Way of the Wolf

I finally managed to find time to finish the last few pages of E.E. Knight's Way of the Wolf novel today. Boy, this book is a pretty normal length but it sure seemed like I kept getting interrupted when I was trying to read it. It ended up taking a few days longer than normal for me.

But that's no reflection on the book. I chose this book due to the recommendation of a fellow book blogger who never steers me wrong, and I'm really glad I followed his advice. This is the first of a series called "The Vampire Earth" series. It is labeled as science fiction and, indeed, it does take place in the relatively near future (2065) but this one really mixes up the genres. Lots of horror elements in here as well as mystical fantasy, militaristic adventure, and some good 'ol wild west heroics as well.

The story concerns David Valentine, a young man who has grown up entirely in a post-apocolyptic society, after a virus has wiped out 75% of humanity and after the"Kurians," an alien species, has become the dominant masters of the planet. Many humans try to coexist with the aliens but there are still pockets of disenters who refuse to be subjected to this greater power. David finds his way into the resistance forces as a "wolf", and due to his abilities is quickly promoted to Lieutenant. There is some back story that explains how this earth came about as well as how David evolves from a relatively normal teenager (in such a society) into a hero-to-be. Yet this is not a "military sci-fi" novel nor is it a "vampire" book like the myriads of "Twilight" clones out there right now. The vampire parts of this novel refer to the nature of how the aliens feed on the auras of humans. The mythos behind the story events, the world building if you will, is cleverly thought out and delightfully original. I'll definitely be pursuing the other books in this series as it reportedly gets better and better.

Next up: Once Upon a Winter's Night, a fantasy novel by Dennis McKiernan.