The Kingmakers

Vampire Empire Book 3

By: Clay Griffith, Susan Griffith

Narrated by: James Marsters

Length: 14 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's Summary

The epic Vampire Empire trilogy rushes to a heart-wrenching conclusion of honor and love, hatred and vengeance, sacrifice and loss. A war to the death. Empress Adele has launched a grand crusade against the vampire clans of the north. Prince Gareth, the vampire lord of Scotland, serves the Equatorian cause, fighting in the bloody trenches of France in his guise as the dashing Greyfriar. But the human armies are pinned down, battered by harsh weather and merciless attacks from vampire packs. To even the odds, Adele unleashes the power of her geomancy, a fearsome weapon capable of slaughtering vampires in vast numbers. However, the power she expends threatens her own life even as she questions the morality of such a weapon. As the war turns ever bloodier and Adele is threatened by betrayal, Gareth faces a terrible choice. Their only hope is a desperate strike against the lord of the vampire clans - Gareth's brother, Cesare. It is a gamble that could win the war or signal the final days of the Greyfriar.

©2012 Clay Griffith, Susan Griffith (P)2014 Buzzy Multimedia Publishing

An adventure to remember

Where does The Kingmakers rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

In the top 5.

Who was your favorite character and why?

That's like asking who is my favorite child. If I have to choose I guess it must be Adele because of how much she has grown over the course of the 3 books. She was always strong willed and independent but loss has had an effect on her and also seeing the results of ill considered actions in general seem to make her plan more and not just fly by the seat of her pants. By the end she is mature as a leader and as a woman.

Which character – as performed by James Marsters – was your favorite?

King Misiri. Probably because Misiri lives life with such gusto.After working on such serious characters it must have been a release to bring the African King to life.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes.

JAMES MARSTERS KEPT ME UP ALL NIGHT

Would you listen to The Kingmakers again? Why?

More like WHY WOULD I NOT listen again? First of all, I am a shameless Vampire/Love mixed with Action/War fan. I have seen every episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, read the Twilight books, seen the movies, obsessed over The Vampire Diaries, and called out of work for a week when I bought the True Blood DVD Box set. This is in my entertainment repertoire. The Vampire Empire Series covers all bases and I intend to start from Part One and listen to them all again just to make sure my brain did not miss any details when I was struggling to stay up for "one more chapter" at three in the morning.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Adele. As per norm, Adele had a birthright to rule, which she so stubbornly accepted at the start of the trilogy. Throughout the three books, she adapted and grew into a leader worthy of ruling an empire, even in times of war. She is guarded, politically calculated, and able to make the tough decisions that affect all of the people under her ruling… AND still find time for a love life! I want to be like her when I grow up. Aside from the running a war against Vampires things…

What about James Marsters’s performance did you like?

I may be biased due to my ABSURD crush on James Marsters that started in my elementary school years, but his narration brought the entire story to life. It is one thing to read a book and muster up some kind of image in your head, it's another to have James Marsters in my bedroom at night reading one of my favorite stories and putting on an entire production just for me! Okay - not just for me, but he's so good that it felt that way.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I cried at the end. And some throughout. I cried when I had to leave for work and pause in the middle of a chapter. I WILL SAY NO MORE. I am not one to spoil for those who have not listened yet.

Any additional comments?

I would like for Clay and Susan to write a bonus book for me. And also get with these Buzzy Multimedia people again to have James narrate. Then make movies. Thanks.

Another!

Would you consider the audio edition of The Kingmakers to be better than the print version?

Yes. I'm a big fan of the books, but there's something about hearing them that makes the story come to life. The universe in this trilogy (honestly the selling point for me) is so large and detailed, sometimes it's easy to not get everything when you're just following the plot.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Adele. She's well written, nuanced, and it's always great to see a powerful female character in fantasy. It's been good to see her really come into her own over the course of the series, especially in her relationship with Gareth. It can get a little cloying at times, but overall she's both fascinating AND relatable, and makes for a great main character.

What does James Marsters bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

James Marsters has been a fave of mine since his Buffy days. He has a cool, grounded, charisma that just works beautifully for this. Also he has a fantastic speaking voice.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I won't write down any spoilers, but Mamoru...just have some tissues ready, that's all I'll say.

Any additional comments?

Honestly? I would like to see the Griffiths go all ou,t expanded universe with this trilogy. If there were companion novels, board games, movies, comic books, etc., I WOULD BUY THEM. It's just that good.

Great Ending to a Wonderful Series

The first two books were very well written and narrated. I was concerned the third one would let me down; not so at all. The ending was very satisfying as it tied up all loose ends and I cannot say anymore without spoiling the next dear reader. Suffice it to say, this is good story telling and James Marsters puts his whole heart into his performance. There's enough material in this series for a few seasons of compelling television.

Could've used more angst; Marsters is perfect

Any additional comments?

James Marsters is perfect, as usual, with his performance. His mastery of all the voices and accents is amazing! The story itself could've used a GIANT dose of angst, especially near or at the end. There should've been tears; there weren't. I still enjoyed it, but I think the ending could've been better.

Glad I followed James Marsters to this series!

The Vampire Empire series was well worth the ride.

Steampunk, with or without vampires is not a genre I would have sought out. But I am a James Marsters (narration) fan and followed him here. And I was NOT disappointed!

A fine conclusion to the series

This is as captivating as the other books in this series! I would recommend listening to the series from the start to this excellent finish. You would miss key events leading to the finish if you not start at the beginning.

Great narration

James Marsters hits another home run with the narration. The series took a little bit to get moving but once it starting, I couldn’t put it down. I ended up binge listening through the series. Great story and great writing but I have to say Mr. Marsters and his narration talent stole the show.

great series

fascinating world and an interesting take o. vampires. I also loved the steem punk approach to the whole world. I only wish that someday airships will make a comeback.

Pretty Good

Story was fun, just managed to get a bit out of hand here at the end. Rushed. Felt a little contrived. But not by any means bad James Marsters is excellent, as always.

Engaging Yarn

I came to the Vampire Empire trilogy after listening to James Marsters narrate The Dresden Files then taking an unfortunate and forgettable wrong turn into the stories of Bendedict Jacka. I was so desperate for some decent narration and a good story that I bought this despite not really being a fan of vampire stories and not really being the target audience - I'm a long way from being a young adult.
The relief at hearing Mr Martsers' deep, characterful voice was palpable and, luckily, the stories have proved to be excellent, richly detailed with good characterisation and an engaging plot. There are mawkish moments and some of the battle scenes drag on too long but that is personal taste and I have to remember I am possibly a little longer in the tooth than the intended reader.
As much as I love James Marsters, his voicing of Adele, the heroine, does at times make her sound like a 50s housewife. I could almost imagine her flicking lint from Gareth's collar and straightening his tie as she asks 'do you need to feed'? There are also some British/American differences in pronunciation but the most jarring was the pronunciation of Edinburgh as 'Edin-bro'. If Gareth had, indeed, lived there for over a century, and given his adeptness at languages. he would have known to say 'Edin-bruh' or even 'Edin-burrah'.
All in all though, an entertaining yarn for listening to while going about the day and I will definitely buy The Geomancer when it becomes available on Audible.

What a brilliant end to the trilogy

This series is one of the best so far..each book got better & better & the kingmaker was the best yet... James Marsters was an excellent choice to narrate..very enjoyable !!

Fantastic the whole way thru

I'm a huge Spike fan and finding James marster doing such a great job made me a much larger James fan

Book three in this fantastic trilogy

The combination of Jim Butcher and James Marsters wins through yet again.
in this final book we get to find out how the Princess and her little brother fool the nation and her enemies while the Greyfrier has to fight his own kind and his traitorous brother.

Over alll, good

*SPOILER* I enjoyed this series mainly because I listen to the Dresden Files with James Marsters narrating. He has set the "Gold Standard" when it comes to audio books. Then I realised, I liked this series. I am, however, disappointed this was only a trilogy. The end of this particular book was disappointing because it seemed very rushed. And throwing the epilouge into explain only a few minor details was like an after thought from the authors. I would really have liked to see how King Gareth and Empress Adele manage two empires and how they bring the humans and remaining vampires together.