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Bite Back #5.5
Change of Regime
Like an electric current, arcing from ear to ear through the New York underworld, the word comes; he’s here. The city has a new Master of vampires, House Altau, and the existing, unaffiliated community is now facing a sentence of death.
The storm builds, and one of the leaders of that community, Livia or Julius, must chose to be the lightning conductor to save the rest from destruction. But will that be an acceptable sacrifice to Altau?
And if so, which one of them will it be?
The storm builds, and one of the leaders of that community, Livia or Julius, must chose to be the lightning conductor to save the rest from destruction. But will that be an acceptable sacrifice to Altau?
And if so, which one of them will it be?
88 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 17, 2017
35 people are currently reading
87 people want to read
About the author
Mark Henwick
43 books362 followersI was born in Africa and left out in the sun too often.
After being persuaded that I wasn't going to be able to be a cowboy if I grew up, I got interested in philosophy and psychology. Tending bars proved to me they weren't as much fun as they sounded. While trying to enroll in a class to read Science Fiction full time, I ended up taking an electronic engineering degree which splendidly qualified me to move into marketing. That in turn spawned a late onset career in creative writing.
When not writing, I fly a microlight aircraft, or get muddy on a mountain bike.
I love reading obviously. Urban Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Thrillers, History, Crime, Art, oh nearly everything.
After being persuaded that I wasn't going to be able to be a cowboy if I grew up, I got interested in philosophy and psychology. Tending bars proved to me they weren't as much fun as they sounded. While trying to enroll in a class to read Science Fiction full time, I ended up taking an electronic engineering degree which splendidly qualified me to move into marketing. That in turn spawned a late onset career in creative writing.
When not writing, I fly a microlight aircraft, or get muddy on a mountain bike.
I love reading obviously. Urban Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Thrillers, History, Crime, Art, oh nearly everything.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
February 26, 2020
I love the novellas set in the world of Amber Farrell.
They introduce us to characters who will reappear in future full length novels and give a small glimpse of who is heading to Denver.
As a rule I won't rate a novella more than 3 stars but these ones are so well thought out that it's hard to not love them.
They introduce us to characters who will reappear in future full length novels and give a small glimpse of who is heading to Denver.
As a rule I won't rate a novella more than 3 stars but these ones are so well thought out that it's hard to not love them.
May 17, 2017
Well worth the 99 cents, especially if you've read the other Athanate books. There are intriguing glimpses of Athanate history and politics, and insights into Skylur's strategy that haven't come out in the main books yet, plus the plot is good. It would be nice to see more of Julius, Livia, and Elodie.
May 19, 2017
Great addition to the Bite Back universe
Whether you've read all of the other books, or this is your first foray into the Athenate world, this a great quick read. I enjoyed this most for a new look at Skylur, as he has been somewhat absent from the main story line recently.
I really like how the author makes a character's back story part of the ongoing action. Rather than a 2 page break to give us Skylur's history, which I inevitably end up skimming, we get a fun read which shows us his history through his interactions with a 2000 plus year old Athanate.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone, bur it is a must read for fans of the Bite Back series.
Whether you've read all of the other books, or this is your first foray into the Athenate world, this a great quick read. I enjoyed this most for a new look at Skylur, as he has been somewhat absent from the main story line recently.
I really like how the author makes a character's back story part of the ongoing action. Rather than a 2 page break to give us Skylur's history, which I inevitably end up skimming, we get a fun read which shows us his history through his interactions with a 2000 plus year old Athanate.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone, bur it is a must read for fans of the Bite Back series.
November 17, 2020
The story of how Skylar obtained a NY Diakon. I skipped Elodie’s chapters, I found them boring. I did read Julius chapters, interesting but that was at best 40 pages/ half the book. The author did a decent job with this third person / alternate POV writing exercise.
2 stars.
2 stars.
May 26, 2017
This novella is a continuation of events related to the Bite Back novels and takes place shortly after the events in Angel Stakes.
The author was attempting a multiple 3rd person story here, something he doesn't ordinarily do, and the conceptual timeline worked fairly well. Continuity-wise, it all seemed to work with what I understood about the series world, in general.
But...I didn't care about any of the characters, and I'm not entirely sure I understood a decision made by one of the characters at the end--and not the one most readers will assume. The author makes a point of setting up nearly unsurvivable circumstances for his main character and then swooping in with a solution at the last second, and this works well with his main series, but doesn't really seem to work in a short novel with lots of characters. I get that this was an experiment for him, so it is unfair to expect him to get it right, the first time. However, I simply did not have enough time to really get to know the characters I might've liked, in order to be properly horrified by their variously timed emergencies of the moment. And, knowing the author's pattern, I--more or less--expected the type of ending he gave it.
Soooo, it was okay. It offered a bit more background in a nifty universe, and gave us some characters who will, no doubt, come into play in one of the real novels. But you can probably skip it and not feel the loss.
The author was attempting a multiple 3rd person story here, something he doesn't ordinarily do, and the conceptual timeline worked fairly well. Continuity-wise, it all seemed to work with what I understood about the series world, in general.
But...I didn't care about any of the characters, and I'm not entirely sure I understood a decision made by one of the characters at the end--and not the one most readers will assume. The author makes a point of setting up nearly unsurvivable circumstances for his main character and then swooping in with a solution at the last second, and this works well with his main series, but doesn't really seem to work in a short novel with lots of characters. I get that this was an experiment for him, so it is unfair to expect him to get it right, the first time. However, I simply did not have enough time to really get to know the characters I might've liked, in order to be properly horrified by their variously timed emergencies of the moment. And, knowing the author's pattern, I--more or less--expected the type of ending he gave it.
Soooo, it was okay. It offered a bit more background in a nifty universe, and gave us some characters who will, no doubt, come into play in one of the real novels. But you can probably skip it and not feel the loss.
July 4, 2017
I willingly admit that I have a bias towards Mr. Henwick but the truth is....he never disappoints me and Change of Regime is no exception!
In this Athanate novella, there are a couple of threads to follow. We have the mystery of Elodie. Who is she and where does she fit into the Athanate world? Fit she does and Mark gives us a bit of a twist with who she is. The second thread to follow is the Athanate world of politics. Skylur, the leader of all North American Athanate, is coming to New York. Most Athanate fear Skylur and with good reason. He's old and powerful but ultimately fair and he will be in NY to shake things up a bit. Skylur is definitely a force to be reckoned with and one of my favorite characters.
I think a new reader to this series could read this as a stand alone novella but to fully appreciate the story line, I would highly recommend reading the entire series and feel confident you would not be disappointed.
In this Athanate novella, there are a couple of threads to follow. We have the mystery of Elodie. Who is she and where does she fit into the Athanate world? Fit she does and Mark gives us a bit of a twist with who she is. The second thread to follow is the Athanate world of politics. Skylur, the leader of all North American Athanate, is coming to New York. Most Athanate fear Skylur and with good reason. He's old and powerful but ultimately fair and he will be in NY to shake things up a bit. Skylur is definitely a force to be reckoned with and one of my favorite characters.
I think a new reader to this series could read this as a stand alone novella but to fully appreciate the story line, I would highly recommend reading the entire series and feel confident you would not be disappointed.
June 24, 2017
This marvellous novella is a wonderful addition to the fascinating world of the Athanate, one of my favourite alternate fantasy realities ever. This started out life as a single post to fans over Christmas, then developed into a blog serial, by demand of Mark Henwick's fans (myself included), and became this fascinating and compelling addition to the world of Athanate, based in New York. If you have read the other novels based in this world, you will love this, if not I really think this will be a fine example of Mark Henwick's brilliant, brilliant writing. There is that magical quality to his writing that draws you in and doesn't let you go. I think the most compelling aspect to this writing is that you are treated like an intelligent human being and are made to think, this is not simple put the story in front of you fare, you have to work it out yourself and it is utterly addictive. I want more, more, more!!
May 26, 2017
read the main series first, but absolutely then read this
Unlike Mr. Henwick, I don't think this piece would make sense without reading the main series first. If it were primarily a story about Elodie and her search, it might stand alone, but given how much of this story centers on Athanate politics, I just don't think you can read it first and understand much of what's happening, who the particular Athanate are and why the discussion is crucial. That's why I rated it as 4* instead of 5*, since given you know the main series, it's both deeply moving and important
Unlike Mr. Henwick, I don't think this piece would make sense without reading the main series first. If it were primarily a story about Elodie and her search, it might stand alone, but given how much of this story centers on Athanate politics, I just don't think you can read it first and understand much of what's happening, who the particular Athanate are and why the discussion is crucial. That's why I rated it as 4* instead of 5*, since given you know the main series, it's both deeply moving and important
June 5, 2017
Another great story
In a world full of paranormal writers, Mr. Henwick stands out as a master story teller. The world he created is fascinating full of interesting ideas, the main characters are well developed and the story is flowing well. No matter if it's written in third person or first.
I was so engrossed in reading that I turned off my team NBA finals debacle to concentrate on enjoying this novella. What sacrifices someone makes for a well written book.
Hey Mark, when is the next big one is coming?
Thanks for the hours of enjoyment.
In a world full of paranormal writers, Mr. Henwick stands out as a master story teller. The world he created is fascinating full of interesting ideas, the main characters are well developed and the story is flowing well. No matter if it's written in third person or first.
I was so engrossed in reading that I turned off my team NBA finals debacle to concentrate on enjoying this novella. What sacrifices someone makes for a well written book.
Hey Mark, when is the next big one is coming?
Thanks for the hours of enjoyment.
June 8, 2017
Wow - talk about packing a punch in a short amount of pages! I'm certainly interested in reading on in the series. Mark Henwick has a very unique writing style, that somehow managed to be vague enough I found myself jumping from chapter to chapter, and still made it complex with the relationships and politics that forced you to slow at the same time to make sure you were catching everything. Great novella for a quick read that will keep you guessing.
July 14, 2017
Love this - so glad I didn't skip it.
I don't care for Novelas because they're just too short. I want to sink into a story and not come out for hours or days – assuming it's a good story. I want to get belabored involved in my characters.
This story - don't skip it! Key things happening in the story that are important to Skylur's influential people.
I don't care for Novelas because they're just too short. I want to sink into a story and not come out for hours or days – assuming it's a good story. I want to get belabored involved in my characters.
This story - don't skip it! Key things happening in the story that are important to Skylur's influential people.
April 25, 2020
Good solid book, but not my favorite of the Athanate books. Can't quite put my finger on why. I really enjoyed it, but it didn't have quite the same spark of some of the others. I'd still totally read a sequel though!
July 24, 2017
Great Book!
Great spinoff book from the Athanate serie! Interesting characters with conflicting loyalties banding together to make their world safer. Great book!
Great spinoff book from the Athanate serie! Interesting characters with conflicting loyalties banding together to make their world safer. Great book!
March 10, 2021
This is short but excellent. We are back to the Athanate with mostly new characters. It still works.
September 9, 2021
A good short story
As with the whole book series it’s a good read it shows how two different groups come together and seems to work
As with the whole book series it’s a good read it shows how two different groups come together and seems to work
May 6, 2018
Wonderful
This entire series has been one of the best reading experiences I have had in many years. I have been reading
For over 50 years . There have been authors I have enjoyed , where I read everything they had published
And went back and read some of their books again and again. I think Mark Henwick will be one of these
Select few for me.
This entire series has been one of the best reading experiences I have had in many years. I have been reading
For over 50 years . There have been authors I have enjoyed , where I read everything they had published
And went back and read some of their books again and again. I think Mark Henwick will be one of these
Select few for me.
February 20, 2018
Despite its length the author packed a lot of story into the pages. I enjoyed this foray into more of the history of the Athanate and so look forward to whatever Skylur comes up with for New York. Especially after that ending~
September 8, 2024
padding for the series
This was a great read. It was nice to have some insight into the reasoning behind some of the decisions that pulled the series along!
This was a great read. It was nice to have some insight into the reasoning behind some of the decisions that pulled the series along!
May 23, 2024
A big reveal in this short volume!
Change of Regime covers the events that occur when Skylur arrives to claim New York as his domain. He rid the area of the Warders who proved false and were exiled, but there is a secret organization of Houses that have operated quietly in New York without the Warder’s notice. They are led by a very, very old Basilikos. Skylur is within his right to execute the heads of all these houses for existing unaffiliated with the Athanate. Another tricky puzzle for Skylur to solve.
Change of Regime covers the events that occur when Skylur arrives to claim New York as his domain. He rid the area of the Warders who proved false and were exiled, but there is a secret organization of Houses that have operated quietly in New York without the Warder’s notice. They are led by a very, very old Basilikos. Skylur is within his right to execute the heads of all these houses for existing unaffiliated with the Athanate. Another tricky puzzle for Skylur to solve.
February 18, 2025
Awesome!
I love these novellas! They are creating the wonderful backstory to the main series, sharing key decisions that were made without understanding. There are SO many places that this can be done and the three that I read are just the beginning I am certain! Great job as always, Mark!
>^..^<
I love these novellas! They are creating the wonderful backstory to the main series, sharing key decisions that were made without understanding. There are SO many places that this can be done and the three that I read are just the beginning I am certain! Great job as always, Mark!
>^..^<
May 17, 2017
Touching ending
In the politics and possible death Mark, as he usual does, shows the human in monster. Life is complicated, regardless of which side you are on. Very nice positive ending to counterbalance the dark depressing politics.
In the politics and possible death Mark, as he usual does, shows the human in monster. Life is complicated, regardless of which side you are on. Very nice positive ending to counterbalance the dark depressing politics.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews