Empire of the Vampire: Volume 1

Jay Kristoff

Sep 2021 · Empire of the Vampire Book 1 · Macmillan Audio · Narrated by Damian Lynch

About this audiobook

"Narrator Damian Lynch’s depiction of the sword is especially creepy and compelling. Lynch has a great sense of dialogue and pitch overall, and keeps this dramatic tale moving." -Locus

From New York Times bestselling author Jay Kristoff comes Empire of the Vampire, the first volume of an astonishing new dark fantasy saga.

From holy cup comes holy light;
The faithful hand sets world aright.
And in the Seven Martyrs’ sight,
Mere man shall end this endless night.

It has been twenty-seven long years since the last sunrise. For nearly three decades, vampires have waged war against humanity; building their eternal empire even as they tear down our own. Now, only a few tiny sparks of light endure in a sea of darkness.

Gabriel de León is a silversaint: a member of a holy brotherhood dedicated to defending realm and church from the creatures of the night. But even the Silver Order could not stem the tide once daylight failed us, and now, only Gabriel remains.

Imprisoned by the very monsters he vowed to destroy, the last silversaint is forced to tell his story. A story of legendary battles and forbidden love, of faith lost and friendships won, of the Wars of the Blood and the Forever King and the quest for humanity’s last remaining hope:

The Holy Grail.

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin's Press.

Ratings and reviews

Empire of the Vampire begins twenty-seven years after the last sunrise and is just the beginning of this saga by the same name. We meet Gabriel de León who is currently imprisoned for the murder of the vampire king. The new ruler once an account of his life and orders his story chronicled before his execution. The writer tells him to start from the beginning and so we travel back in time to his youth before meeting him again in his mid-thirties in the second part and follow until the fall of the Silversaints. In between events/chapters, we find ourselves back in the dungeon as the writer demands explanation. I must admit, I enjoyed their interactions. I think this is Kristoff’s most brilliant work to date. The audiobook is twenty-seven hours and the book almost 900 pages, complete with black and white illustrations. I pre-ordered the hardcover edition and the audiobook. I am already planning to re-listen as I read along. A dark and gritty fantasy with rich characters and dangerous times. We learn of the Grail—the legendary cup prophesied to bring an end to the eternal night. Only the grail isn’t a physical object but a street urchin named Dior. We witness Gabriel’s pledge to the church and his brothers in arms to his personal struggles from addiction to faith. While this is a vampire story, Kristoff delivers so much more. This story will appeal to a broad adult audience. Think Witcher saga and Name of the Wind as examples. It is a struggle against good and evil, man’s’ inner turmoil and sacrifices, but also one of faith, love, and loss. You’ll get gory battle scenes, snarky banter, romance, friendship, and heartbreak. The story was otherworldly, with a realistic vibe that made both the story and characters feel raw and genuine. From his blade, Ashdrinker to the secondary characters who become his traveling companions, I found myself fully immersed in the tale. Kristoff does a brilliant job of fleshing out his characters and world, all while telling an elaborate story that pulls the listener in and holds them captive. He had me emotionally invested with potent feelings towards these characters. I loved some and loathed others with a vengeance. I laughed, wept, cringed, became angry, cheered, and desperately wanted more. Damian Lynch narrates the tale and gave voice to these characters from personalities to their wide range of emotions. His inflections enhanced the telling and brought the story to life. Fans of fantasy tales like The Witcher, Name of the Wind and Interview with a Vampire will enjoy slipping into this brilliant story. Brave Mr. Kristoff, may I have another? First appeared at Caffeinated Reviewer Book Blog

Just all around a great story.

About the author

JAY KRISTOFF is a #1 international, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of fantasy and science fiction, including the Nevernight Chronicle. 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.

BON ORTHWICK is a digital illustrator from Melbourne, Australia. Her work can be found in Sarah J. Maas' A Court of Frost and Starlight; Leigh Bardugo’s Crooked Kingdom; and V.E. Schwab’s A Conjuring of Light. She is also the illustrator for the Empire of the Vampire series by Jay Kristoff. She's drawn to the Victorian Era, fantasy, and art deco, and loves stories that have a vintage feel. She's currently completing her BA in Animation from the Victorian College of the Arts in Melbourne, and is at work on her own YA novel set in Victorian London.