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Vigil: Vampire Apocalypse
Mankind has fallen to darkness and a new breed rules the earth. The age of the vampire has begun.
Few survived the fall of man. Those who remain to witness the darkening of the world live by the gun or live in fear. There is no middle ground.
The cities lay in ruin after the last war and vampires have inherited the blasted remnants.
And yet some will not cower in the night. They fight because there is nothing left to them. They fight without hope of peace or victory.
In a war with no end, in a land without succour, what chance do the survivors have? The war was lost as soon as it was begun. But there is still the past...and perhaps, a future.
And through it all, one man stands vigil.
***contains bonus material***
Sneak previews of Richard Rhys Jones' Division of the Damned and A Stranger's Grave, from Craig Saunders.
About the Author:
Craig Saunders lives in Norfolk, England, with his wife and three children, who he pretends to listen to while making up stories in his head.
He has published more than two dozen short stories, and is the author of many novels including Rain (Twisted Library Press), Spiggot (Grand Mal Press), and forthcoming, The Love of the Dead (Evil Jester Press) and A Stranger's Grave (Grand Mal Press).
Few survived the fall of man. Those who remain to witness the darkening of the world live by the gun or live in fear. There is no middle ground.
The cities lay in ruin after the last war and vampires have inherited the blasted remnants.
And yet some will not cower in the night. They fight because there is nothing left to them. They fight without hope of peace or victory.
In a war with no end, in a land without succour, what chance do the survivors have? The war was lost as soon as it was begun. But there is still the past...and perhaps, a future.
And through it all, one man stands vigil.
***contains bonus material***
Sneak previews of Richard Rhys Jones' Division of the Damned and A Stranger's Grave, from Craig Saunders.
About the Author:
Craig Saunders lives in Norfolk, England, with his wife and three children, who he pretends to listen to while making up stories in his head.
He has published more than two dozen short stories, and is the author of many novels including Rain (Twisted Library Press), Spiggot (Grand Mal Press), and forthcoming, The Love of the Dead (Evil Jester Press) and A Stranger's Grave (Grand Mal Press).
409 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 18, 2012
About the author
Craig Saunders
69 books72 followersCraig Saunders is the author of over thirty novels and novellas, including 'Masters of Blood and Bone', 'RAIN' and 'Deadlift'. He writes across many genres, but horror and fantasy (the 'Rythe' tales) are his favourites.
Craig lives in Norfolk, England, with his wife and children, likes nice people and good coffee. Find out more on Amazon, or visit:
www.craigrsaunders.blogspot.com
www.facebook.com/craigrsaundersauthor
www.twitter.com/Grumblesprout
A little aside - I don't visit GR often, but I'm always available on Twitter or the FB page. I apologise in advance if it takes a while for me to answer a question here!
Craig lives in Norfolk, England, with his wife and children, likes nice people and good coffee. Find out more on Amazon, or visit:
www.craigrsaunders.blogspot.com
www.facebook.com/craigrsaundersauthor
www.twitter.com/Grumblesprout
A little aside - I don't visit GR often, but I'm always available on Twitter or the FB page. I apologise in advance if it takes a while for me to answer a question here!
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
August 6, 2015
I loathe vampire fiction, it tends to be either cheesy or outright inane an so normally I stay away from it, but Saunders is one of those authors I feel compelled to read. Not because all his books are great, there are definitely this and misses there, but there is something immensely readable about his writing and he's got imagination to go with it. I was interested to see where he'll take the story and he didn't disappoint. The quality here is easily comparable with Cronin's The Passage, although Saunders shows mercy coming in at something like 400 pages and making his book a stand alone. Point is, this vampire apocalypse is definitely on a literary side. There is so much going on, from meditations on the nature of humanity to quantum physics to time travel to history. The latter is only thing of umbrage. To be fair Saunders warns the readers from the start that he'll be taking certain liberties with geography, history, etc., but these liberties are actually quite egregious and for no apparent reason. It is one thing to make history up, this is fiction after all, but why deliberately get it wrong. Unit 731, for example, was a covert research unit of the Imperial Japanese Army, not the Nazis. Things like that. There is something about the intentional misuse of historical facts that just seems wrong in the world where history is oftentimes only learned from fiction. At any rate, I think it would have been entirely more creative, authentic and interesting to produce a narrative using the past as cornerstones. Outside of that admittedly highly subjective peeve, the book really worked. It even offered a very clever plot twist. Saunders produced a genuinely good, compelling, original look at what is by all rights a ubiquitous tired cliché of a horror genre repertoire that should appeal to more than just vampire fans. Recommended.
August 11, 2012
Apocalypse and vampires and time travel - oh my! Loved it. A bunch of my favorite genres combined into one.
August 30, 2012
The book presents somewhat parallel storylines as other reviewers have stated. It feels like reading two books, but the connection at first is a bit mysterious and gains traction at a good pace. He uses subtle ways to tie the two stories together (I'm not sharing as not to spoil it) and in the end they emerge in a very interesting, yet somewhat predictable way. There are some unexpected (but very well placed) twists in it.
While the ending was a bit weak ... but the way things tied together was great ... still, I wanted to read more about what was next. I didn't get full closure from the ending, but I think the majority of any disappointment was based on the fact that I finished the last page in the book.
Overall, the book has great attention to detail...or maybe it enthralled me enough that I was able to read closely without losing interest and start skimming like I do with so many other books. I like the way things were tied together between the two stories of the book. In many books, it seems that authors either make the connection too obvious, or I miss it (maybe tied to me just wanting to finish a book), but this book was just right.
As Mr. Saunders states in the beginning, he took a lot of "... liberties with history, science, culture...well, everything" and that he does. But he does it in a way that fits not only the theme of the book, but still connects enough to reality to keep you grounded on planet earth where the story takes place. Granted, I do not hold a degree in the areas where he took liberties, but I do hold a post-graduate degree and consider myself generally well educated.
I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading vampire and/or post-apocalyptic books. I had a hard time putting it down, definitely worth the time.
While the ending was a bit weak ... but the way things tied together was great ... still, I wanted to read more about what was next. I didn't get full closure from the ending, but I think the majority of any disappointment was based on the fact that I finished the last page in the book.
Overall, the book has great attention to detail...or maybe it enthralled me enough that I was able to read closely without losing interest and start skimming like I do with so many other books. I like the way things were tied together between the two stories of the book. In many books, it seems that authors either make the connection too obvious, or I miss it (maybe tied to me just wanting to finish a book), but this book was just right.
As Mr. Saunders states in the beginning, he took a lot of "... liberties with history, science, culture...well, everything" and that he does. But he does it in a way that fits not only the theme of the book, but still connects enough to reality to keep you grounded on planet earth where the story takes place. Granted, I do not hold a degree in the areas where he took liberties, but I do hold a post-graduate degree and consider myself generally well educated.
I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading vampire and/or post-apocalyptic books. I had a hard time putting it down, definitely worth the time.
August 26, 2012
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is well written, a little long but worth it. The story is complex, the retold history is rich and detailed while maintaining the personal perspective of the narrator. A future that continually reaches for a inevitable conclusion while the humans do what humans do - fight to survive. The twists and mysteries kept my eyes glued to the page while the action forced my heart to race at times. Moments of brutality, moments of tenderness, poignant observations - it was a ride to the very end.
Here are some of my favorite lines:
"All men should know such love. Men need a woman to own their soul. A man cannot be trusted to be the shepard of his own heart."
"Love can do that to you. It blinds you, not with darkness, but with its white light."
"That you need someone to grant you your freedom. Freedom should never be something granted. It cannot be granted. If someone needs to give it to you, it is not freedom."
"Give a man an order and he will rebel. Give a hundred men an order and they will comply without question."
The only negative I found is that this book needs a thorough proofread.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes books about vampires, dystopia, history, and action.
Here are some of my favorite lines:
"All men should know such love. Men need a woman to own their soul. A man cannot be trusted to be the shepard of his own heart."
"Love can do that to you. It blinds you, not with darkness, but with its white light."
"That you need someone to grant you your freedom. Freedom should never be something granted. It cannot be granted. If someone needs to give it to you, it is not freedom."
"Give a man an order and he will rebel. Give a hundred men an order and they will comply without question."
The only negative I found is that this book needs a thorough proofread.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes books about vampires, dystopia, history, and action.
December 13, 2013
For those who are fans of fantasy,especially with the almighty power of vampires' , this is a very plesant read. What I love the most is, although there are relationships involved, there are none of the vampire romances cliche. Very well-thought plots with a lot of twists and turns. I do have to agree with some other readers though - there are times when I was really confused as to which time period I'm reading (with time travelling and all) and whose voice it is. But overall it is worth reading!
April 4, 2013
I really enjoyed this book, very interesting combination of events make up this story, you can really sink your teeth into the characters. One of the better vampire type supernatural books I've read!
August 23, 2013
A really different vampire novel. I found it started a bit confusing but as the story developed it became more intriguing and interesting. The ending is particularly clever and original.
January 2, 2023
This book blew me away. It's not my typical read but I devoured it. Once you get past all the spelling/gramatical errors and really get down to the book and its plot, it's a read that kept me on the edge of my seat. It kept me hooked and while I should have seen the end coming and kind of had an inkling I still felt realitvely surprised, which is rare with most books I have read recently.
I highly recommend this book. If you aren't a grammar nazi and can get past all of that to truly enjoy the story being told.
The vampires in this book are not the vampires we have become accustomed to and I think that is the best part of the whole thing. It is told in the voice of many people, which normally I do not enjoy, but I found it really brought the story to life and we very well done that I never felt 'lost' as some stories that use time travel can cause.
I highly recommend this book. If you aren't a grammar nazi and can get past all of that to truly enjoy the story being told.
The vampires in this book are not the vampires we have become accustomed to and I think that is the best part of the whole thing. It is told in the voice of many people, which normally I do not enjoy, but I found it really brought the story to life and we very well done that I never felt 'lost' as some stories that use time travel can cause.
August 17, 2018
Vigil
A very different Vampire novel, well written and draws the reader slowly into a world on the verge of collapse with Vampires on the verge of ruling the world. The main characters conversion from soulless Vampire to a more human version of humanity, is astonishing. The story has bite all the way through and the reader never knows which way the wind is blowing. A very thought provoking ride and a freebie to boot. Fab
A very different Vampire novel, well written and draws the reader slowly into a world on the verge of collapse with Vampires on the verge of ruling the world. The main characters conversion from soulless Vampire to a more human version of humanity, is astonishing. The story has bite all the way through and the reader never knows which way the wind is blowing. A very thought provoking ride and a freebie to boot. Fab
October 14, 2018
Really good
This was an amazing read. I cannot believe it was a free download. If you like vampires and the end of the world mixed with time travel this is for you. Violent but realistic and a heck of a story. I really liked this book.
This was an amazing read. I cannot believe it was a free download. If you like vampires and the end of the world mixed with time travel this is for you. Violent but realistic and a heck of a story. I really liked this book.
April 21, 2021
Twisty and thoughtful
I love a different vision of vampires and apocalypse, with some faux science thrown in. A balance if good and bad in characters.
I love a different vision of vampires and apocalypse, with some faux science thrown in. A balance if good and bad in characters.
April 1, 2023
One of my favorite reads!
May 16, 2024
One of the better vampire fiction novels I have ever read. It is about survival in a post apocalyptic setting.
August 4, 2015
Ambitious and inventive, Vigil explores different dimensions surrounding the myth of the vampire while remaining true to the genre’s central tenet. It extends the saga of the near-immortal blood-guzzling monster into tomorrow, where nukes have been used as a weapon of last resort to wipe out the contagion. And they failed...
The narrative splits between the desperate struggle for survival of a besieged human enclave, and the century-spanning saga of the central character. We’re with him when he wakes for the first time, in pain and knowing only hunger, and travel through hundreds of years as he matures into a knowing and intriguing central character: almost moral, if far from mortal.
This isn’t a book for anyone who likes cuddly / dandy / sparkly / vegetarian vampires. These are the ‘red in tooth and claw’ kind, born brutal, at home on the Transylvanian battlefields, capable of extreme cruelty.
The protagonist skims human society at some of its most interesting moments – the Spanish Inquisition, the World Wars. Finally, the past of flashbacks meets up with the near future and an audacious plot twist worthy of the finest sci-fi.
So it’s hard to categorise Vigil. It’s undoubtedly horrific; majors on several key historical moments; romps along like the very best thriller and steers seamlessly into the territory of speculative fantasy. I was glued to the pages, trying to slow my reading pace to make the experience last longer, but failing dismally. Author Craig Saunders has penned a thoroughly satisfying tale; necessarily bloody in places, but creative and carefully crafted throughout. Where other writers might’ve wanted to spin out a series, he’s wisely opted to tell this story in a single, extremely satisfying instalment.
Definitely recommended for fans of Stephen King, Anne Rice’s early work, and Kim Newman – imagine the best aspects of all three, and this book doesn’t fall far short.
9/10
(More thoughts at https://murdermayhemandmore.wordpress... )
The narrative splits between the desperate struggle for survival of a besieged human enclave, and the century-spanning saga of the central character. We’re with him when he wakes for the first time, in pain and knowing only hunger, and travel through hundreds of years as he matures into a knowing and intriguing central character: almost moral, if far from mortal.
This isn’t a book for anyone who likes cuddly / dandy / sparkly / vegetarian vampires. These are the ‘red in tooth and claw’ kind, born brutal, at home on the Transylvanian battlefields, capable of extreme cruelty.
The protagonist skims human society at some of its most interesting moments – the Spanish Inquisition, the World Wars. Finally, the past of flashbacks meets up with the near future and an audacious plot twist worthy of the finest sci-fi.
So it’s hard to categorise Vigil. It’s undoubtedly horrific; majors on several key historical moments; romps along like the very best thriller and steers seamlessly into the territory of speculative fantasy. I was glued to the pages, trying to slow my reading pace to make the experience last longer, but failing dismally. Author Craig Saunders has penned a thoroughly satisfying tale; necessarily bloody in places, but creative and carefully crafted throughout. Where other writers might’ve wanted to spin out a series, he’s wisely opted to tell this story in a single, extremely satisfying instalment.
Definitely recommended for fans of Stephen King, Anne Rice’s early work, and Kim Newman – imagine the best aspects of all three, and this book doesn’t fall far short.
9/10
(More thoughts at https://murdermayhemandmore.wordpress... )
November 18, 2016
This book blew me away. It's not my typical read but I devoured it. Once you get past all the spelling/gramatical errors and really get down to the book and its plot, it's a read that kept me on the edge of my seat. It kept me hooked and while I should have seen the end coming and kind of had an inkling I still felt realitvely surprised, which is rare with most books I have read recently.
I highly recommend this book. If you aren't a grammar nazi and can get past all of that to truly enjoy the story being told.
The vampires in this book are not the vampires we have become accustomed to and I think that is the best part of the whole thing. It is told in the voice of many people, which normally I do not enjoy, but I found it really brought the story to life and we very well done that I never felt 'lost' as some stories that use time travel can cause.
I highly recommend this book. If you aren't a grammar nazi and can get past all of that to truly enjoy the story being told.
The vampires in this book are not the vampires we have become accustomed to and I think that is the best part of the whole thing. It is told in the voice of many people, which normally I do not enjoy, but I found it really brought the story to life and we very well done that I never felt 'lost' as some stories that use time travel can cause.
August 30, 2012
Zombie / Vampire Book
This book for me had a few ups and downs. A few chapters where much longer than needed to be.
Also this story go from present time, to the past back and forth etc....etc....It all makes sense at the end but at times it gets frustrating.
The action and drama was good and for had some gory moments..
It really should be rated a 2 and a half stars but since we cant rate them that way it's more of a 2 than a 3.
The real good plus side is, it was a free Kindle read.
This book for me had a few ups and downs. A few chapters where much longer than needed to be.
Also this story go from present time, to the past back and forth etc....etc....It all makes sense at the end but at times it gets frustrating.
The action and drama was good and for had some gory moments..
It really should be rated a 2 and a half stars but since we cant rate them that way it's more of a 2 than a 3.
The real good plus side is, it was a free Kindle read.
September 2, 2014
Amazon Kindle Freebie - This is a complex, introspective look at what could happen in the event of a nuclear holocaust followed by an engineered virus - and let us throw in a bit of sic-fi at the end as well. I usually don't like what amounts to zombies, but this author kept my interest to the end. Well done,
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews