Jenny sits down with fantasy & science fiction author Jay Kristoff to discuss his March 12th, 2024 release of his 2nd book in the Empire of the Vampire series . Watch/Listen to our interview to get an inside look at what to expect next for Gabriel de León.
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Empire of the Damned - Empire of the Vampire (Volume 2) by Jay Kristoff
Release Date: 03/12/2024
Published by St.Martin’s Press/ Macmillan
By Jenny Robinson
A lot happened at the end of Empire of the Vampire (Book 1). A LOT.
In a world that has not seen a sunrise for decades, vampires are set to destroy humanity. Our protagonist (or in some cases, our antagonist), Gabriel de León tells his story as the last of the Silver Saints (protectors against the vampires).
The first book in this series sets up a colorful cast of characters. The story is told through Gabe’s perspective but includes such insight to those we meet through it’s pages. In attempt to avoid spoilers in both books, I’ll generically say that Empire of the Vampire has a WTF?!? OH NO!!! traumatic ending.
Empire of the Damned dives quickly into the aftermath of the brutality found in the first volume. Gabriel is still imprisoned, reluctantly (and drunkenly) continuing his tale to the vampire Jean-François. In this, we are starting to really see the toll Gabe has paid in this war. His character is becoming a noteworthy study of endurance despite all of his blatant flaws. The pipe and bottle are becoming more frequent in both his stories and present situation. His love and loyalty constantly being tested.
I had struggled with the writing style a bit during the first book. The story Gabe is telling Jean-François is written as if it is happening right then, instead of in the past. There are moments when mid-story, Jean-François taps into the conversation with a critique or question. This felt very abrupt as I was getting to know the characters and the plot. By the time I got a few chapter into this new book, the relationship between the two made those time line jumps feel more naturally. I began to really enjoy Jean-François’s interruptions. It feels a bit like breaking the fourth wall in cinematography. I was surprised how much I looked forward to those moments in this book.
This volume of the series also added a lot of context towards the vampires. I was delighted to learn more about the various histories, beliefs and abilities of each. Belief is a prominent word for this series as a whole. It’s a tale of faith, regret, worship, hope and sacrifice. It allows this second chapter in the series to grow and find it’s footing that was only beginning to take shape in it’s predecessor.
I am not going to lie, this is a beefy read. It’s violent, traumatic, and an exciting chase to see where Gabriel and Dior’s travels lead them. Clocking in at 752 pages, it’s easy to miss place a few hours (days, months) of your life as you speed through page by page. And I gasped a bit at the last sentence. Book 3 is set up spectacularly.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
JAY KRISTOFF is a #1 international, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of fantasy and science fiction, including Empire of the Vampire. He is the winner of eight Aurealis Awards, an ABIA, has over half a million books in print and is published in over thirty five countries, most of which he has never visited. He is as surprised about all of this as you are. He is 6’7 and has approximately 11,500 days to live.
He does not believe in happy endings.