Blood Slaves

Blood Saga, Book 1

By: Markus Redmond

Narrated by: 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

Wow!

I usually shy away from books that depict the horrors of American slavery due to how emotional I get reading them, but I went ahead and took the plunge. I'm so happy I did I listened to this book in 2 days and I need more! The story had me immersed in the lives of the characters, the emotions, the pride, and the vengeance were oh so delicious!!!

Also I loved the voice actor.

Epic take on the vampire genre

Minor spoilers at the end.

Wow! What a cool and unique take on vampires and a deeply satisfying tale of revenge and uprising. If you want a gritty, bloody vampire story this is definitely one you need to read. The only small gripe I had with it is that the pacing got a little slow in the middle and I would have liked to know more about the vampire lore and history.

I also cannot leave a review with our staying that you need to seriously check your trigger warnings. There is extensive, explicit, and very graphic depictions of every kind of abuse you can think of and much of the book is spent on describing the atrocities the white characters commit against the black characters. I had to take a break a few times. If you are sensitive to things like that you may want to skip this one or at least go in with extreme caution.

That being said, I absolutely recommend this book to anyone who feels that they can stomach the bad parts because the revenge at the end is so dang satisfying and the triumph of the main characters is uplifting and hopeful.

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.

Screenplay, rather than novel

I found the concept of this book to be exciting, but it reads like a screenplay (lots of visuals, but no depth in the characters & pacing), rather than a novel. There is little sense of the interior of what could be really wonderful characters. It is still worth a read/listen, but did not meet the expectations I had.

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.

Best Vampire book I've read this year

This is some of the best storytelling I’ve ever experienced. It grabbed my attention immediately. The author developed the characters very well. Every single one of them had something that they were dealing with. And when shit hit the fan, they had to make emotionally tough decisions based on their individual circumstances. Because the author gives us a great foundation, readers also become invested. Very well done.

This is more than a book about slavery and vampires. It is about people who seized an opportunity for revenge. You know this book is saying something when vampires aren’t the worst monsters around.

This is a historical fiction horror that takes you to the 1700s. Markus Redmond doesn’t hold back. We get a peek at some horrors many of our ancestors had to endure. It’s raw, so check your triggers.

This is the vampire book I didn’t know I needed. I spent half of the year bragging about “The Buffalo Hunter Hunter” by Stephen Graham Jones (which was a great read also), but this one is slightly better. And included Native Americans. It receives a perfect score.

I buddy read this with my wife. We both loved it and couldn’t put it down.

I put this book in the same category as Ring shout (P. Djeli Clark), The Reformatory (Tananarive Due), and The Ballard of Black Tom (Victor LaValle).

Great read!

This book was so good. The writing, storytelling and world building were chefs kiss. Although there were hard parts, the triumph was well worth it in the end. Can’t wait to continue the series with book 2! Looking forward to it!!

Different

I have to admit I've never read a vampire story like this but I made quick work of the book, I couldn't stop listening and next thing I knew I was finished and wanting more. Now the story being set in slavery made it definitely different and I can't wait to see how it moves forward, my only criticism is that I felt like the' Rumungin' (I probably spelled that wrong-lol) should have had a stronger reason for remaining a slave, other than that I really enjoyed the story and can't wait for more.

It was cool

I don’t know if it was the writing or the narrator, maybe a combo of both. But something about it I found to be annoying.