The Last Vampire

by Kathryn Meyer Griffith

The earthquakes with their falling ash, the global floods and the devastating fires arrive first. Then the worldwide plague with its stench of death. And as mankind suffers and dies out, vampires, their numbers dwindling, struggle and fight fiercely among themselves to survive in a world where there aren't enough humans to prey and feed upon. As the weeks go by they become fewer, more desperate and more ruthless. Emma, as the world disintegrates around her, finds herself alone, family all have perished...and fending off an unnatural hunger as she becomes one of the undead. Fighting her unwanted destiny she's determined to resist the bloodlust she feels, the need to kill and feed on humans, of losing her humanity, for as long as she can bear it...but she's so hungry...and the night calls.

Genres: Horror, Vampires, Fiction, Paranormal, Fantasy, Apocalyptic, Romance

259 pages, ebook

First published June 1, 1992

About the author

About Kathryn Meyer Griffith 2023
Since childhood I’ve been an artist, and have worked as a graphic designer in the corporate world and for newspapers for twenty-three years before I quit to write full time. But I’d already begun writing novels at 21, over fifty-one years ago now, and have had thirty-five (romantic horror, horror novels, romantic SF horror, romantic suspense, romantic time travel, historical romance, thrillers, one non-fiction short story collection, dinosaur books, and murder mysteries) previous novels and thirteen short stories published from various traditional publishers since 1984. But I’ve gone into self-publishing in a big way since 2012; and upon getting all my previous books’ full rights back for the first time in 36 years, have self-published all of them. My seven Dinosaur Lake novels and Spookie Town Murder Mysteries (Scraps of Paper, All Things Slip Away, Ghosts Beneath Us, Witches Among Us, What Lies Beneath the Graves, All Those Who Came Before, When the Fireflies Returned, and Echoes of Other Times) are my best-sellers.
I was married to Russell for over forty-three years; have a son, two grandchildren and a great-granddaughter. I live in a small quaint town in Illinois. I have a quirky cat, Sasha, and we live happily in an old house in the heart of town. Though I’ve been an artist, and a folk/classic rock singer in my youth with my late brother Jim, writing has always been my greatest passion, my butterfly stage, and I’ll probably write stories until the day I die…or until my memory goes.
2012 EPIC EBOOK AWARDS *Finalist* for her horror novel The Last Vampire ~ 2014 EPIC EBOOK AWARDS * Finalist * for her thriller novel Dinosaur Lake.

*All Kathryn Meyer Griffith’s books can be found here:
http://tinyurl.com/ld4jlow
*All her Audible.com audio books here:
http://tinyurl.com/oz7c4or

Novels and short stories from Kathryn Meyer Griffith:
Evil Stalks the Night, The Heart of the Rose, Blood Forged, Vampire Blood, The Last Vampire (2012 EPIC EBOOK AWARDS*Finalist* in their Horror category), Witches, Witches II: Apocalypse, Witches plus Witches II: Apocalypse, The Nameless One erotic horror short story, The Calling, Scraps of Paper (The First Spookie Town Murder Mystery), All Things Slip Away (The Second Spookie Town Murder Mystery), Ghosts Beneath Us (The Third Spookie Town Murder Mystery), Witches Among Us (The Fourth Spookie Town Murder Mystery), What Lies Beneath the Graves (The Fifth Spookie Town Murder Mystery; sixth, All Who Came Before, When the Fireflies Returned (the seventh Spookie Town Murder Mystery), Echoes of Other Times (the eighth Spookie Town Murder Mystery), Egyptian Heart, Winter’s Journey, The Ice Bridge, Don’t Look Back, Agnes, A Time of Demons and Angels, The Woman in Crimson, Human No Longer, Six Spooky Short Stories Collection, Forever and Always Romantic Novella, Night Carnival Short Story, Dinosaur Lake (2014 EPIC EBOOK AWARDS*Finalist* in their Thriller/Adventure category), Dinosaur Lake II: Dinosaurs Arising, Dinosaur Lake III: Infestation and Dinosaur Lake IV: Dinosaur Wars, Dinosaur Lake V: Survivors, Dinosaur Lake VI: The Alien Connection, Dinosaur Lake VII: The Aliens Return, Memories of My Childhood, and Christmas Magic 1959.

Her Websites:
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Reviews

[Laura Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kathryn never lets me down. Whenever I open one of her new books, I expect something that won’t allow me to be distracted from the story. Thus is the case with The Last Vampire. I honestly couldn’t pull myself away until I had finished it. And it was unlike any vampire story I had ever read. So many times I was asking myself what just happened.

The story starts after humanity has been brought to the brink of extinction. But they aren’t the only ones who’s existence is threatened. Those that drink blood to survive are also desperate. Vampires no longer hide in the shadows. They boldly hunt down and drain every last drop from the remaining humans. And these vampires are different. They have a secret ability that makes them even more deadly.

I loved Emma. She was a survivor. Not only did she struggle against the elements and starvation, she also had to elude the blood thirsty vampires. Even though the future was bleak, she never gave up hope. I can’t count the times I yelled out loud, cheering her on or dreaded reading what was coming for her.

And those pesky vampires. They were much more than they appeared. I cringed at some of the scenes of carnage. They had a primitive yet rigid living arrangement. I tried to picture what they would look like. I came up with a cross between 30 Days Of Night and John Carpenter’s Vampires. I dare say I probably wouldn’t have survived an encounter.

This needs to be made into a movie. It is so visually written and filled with edge of your seat events. Just take a gander at that amazing cover. A perfect depiction of the story. I’d tag The Last Vampire as a horror dystopian. If this is your thing, grab a copy. Plenty of surprises await and you’ll be entertained from the beginning to the haunting end.

I received a complimentary copy. My review is voluntarily given.

[MarytheBookLover · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Opinion:
Best original vampire story I have read. I was amazed at the imagination and creativity of the author. Not only are we in a world that is self destructing. We are in Emma’s world of how her life is going and the turmoil within. Why is she alive? What will she do? How will she survive? I was engrossed in this story and didn’t put it down till I finished it and it took me awhile. I loved the descriptiveness of the book throughout. There was no point in this book that I couldn’t imagine what was going on. I wasn’t lost of confused. I loved it! Emma is struggling to survive in a hostile and desolate world. Along her journey she is turned into a shape shifting vampire. She struggles to survive what has now become in her nature – blood. Emma needs to find out what to do in this ever changing environment. She meets Matt along the way and the two slowly become involved. She struggles with what is left of her humanity by becoming something she never wanted to be. This epic tale of horror, fantasy, paranormal and should be on everyone’s top 10 list to read. You will not be disappointed in reading this.
I give The Last Vampire by Kathryn Meyer Griffith 5 of 5 stars. It is also another 2012 favorite!

[Kara-karina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review 2.0 as Goodreads app reloaded on me just a I was finishing the first version and wiped out everything.

So, this was true apocalyptic fiction, depressing, stark and severe. If you enjoyed The Passage by Justin Cronin, this has the same spirit, but you'll go through it faster!

The planet is dying through a series of major and minor cataclysms, mostly earthquakes. The volcanic ash covers the sky, stops the sunlight, which brings colder and colder weather. Biological weapons are released from the laboratories through earthquakes and create The Plague which is swiftly wiping out what's left of humanity. Also, people are going crazy and finishing off what's left of us.

Emma is one of the survivors immune to the Plague. She is fighter and is being stalked by a very old vampire, who is old and lonely and who decides to turn her for company. Unfortunately, he dies straight after, leaving her to figure out the rules for herself.

Emma decides to travel to Maine to find her sister and on the way finds another survivor, Matthew. They join forces traipsing through the winter landscapes, hunting and keeping each other alive, in the process falling for each other.

This is tense and atmospheric, but I gave it 3 stars for 2 reasons. First of all, the plot drifts just like its protagonists. It gets bored of its own voice instead of trying to shine just a little bit brighter. The vampires are so uninteresting, they can be replaced by any other monster or human villains. Secondly, the ending is non conclusive. Is it the end, do we all die mid sentence? Or is it to be continued? It was depressing in its ambiguity.

Overall, this was an okay read, but it felt too unpolished. I didn't dislike it or liked it.

* * *
Так, это моя вторая попытка прорецензировать эту книгу, так как Гудридс перегрузился под конец моей первой рецензии, и я все потеряла.

Это истинный апокалиптичный роман, суровый и мрачный, в духе Пассажа от Джастина Кронина, только вы его прочитаете гораздо быстрее.

Планета умирает через бесконечную серию катаклизмов, маленьких и больших, в основном землетрясений. Землетрясения высвобождают Чуму - одно из биологических оружий, которое уничтожает большую часть человечества, не погибшего от катаклизмов. А добиваем мы уже себя сами, сходя с ума и убивая друг друга. Вулканический пепел закрывает небо, температура понижается до состояния холодной зимы, которая становится все хуже... Короче, картина ясна.

Эмма - одна из немногих с иммунитетом против Чумы. Пока она пытается выжить на просторах Америки за ней наблюдает старый вампир, который решает превратить её в компаньонку, так как ему страшно и одиноко. К сожалению, он умирает практически сразу после её превращения, и Эмме приходится разбираться в тонкостях вампиризма интуитивно.

Она решает найти сестру, которая может ещё жива в Мэйне и по дороге встречает ещё одного выжившего, индейца-полукровку Мэтью. Они объединяются силами, шагая по бесконечным заснеженным просторам Америки, охотясь на животных и убегая от постоянных землятрясений, постепенно друг в друга влюбляясь.

Книга напряженная и атмосферная, однако поставила я ей тройку двум причинам. Во первых, сюжет идёт в никуда, так же как и его герои. Вампиры настолько неинтересные и генерные, что их можно заменить на любых других монстров или злодеев людского происхождения. Вообще нет запоминающихся второстепенных персонажев. Сюжет быстро устаёт от собственного голоса вместо того, чтобы попытаться гореть немного поярче. Во вторых, концовка амбивалентна и обрывается на полуслове. Непонятно, умирают ли герои, выживают? Или будет продолжение? Мне от неё было депрессивно.

В общем, ни то чтобы не понравилось, но и не то, чтобы понравилось. Вот так.

[Arlena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Author: Kathryn Meyer Griffith
Published By: Damnation Books LLC
Age Recommend: Adult
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Raven Rating: 5
Blog Review For: GMTA

Review:

"The Last Vampire: Author's New Revised Edition" by Kathryn Meyer Griffith was a excellent paranormal romance read. Only Ms. Griffith can present vampires in a world that has gone to hell
and keep the reader on the edge of there seat.

The character ...Emma was simply off the chart... leaving me only say... this was some woman. After her friend Larry, her husband and children were all died.... after returning home and grieving .... just how would Emma be able to make it in this world? Would she starve?....moving to caves and finding dead skeletons...she hated not having food, water and shelter that had been taken from her...now being stalked....now what would she do....she kept moving... never stopping... raiding homes for food...she kept moving...then the men who had raided her shelter found Emma...what was going to happened?...would they try to rape her?...With her knife she was ...well damn good but the bad men had taken her....until a man comes to her aid and kills them.....Who was this man? It was Byron who was a vampire/werewolf. Byron "brings her into his lair, turns her into a vampire, and takes her under his wing. Byron ends up dying, from drinking bad blood leaving Emma alone, hence the title ‘Last Vampire.' Emma finds another survivor, who had been shot..she takes care of him....as and he was Matthew Whitefeather who was a 'Cherokee Indian like Emma had lost his wife during this onset of the apocalypse and Emma saves him. They instantly bond and begins to make there way East.... and then fall in love however, "Emma keeps her ‘vampirism’ a secret by hunting animals for blood at night. She gives herself one rule, never drink human blood." Now....this is the time that I say to find out the answers to any questions you must pick up "The Last Vampire" and find out how Emma comes out of all of this ...for this it is a interesting read that only Ms. Griffith can truly deliver to the reader.

I found this novel to be a well written descriptive novel of vampires/werewolfs, and Indians... with a trace of a love story that was simply a good read. If you are in for a good paranormal romance then I would recommend "The Last Vampire" as a excellent read that had been updated from its originally published novel in 1982.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't read a good vampire novel in a while. This is one.

[Dina Rae · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Last Vampire by Kathryn Meyer Griffith is set in an apocalyptic background, reminiscent of Cormac McCarthy’s The Road. Her protagonist, Emma, witnesses waves of disaster, wiping out most of the population including her family. Her co-worker, Larry, a ‘Prepper’, dies while they flee the devastation during the work day. He leaves her with his hidden cave stocked with months’ worth of supplies. The aftermath of the disaster shows humans at their ugliest, looting, raping, and pillaging for survival. Many die of plague as it spreads throughout the makeshift communities across the country.
Without giving too much away, Emma is almost raped and saved by Byron, a vampire/werewolf. He brings her into his lair, turns her into a vampire, and takes her under his wing. He ends up dying, leaving Emma alone, hence the title ‘Last Vampire’.
Emma meets another survivor, Matthew. He is partial Native American Indian, trained in many survival ways. He, too, has lost his family. They instantly bond, and then fall in love. She keeps her ‘vampirism’ a secret by hunting animals for blood at night. She gives herself one rule, never drink human blood.
Emma and Matthew face several obstacles as they make their way East, where Emma’s sister lives. She finds others like her and is forced to leave Matthew. Several twists and turns later, I finished the book, hungry for more.
Ms. Griffith is gifted at description, meaning she can accurately describe a setting without bogging down the reader with endless, needless details. I am a big fan of the Prepping/End of Days movement currently going on, and love how she incorporated it into the story. Ms. Meyer also provided realistic dialogue, logical character actions, and a somewhat surprising ending with several curve balls thrown in. This is very original and would not dismiss it as another ‘vampire/werewolf’ story. I tremendously enjoyed reading it and give it 5 stars out of 5 stars. I’m an instant fan of Ms. Meyer and will look forward to reading more of her work. Dina Rae, dinarae.co, dinaraeswritestuff.blogspot.com

[Mareena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emma Bloodworth had survived the earthquake which took her husband and children and left the world clinging to life. The apocalypse had started a year earlier with plague, starvation, war and death. Emma tries desperately to locate the rest of her family in Maine, and along the way struggles to keep alive. When a calamity befalls Emma and she is initiated into a frightening new world, she still struggles to survive what she has become. It becomes more and more difficult to hide what she is from Matthew Whitefeather, a Cherokee Indian who has lost his wife and daughter to the plague. As they grow closer to each other, Emma must make a choice, to fulfill a promise she made to herself - a human promise - or succumb to what she is.

I truly enjoyed this story and give it an A! I would definitely recommend Ms. Griffith's books to anyone who likes horror with a little romance woven in as well.

[Kimberly-Dawn Quinn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Original, Apocalyptic Storytelling at its best.

I have put off writing this review for weeks because I was so blown away by this incredible vampiric story. The reason is I went to go look for more books by this author only to find out this book was written 20+ years ago. My mind was blown. This book needs to read by anyone who is looking for an original apocalyptic story that happens to have a vampire story interwoven. It’s been weeks since I finished it and I still think about this story. That speaks to me about how great the writing, world-building and character development.
A heartfelt journey for survival for both humans and vampires losing their food source.
The Narrator was excellent.
Suffice to say this book has held me in its thrall.

***I received a free copy of this book in lieu of an honest review

I highly recommend this book and audiobook. This is one is to be reread.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual rating 4.5 stars!
This was the most original vampire story I've ever experienced. It was so different which isn't easy to accomplish. The book started with an apocalyptic event, that immidiately had me hooked. Our main character survives, to find herself in trouble later. She is rescued and changed into a vampire. She was determined to keep her humanity, and went pretty far to preserve it. I thought the ending was perfect for this story. This was my fourth book from this author, and I have loved each one. I really enjoyed this audiobook, and I fully intend to check out more of her books! I highly recommend this book even if you don't love vampires.
**I was provided with this audiobook in exchange for an honest review

[Katie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Well, that was a wild ride, which is about all I can say for it.

Filled with plot holes, stereotyped misrepresentations of Indigenous cultures, rape apologetics, insta-love and “soul mates,” an assumed white world (and I don’t mean the snow!), unending exultations of white beauty, convenient earthquakes, a Mary Sue, bad baddies, not!werewolves (but they are) ... endless nonsense, really.

Also, this was published in ... what year? 2012? 1992? 2015?

[Marylin J. Shaikh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting concept but..........

I didn't like the constant use of "Indian" to describe the Native American hero. And even less the use of "Half breed", whether it was pejorative or not.
Several points of grammar irked also,


These things were enough to spoil the story for me.
'll

[Cecilie Christian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fan of SHTF novels, not so much vampires...

BUT...
This is an exceptional read as apocalyptic and vampires combined.
With the rapid decline of humans the last vampire realizes it is more humane than most of the few humans remaining.
It is an easy read suitable for young adults and older.

[James Derek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not bad

This was a strange story, the main subject is the end of the world and we follow Emma as she struggles to survive, she meets a strange man, a vampire that turns her and the story is very much about her survival and those she meet and love while the earth slowly dies, it keept my attention until the end and is not a bad story if you like these genres

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this because I am a sucker for post-apocalyptic novels, which I realize sounds more like a personal problem than anything else. This one was good but not great. And oddly, the vampires are also werewolves, which, I mean, okay, I guess is a new take on the genre, but didn't quite work for me. But the story was heavy on the apocalyptic doom.

[Karen MacLeod · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Last Vampire

A very good book, was hoping for more! Think that book two could civilization would turn toward Native American lifestyle with the vampires as part of this new beginning with natural world. The only negative was the ending was hoping for a lot more of a positive outcome with more the main characters.

[lynn lantosh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finding love during the Apocalypse

This book about Emma and Matthew it's a different kind of love story it just has you .it keeps you wa nting more and sometimes you cry and sometimes you laugh

[Dave T · Rating 5 out of 5]

An intriguing apocalyptic story.

This was a different take on apocalyptic stories being a blending of werewolves, vampires and humans during the end of days. Very interesting and well written.

[irv Russell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book to read and enjoy.

You are taken on a journey that you will not really believe could happen but a lot strange things happen. The did a great job with the book , you will not want to stop reading. Great job

[Marti E · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

Love this book. I couldn’t put it down because i was always at a good part. Thank you for this book. I haven’t been so enrapt by a book in a good while.

[Teresa R.Fieck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book

This book was certainly different from other apocalyptic books. But very enjoyable. Romance and so much going on. Will look for more books by this author.

[Deri Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant fantasy

Everything about this book I loved. Will now read her others. Wonderful description s loved her two main characters. Can't wait to start the next one.

[Bob Meredith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding

What a great story! Definitely a page turner! One of the best I have ever read ! A great movel

[Denise Muir · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very different Vampire book. Couldn't put it down. Must read.

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this book!!! There were no dull moments, actioned packed and the main characters compelling and relatable. Honestly one of the best apocalypse stories I have ever read!

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a prepper, outdoors and vampire lover l absolutely adore this book. However I think it needs a couple of sequels.

[Ryan Lawler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m not one for paranormal romance. I like fantasy to be epic and my sci-fi to be intergalactic. But it is important as a reader, and especially as a reviewer, to branch out into unfamiliar genres and sub genres to gain a greater appreciation of what the writing community has to offer. If you are looking to branch out into the paranormal romance genre for the first time then The Last Vampire: Revised Author’s Edition by Kathryn Meyer Griffith is great place to start.

The Last Vampire is set during the apocalypse with the world being torn apart by massive earthquakes. When the earthquakes strike a U.S. underground pathogen research facility, a deadly plague is released into the atmosphere, slowly killing off the remaining earthquake survivors. Vampires are not immune to this plague that has infected their primary food source, and as a result they are dying out even faster that the humans. This is a very interesting take on the end of the world, and one that completely fascinated me. Griffith plays with the psychology of the survivors, often reducing them to primal version of their original selves, and the psychology of the vampires who are trying to come to terms with being knocked from the top of the food chain. Griffith also has a bit of fun with the vampire mythology, coming up with a vampire / werewolf hybrid whose origins are perhaps not of this world. While this book was originally published in 1992, Griffith has rewritten this book for the 2010 e-book release, incorporating a number of our current fears like global warming and climate change to provide more of a scientific basis for this apocalypse.

Griffith explores this world with two main characters, Emma the newbie vampire and Matthew the Cherokee Indian who have both lost their partners and children during the onset of the apocalypse and find comfort in one another. As individuals these characters are very likeable and they have a lot in common, being strong willed and resilient on the outside but completely shattered and tired on the inside. For all their similarities it is their differences, both physical and mental, that create the most interesting dynamics and lead to their relationship being far more fragile and volatile than they want it to be. This is the real story of The Last Vampire: Revised Author’s Edition, the journey of Emma and Matthew’s relationship as they face adversity after adversity from both the environment and from within.

For all the great world building and characters, the plot itself is rather mediocre. The characters don’t have any goals other than to survive the adversities being thrown at them, and while this is probably a realistic portrayal of how people would react in an apocalypse, it’s not very interesting. You could probably argue that development and progression of Emma and Matthew’s relationship serves as the plot in this story, and this relationship is certainly good to carry the story, but I would have liked to have seen the characters strive to achieve something more than just survival. Maybe they could have been searching for a cure to the plague, or the source of the earthquakes, or just something to give this book some clear direction. This lack of direction really hurts the ending of the story, and while there was a good relationship resolution at the end I could help wonder if I was missing the last few chapters.

All in all I quite enjoyed reading The Last Vampire: Revised Author’s Edition, a lot more than I thought I would. The unique approach to the apocalypse and vampire mythology allowed for a compelling relationship to form between two great characters. While I was left feeling unsatisfied with the ending, on reflection I found myself pretty satisfied with the journey as a whole. The Last Vampire is a book that appeals on many different levels, and I would highly recommend this to all fantasy readers who have never read a paranormal romance.

[Kathryn]

FALLEN ANGEL REVIEWS *5 Angels May 11, 2011
The Last Vampire
The Last Vampire has been previously published and has been altered for this current edition.
It would seem as though it's the end of the world. Major earthquakes have swallowed towns, floods have decimated people and what natural disasters haven't destroyed, a plague has stepped in to finish the job. Few people are left alive and those that remain living have succumbed to barbarism, looting and killing at will.
Emma Bloodworth has lost her family and friends. But after a vicious attack, an unknown ally saved her from certain death...but with a little alteration. Emma's become a vampire. While she has supernatural strength and can last a lot longer without sustenance than humans, she still needs to feed. She refuses to kill a human in order to feed. But without animal blood to drink, the temptation to lose the last vestiges of her humanity and give in to her hunger is almost too great. There are times the desire to die is also great. The world doesn't seem to be healing from the storms and earthquakes and the humans who roam the earth are brutal.
Then she meets Matthew, a man who's also known great loss. He's a man who makes life worth living, even for the potentially few days they have left.
When I started reading this story, I really wasn't sure what to expect. It is listed as a horror story, but truly it's a vampire, shapeshifter, apocalyptic, romantic horror story. Emma's journey is so magnetically haunting, it really is a tale of survival and she's a heroine to admire. She takes each task, each difficulty and tackles them with pragmatism and aplomb. Michael was also admirable. The way he slipped back into his people's role as Cherokee and had the skills to survive in adverse conditions had me hoping for such a person in my life or even to be such a person, should the earth ever begin to similarly manifest its fatigue. The vampire/shapeshifter subplot was rather intriguing. While other stories might capitalize on the superiority of the non-human beings, this author showed that while they might be superior in strength, they were by no means invincible.
I was so drawn into this story, I found myself oddly disoriented once the tale was over. A great story, 5 Angels!
Reviewed by: Bella ***

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emma was a hard working mother, wife and graphic artist for a big St. Louis firm. She became a widow, unemployed mother whose children were now gone. St. Louis, like most of the rest of the world, was disappearing into fires, floods and explosions. When the Big One hit St. Louis, she was packing up her office with a co-worker. She knew in her heart there was no sense going toward home - nothing there any longer. Fortunately, the co-worker was also a survivalist and, in this time of plagues and destruction, just what Emma needed. She didn't plan on him dying before they got to his shelter in the mountain.

Emma is alone, hurt, stalked by a large wolf. She finds the shelter, with enough provision for over a year since she is alone. But she doesn't make it that long. She is attacked and nearly raped by men with the Plague. Suddenly, the wolf that had been stalking her jumps the men and virtually drags Emma to safety. She is near death when we find the wolf is more than we had imagined and Emma's life is saved. But at a huge cost. She is now a vampire - and a wolf shifter as well. Byron, the wolf cares for her as best he can but time comes when her blood is too much for him and, to save her and himself, he leaves.

Emma survives again and, through strength she doesn't know she has; begins to make her way East. She has a sister living in Maine and thinks she can make it that far. Can she? One woman, alone in turbulence, vampire or not, sees food supplies disappearing. She meets another traveler named Matthew and they journey together into the unknown of Eastern America and more horror than they had thought possible.

Excellent story! The post-apocalytic theme was great and the things brought up in the novel are things to be seriously thought about. No, there probably aren't many vampires around but the other circumstances will give you pause. An Up-All-Night story and a great job by author Kathryn Meyer Griffith in updating a story originally published in 1982. (Much better cover, too!)

[Tony-Paul Vissage · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty discouraging, if this is the way it’s going to happen…with several bangs and then many whimpers, but it could very well be, except for the vampire part, of course. Emma is portrayed as a woman who isn’t aware of the inner depths of courage and resourcefulness within herself until she’s actually forced to draw on those reserves. She does what she has to, sometimes with regrets, sometimes eagerly. She misses Byron when he dies, not because she’s now as he is but because he’s another being, a companion and someone to share her life. She also is no born killer as the other vampires are, but retains her conscience, determined not to take a human life neither for the sake of killing or as food. Matthew is her opposite as a hunter and tracker, a man raised on the reservation and in tune with the spirit world which guides him through much of his journey. The emotions they feel as they view the destruction of the world they knew, the loss of their loved ones and their strength in each other is portrayed in words which will strike deep emotion.

This isn’t your ordinary vampire novel. No handsome aristocrats here, no beautiful damsels in love or distress, but the ending will pluck a pang of disquiet and poignancy from your heart.

[Deedra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this story.I think that if the repetition would have been reduced that the book could have been much shorter.I found the narrator,Erica L Risburg ,distracting at the very least.She did not read it like one normally would,taking no breaks where there should have been some and breaking at odd times.Her voice is nice,but her character voices aren't very good.The story,Emma is made into the last vampire and she turns into a wolf.I still am not sure how this happens and what the difference is between her and the other shapshifting wolves.Over all though,it is a good story.I was provided this book free by the author,narrator or the publisher.