the book goes on. Once Adele is captured by the vampires, we see the true Princess emerge. She is brave, passionate, stubborn, and loyal. She is slow to change, but also open minded enough to know what is good when she sees it. She truly is a heroine.
Greyfriar was one of the best characters I've read in a long time. He starts out shrouded in mystery, for reasons that become clear soon enough. He is unbelievably brave. I loved the contrast between his gentle, kind nature and his capacity for extreme violence and vengeance. A complex character if there ever was one.
The plot is fabulous. A mixture of suspenseful action scenes with a slow-building romance will satisfy readers of multiple genres. Adele goes from one dangerous situation to another. Interspersed with her death defying escapes are scenes laying out the complex political world in the Vampire Empire universe. The vampires are plotting, the Americans are plotting, the Equatorians are plotting, and even Adele's tutor has an underground political network. The political maneuvering is sure to become more involved as the series continues. Meanwhile, a sweet and surprisingly gentle romance grows between Adele and Greyfriar. There's no love at first sight in this novel. Rather there are shared experiences, both positive and negative, that create a romance out of trust, shared respect, and ultimately deep love. It was the romantic scenes that I went back to re-read.
The Griffiths' prose does a fabulous job setting an atmosphere that feels dark and oppressive. Like a cloudy, humid day, you can almost feel the tension in the air. The writing is neither easy nor hard. The reader's eyes do not fly along the page - there are too many words on the page and none can legitimately be skipped - but the prose is steady and readable.
I highly recommend The Greyfriar for anyone who loves (a) vampires, (b) darkness, (c) true romance, (d) fabulous world building, and (e) a terrific story.
Rating: 4.5 / 5
It is a subtle novel. There is so much going on and such complex world building that it took me several chapters before I really connected with the characters or stories. But once I did, I was hooked.
The Greyfriar vampires are just the kind of supernatural creatures I like. Unlike many novels which envisions vampires as hyper-sexualized creatures, the Greyfriar vampires are dark and violent, more like animals than humans. They do not interact with humans other than to feed or enslave them. Like almost all vampire legends, they are also extremeley intelligent and have a complex political and clan structure. As the book goes on, our opinion of vampires becomes more layered. Perhaps the barbaric views all humans hold of them is unjustified...or perhaps there are only a few very odd exceptions. Regardless, the authors hammer chips into Princess Adele's and the reader's preconceived notions.
It took me awhile to warm to Adele, the main character. She starts out the book naive, having lived a sheltered royal life. I sensed an underlying wish to be someone, but also a strong sense of duty - content to marry a strange, brash American Senator for the political needs of her kingdom. I admired her for being so selfless. However, she was closed - I didn't connect to her emotionally. This changes as the book goes on. Once Adele is captured by the vampires, we see the true Princess emerge. She is brave, passionate, stubborn, and loyal. She is slow to change, but also open minded enough to know what is good when she sees it. She truly is a heroine.
Greyfriar was one of the best characters I've read in a long time. He starts out shrouded in mystery, for reasons that become clear soon enough. He is unbelievably brave. I loved the contrast between his gentle, kind nature and his capacity for extreme violence and vengeance. A complex character if there ever was one.
The plot is fabulous. A mixture of suspenseful action scenes with a slow-building romance will satisfy readers of multiple genres. Adele goes from one dangerous situation to another. Interspersed with her death defying escapes are scenes laying out the complex political world in the Vampire Empire universe. The vampires are plotting, the Americans are plotting, the Equatorians are plotting, and even Adele's tutor has an underground political network. The political maneuvering is sure to become more involved as the series continues. Meanwhile, a sweet and surprisingly gentle romance grows between Adele and Greyfriar. There's no love at first sight in this novel. Rather there are shared experiences, both positive and negative, that create a romance out of trust, shared respect, and ultimately deep love. It was the romantic scenes that I went back to re-read.
The Griffiths' prose does a fabulous job setting an atmosphere that feels dark and oppressive. Like a cloudy, humid day, you can almost feel the tension in the air. The writing is neither easy nor hard. The reader's eyes do not fly along the page - there are too many words on the page and none can legitimately be skipped - but the prose is steady and readable.
I highly recommend The Greyfriar for anyone who loves (a) vampires, (b) darkness, (c) true romance, (d) fabulous world building, and (e) a terrific story.
Rating: 4.5 / 5