Blood Slaves

Blood Saga, Book 1

De: Markus Redmond

Narrado por: Akin Omotoso

For listeners of Victor LaValle, Tananarive Due, Stephen Graham Jones, and Colson Whitehead’s The Underground Railroad, this ingenious reimagining of the vampire origin story set during the early days of American slavery blends alternate history with supernatural horror, as the last surviving member of an ancient African vampire tribe meets a slave desperate for freedom, and together, they lead an army of enslaved people in a cinematically blood-soaked battle for freedom and revenge.

What if nobody ever freed the slaves…because they freed themselves—150 years before the Civil War?

In the Province of Carolina, 1710, freedom seems unattainable for Willie, for his beloved Gertie, and for their unborn child. They live, suffer, and toil under their brutal master, James “Big Jim” Barrow, whose grand plantation was built by the blood, sweat, and tears of the enslaved. To flee this hell on earth is be hunted and killed. Until one strange night Willie is offered a dark hope by Rafazi, an enigmatic slave with an irresistible and blood-chilling path to liberation.

Hailing from the Kingdom of Ghana, Rafazi is the lone survivor of the Ramanga, an African vampire tribe rendered nearly extinct by plague. Rafazi has roamed the world for centuries with an undying desire to replenish the power that once defined his heritage. In Willie, Rafazi has found his first biddable subject to be turned and to help in a hungry revolt. And Willie desires nothing more than to free his people from malicious bondage. Whatever it takes.

One by one, as an army of blood slaves thirsting for revenge is gathered, the headstrong Gertie fears that no good can come from the vampiric legacy that courses through Rafazi’s veins. Willie knows that only evil can fight evil. And when the woman he loves stands between the reemergence of the Ramanga and the justified slaughter of the oppressors, Willie must make an irreversible decision. Only one thing is certain: on the Barrow plantation, and beyond, blood will spill.

Part historical drama, part supernatural horror, and part alternate history, Blood Slaves is an ingenuous and defiant new creation myth of the vampire, one rooted in both justice and the sometimes-violent means necessary to achieve it.

©2025 Markus Redmond (P)2025 Recorded Books

A vampire story I never thought I wanted until now!

I loved this book and can’t wait for the next, a great story about the oppressed overcoming their oppressor and using something seen as evil to do good. A great read.

the fight of the slaves

love the love story between Gertie and Willie. how some of the slaves were with the fight but in their own ways.

Revolutionary

The story starts with an surprising beginning & takes you on a journey of what leads to be a revolutionary stand point of freedoms & lesser evils.

A vampire hero?!

I loved the overall theme of this story. It was interesting and horrific but historical a real work of fiction and emotion. I felt so many things listening to this story and the way it was read was so good. The different voices that were given to the different characters I could see and feel everything. I honestly need this book in movie form and I need a second book immediately. I would consider myself a fairly busy person and I used almost every minute of free time to listen to this story.

Whew! Made it through!

It was hard to listen to in the beginning with the reminders of the horrific things done to our ancestors but I’m glad I made it to the end. Gertie was hard to like in the beginning but thankfully she came around. I would definitely recommend this book and look forward to part 2, August 25, 2026. Loved it!!