BOOK REVIEW + INTERVIEW / Empire of the Damned (Empire of the Vampire Volume 2)

Jenny sits down with fantasy & science fiction author Jay Kristoff to discuss his March 12th, 2024 release of his 2nd book in the Empire of the Vampire series . Watch/Listen to our interview to get an inside look at what to expect next for Gabriel de León.

Join the conversation in the comments and on social media.

For audio, please check out the Atomic Geekdom Podcast to listen in.

Empire of the Damned - Empire of the Vampire (Volume 2) by Jay Kristoff

Release Date: 03/12/2024

Published by St.Martin’s Press/ Macmillan

By Jenny Robinson

A lot happened at the end of Empire of the Vampire (Book 1). A LOT.

In a world that has not seen a sunrise for decades, vampires are set to destroy humanity. Our protagonist (or in some cases, our antagonist), Gabriel de León tells his story as the last of the Silver Saints (protectors against the vampires).

The first book in this series sets up a colorful cast of characters. The story is told through Gabe’s perspective but includes such insight to those we meet through it’s pages. In attempt to avoid spoilers in both books, I’ll generically say that Empire of the Vampire has a WTF?!? OH NO!!! traumatic ending.

Empire of the Damned dives quickly into the aftermath of the brutality found in the first volume. Gabriel is still imprisoned, reluctantly (and drunkenly) continuing his tale to the vampire Jean-François. In this, we are starting to really see the toll Gabe has paid in this war. His character is becoming a noteworthy study of endurance despite all of his blatant flaws. The pipe and bottle are becoming more frequent in both his stories and present situation. His love and loyalty constantly being tested.

I had struggled with the writing style a bit during the first book. The story Gabe is telling Jean-François is written as if it is happening right then, instead of in the past. There are moments when mid-story, Jean-François taps into the conversation with a critique or question. This felt very abrupt as I was getting to know the characters and the plot. By the time I got a few chapter into this new book, the relationship between the two made those time line jumps feel more naturally. I began to really enjoy Jean-François’s interruptions. It feels a bit like breaking the fourth wall in cinematography. I was surprised how much I looked forward to those moments in this book.

This volume of the series also added a lot of context towards the vampires. I was delighted to learn more about the various histories, beliefs and abilities of each. Belief is a prominent word for this series as a whole. It’s a tale of faith, regret, worship, hope and sacrifice. It allows this second chapter in the series to grow and find it’s footing that was only beginning to take shape in it’s predecessor.

I am not going to lie, this is a beefy read. It’s violent, traumatic, and an exciting chase to see where Gabriel and Dior’s travels lead them. Clocking in at 752 pages, it’s easy to miss place a few hours (days, months) of your life as you speed through page by page. And I gasped a bit at the last sentence. Book 3 is set up spectacularly.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

JAY KRISTOFF is a #1 international, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of fantasy and science fiction, including Empire of the Vampire. He is the winner of eight Aurealis Awards, an ABIA, has over half a million books in print and is published in over thirty five countries, most of which he has never visited. He is as surprised about all of this as you are. He is 6’7 and has approximately 11,500 days to live.

He does not believe in happy endings.

BOOK REVIEW + INTERVIEW / Cave 13 (A Joe Ledger and Rogue Team International Novel) by Jonathan Maberry

Matt and Jenny were joined again by one of Atomic Geekdom’s favorite authors Jonathan Maberry to discuss his August 29th, 2023 release of his 3rd book in the Rogue Team International series (15th novel for Joe Ledger and even more additional short stories) . Watch/Listen to our interview to get an inside look at the trouble RTI has gotten themselves into this time.

Join the conversation in the comments and on social media.

For a recap of our previous coverage of Joe Ledger, visit our AG Book Club post of the second book in the series: Book Review / Relentless By Jonathan Maberry

For audio, please check out the Atomic Geekdom Podcast to listen in.

CAVE 13 - A Joe Ledger and Rogue Team International Novel (Vol. 3) by Jonathan Maberry

Release Date: 08/29/2023

Published by St.Martin’s Press/ Macmillan

By Jenny Robinson

** POTIENTIAL SPOILERS AHEAD FOR THE ROGUE TEAM INTERNATIONAL SERIES **

It is no secret that we are huge fans of the Joe Ledger world here at Atomic Geekdom, the series (both DMS and RTI) have some of the best heroes and villains that can be found in an action/thriller story. We’ve followed Joe and his teams through some of the most terrifying missions that feel as if they can come to life in the here and now. This makes us fall in love with these figures and constantly mourn those we’ve lost along the way. Before we even cracked the spine, we knew that Cave 13 was not letting everyone out alive.

The prologue to Cave 13 is one of the most frightening starts in Joe’s book career. We are introduced to the BIG BAD, the antagonist with the contradictory name of Mr. Miracle (aka Jason Aydelotte - who is named after a fan and charity auction winner) and who looks like Santa Claus. Joe and Ghost are trapped, hurt, beaten, and time was running out. This may be the best and frustratingly great way to start a book. Every chapter you know you’re going to come to this point where Joe is compromised. You KNOW that nothing can end well with that much stacked against them. Yet we continue to turn the page as it gets darker and darker. The RTI series is pushing to be some of the finest sinister plot and character development to date.

Being the third volume in the RTI series, the first two (Rage & Relentless) not only linger but shape this world. Most of the DMS stories (Patient Zero on through Deep Silence) can easily stand as individual stories, where RTI continues as more of a serial. Yes, you can pick up Relentless without having read Rage. Same with Cave 13. Maberry does a splendid job adding enough background of the previous events for new comers while also not exasperating life long fans. Honestly, it’s a beautiful example of balance that a lot of authors can get wrong (for example, do we really need to see Bruce Wayne’s origin story again?). This is where Maberry excels. For RTI though, the more you know of the scars the characters all carry from Rage and Relentless, the more the reader is invited to walk in the valley along side them.

Doing the opposite of what I said above, let’s dive into Rage/Relentless a touch before proceeding.

At the end of Rage, Santoro murders Joe’s entire family. Only he, Ghost and Junie make it out (barely) alive. Over the years and books, we have come to know and love Joe’s family. This loss hit hard and was such a painful shock right out of the gates for RTI. This continues as a sense of reprisal in Relentless by the addition of Joe’s fourth head companion, The Darkness. The Darkness was the most horror-struck one dancing inside his brain (which may or may not have originated by Nicodemus - I still ponder that). If the Warrior/Killer is afraid of you, then of corse the Cop/Modern man may want to run and hide. Joe has had the original three riding around in his head due to some serious childhood PTSD. Joe’s scars run deep. That mindset, emotion and accountability from all of his horrors has put a lot of hesitation in the thoughts of Joe’s closes allies (like Tops and Rudy).

Cave 13 carries some of that uncertainty. Is it safe to have Joe in field?

This chapter in RTI originates with the discovery of a 13th cave containing additional Dead Sea Scrolls. And they bring a bit of history, politics, religion and war. The world is unknowingly on the brink of an interesting arms race that is set to launch catastrophic wars throughout the already troubled Middle East. Those scrolls bring a sense of magic and mayhem, sparking confusion. The best description would be a World War while high on violent hallucinogens.

A prize for the readers in this book would be the multiple teams. Not only do we follow Joe’s Havoc team, but they are working along side two additional and surprisingly awesome crews. Mr. Church has compiled a pack including himself, Sergeant Brick Anderson and Repairman Jack (yes, THAT Jack, the character from the F. Paul Wilson novels). The second team must be hands-down the favorite surprise. Lead by the one and only Alexander “Toys” Chismer, this ragtag group seeking redemption has banded together to form THE WILD HUNT. We are keeping our fingers crossed that we get more stories from this point of view. Having Toys lead missions similar (yet different ) to Joe’s but in a more devious manor, is absolutely fantastic. Because of these groups, we get to participate in the growth of these characters by thier unlikely partnerships. The growth of Toy’s relationship with Joe alone has matured so well and this volume has expanded their characters in a very unexpected and welcoming way.

The Aydelote villain, Mr.Sunday (Nicodemus), terrorist organizations and magical illusions keep you on the edge of your seat from literally the beginning to end. I’ll shy away of talking about who we lost. There are some pretty horrible losses in this book. The way we loose those friends is even rougher than anyone could have guessed. Those losses are sure to impact how RTI moves ahead. And since this book ends with so many unanswered questions, BURN TO SHINE (Volume 4 expected out next year) will definitely provide all the anxiety we love as readers. “The war is the war.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

JONATHAN MABERRY is a New York Times best-seller, five-time Bram Stoker Award-winner, anthology editor, comic book writer, executive producer, magazine feature writer, playwright, and writing teacher/lecturer. He is the editor of Weird Tales Magazine and president of the International Association of Media Tie-in Writers. He is the recipient of the Inkpot Award, three Scribe Awards, and was named one of the Today’s Top Ten Horror Writers. His books have been sold to more than thirty countries. He writes in several genres including thriller, horror, science fiction, epic fantasy, and mystery; and he writes for adults, middle grade, and young adult.