Soul Stealers

Clockwork Vampire Chronicles #2

by Andy Remic

The land of Falanor has fallen. The renegade hero Kell is being hunted by the machine-vampires, the Vachine. On his way to recruit reinforcements to launch the counterattack, the mighty hero finds himself the prey of two beautiful but deadly vampire assassins. Original.

Genres: Fantasy, Steampunk, Vampires, Horror, Paranormal, Fiction, Ebooks

412 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Andy Remic lives in Lincoln, UK, although his heart and viking soul belong to the Scottish mountains. Married with two children, Andy has a variety of esoteric and sometimes contrasting loves, including sword fighting, climbing, mountain biking, kick-boxing, Ducati motorcycles and retro-gaming. He recently wrote the computer version of his novel Biohell for the 48K Spectrum, in which many people are still stuck. He writes in both SF and fantasy fields, and is sometimes accused of literature. Current novels include: Spiral, Quake, Warhead, War Machine, Biohell, Hardcore and the upcoming Cloneworld, Theme Planet and TOX for Solaris Books, and the Kell’s Legend trilogy, Kell’s Legend, Soul Stealers and Vampire Warlords for Angry Robot Books.

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another decent book that gets 3.5-stars from me.

There were a few inconsistencies in this 2nd book of this trilogy, though they were all fairly minor things that I found easy to forgive.

Now onto the final book.

[Elchamaco · Rating 4 out of 5]

Le iba a dar 5 estrella pero le he quitado una por hacer trampas. Y encima para meter con calzador algo que no cuadra ni a tiros. Un personaje que va describiendo sus pensamientos no puede de repente ser un traidor desde el principio de la historia, y cuando lo hacen me jode bastante. No le quito otra estrella de milagro. Y encima pa ná... se podíaresolver de otra forma mucho mejor.

En fin tampoco importa pero como me jode pues eso. El libro es pura dinamita acción a raudales, cliffhangers a tutiplen, vamos no puedes parar. Así que a pesar de la parida esta al final del libro pues merece la pena.

En cuanto a la edición de dilatando mentes pues muy chula como todo lo que publican aunque con el mismo estilo estraño de narices mezcla del sistema de publicación inglés pero cambiando " por —. Queda raro como ya comenté en el primer libro así que no me extiendo más. Y eso sí en papel... una pena que no saquen en digital. Odio cada vez más el papel.

[Octavi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Muy entretenido.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

Please note this review contains spoilers for those that have not read Kell’s Legend.

When reading anything by Andy Remic you can rest assured that things are going to get brutal and bloody very quickly. I would definitely not recommend Kell’s Legend or it’s sequel, Soul Stealers, to those of you that are faint of heart. The violence is as graphic as it gets. The author doesn’t sugar coat anything. There are seas of blood and everyone, irrespective of age and gender, are a potential victim.

In Kell’s Legend the main protagonist, Kell, is not a terribly nice man. He is an aging warrior who is in a constant battle with the ravages of time. He steadfastly refuses to give in to his inevitable decline, as well as trying to control an almost psychopathic temper. His code of honour would make most people consider him a monster. In fact with a few exceptions most of the characters aren’t that nice.

Personally, this didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the story. Quite the reverse in fact. There is a refreshing honesty in the book which I liked. Kell and his main companion Saark are both flawed men. Kell with the dark voices in his head and violence in his heart while Saark is a self destructive hedonist. It makes their relationship an endless back and forth of arguments which is very entertaining.

The villain of the piece is General Graal. He leads the Army of Iron. They in turn are servants of the Vachine. The Vachine are a race of clockwork vampires that use refined blood (blood-oil) to power their mechanical enhancements.

Soul Stealers, published this October by Angry Robot Books, picks up where Kell’s Legend left off. The Army of Iron has crushed the country of Falanor. General Graal finally reveals his true colours, his long planned scheme to restore the ancient Vampire Lords and destroy the corrupt Vachine society. Meanwhile Kell and Saark try to avoid Graal’s forces as they race north in order to find Kell’s missing grand-daughter, Nienna.

As the story races along, both Kell and Saark have to face their inner demons. There is quite a lot of internal dialogue going on so the reader gets to learn the character’s motivations for their actions.

If I could change anything I think I would have liked to have learned more about the characters of the Soul Stealers themselves, especially as the book is named after them. They were not present in the first book, and I think they deserved a bit more exposure in this sequel. They are integral to both of the main strands of the plot, Graal’s betrayal and Kell’s search for his grand-daughter.

Kell’s Legend ends on a rather nice cliffhanger. Soul Stealers takes that excitement to the next level. It ends with what I think they call a ‘game changer’. It certainly left me wanting more.

Based on other reviews I’ve read of Andy Remic’s work I think it’s fair to say that he is the literary equivalent of Marmite due to his extreme brutality, particularly towards his female characters. You read his books and you either love them or hate them. Personally I enjoy everything of his I’ve read. I’ve been a fan since I read his first science fiction novel, Spiral. His move to fantasy novels has been successful. His characters are violent and flawed and can seem to be downright cruel but this always makes for an interesting read.

I look forward to next book in the series.

Soul Stealers will be launched at FantasyCon 2010 and will be on general release in October.

[Beverly perry · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very good book. I only had one problem with it. If you read it, pay close attention to Queen Alloria's character. What happens with her in the last pages does not make any sense at all. Especially after all that business with the King being her true soul mate when she was on the mountain pass. I mean wow. I'm not talking about the business with Saark..Im talking about the situation with Graal. I was going "Huh???" for a good 10 minutes after I read it. Maybe in the next book that situation will get explored more throughly but as of this moment it is why the book got 4 stars instead of 5.

[P. Bellis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Second time reading this series - not as well written as I remembered them, but still a very entertaining read. This is grim dark fantasy, the way I like it. Dirty, bloody and sprinkled with dark and sarcastic humor. There are, unfortunately, several inconsistencies between book 1 and 2.
For instance, Saark is suffering from a stab wound, that he sowed up himself in book 1. In book 2 i says Kell did it. Book 1 Anukis gets new silver fangs, book 2, she's back to brass fangs. There are more, and all though they don't detract much from the story, it's still annoying.

One of my biggest issues with this book, is the Queens storyline. SPOILERS:
Since she already was Saarks creature, and lover, and a vachine before the whole main storyline starts, why then... does Saark rape her, is she (supposedly) beaten and raped by albino soldiers, does she go through all these thoughts and reflections about her husband etc??
Only reason I can see for this charade, is to keep the reader in the dark. But the reader isn't part of the story, so it makes no sense..
If I've missed something here, please let me know.

[Johnny Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting techno modern twist to an old legend. Cannot wait to read the final book.

[Chocomeiske · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm having a really good time reading this series. It's so corny but I love the gore.

[Maddie · Rating 3 out of 5]

🤍

[Nathan Barker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall Rating: 7.5 out of 10 | Excellent Dark Fantasy

Overview: In Book 1 of the Clockwork Vampires (Review Here) The Iron Army invaded the lands of men, bringing Kell and his bloodbond axe, Ilanna, out of retirement and into the battlefield. Graal and his Iron Army are crushing the lands of men and their Harvesters are (literally) sucking the life-blood from them.

Kell is dying from poison - as is his neice, Nienna, who has been abducted by a woman desperate for the 'cure' the Vachine can provide her dying body. Graal has sent his assassins, the beautiful and deadly Soul Stealers, to kill Kell as well.

Kell needs to survive the poison, rescue his niece, and somehow get rid of an invading army of near-immortals.

Review: Remic steps up the gore level a bit in this one. If you read Kell's Legend and had a hard time eating dinner afterwards, stop now, it only gets better. In addition to the increased action and gore levels, Remic changes things a bit from his first outing in the series. Where Kell's Legend was very linearly told, Soul Stealers alternates viewpoints considerably more - giving us more back-story and motivations of the other players in the story.

Remic didn't set out to write another Song of Ice and Fire. The political machinations, plot twists, and motivations in the Clockwork Vampire series are fairly strait-forward. You don't need a wall-sized map and a reference book on the family trees to keep up. This is head-on Sword & Sorcery in the tradition of David Gemmell, Robert E. Howard, or Fritz Leiber.

That said, you will find treachery, backstabbing, plot twists (including some big ones), and a truck-load of action.

Conclusion: Do you need to read Kell's Legend first? YES. The books in this trilogy don't stand on their own.. cliffhanger endings, insufficient back-story, etc. They are certainly meant to be read as a set.

Thus, the review of this novel is heavily dependent on its predecessor. I am enjoying the series, and have and will continue to recommend it. I found the more frequent viewpoint changes in this book a bit intrusive to the storyline and would have preferred more linear continuity. I gave Soul Stealers a half-point less than the first of the trilogy primarily due to this. If hardcover Sword & Sorcery with clockwork and vampires thrown in sounds great to you, you won't be disappointed, The Clockwork Vampire Chronicles starts strong with Kell's Legend and continues strong with Soul Stealers. Vampire Warlords is Book 3 and is available now as well.

[Princessjay · Rating 1 out of 5]

Direct continuation of the first novel. More basically serviceable plot with basically serviceable characters, with copious use of a small set of literal tropes to stir up maximum feelings.

At this point, so many characters are so often set up with moments of noble purpose and resolve, as though they might now have a chance to change their fate, only to be instantly destroyed in the most pointless and useless way, it is almost like reading a literal tic. Very annoying. Characters die, but then comes back to life. Characters seem to be important by their set up, but get killed after pages and pages of them doing this or that, without ultimately contributing anything to the plot. Then there is the way the author ends every chapter with a clumsy cliff hanger -- is this book written and sold on a chapter-to-chapter basis?! Then there is the way the plot twists and turns with very little logic and clarity, with betrayals coming out of the left field, having no prior set up. If throughout an entire two novels a character is described from her perspective as being raped and tortured by the villain, then suddenly turns out to be an accomplice ALL ALONG in the last 5 pages of the book, without any reason given for WHY she turned traitorous... this is truly lazy writing. Finally, how often do we need descriptions of heads flying off, spine crushed, and entire bodies cleaved perfectly in half from "head to groin/quim"?! Last time I checked, muscles are nature's way of making such instant slicing and dicing impossible, at least not without the weapon-wielder having to constantly re-sharpen their dulled blades...

Horrible stuff. Bad junk food for the brain. Not recommended.

[Jimmy · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the horror fantasy genre Andy Remic continues to reign supreme (in my opinion), and he delivers more than I ever expected in the great second installment of The Clockwork Vampire Chronicles.
The story continues from right where Kell’s Legend cliffhanger ended. And, within reading the prologue and first chapter, Andy Remic has grabbed me with the new, surprising, and deadly abominations that live powerfully on the edge of blasphemy. Also, I was deeply touched emotionally and then joyously surprised when I read about Jage, an injured boy left for dead. There are still great mysteries to unfold as characters you thought you knew fooled me as well as others and prove to be someone else entirely. These mysteries, unanswered questions, and as well as the history of Falanor are exposed. There is far more going on than the vachine conquering Falanor for the blood-oil they require.
I was completely enraptured in the world that is Falanor, and did not want to put this book down. Normally I don’t do this. I’d rather wait for the next novel and go without a sneak preview to the next chapter in the series, but before I knew it I soon found myself reading the prologue to Vampire Warlords.

[Jade Lauron · Rating 2 out of 5]

More of the same from the first book. I wish I hadn't picked up this set. I hate it when a so-so book has a cliffhanger ending. Now I have to read all three books. The first book was okay, and if it had ended, in a year or so I would have considered reading another book in a similar style, and might have gone back to this author, because I do enjoy the occasional fantasy pulp-fiction. But not back-to-back, and no way am I going to remember the plot of the first book a year from now (especially not since I will have read a hundred or more books in the interim). So I'm stuck reading the whole trilogy. The only reason I'm reviewing this here is so that I remember NEVER to pick up another Andy Remic, because I just can't stand books that end in the middle of the climax. Even books that are destined to be trilogies or series have some kind of resolution regarding the main events to the book, with usually just a few loose ends floating around that carry over to the next book. And what was enjoyable and fun to read in the first books has become tedious in the second, although it did pick up and become a bit more exciting toward the end...just in time for yet another cliffhanger so I can groan and move onto the third book.

[Kerry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Andy Remic is new to me. There are three books in the series. I have now read all three. It's been sometime since I read sword and sorcery novels. I read them when I was somewhat younger. Perhaps my tastes have changed because I found these three to be severely repetitive in nature to the point where the author uses the same phrases and descriptions and words over and over. The banter between Saark and Kell became particularly annoying as well as the word "piss" throughout all there novels.
The plot is good and he leaves the door wide open for continuing the series and at least three actors.
Women, I think, get short shrift though - or at least that's my feeling. These are manly men novels, male centered, male dominated. The first in the series was less that way than the others. By the third the author had gone from lust to somewhat explicit sex scenes. A natural progression or pleasing his publishers and audience?
At the same time I felt the author progressed and gained some wisdom along the way in his writing.
I'd be hard pressed to return to Kell and his cohorts I'm afraid. As I said perhaps my tastes have changed over the years. This is macho candy where I want a good chew steak these days.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

BOOM! This one takes off like a lightning bolt, as the first book in the series does. Kell and Saark are hell bent on getting out of the ruined city they are hiding in and getting after Kell's grand daughter. Both of them were poisoned by the huntress and rogue who stole the young lady, so they have to go after them and catch up to receive the antidote. Bloody battle after bloody battle ensues, and the whole while General Graal and the Clockwork Vampire army are rampaging all across the land.
There is not much to say here that won't give spoilers away, however I can say this and I have to, as I laughed out loud for awhile after reading it. Kell and Saark are roughing it, living where and how they can and trying to get to the grand daughter. Saark picks up a donkey along the way, and of course Kell wants to eat it, but "Mary" is not for eating and proves to be a steadfast and able companion. In a definitive scene, the Vampires send a heavily armed party to capture the two. They catch them, and donkey in an abandoned shack. Sending in a witch, who incapacitates Kell, the future looks very bad. They donkey saves the day by kicking the witch in the face and breaks the spell, freeing Kell to his famous brand of ultra-violence. Good Stuff!

Danny

[MsBDiamondDiva1 · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Granite Thrones are no longer empty!!!

This is the second book in the “Clockwork Vampire Chronicles” and unlike others; I found the reading to be just my cup of tea and then some. And to be honest, gosh did we experience things that made you think…dang…Why didn’t I pick up on that (speaking of Queen Alloria)? And dang…Stark was and is really important in this series, more than I thought. Furthermore, looks like Graal has bitten off more than he can chew; when it comes to trying to control The Warlords!!! They are in a sense more than a demi-god and they are no one’s play toy!!! Graal is getting just what he deserves and I love it!!! I hate that at one point I felt bad or even pity for Mayriam’s character. To me the cancer had turned her into a character of survival, but at the end of the book; you see that she is a cold hearted b@#%!* that should have been destroyed at the earliest convenience. This book had me literally going “wow”, I have to have more…I re-read it twice before I went to bed and I love how his books are not predictable:-) I can’t wait to read the next book in this series!!!

[Pauline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great continuation of the series. I enjoyed this one a little less than the first. This can probably be attributed to the fact that I waited a year between the two books so it took some time for me to remember what was exactly happening. The majority of this book is Kell and Saark going after his granddaughter Nienna.

Once again we see the Vachine, Cankers and the other creatures that are prevalent in this world. We also get some more background into the entire reason why General Graal is doing what he is doing. I particularly love the Vachine and the fusion of clockwork and vampire. So now we have the Vampire Warlords left to deal with. Will be looking forward to reading the next book.

[Barry Huddleston · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I am Kell. And I am mightily pissed off."
Reading Remic's "Soul Stealers", I can't help but think of my teenage years. I would hide away from the world in my reading nook and devour Howard, De Camp, and later Gemmell. A sword slash, an axe chop, or a strong headbutt was all that was needed to save the day.
"Soul Stealers" picks up where "Kell's Legend" left off and sets up the last book of the Clockwork Vampire Trilogy quite well. The final book "Vampire Warlords" will be out sometime this summer.
"Soul Stealers" is a fun fast-paced story filled with gory hack and slash battle scenes. Say what you will about Andy Remic, but he seems to have a good grasp of medieval weapons.
I thought that it was excellent. Come on people! It has clockwork vampires --- how cool is that!

[Jaime · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great action and enjoyable characters inhabit an interesting fantasy world filled with darkly powerful creatures in a book that will make your heart race in excitement only to then take you out of the reading experience with a shoddily constructed turn of phrase.

As with the first book in this series, the need for a better editor is evident. While the action sequences are outstanding, the dialogue can often be very difficult to chew through. Also, some of the descriptive elements are off-putting in their blatant desire to shock. I enjoy dark and gritty fantasy, so I'm continuing through the series, but I can't shake the feeling that this could have been so much better if a good editor had hacked and slashed his/her way through the book to sand down away the rough edges.

[Rodolfo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent follow up to the first book. Good set up for the 3rd and final book. I liked the addition of the soul stealers and the origins of the "Albino" warriors. Some predictable stuff, but not so disappointing that it ruined the story. I have to say I was surprised when one of the main characters died, but was sadly disappointed when it turned out she wasn’t dead after all. I think a good author isn’t afraid to kill a main character and leave them dead. The impact is felt so much more.

But liked the last book. It was entertaining and I will read book 3. I just hope he limits the use of "Clock Work" as a phrase and "Athletic" as a description.

[Robert Carlberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second book of the series was better. I see where a few people didn't like how everything seemed to have something help the main characters in the first book. This one basically lets you understand why Kell is the legend he is. Hearing the little bit of his back story helps. The book moved along at a pretty fast pace, so it didn't seem like it took long at all to read. The whole concept of clockwork vampires is interesting as well. Will be interesting to see how it ends with the next book.

[Patrick Haggerty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Andy continues to create cool characters and to put them in situations best resolved at the end of a double bit, butterfly ax. I enjoyed the book but was slightly distracted by a few continuity issues with the last book and the feeling that the book was perhaps, a bit pushed out the door, if you catch my drift. Having said that, I think the book a lot of fun and can't wait to see what happens next... Can you say Pre-Order on Amazon!

[Adrian · Rating 3 out of 5]

I agree with many of the other comments about this book. It's weaker than the first and kind of suffering from little things like letting the main characters continue to bicker to an annoying amount. Also some character turns just seem way out of the ordinary. Also I think every character has pissed them self in this book. Good action scenes
And a few interesting characters and full of testosterone I give it three stars!

[Samantha wickedshizuku Tolleson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gods I think this is one of the most scary novels I've ever read.

[Unwisely · Rating 3 out of 5]

In some ways not as good as Book 1, but it lacked a lot of the things I didn't like in the first one (abuse of main characters). I am not sure I'm going to like how this ends, and it's not one of the ones where I need the sequel now now now...but I'm interested enough to keep going.

Also? Steampunk vampire berserker!! (I am still thrilled by the very concept.)

[Jaq · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kell - he's back in this second instalment. Bigger, louder and more darker than the first. We see his character develop or should that be regress?

He fills the pages and the rest of the cast of characters supports this age of heroes epic.

Enjoyable if your taste runs to the sword/sorcery/vampire ilk.

[Tbloxham · Rating 3 out of 5]

Weaker than the first, to some extent lacking the focus that it had, and falling into the trap of 'mega doom' which many dark fantasies find themselves in. One dark lord is never enough, there has to be a dozen more super dark lords, and so on. Still fun to read though

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

The follow-up to Kell's Legend adds to the saga of Kell. A few new wrinkles are uncovered,though we're starting to kill people off somewhat blithely. A couple plot twists don't quite fit together, but perhaps explanations will follow in "Vampire Warlords".

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

No drop off in this series.Very fast paced.Action sequences are vivid and well detailed.Kell is one bad dude.Different variations of vampire keep coming his way but his bloodbond axe Ilanna carves a path right through them.I am immensely enjoying this series.

[Reader73 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like the story of Kell The Legend! Can't wait for the next book.