Way of the Wolf

The Vampire Earth, Book 1

By: E. E. Knight

Narrated by: Christian Rummel, E. E. Knight (Introduction)

Length: 11 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's summary

Louisiana, 2065. A lot has changed in the 43rd year of the Kurian Order. Possessed of an unnatural and legendary hunger, the bloodthirsty Reapers have come to Earth to establish a New Order built on the harvesting of enslaved human souls. They rule the planet. They thrive on the scent of fear. And if it is night, as sure as darkness, they will come.

On this pitiless world, the indomitable spirit of mankind still breathes in Lieutenant David Valentine. Brought into the Wolves - an elite guerilla force sworn to win back Earth - Valentine leads his first command in the Kurian Zone. Driven by the losses of his past and the hope of a future, Valentine is in it to win. No matter how long it takes. No matter what doom awaits him beyond his wildest nightmares.

Bonus Audio: Includes an exclusive introduction by author E.E. Knight.

©2003 Eric E. Frisch (P)2008 Audible, Inc.

Here kitty kitty

Well I was really hoping not to like this book, But no it was great and I will be getting the next one, and the next one ect... If you like SM Stirling, OS Card and alternate earth futures this is for you. Excellent narration that compliments the story. This book is worth your time, Credit or Cash. Enjoy

WOW what a story

I am writing this for ALL the books (9 of them) I have very much liked these books. Some of the last ones are a little bit slower than the first ones but still a good listen. It is a very interesting story that has a way of being a possibility in our future and how ruthless, evil and greedy man kind can be. He has a very good way of showing both the good sides of the human race and the bad when faced with utter destruction. Along with the way we might behave when introduced to alien races that have been more or less planted here to fight us. I have been very happy with the way his characters evolve and build companionship. I however would not recommend these books to young listeners due to the sexual scenes are a little graffic for young readers. But other than that a very good story.

Super good read. Original.

This is a really good book and (so far) a terrific series (I'm only on Book 4). The characters are believable, interesting and I love the fact that Valentine is also polite, despite being a very tough soldier. It's a nice juxtaposition, since tough guys often become rude guys.

I guess my only "complaint" (and it's a very mild one) is that there really is not a lot of Vampire in this Vampire book.............. So far, we are hearing more about the humans that are in sympathy with the Vampires versus the vampires themselves.

Still.............I'm really enjoying the series so far....... well worth the time and money.

One of my favorite books

I read this book for the first time almost twenty years ago, I own the whole series in paper and audio. I have listened to the series at least 4 times all the way through. I love, love LOVE Vampire Earth. I want to say its like stargate meets mad max, but its much better than either.

I just hope the author writes another one, 10 is not enough!

Slow Start To A Good Series...

I personally own this audiobook in both Audible and the first eight in the series in Graphic Audio format, so I feel I can safely say I know this author's work. This initial novel has a slower than preferred beginning, and I wish the pacing was better.

However, a vampire-ravaged earth losing the war, and it's a science fiction story? Now, that may have promise. This DOES have promise, and the concept is well-designed for the listener.

An inter-galactic space-faring race of vampires have finally made their way to earth, and the story opens on a rag-tag group of survivors being led across the swamplands of Louisiana by an organized and well-trained cadre of warriors. The premise builds with flashbacks of the hero's beginnings within the country's warrior caste, or what's left of it.

We get a slower than desired entry into the hero's upward move in the ranks, and his experiences in the process.

Its the writing good? Its good for the type of story being told. This isn't Heinlein. This isn't Martin. This is pure escapism, so don't expect eloquent prose.

That being said, I've already listened to a number of books in the series, and I can recommend the series as a whole, again, as pure escapism. The author grows in the writing of these books, so treat the escapism for what it is: A fun listen.

Spellbinding

Quite a wonderful series, I'm just finishing up the 7th (newest available, but book 8 should be coming soon) book now. I'm Anxiously looking for something new to replace this series, but I just know that I'll have trouble. The story line is great, the characters feel like friends, or perhaps comrades in arms, & the narration is simply wonderful. One of those voice actors that make you forget what gender they are when they are reading the part of a character who is another gender.

If I had one complaint about these books it's that they are too short. I actually bought the last book because I finished book 6 about 1/2 way through my billing cycle. I've never done that before in the 4 years I've been an audible member. I've also never reviewed a book on audible before, that should tell you something.

The introduction of each book by the Author is a nice touch too. I just wish he came back at the end of the book to talk about it some more, since there is no longer anything to spoil.

Before I go looking for a longer series, let me just indulge myself & make a comment for those who have listened to these books:

Blink, blink, bliiiink- that made me giggle :)

Edit: that'd be right the next book is out & it's only 10 hours. What to do? what to do?

A good story and interesting world

What made the experience of listening to Way of the Wolf the most enjoyable?

It was a fresh take on the vampire novel.

What other book might you compare Way of the Wolf to and why?

This is a jumble of different genres, vampire, post-apocolypse, and science fiction. So, not much else to directly compare it with at this time.

Which scene was your favorite?

I like the scenes when the main character learns to use his new found abilities.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No.

Any additional comments?

This is a good book. The series is pretty good for about the first 5 books and kind of dwindles away to nothing. Plus, the author never really gets anywhere with resolving the series. Based on the quality of later books I think he will probably quit writing them before he reaches a conclusion. This is a great book as a stand alone, but don't expect the main story line to go anywhere.

Suberb and Innovative

I stumbled across this book and am amazed that I had not heard of it before. Mr Knight successfully blends the military novel with some basic Vampire culture to create an innovative and captivating story.
Although this novel will likely not satisfy someone looking for a hard core Vampire novel, it is a good read/listen. I have already purchased the second in the series and am glad I did.
Additionally, the narration is fantastic. There is a wide range of accents and voices and it is a pleasure to listen to. Although, I often turn off my ipod with a bit of a southern drawl :)

Enjoyable Enough

I though this was an okay listen, but I am not generally a fan of the vampire and monster genre of fantasy. The way of the Wolf is about a futuristic Earth that has been devastated by by an alien race known as our mythological vampires. They have learned to feed off humans for immortality and their cruelty has no ends. There are also good aliens that help our protagonist, Valentine, become imbued with wolf powers. Basically this is a story about humans fighting back.

I liked the main character. Valentine struggles from a tragic history and this tale is about him coming of age. We are given enough reasons to dislike the enemy alien vampires that rampage across Earth and the reader comes to identify a hero in the protagonist. I thought the author has some interesting ideas and was very creative with his post apocalyptic world of monsters.

I have a few criticisms. Some of the story felt a little hokey. Everything seems to go right for the main character as he seems to be in the right place at the right time. Allies also seem to pop up out of nowhere in critical times. The main characters morals are a little ambiguous to me. He certainly isn't above torture and killing at times. There is some profanity and there are many amoral characters. The author describes a world where women are raped, people are slaughtered and eaten alive. There is use of profanity and there is a sex scene that gets a little explicit. Maybe Twilight has shaded my view on vampire and werewolf literature, but it seems like authors always feel need to put some romance into their writings. So, unsurprisingly our protagonist becomes love sick and is driven to some irrational gallantry.

I wasn't expecting anything deep out of this novel, but I felt the author did an alright job overall. The narration was great, but I thought the introduction from EE Knight was unnecessary. I will probably pick up a sequel at some point down the line.

slow start, good story

Would you try another book from E. E. Knight and/or Christian Rummel and E. E. Knight (Introduction) ?

Yes, I would try another story. I'm trying the Dragon set now. and will get another of this set.

Any additional comments?

slow start but ramps up fast. I enjoyed the book. and will be getting the next one tomorrow