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Nightlord #1
Sunset
Sunset brought a hangover, a beautiful woman, and the thirst for... blood?
Eric didn't ask to be a vampire.
In fact, he didn't even believe in them. Then he meets a beautiful woman, wakes up with a hangover, and bites his tongue with his own fangs.
Which pretty much settles the question.
Now he's trying to hold down his day job while learning the rules of the Undead -- the most important being that bloodthirsty urges and predatory instincts are a real bitch.
Upside; Eric has the beautiful Sasha to teach him the ropes, including the magic he'll need to survive.
Downside; it turns out being a vampire is the least of his problems.
When Sasha is killed, Eric is thrust into an alternate world in his quest to avenge her death. There he becomes a Nightlord, fights a dragon with the help of his magical steed, Bronze, and upchucks a sword named Firebrand.
But things get really interesting when Eric finally finds Tobias, head of the Church of Light. Soon Eric finds himself at the center of an epic battle at the literal edge of the world in a fight to keep a terrible darkness at bay.
"When you fall off the Edge of the World into hordes of demonic 'Things from the Outer Darkness,' you really start to wonder about your life choices."
--Eric, part-time undead, expectant father, and short-term astronaut.
Eric didn't ask to be a vampire.
In fact, he didn't even believe in them. Then he meets a beautiful woman, wakes up with a hangover, and bites his tongue with his own fangs.
Which pretty much settles the question.
Now he's trying to hold down his day job while learning the rules of the Undead -- the most important being that bloodthirsty urges and predatory instincts are a real bitch.
Upside; Eric has the beautiful Sasha to teach him the ropes, including the magic he'll need to survive.
Downside; it turns out being a vampire is the least of his problems.
When Sasha is killed, Eric is thrust into an alternate world in his quest to avenge her death. There he becomes a Nightlord, fights a dragon with the help of his magical steed, Bronze, and upchucks a sword named Firebrand.
But things get really interesting when Eric finally finds Tobias, head of the Church of Light. Soon Eric finds himself at the center of an epic battle at the literal edge of the world in a fight to keep a terrible darkness at bay.
"When you fall off the Edge of the World into hordes of demonic 'Things from the Outer Darkness,' you really start to wonder about your life choices."
--Eric, part-time undead, expectant father, and short-term astronaut.
1000 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2006
1016 people are currently reading
2594 people want to read
About the author
Garon Whited
23 books1,268 followersGaron Whited was supposedly born in 1970, but the original birth certificate is suspiciously unavailable and other records do not agree. After spending some years in college playing role-playing games, he finally settled down into a steady job working with computers—and still plays role-playing games. He finally joined a radicalized group of jellyfish-herding nomads. Having fought zombie dolphins, quasi-corporeal wine and spirits, as well as brain-sucking mole rats, he is uniquely qualified to write fantastic fiction. His subsequent attempts at professional salsa repairman and ley line salesman met with similar success. An affinity for science fiction and fantasy has condemned him to write whenever he has a chance, despite therapy involving shocks and rubber hoses. He claims he lives on this planet, but impartial observers have expressed some doubt. He currently lives in Texarkana.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 294 reviews
July 9, 2019
While this book had its good points, they are outnumbered by its flaws.
Morality: The protagonist's morals make no sense. In the first 30 pages or so, he learns that he has been turned into a vampire, and must eat the soul of a person a year (this turns out to be a far, far larger number.)
He decides only to pick evil people...like a hardworking rich man who is nice to children and dogs, but is somewhat arrogant. And a man who has been divorced three times (who has kids he wants to raise with each), pays child support, and pays his maid twice what she's worth because he likes her and is lonely. The fiend!
He spends half the book agonizing over whether to kill the evil, insane leader of his enemies, but has zero problems killing the low level henchmen.
Power: His power shifts all over the board, with no real rhyme or reason. Especially animal sacrifice--which can essentially make any spell he can conceptualize work through brute force, regardless of his talent. He has no problems killing animals. Why not become a god by killing a whole herd, or at the very least, kill his antagonist from afar?
As a vampire, he has superhuman hearing, smell, sight, etc...and is routinely knocked out by people sneaking up on him (when he is awake and alert!) Even if he magically didn't hear them, how do regular humans knock out a superhuman vampire in one blow?
The Rest: There is quite a bit
of filler, the dialogue is cheesy, and the other characters are 2d and have no agency of their own.
Don't bother reading, there is nothing new here.
Morality: The protagonist's morals make no sense. In the first 30 pages or so, he learns that he has been turned into a vampire, and must eat the soul of a person a year (this turns out to be a far, far larger number.)
He decides only to pick evil people...like a hardworking rich man who is nice to children and dogs, but is somewhat arrogant. And a man who has been divorced three times (who has kids he wants to raise with each), pays child support, and pays his maid twice what she's worth because he likes her and is lonely. The fiend!
He spends half the book agonizing over whether to kill the evil, insane leader of his enemies, but has zero problems killing the low level henchmen.
Power: His power shifts all over the board, with no real rhyme or reason. Especially animal sacrifice--which can essentially make any spell he can conceptualize work through brute force, regardless of his talent. He has no problems killing animals. Why not become a god by killing a whole herd, or at the very least, kill his antagonist from afar?
As a vampire, he has superhuman hearing, smell, sight, etc...and is routinely knocked out by people sneaking up on him (when he is awake and alert!) Even if he magically didn't hear them, how do regular humans knock out a superhuman vampire in one blow?
The Rest: There is quite a bit
of filler, the dialogue is cheesy, and the other characters are 2d and have no agency of their own.
Don't bother reading, there is nothing new here.
September 4, 2015
The first in the Nightlord series, we see that Eric is a pretty decent guy. He can be as dumb as a post, which is a source of much frustration, but also shows surprising areas of cleverness. I think I did pretty well with that.
However, I have to admit, writing a book means that I will never, ever, be completely happy with it. Writers are, often, also their own worst critics! If I listened only to what I think, you would never have the chance to read it. Other people, however, seem to think it's worth a read.
I choose to believe them.
However, I have to admit, writing a book means that I will never, ever, be completely happy with it. Writers are, often, also their own worst critics! If I listened only to what I think, you would never have the chance to read it. Other people, however, seem to think it's worth a read.
I choose to believe them.
March 22, 2015
This is one of the books that every time I try to suggest, I end up sounding like a complete fool.
Why? It's not that it isn't good, -far from it (it's really really good)- but the fact that its plot is a long epic journey.
Think of it like trying to explain the entire plot of your favorite book series to someone who doesn't even know the main characters. It gets confusing because both the setting and the characters change radically from the beginning to the end of the series, right? Now imagine all the changes that happen in a 5 novel series and try compressing it in just one.
As a result, every time I mention the plot I get these odd looks so, I'm not even going to try.
I will, however, say this. I Loved it! I Savored it! I was an original, fascinating story that I didn't want to finish because there are no sequels. A story that I ended up kicking myself for not having discovered sooner!
Why? It's not that it isn't good, -far from it (it's really really good)- but the fact that its plot is a long epic journey.
Think of it like trying to explain the entire plot of your favorite book series to someone who doesn't even know the main characters. It gets confusing because both the setting and the characters change radically from the beginning to the end of the series, right? Now imagine all the changes that happen in a 5 novel series and try compressing it in just one.
As a result, every time I mention the plot I get these odd looks so, I'm not even going to try.
I will, however, say this. I Loved it! I Savored it! I was an original, fascinating story that I didn't want to finish because there are no sequels. A story that I ended up kicking myself for not having discovered sooner!
March 29, 2017
I listened to this entire book, and its sequels totaling over 24 hours, and I want to like it, I really do but I just can't get past its flaws.
There is a good story here, even if it's just a Mary Jane, but it's buried in hours and hours of fluff and misdirection. One of the other reviewers said that this story needed "a brutal editor" and I couldn't agree more. There is just so much stuff that we're left with holes in the story that are never explained. For example, There are also TONS of encounters that serve no purpose for the plot except to further drive home how awesome Eric/Halar truly is - as if we didn't already know that.
Because the protagonist's power is the real problem. He is so ridiculously overpowered that the author has no choice but to resort to ridiculous situations to challenge him. It's like a middle-school game of Monty Haul D&D where the DM has to cheat to keep up. Over and over again, Eric's (literally) god-like powers are just ignored as some new villian gets the drop on him, or some kryptonite MacGuffin comes along to ruin his night. This problem even affects the very structure of the series itself
Finally, I finished this series last week, but didn't review it right away. When I logged on to Goodreads to review this today I couldn't remember either the book title or the author and had to look it up. Eight hours plus of story in Sunset, sixteen more to finish the series, and it made no more impact on me than that.
There is a good story here, even if it's just a Mary Jane, but it's buried in hours and hours of fluff and misdirection. One of the other reviewers said that this story needed "a brutal editor" and I couldn't agree more. There is just so much stuff that we're left with holes in the story that are never explained. For example, There are also TONS of encounters that serve no purpose for the plot except to further drive home how awesome Eric/Halar truly is - as if we didn't already know that.
Because the protagonist's power is the real problem. He is so ridiculously overpowered that the author has no choice but to resort to ridiculous situations to challenge him. It's like a middle-school game of Monty Haul D&D where the DM has to cheat to keep up. Over and over again, Eric's (literally) god-like powers are just ignored as some new villian gets the drop on him, or some kryptonite MacGuffin comes along to ruin his night. This problem even affects the very structure of the series itself
Finally, I finished this series last week, but didn't review it right away. When I logged on to Goodreads to review this today I couldn't remember either the book title or the author and had to look it up. Eight hours plus of story in Sunset, sixteen more to finish the series, and it made no more impact on me than that.
December 21, 2014
Amazing, the book I'm guessing is 1200-1800 pages long and I'm really hoping the author continues writing the sequel. The main character in this book reminds me of the main character in Demon Accords, except its mostly a medieval setting while at the same time taking place in present day. (sucked into an alt world) A lot of people cry out when the MC is considered OP, in this book the MC is definitely OP but has huge vulnerabilities (aka vulnerabilities of vampires/undeath) whose enemies try to take advantage of.
I definitely recommend, one of the best books I've read!
I definitely recommend, one of the best books I've read!
February 10, 2017
I picked up Nightlord and put it down quite a few times. I saw such great reviews and I really wanted to get into it. This book is extremely detailed, but not in the right areas. The characters in here are two dimensional. I don’t “feel” anyone going through anything. The dialogue feels so casual through out that there is no weight in the story, no darkness, and there are some serious dark situations going on. Its like having a movie on in another room; you can here the dialogue, so you know whats going on, but your missing a lot.
March 5, 2017
SWEET BLOODY FUCKING HELL! This book is just a little above breathtakingly amazing. The blurb of this book makes this sound like a modern Anne Rice novel but really vampirism seems like such a small part of the story.
NIGHTLORD: SUNRISE is like a modern, adult Narnia but instead of British siblings we get an American half vampire with a penchant for wizardry, a sarcastic dragon sword and a golem stallion as a main character. Still not convinced?
SUNRISE is written as a journal and thus is very conversational and rather easy to digest. Despite this it is a complex and amazing adventure story that had me wrapped around it's finger almost immediately. This is hands down the best book I've read this year, which is saying a lot as I've read two Robin Hobb books in 2017.
I don't just recommend that you pick this up immediately, I DEMAND IT! Read this book!
HIGHLY, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
NIGHTLORD: SUNRISE is like a modern, adult Narnia but instead of British siblings we get an American half vampire with a penchant for wizardry, a sarcastic dragon sword and a golem stallion as a main character. Still not convinced?
SUNRISE is written as a journal and thus is very conversational and rather easy to digest. Despite this it is a complex and amazing adventure story that had me wrapped around it's finger almost immediately. This is hands down the best book I've read this year, which is saying a lot as I've read two Robin Hobb books in 2017.
I don't just recommend that you pick this up immediately, I DEMAND IT! Read this book!
HIGHLY, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
November 19, 2015
Off the cuff without thinking about a review I can say that I love this book and hope for more. If you are looking for a vampire story filled with blood, gore the lust for power or even senseless sex, and then this isn’t the book for you.
Eric the reluctant vampire is some hero. A normal guy one day and a party later he’s a vampire. He takes this revelation well, much better than I would. He returns to his Vampire mother and falls deeply for her only to have her torn away from him. Eric wants retribution for the death of his vampire mother/wife chasing down the culprits. Newly born he has little knowledge/skill except what she has taught him. But Eric is skilled in the art of acquiring knowledge and he does just that; traveling to another world to avenge her inadvertently becoming so much more than the human he once was. Being a vampire is the best thing that ever happened to him and to those that are lucky enough to cross paths with him. He touches the life of so many people, in a positive way, not the normal type of paranormal/fantasy vampire story. Tamara, the last of the red haired Fire Priestesses falls in love with him and soon we have babies on the way. I love their relationship. It’s cozy and cuddly just what a hero would need when he returns to home & hearth. Friends and people willing to serve him in abundance turning him not just into a hero of lore but into a king with a willing kingdom at his beck and call. Eric is a teacher, a father, a friend, a man or in his case a vampire to admire and he is a hero. The narrator I thought had an "average" voice the type you could imagine a professor having, so he ends up perfect for the role. This was a hidden gem I found on audible.
Eric the reluctant vampire is some hero. A normal guy one day and a party later he’s a vampire. He takes this revelation well, much better than I would. He returns to his Vampire mother and falls deeply for her only to have her torn away from him. Eric wants retribution for the death of his vampire mother/wife chasing down the culprits. Newly born he has little knowledge/skill except what she has taught him. But Eric is skilled in the art of acquiring knowledge and he does just that; traveling to another world to avenge her inadvertently becoming so much more than the human he once was. Being a vampire is the best thing that ever happened to him and to those that are lucky enough to cross paths with him. He touches the life of so many people, in a positive way, not the normal type of paranormal/fantasy vampire story. Tamara, the last of the red haired Fire Priestesses falls in love with him and soon we have babies on the way. I love their relationship. It’s cozy and cuddly just what a hero would need when he returns to home & hearth. Friends and people willing to serve him in abundance turning him not just into a hero of lore but into a king with a willing kingdom at his beck and call. Eric is a teacher, a father, a friend, a man or in his case a vampire to admire and he is a hero. The narrator I thought had an "average" voice the type you could imagine a professor having, so he ends up perfect for the role. This was a hidden gem I found on audible.
March 31, 2021
“Nightlord: Sunset” by Garon Whited
Narrated by Sean Runnette
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This is an interesting take on vampires and other creatures. The pace is brisk and the tale is told in the first person narrative. The sample I received was of the first chapter or two of the book, so I didn’t dive deeply. I did, however, whet my appetite.
My star rating is based solely upon this sample. Once I have read the whole thing I’ll offer another review.
My thanks to Podium Audio via Netgalley for this audio sample of the book. The opinions shared are my own.
Narrated by Sean Runnette
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This is an interesting take on vampires and other creatures. The pace is brisk and the tale is told in the first person narrative. The sample I received was of the first chapter or two of the book, so I didn’t dive deeply. I did, however, whet my appetite.
My star rating is based solely upon this sample. Once I have read the whole thing I’ll offer another review.
My thanks to Podium Audio via Netgalley for this audio sample of the book. The opinions shared are my own.
August 28, 2019
Rating 4.5 stars
This was a very intellectual story. That's about the only way that I can describe it. It is narrated as if being read from a journal. By doing this, it gives a lot of detail to the story. There were also times when the narrator would mention what was happening in the moment but say, if I knew better at the time, I would have done things differently. The downside of this type of narration is that it is lacking in emotional connection.
The story follows Eric who finds himself waking up in a strange place after being taken out to get drunk by his friends. The person that took him home, Sasha, was a vampire and she turned him into one as well. The reason she turned him into a vampire is because she thinks that he is her reincarnated previous master/love that turned her centuries before. She was told that she would meet him again and that he would come back into her life. She teaches him the rules of being a vampire/Night Lord and how to survive. It also turns out that vampires each have different abilities and Eric has the ability to use magic. There are people called the hand that hunt the Night Lords and then end up killing Sasha. Eric loved her and wants to make those people pay. They are part of a religious sect of some church known as the hand of god. Eric opens a portal to sneak into their home base and kill them and finds the portal has lead to an entire new world.
The first couple of hours of the story were pretty slow and it is a very long book so I wasn't sure if I was going to like it. Again, due to the narration type I didn't feel any emotional connection to the story or the characters. This is a thinking person's story. People who want to know how things work or who love world building. It just so happens that I am one of those people. Once Eric finds himself in the knew world is when I started to get really interested. There are too many things that happened that would make it impossible for me to describe. The gist of it though is that Eric (now known as Halar) learns about this new world, learns more about his role as a Night Lord and his powers and tries to get back at the Hand of God while protecting himself. There are many different places that Halar visits in this book. Every time I think Halar was going to settle down and plant roots in an area something happens and he moves on. It kept me on my toes the whole time. I did enjoy this book and am looking forward to the next one.
This was a very intellectual story. That's about the only way that I can describe it. It is narrated as if being read from a journal. By doing this, it gives a lot of detail to the story. There were also times when the narrator would mention what was happening in the moment but say, if I knew better at the time, I would have done things differently. The downside of this type of narration is that it is lacking in emotional connection.
The story follows Eric who finds himself waking up in a strange place after being taken out to get drunk by his friends. The person that took him home, Sasha, was a vampire and she turned him into one as well. The reason she turned him into a vampire is because she thinks that he is her reincarnated previous master/love that turned her centuries before. She was told that she would meet him again and that he would come back into her life. She teaches him the rules of being a vampire/Night Lord and how to survive. It also turns out that vampires each have different abilities and Eric has the ability to use magic. There are people called the hand that hunt the Night Lords and then end up killing Sasha. Eric loved her and wants to make those people pay. They are part of a religious sect of some church known as the hand of god. Eric opens a portal to sneak into their home base and kill them and finds the portal has lead to an entire new world.
The first couple of hours of the story were pretty slow and it is a very long book so I wasn't sure if I was going to like it. Again, due to the narration type I didn't feel any emotional connection to the story or the characters. This is a thinking person's story. People who want to know how things work or who love world building. It just so happens that I am one of those people. Once Eric finds himself in the knew world is when I started to get really interested. There are too many things that happened that would make it impossible for me to describe. The gist of it though is that Eric (now known as Halar) learns about this new world, learns more about his role as a Night Lord and his powers and tries to get back at the Hand of God while protecting himself. There are many different places that Halar visits in this book. Every time I think Halar was going to settle down and plant roots in an area something happens and he moves on. It kept me on my toes the whole time. I did enjoy this book and am looking forward to the next one.
December 2, 2016
Where to begin? I would like to say that I usually love fantasy reads, and a good number of vampire stories. I also enjoy when there is a new twist to a vampire read because let’s be honest, they can get kind of repetitive.
This one in particular does bring a certain new element to the vampire world. Along with needing to feed off of humans, Eric can perform magic. Oftentimes, he performs magic to heal and help others, which then in turn makes his character likable. However, and this is the toughest thing for me to say, this is when I stopped enjoying this read.
First and foremost, I found this book too long for what it could have been in order to get the message across. Because of the length, I felt lost and forgot what the point of the story was. Yes, it starts off with Eric wanted revenge for his ‘love’, Sasha. However, when Eric enters a new world, all of a sudden, a whole slew of events take place. He realizes he’s a nightlord. Then, Eric (who is known as Halar in this new world) becomes a wizard who then becomes a lord. Then, finally he becomes a teacher of magic. He seemed to have forgotten the reason for entering the new world.
Along with this, appearances from demons, dragons, goblins, elves and a whole crew of people that were easily forgettable comes into play. In reality, I didn’t really connect or feel for many of the supporting/secondary characters because I felt many had come in and out of Eric’s life so quickly that I didn’t have the chance to.
Overall, this could have been a much better read if it was more concise and more focused. Unfortunately, it wasn’t and I do not plan on continuing the series.
https://bookloverblogs.com/2016/12/01...
This one in particular does bring a certain new element to the vampire world. Along with needing to feed off of humans, Eric can perform magic. Oftentimes, he performs magic to heal and help others, which then in turn makes his character likable. However, and this is the toughest thing for me to say, this is when I stopped enjoying this read.
First and foremost, I found this book too long for what it could have been in order to get the message across. Because of the length, I felt lost and forgot what the point of the story was. Yes, it starts off with Eric wanted revenge for his ‘love’, Sasha. However, when Eric enters a new world, all of a sudden, a whole slew of events take place. He realizes he’s a nightlord. Then, Eric (who is known as Halar in this new world) becomes a wizard who then becomes a lord. Then, finally he becomes a teacher of magic. He seemed to have forgotten the reason for entering the new world.
Along with this, appearances from demons, dragons, goblins, elves and a whole crew of people that were easily forgettable comes into play. In reality, I didn’t really connect or feel for many of the supporting/secondary characters because I felt many had come in and out of Eric’s life so quickly that I didn’t have the chance to.
Overall, this could have been a much better read if it was more concise and more focused. Unfortunately, it wasn’t and I do not plan on continuing the series.
https://bookloverblogs.com/2016/12/01...
January 13, 2024
Ēriks ir tik viens, vairāk vai mazāk ierindas iedzīvotājs, pēc profesijas skolotājs, un vēl nesen līgavaiņa statusā esoša persona, kad pēc liktenīgā ballītē, uz kuru devies tieši tā iemesla dēļ, ka vairs neksaitās kā līgavainis, sapazīstas ar daiļu skaistuli vārdā Saša. Un iepazīšanās liktenīga ne tikai aiz noprotamā nākošajā rītā, kad abi pamostas zem vienas segas, bet arī faktā, ka galvassāpes nav vienkāršu paģiru simptomi, bet tajā, ka pēc attiecīgas nakts Ēriks nu ir pārvērsts par vampīru.
https://poseidons99.wordpress.com/202...
https://poseidons99.wordpress.com/202...
December 30, 2023
(I listened along with the audiobook: 2 stars for the audio as well - although the narrator perfectly pulled off the character's inner voice to make me loathe him so much...)
This was highly recommended to me by someone who's opinion I respect...& I really hated this book, particularly the MC's inner voice & thoughts (hate is putting it very, very mildly...I have notes). His inner voice made this a painful experience at times, & I'm proud of myself for reading 1,115 pages of an overconfident, mediocre white guy's inner fantasy.
Overall, his internal thoughts remind me of a slightly less obnoxious & misogynistic, but more confident in his abilities Harry Dresden, if Harry became a vampire & didn't have any issue with it.
Two of my biggest issues (small spoilers):
1.
2. Frequent issue
...I'm going to take a *very* long break, & then attempt Book 2, but if the pros don't outweigh the cons, I will not continue.
This was highly recommended to me by someone who's opinion I respect...& I really hated this book, particularly the MC's inner voice & thoughts (hate is putting it very, very mildly...I have notes). His inner voice made this a painful experience at times, & I'm proud of myself for reading 1,115 pages of an overconfident, mediocre white guy's inner fantasy.
Overall, his internal thoughts remind me of a slightly less obnoxious & misogynistic, but more confident in his abilities Harry Dresden, if Harry became a vampire & didn't have any issue with it.
Two of my biggest issues (small spoilers):
1.
2. Frequent issue
...I'm going to take a *very* long break, & then attempt Book 2, but if the pros don't outweigh the cons, I will not continue.
October 1, 2018
I read and reviewed this book for a review site, and I have to say, I'm really glad I did! I'm currently reading the 4th book so my fondness of the series will color this review.
The first book is overall actually my favorite in the series, despite its flaws. I think it's because you're learning about the various settings with Eric, the main character. As the series progresses you still do get the sense of new exploring stuff, but it's best in the first one.
It's about vampires, but I can guarantee these are not the vampires you've grown sick of. That's probably one of my favorite things about Whited's book: what you think you're reading is going to change DRASTICALLY within the first couple of hundred pages.
There aren't very many good (that is, well rounded, autonomous, interesting) female characters in the first book, but this changes as the series progresses, and while I feel Nightlord: Sunset suffers for it, I enjoyed reading it. The magic system is cool, and any time you have a moment where your brain pings with a "hey, shouldn't this not work because x?" you can guarantee a character is going to say that soon.
This book is incredibly long, but I think it's worth it. I don't get bored reading them, and I enjoy the length. Your mileage may vary.
The first book is overall actually my favorite in the series, despite its flaws. I think it's because you're learning about the various settings with Eric, the main character. As the series progresses you still do get the sense of new exploring stuff, but it's best in the first one.
It's about vampires, but I can guarantee these are not the vampires you've grown sick of. That's probably one of my favorite things about Whited's book: what you think you're reading is going to change DRASTICALLY within the first couple of hundred pages.
There aren't very many good (that is, well rounded, autonomous, interesting) female characters in the first book, but this changes as the series progresses, and while I feel Nightlord: Sunset suffers for it, I enjoyed reading it. The magic system is cool, and any time you have a moment where your brain pings with a "hey, shouldn't this not work because x?" you can guarantee a character is going to say that soon.
This book is incredibly long, but I think it's worth it. I don't get bored reading them, and I enjoy the length. Your mileage may vary.
August 18, 2020
I usually like vampire books and this one started out pretty well. This vampire tale was a bit different in that Eric, the newly made vampire isn't like the typical vampire who sleeps during the day and can only come out at night in order to feed on the blood of people or animals in order to survive. This vampire only had to avoid dawn and sunset and could walk about during the day being a fairly normal human being. But at night, Eric could do all sorts of things. So, the first part of the book was pretty interesting and easy to read and the plot went along fairly smoothly and quickly.
However after Eric ends up on another world, the story becomes pretty plodding for me and not much happens other than Eric meeting up with a bunch of different people and beings and having to use his power to deal with them. It seemed as though the author wanted to include any type of other-worldly creature in this story and either have them help or try to kill Eric. And in the meantime, Eric's original purpose of revenge was totally lost once he ended up in this alternate world.
I couldn't finish this book. It was way too long and the forward movement of the plot was way too slow.
However after Eric ends up on another world, the story becomes pretty plodding for me and not much happens other than Eric meeting up with a bunch of different people and beings and having to use his power to deal with them. It seemed as though the author wanted to include any type of other-worldly creature in this story and either have them help or try to kill Eric. And in the meantime, Eric's original purpose of revenge was totally lost once he ended up in this alternate world.
I couldn't finish this book. It was way too long and the forward movement of the plot was way too slow.
December 23, 2015
Loved this.
This was a Kindle Unlimited recommendation and to be honest, when I read the book blurb I was a little 'meh' about it, but decided to go ahead and give it a try and boy am I glad that I did!
It drew me in from the get go; from Eric's transformation into a vampire/nightlord, his efforts to square this and his new needs to living in modern society, through to his travel into an alternate medieval style universe where magic is considered normal, in pursuit of his unknown enemies and his subsequent adventures.
The story is told from Eric's viewpoint and the character is appealing and flawed. The world building is superb and so is the realization of the supporting characters. The pace of the plot is fast enough to keep you engaged without racing on and losing you, you are drawn in and discover this new world as Eric does and the author makes you feel as though you were there looking over his shoulder as he does so.
Can't wait to read the next in the series as this is a cracking book
This was a Kindle Unlimited recommendation and to be honest, when I read the book blurb I was a little 'meh' about it, but decided to go ahead and give it a try and boy am I glad that I did!
It drew me in from the get go; from Eric's transformation into a vampire/nightlord, his efforts to square this and his new needs to living in modern society, through to his travel into an alternate medieval style universe where magic is considered normal, in pursuit of his unknown enemies and his subsequent adventures.
The story is told from Eric's viewpoint and the character is appealing and flawed. The world building is superb and so is the realization of the supporting characters. The pace of the plot is fast enough to keep you engaged without racing on and losing you, you are drawn in and discover this new world as Eric does and the author makes you feel as though you were there looking over his shoulder as he does so.
Can't wait to read the next in the series as this is a cracking book
January 18, 2024
Did not finish book. Stopped at 16%.
Ahhhh this started off so strong and then DIED. It just began to drag. Really bummed.
Ahhhh this started off so strong and then DIED. It just began to drag. Really bummed.
August 8, 2016
Night lord sunset by Garon Whited is a sci-fi and fantasy read.
Eric didn't ask to be a vampire. In fact, he didn't even believe in them. Then he hooks up with a hot babe, wakes up with a hangover, and bites his tongue with his own fangs.
Which pretty much settles the question.
Now he's trying to hold down his day job while learning the rules of the Undead -- the most important being that bloodthirsty urges and predatory instincts are a real bitch.
Upside; Eric has the beautiful Sasha to teach him the ropes, including the magic he'll need to survive.
Downside; they're being hunted by members of the Church of Light, who are determined to rid the world of vampires.
Then Sasha is killed, and Eric is thrust into an alternate world in his quest to avenge her death. There he becomes a Nightlord, fights a dragon with the help of his magical steed, Bronze, and upchucks a sword named Firebrand.
But things get really interesting when Eric finally finds Tobias, head of the Church of Light. Soon Eric finds himself at the center of an epic battle at the literal edge of the world in a fight to keep a terrible darkness at bay.
In other words, just another day in the life of the Nightlord.
Fantastic read.
I loved the story and the characters
Tort was my favourite character.
I loved the ending too.
Highly recommended.
5* from me.
Thanks to netgalley for the arc.
Eric didn't ask to be a vampire. In fact, he didn't even believe in them. Then he hooks up with a hot babe, wakes up with a hangover, and bites his tongue with his own fangs.
Which pretty much settles the question.
Now he's trying to hold down his day job while learning the rules of the Undead -- the most important being that bloodthirsty urges and predatory instincts are a real bitch.
Upside; Eric has the beautiful Sasha to teach him the ropes, including the magic he'll need to survive.
Downside; they're being hunted by members of the Church of Light, who are determined to rid the world of vampires.
Then Sasha is killed, and Eric is thrust into an alternate world in his quest to avenge her death. There he becomes a Nightlord, fights a dragon with the help of his magical steed, Bronze, and upchucks a sword named Firebrand.
But things get really interesting when Eric finally finds Tobias, head of the Church of Light. Soon Eric finds himself at the center of an epic battle at the literal edge of the world in a fight to keep a terrible darkness at bay.
In other words, just another day in the life of the Nightlord.
Fantastic read.
I loved the story and the characters
Tort was my favourite character.
I loved the ending too.
Highly recommended.
5* from me.
Thanks to netgalley for the arc.
September 23, 2023
The premise of this story is pretty dope: a physics professor turned powerful vampire, seeks revenge for his murdered woman. (FYI - some people murdered the shit out of her.) I am here for all of it.
Unfortunately, there really isn't a direct path to vengeance. I'm okay with that (not really), since there wouldn't be much of a story. He has to understand his powers, accomplish certain tasks, meet people, excetera, excetera. Along the way, he makes stupid choices, and brushes them off with the excuse of being “curious.”
But what really irked me during his epic journey, is when he finally comes face to face with the lead antagonist, but doesn't want to kill him. (Even prior to this point, he whines about it. He goes on and on, page after page after fucking page, bemoaning about why he doesn't want to kill someone - as he calls it - "in cold blood.") Even though his nemesis had sent people to kill the person he loved, the vampire's logic is: “well, since he didn't do it HIMSELF, killing him makes me feel bad." Well, if this were literary fiction or a thriller I was reading, then sure, a character's angst over revenge killing is logical. But this is SFF, and dude is a powerful vampire. Git ta vampirin'.
This refusal comes back to bite him on the ass, of course, and it made me want to throw my tablet across the room. Fortunately, I didn't, because I needed to download Book 2.
Unfortunately, there really isn't a direct path to vengeance. I'm okay with that (not really), since there wouldn't be much of a story. He has to understand his powers, accomplish certain tasks, meet people, excetera, excetera. Along the way, he makes stupid choices, and brushes them off with the excuse of being “curious.”
But what really irked me during his epic journey, is when he finally comes face to face with the lead antagonist, but doesn't want to kill him. (Even prior to this point, he whines about it. He goes on and on, page after page after fucking page, bemoaning about why he doesn't want to kill someone - as he calls it - "in cold blood.") Even though his nemesis had sent people to kill the person he loved, the vampire's logic is: “well, since he didn't do it HIMSELF, killing him makes me feel bad." Well, if this were literary fiction or a thriller I was reading, then sure, a character's angst over revenge killing is logical. But this is SFF, and dude is a powerful vampire. Git ta vampirin'.
This refusal comes back to bite him on the ass, of course, and it made me want to throw my tablet across the room. Fortunately, I didn't, because I needed to download Book 2.
October 24, 2015
Pretty good, needs editing.
Overall the story is a male Mary Jane story. The protagonist has a never ending supply of knowledge, skills, and abilities as well as a remarkable, nigh unbelievable, ability to process events quickly. He takes being turned into a vampire, drinking blood, magically sucking the life out of people, being trapped in another world, and learning magic without so much as a double take. Most of those are within the first 200 pages.
While the overall story is a good one, the protagonist often lapses into a stream of consciousness rambling about this or that that I find really annoying. A good editor could cut this down to say 400-500 pages, and fix the countless spelling and grammatical errors and this would be a four star book.
Overall the story is a male Mary Jane story. The protagonist has a never ending supply of knowledge, skills, and abilities as well as a remarkable, nigh unbelievable, ability to process events quickly. He takes being turned into a vampire, drinking blood, magically sucking the life out of people, being trapped in another world, and learning magic without so much as a double take. Most of those are within the first 200 pages.
While the overall story is a good one, the protagonist often lapses into a stream of consciousness rambling about this or that that I find really annoying. A good editor could cut this down to say 400-500 pages, and fix the countless spelling and grammatical errors and this would be a four star book.
May 22, 2016
Such a good read, well listen. From start to finish you are on the edge of your seat. I cant wait to get into book 2.
October 13, 2016
READ THIS BOOK! but only if you like beautifully written fantasy and vampires
December 5, 2019
I did finished the book and there is a chance that I will read the next one in the series, but my god, what a Marty Sue!
A physics professor is a turned to a vampire by a hot chick. So at the start the character is given a bunch of superpowers, like regeneration, strength and talent to magic. But why stop at that - let us give him endless money bag (actually, there is no magic item, but where Eric found the money when he became Halar is a question that does not always have a good answer), super horse and a talking sword. And forgive all acidental and intentional killings, pseudohumanism and stupid decisions that are explained by Griffinor-like temperament.
Why did I continue to read? Because it was entertaining even when it had face-palm twists and explanations and because this kind of books are my guilty pleasure.
A physics professor is a turned to a vampire by a hot chick. So at the start the character is given a bunch of superpowers, like regeneration, strength and talent to magic. But why stop at that - let us give him endless money bag (actually, there is no magic item, but where Eric found the money when he became Halar is a question that does not always have a good answer), super horse and a talking sword. And forgive all acidental and intentional killings, pseudohumanism and stupid decisions that are explained by Griffinor-like temperament.
Why did I continue to read? Because it was entertaining even when it had face-palm twists and explanations and because this kind of books are my guilty pleasure.
November 5, 2023
3.5 Stars
This book was three times longer than most series' first volumes. The whole thing is told from the single point of view of the protagonist, Eric. The style is quite old-fashioned and linear. One set piece follows another with little character growth. That's not to say Eric's abilities don't change, but his personality is locked in from the moment we meet him. He's rational and confident, (almost to the point of smugness), and nothing ever phases him for long. It reminded me of some of Robert Heinlein's protagonists back in the 60s.
I'd have to re-read it to see if it passes the Bechdel test, but I suspect it doesn't. There's no unforgivable misogyny, but the scent hangs in the air. On the other hand, there are some heartfelt scenes that touch on concepts of honor and loyalty. The action is well rendered and mostly serves the plot. The antagonists, while rarely a true threat, are at least believable. I found the righteous priest, who managed to rationalize summoning demons, to be particularly interesting.
I'll be cleansing my palate with some other author's work before continuing this series, but continue I will.
This book was three times longer than most series' first volumes. The whole thing is told from the single point of view of the protagonist, Eric. The style is quite old-fashioned and linear. One set piece follows another with little character growth. That's not to say Eric's abilities don't change, but his personality is locked in from the moment we meet him. He's rational and confident, (almost to the point of smugness), and nothing ever phases him for long. It reminded me of some of Robert Heinlein's protagonists back in the 60s.
I'd have to re-read it to see if it passes the Bechdel test, but I suspect it doesn't. There's no unforgivable misogyny, but the scent hangs in the air. On the other hand, there are some heartfelt scenes that touch on concepts of honor and loyalty. The action is well rendered and mostly serves the plot. The antagonists, while rarely a true threat, are at least believable. I found the righteous priest, who managed to rationalize summoning demons, to be particularly interesting.
I'll be cleansing my palate with some other author's work before continuing this series, but continue I will.
July 8, 2023
64% is what I could handle.. it's been almost 2 years since I stop reading it (audiobook).
And it still give me a sour taste in my mouth, because I've spent money on this book.
It's confusing, very long - too long, and very slow.
The characters reasonings for what they're are doing, don't seem very well thought out.
More "how many worlds can I write".
And that is not really something I personally want to spend my time on.
Perhaps it's because I don't get it.
I see other people satisfied with the book and the read, and I wish that was me.
But it just isn't.
And it still give me a sour taste in my mouth, because I've spent money on this book.
It's confusing, very long - too long, and very slow.
The characters reasonings for what they're are doing, don't seem very well thought out.
More "how many worlds can I write".
And that is not really something I personally want to spend my time on.
Perhaps it's because I don't get it.
I see other people satisfied with the book and the read, and I wish that was me.
But it just isn't.
April 22, 2019
Dropping this book and moving on to something else. First off, it is very long - 36.75 hours. Second off, the main protagonist is what I call "a bro" - a white dude who thinks he's clever & amusing and never really fails at anything he tries. I'm just not in the mood for that any hours with a bro.
July 12, 2025
Started off strong, but continuously got worse until I stopped reading at 85% and finally just read the last chapter.
Want to read
November 23, 2020🌙 Free today 11/23/20 on Amazon 🌙
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