Every marriage is haunted. Haunted by the past, and the shadow of guilt that creeps over the heart from words spoken in anger, and all the rest that's left unsaid. Hank Stanford, a small town lawyer, is determined to drag all the skeletons from the closet of his marriage and salvage what is left of the life and love that he's shared with his wife of twenty years, only to find that it is too late for redemption. His wife is dead... by her own hand. What follows is a nightmare of family secrets, madness and murder. Sometimes death is not the end-- of love, of life and of fear-- and there's not always a light at the end of the tunnel. An original novel by the indie best-selling author of The Oldest Living Vampire Tells All.
Born in Southern Illinois, Joseph was raised in a very liberal home environment and was exposed at an early age to the classic underground comic book scene of the sixties and seventies, as well as European graphic novels by artists like Moebius, Enki Bilal and Milo Manara. At age 9, he was reading Tolkien and Stephen King. He wrote his first novella at age 10. If you want to read the same old formulaic pop lit, don't bother with Joseph's fiction. The novels of Joseph Duncan are challenging, subversive and fantastical, merging genres and pushing the boundaries of propriety and good taste. If you have an aversion to dark subject matter, gratuitous sex and extreme violence, stay far away from Joseph's books. Far. Far. Away!
If you'd like to contact Mr. Duncan, you may do so at authorjosephduncan@gmail.com
This book had a different feel to it, it has a completely different format to the previous books. It appears that Gon has sired a new vampire by turning Lukas, the man he has been holding captive. The story begins with him teaching him how to feed and teaching him the gifts of vampires. But while the original stories are Gon talking directly to the reader, in this book it starts with him talking to Lukas. This proceeds and he tells him the story of the origins of vampires. (Which is a very interesting concept of the origins of vampirism). It is then at this point we are taken back to a prehistoric world where human man is very early in his evolution and a tale of how the very first vampire was made, which is knowledge Gon got from the original vampire in the previous story. The format alters again and for a short while we return to the original format where Gon speaks directly to the reader, before once more returning to speaking to Lukas.
It is clear that Gon has now become totally single minded in his goal to end his existence and the fact he has turned a psychopathic killer human into a vampire and potentially unleashed hell on humanity appears to be of no concern to him. This is at odds with the character we have come to know throughout the previous books and who is as suspected not entirely sane. It is filled with musings of how humanity is destroying itself and how Gon just doesn’t want to witness it anymore. He is banking on the fact Lukas will be totally out of control once he is alone and will be hunted and killed by other ancient vampires who also still roam the earth. The backstory is continued and expanded upon and all in all it is a totally compelling read as you see the stark differences between the Gon of the ‘then’ timeline who was prepared to fight for the future of humanity to the tired and disillusioned Gon of now who just wants to die and doesn’t care how he does so.
Joe, as I've said before you are brilliant. It is rare that I've found a writer that can pull into the world of the story as you do. I feel as if I'm a traveler on this journey right beside Gon. I'm living it with him. I see what he sees, smell what he smells, and feel what he feels. I'm totally ensconced in that world. Thank you for allowing me to escape this world for a while and live in this one. Your books have given me many hours of entertainment. Thou that word is lacking. Because they have given me so much more then that . I'm starting the last book now, and know it won't disappoint me. Again I Thank you. Sally DeMicke
I was beginning to get annoyed by Gon. He is a bit self righteous and naive. For being as old as he is, he makes some dumb choices. Still, I really enjoy these tales overall. I love imagining a vampire during prehistoric times when sabertooth tigers existed and neanderthals are dying off. It combines both my love of early human history and vampire lore. I recommend the books. Just don't expect too much in this book from Gon though he does live up to my expectations in the first few books. I am going to read the next and probably all of them as Jospeph Duncan writes them. I do love the way this guy writes.
I can hardly put this down. I am so enthralled! Love hate cruelty and hope what a story. The imagination to write such a tale is amazing. I think at times it is so... So what? I don't know. So unbelievable that it could be true? LOL But I had a very stressful job that witnessed the side of humanity few see as ER nurse for many years. We had a saying You can't make this stuff up no one would believe you. So can you believe?
I find some book passages rather formulaic, maybe I’ve read too many vampire books, nevertheless it piqued my curiosity enough to keep reading and finished it in a day. The Oldest vampire saga slowly keeps getting better, just not enough to merit 4 stars yet.
Sir: You are an excellent writer! Thank you for these stories they are trult amazing and believable. I have read Dracula and all of Ann Rice’s Vampire saga and while they are entertaining, I find yours interesting as they are believable. Yhank you! Barb
It seems that these were written a few years back, so I burned through this series and now I'm wondering...where is book 5? I guess I'm at the authors mercy!
I'm a wolf girl always and forever! That being said The Oldest Living Vampire saga is truly the best read I've had in a very long while, and I don't even like vampires. Joseph Duncan has set the bar too high for other writers in this genre. I've been reading paranormal/ monster/ horror since I was about 10yrs old. After falling in love with Terry Brooks writing style in Running with the Demons, I started reading everything "horror/fiction" I could get my hands on. Gon is so tormented over the life that was stolen from him, through the eons he find himself the freer and protect of slaves through out the early world. His longing to be reunited with his Eyya, Nyala, and Brulde is written so sincerely that you can't help but fall in love or feel deep compassion for his plight. This is a character you want to succeed even though it would mean and end to a watchful eye that's protected mankind for millennia. Because I've already read Nyala story and Apollonius, being greedy for any part of Gons life I can devour, I would say I'm waiting patiently for Unleashed but there's not patience about my waiting. I'm even stalking you on FB now Mr.Duncan
I want to say that this is one of the best vampire books that I have ever read. The main character, Gon, though just as vicious and bloodthirsty as any of his contemporaries, can at least be said to have a slight conscience. He does try to save humanity by fighting and planning to destroy his adversaries. His ultimate capture and torture was, even though expected, still shocking. By the time he is imprisoned, the reader almost can feel sorry for him. I love a good vampire story, and this was, without a doubt, one of the best that I have ever come across. I highly recommend this book to all hardcore vampire fans.
Joseph Duncan is one of the BEST authors out there! If you like Vampires, History, Zombies and the unexpected you'll love ALL of his books! The Oldest Living Vampire books are amazing, how he intertwines real history and the present into the life of a vampire is truly fantastic! The leaps between the caveman era to the present and the true meaning of eternal life is such a great story that once I started his book I was up all night reading them. He is truly one of my FAVORITE AND BEST AUTHORS OUT THERE NOW!