Clay Griffith

I have been wanting to read this book forever. I finally got a copy from the library and then that same week ended up going to BEA and was able to get a copy signed and meet Clay and Susan Griffith. They were a lot of fun to talk to and very nice. So, I was really excited to read this book and I wasn't disappointed. The second book in the series, The Rift Walker, is due for a September 2011 release.

Princess Adele of the Equatorian Empire is on a ship that is attacked by a horde of vampires. show more At first things are looking up when the Greyfriar (a mysterious vigilante) saves her; but then she is captured by the evil Caesar and held in the Tower of London in vampire occupied Britain. Adele becomes the catalyst for a final battle between the human and vampire species; along the way she finds out that vampires may not be exactly what humanity thinks.

This was an absolutely excellent book. The storyline is epic and the world incredibly creative. The story is part alternate history, part post-apocalyptic, and part steampunk...with a little epic fantasy thrown in for good measure.

The Griffiths have created an incredibly detailed and interesting world. Vampires have trouble surviving in warm climates which has driven humanity to the hottest parts of the planet. The politics within human factions and vampire factions are complex and interesting to read about. There is a lot of creativity in this story and many things which I haven't seen anywhere else. The human parts of the world have a steampunk feel to them too which adds even more to the story.

The characters of Adele and Greyfriar are engaging, have a lot of depth to them, and as a reader you really want to know them better. You can't help but root for them and hope that everything will work out. Side characters in the book weren't as filled out as they could have been, but that is a small quibble. I do hope that in future books we get to learn more about Adele's mentor and spend more time with her younger brother.

The plot is full of twists and turns and you can never predict what will happen next. This makes for a very engaging book and really pulls the reader through the novel. The novel ends well, but leaves a lot of issues unresolved for future books. The writing style is well done and easy to read.

The only other small complaint I have is that the chapters that depict Senator Clark (Adele's intended) going to war were a bit of a struggle to get through. It wasn't that they were poorly written...it was just that I loved reading about Adele and the Greyfriar so much more that I just wanted to get through the Senator Clark parts. I am hoping in future installments Senator Clark will be more filled out and we will learn either to love or hate him with greater passion :-)

Overall this was a spectacular read. It is very creative, the world-building was incredible, and Adele and Greyfriar are captivating characters. The writing style was very well done and easy to read and it was hard to put the book down. I love the detail that went into world-building and love how many fantasy elements (historical, post-apocalyptic, steampunk, epic) went into making this story. I am very excited to read The Rift Walker when it releases in September. show less

If summer blockbuster action movies existed back in the Victorian era, they would look a lot like The Shadow Revolution. This book doesn’t mess around. It makes its goals very clear right from the beginning, and that is to stuff as much fun and excitement as it can into its three hundred or so pages.

Clay Griffith and Susan Griffith take readers on a wild ride through Victorian London in this feisty, ass-kicking yarn about magic and alchemy and werewolves and mad science. Spell-casting show more scribe Simon Archer and his mentor Nick Barker have an unfortunate run-in with a lycanthrope one night, and the hunt for it leads them to discover something bigger and so much more disturbing stirring within the city’s shadows. Meanwhile, the brilliant alchemist Kate Anstruther’s younger sister Imogen is snatched by a werewolf, prompting Kate to join forces with Simon, Nick, and a Scottish monster hunter named Malcolm in order to stage a daring rescue.

Being a fan of the authors, I was really excited when I first heard about this book. I saw the kind of magic the Griffiths worked with historical fiction, fantasy and adventure in their Vampire Empire series, and it looks like they’ve dialed things up even higher here for Crown & Key. This first installment wastes no time throwing readers into the thick of things, going straight for pure fast-paced and unadulterated fun. Sometimes it felt like the story only took breaks long enough to push things along, and then we’re plunging right back into the action again. As you’d expect, this makes for quite a page-turner.

Of course, this also makes the book a bit weaker in other areas, most notably in the character development and world building departments. That’s not to say these aspects are completely lacking, just that we get the minimum to satisfy the story and to care about our protagonists. In spite of this, I still found the characters fascinating and memorable, and a great air of intrigue permeates the setting. Simon Archer captured my attention with his roguish charm, and I loved Kate’s cleverness and stalwart determination. The story even leaves plenty of room for characters to grow and relationships to develop. Already I’m looking forward to finding out what secrets Nick might be hiding from Simon, or whether or not Kate and Imogen will ever be the same again, or how Malcolm will fit into the equation in future books.

So maybe it’s not a terribly deep or sophisticated experience, but so what? It’s not really meant to be. Entertainment value is what this novel is all about, complete with snappy dialogue, tons of throwaway violence and a sweet little romantic subplot. It's fun as hell. The book and its two sequels following right on its heels will make the perfect 2015 summer beach reads for lovers of steampunk gaslamp fantasy and urban paranormal mysteries, count on it. The story might not stay with you for very long, it’s true, but you’ll definitely want to pick up the next book straight away and get right back into the world.

All told, The Shadow Revolution is an exciting introduction to a series that knows exactly what it wants to be, and it’s scarily good at what it does. If you’re willing to go with that, then you’ll probably enjoy this one as much as I did. I'm already excited to dive into book two, The Undying Legion. Highly recommended if you’re in the mood for something fast, pulpish and wicked cool to brighten up your day. show less

I was a big fan of the Vampire Empire series and was excited to see that a new novel in that series (well more of a spin-off series) was going to be released featuring Gareth and Adele. However, I ended up being very disappointed in this book and really struggled to read it. I ended reading the first half of the book and then finally gave up.

Bloody murders are happening in London..again. It looks like despite Adele’s purging of vampires in all of Britain, somehow vampires are finding a way show more to return to London. Adele and Gareth are puzzled and their investigating lead to them finding about a geomancer called the Witchfinder. The Witchfinder has not only found a way to make vampires immune to Adele’s power but also a way to kill humans on a mass scale, just like Adele did to the vampires. Adele and Gareth must unravel the plot around this Witchfinder until it’s too late and many, many humans die.

There is a lot about this book that I was struggling with. I was excited to see what adventures Adele and Garth went on next...but seriously do we have to use a similar plot all over again? Again the problem is vampires and again geomancy is at the heart of it all.

I expected some growth in these characters and their relationship; especially Gareth and Adele. However they have stagnated; no growth, still the same issues plaguing their relationship, nothing has changed.

Additionally parts of the book are written in completely different styles. I really felt like I was reading two stories mashed together at times; the writing styles clash. For example there are beautifully descriptive scenes where Adele and Gareth are out ice skating together; then suddenly we are dealing with war and strategy again and the writing changes to a stark military like style. I can only assume that the two authors wrote separate parts of the book; but greater care should have been taken to make the writing style more consistent throughout.

My main issue with this book however was that I just didn’t care. The plot was boring, the characters were boring and as I result I struggled to stay engaged in the story. I was literally falling asleep every time I picked up this book. I absolutely could not get through more than a chapter or two at a time (and they are very short chapters). I finally gave up half way through. I just have way too many books to read to slog through this one.

Overall I truly wish I had never read (or read the portion that I did) this book. I would have preferred to leave Adele and Gareth in the happy place they occupied in my head after the last Vampire Empire book. I don’t recommend this book. It’s boring, rehashes the same type of plot that the original Vampire Empire series did, and the characters are stagnant. Not to mention that the writing style is inconsistent and doesn’t flow well. Sorry Gareth and Adele...I guess it’s time for us to part ways. show less

Prelim Review: In a word: love. Sincere, genuine, unadulterated love is what I feel for this book. Its entirely possible I love this book more than I love strawberries--and I adore strawberries.

I wasn't exactly certain what to expect when I began reading this book (a loaner from a friend). Chris McGrath did the cover art--that's always a good thing in my estimation. It has vampires. Steampunk. Its the future but isn't. Strong-willed Princess. Dashing hero. On the surface it sounds like a show more book I would gobble up. And it is! But its so much more than that.

Adele begins the book as an aloof, determined and willful girl. She's only 19, but she knows that the future of her Empire rests on her shoulders. She is wistful for the ability to just be a girl, but understands the gravity under which she has as the heir to the Equatorian Empire. After the initial attack, the fight and flight from the Vampires, and her capture...so many things happen that shake her. The unknown North, infested with vampires or the knowledge that she doesn't know what happened to those dear to her all plague her, but she absorbs it...and then it doesn't effect her. Fear is the mind killer correct? She takes this principle to heart and makes the vampires daring to chase her bleed for it.

I can honestly not think of a single thing Adele said or did that caused me to frown. A little willful perhaps, definitely stubborn, but the Griffiths don't make her infallible. Just very good at retaining her poise and determination. Without forcing the point they made Adele capable and independent, with a slightly reckless abandon for common sense at times, but a core of iron. Adele understood her duty, her role in life and was willing to forgo what she wanted in order for the greater good. Doesn't mean she still wasn't a relatively young girl, with dreams and hopes though.

The Greyfriar, who you'll figure out who this is rather quickly since its not a secret to the reader, was everything a folk hero should be. Cunning, witty, ruthless even he didn't allow injustice and sought to right things. He's also monumentally stupid at times and a bit thickheaded. He didn't seem to grasp that if he told Adele not to do one thing, she'd do it anyway. Especially if it involved saving herself, protecting those she loved or snubbing her nose at the Vampires.

The Vampires, by and large, aren't 'good'. They are savages, reveling in their debauchery and decadence like Sultans of old. Some want something different, they want to make a peace with the humans since as a species the Vampires can't survive without them so its in their best interests not to glut their bellies until they burst and the streets turn black from rivers of dried blood. Even of those who are different they still see humans as food, just they take better care of them and treat them better. Except for one guy, but that's a different story and a bit spoilery so we won't talk of him.

The ending had me biting my lip because its the sort of painful ending that you don't WANT to happen, but you know it has to. The Griffiths don't promise happy endings or love triumphs over all. They instead focused on the larger battle ahead and the cost of sacrifice. show less