Vampire Empire - The Greyfriar

By: Clay Griffith, Susan Griffith

Narrated by: James Marsters

Audie Award Nominee, Paranormal, 2013

1870. A time known as The Great Killing. The vampire clans arose and slaughtered humanity with unprecedented carnage in the northern parts of the world. Millions perished; millions were turned into herd animals. The great industrialized civilizations of the world were left in ruin. A remnant fled south to the safety of the ever present heat which was intolerable to vampires. There, blending with the local peoples, they rebuilt their societies founded on human ingenuity, steam and iron. The year now is 2020. The Equatorian Empire, descendant of the British Empire, stretches from Alexandria to Cape Town. Princess Adele, quick witted, combat trained and heir to throne is set to wed the scion of the American Republic, a man she has never met. Their marriage will cement an alliance between the nations and set the stage for war against the vampires in an attempt to retake the north. Prepared to do her duty she finds herself caught in a web of political intrigue and physical danger.

The Greyfriar, a legendary vampire hunter from the north, appears ready to rescue the Princess and return her home—but he harbors secrets of his own. As the power struggle between the vampires and humans increase Adele and The Greyfriar are caught in the middle, on the run, being hunted, and fighting for not just their own lives, but for future of humanity.

©2010 Buzzy Multimedia Publishing Corp. (P)2012 Buzzy Multimedia Publishing

Critic reviews

• Audie Award Nominee, Paranormal, 2013

Adventurous derring-do among airships and vampires

This one is just fantastic fun. Set in an alternate history's future, one in which decidedly non-sparkly vampires are real and have risen up and destroyed human civilization throughout the temperate zone and colder climates just ahead of the industrial revolution, and humans have retreated to the equatorial regions, protected by the sluggishness which heat induces in their stronger, faster, crueller foes. Who can fly by the way, floating on wind currents. A princess of a neo-Victorian Alexandria is to be politically wed to a great American vampire killer, in advance of a great war to push the vampires back and reclaim Europe; however, Princess Adele's airship is attacked in force by vampires intent on her capture. Adele is combat trained and able, though when things look their bleakest... enter The Greyfriar, fast, skilled, strong, and tireless enough to match swords with vampire claws and spirit Adele into the French countryside. So: we have a kind of "Steampunked" alternate future of airships and goggles; we have deadly, amoral vampires and The Greyfriar; and we have the rise of a decidedly fantastic element, of mystical arts, amidst the rising tides of all-out war, circling around a badass and capably armed princess. All narrated wonderfully by Marsters, no stranger to vampires to say the least. Best known in audio as the long-standing voice of Jim Butcher's Harry Dresden, he's absolutely landed on his feet in a role absolutely perfect for him, and one which allows him to display a range of accents, ages, genders, and give voice to breathtaking derring-do. This one's enthusiastically recommended.

great book where are the other 2

What made the experience of listening to Vampire Empire - The Greyfriar the most enjoyable?

Greyfriar owns blade

What other book might you compare Vampire Empire - The Greyfriar to and why?

I don't know any like it...

Which scene was your favorite?

When he took the bullet to save the princess

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

Laughed quite a bit

Any additional comments?

Where are the other 2 audiobooks, seriously WTF

Rather pradictable

Would you listen to Vampire Empire - The Greyfriar again? Why?

No the story started off great it had interesting people and a steam punk feel. But then it crapped the bed and became a very predictable boring rehash of Beauty and the Beast.

Has Vampire Empire - The Greyfriar turned you off from other books in this genre?

No, one bad book doesn't kill a genera for me

What about James Marsters’s performance did you like?

Everything. He did a wonderful job with all the voices and keeping everything the same. He did his best with a horrible script.

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

NO

Any additional comments?

Read the first 5 chapters then make up your own end i promise it will be better.

Buffy Meets Steampunk!

Where does Vampire Empire - The Greyfriar rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

One of the most imaginative vampire thrillers ever! And James Marsters (many will know him as Spike from Buffy) is an excellent narrator!

What other book might you compare Vampire Empire - The Greyfriar to and why?

Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter: again a very imaginative book.

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

He brings the characters to life with his wonderful narration. His stage experience really comes in handy.

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

I"m afraid I might give away some essentials of the plot. Let"s just say the relationship between the Princess and Greyfriar is touching and exciting.

Any additional comments?

I can't wait for the next book!

Absolutely gripping

My absolute favorite books about vampires are the vampire empire trilogy and I just received the fourth book of the geomancer which I haven’t read but am very excited about!!!! The best read ever once you start reading it, it’s very hard to put back down it’s gripping adventurous romantic and all of it has vampires I’m in love with these books no other vampire book has ever left me wanting more of the story and for it continue endlessly it’s an easy read but also so absolutely clever, I live these books and the writers did an amazing job on these I can’t wait to read their books !!! So excited !! So worth it!!!

Ouch

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

To much emotional reiteration. I was heartily sick of the characters by the time we were done. The story should have been awesome, but it was predictable and overshadowed by melodrama.

What do you think your next listen will be?

I am going to listen to James doing a great job of the Dresden books again.

Have you listened to any of James Marsters’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

James is great, but this book does not really leave him with much to work with. Given that he got me into audiobooks with Grave Peril I find it difficult to reconcile how I feel about this book with how badly I want to hear James telling stories.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Perhaps as a movie some of the melodrama would be diminished.

Great Concept

What made the experience of listening to Vampire Empire - The Greyfriar the most enjoyable?

The reworking of the Vampire Genre is an interesting and refreshing re take on what is becoming an over worked area of fiction. The world is intriguing and there is potential for interesting twists and turns - both involving action and the political undertones.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Adele - she has an untapped potential that breaks through at times and I am looking forward to how she develops over the series.

Which scene was your favorite?

The battle scenes were written with great description and when the Colonel called his troops into square to defend against the attacking Vampires the whole thing sprang to life for me.

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

No - you could but I like breaks.

Any additional comments?

A great performance by James Marsters who has a fantastic way of bringing the story to life.

Incredibly fun book!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Absolutely! Especially to people who have roleplayed Steampunk or V:tM. Howevet, it's also a star-crossed love story, which makes it terrific for those who don't require "Shades of Gray' in romance.

What other book might you compare Vampire Empire - The Greyfriar to and why?

The book is NOT comparable to thle "Twilight" franchise; the Griffiths can write,

Which scene was your favorite?

The heroine is brought before the vanpire king -- and most of the vampires in England.

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

, When the lovers have been separated, ostensibly forever, he manages to send her meaningful gift. The only thing protecting her is the word of a vampire prince.

Any additional comments?

The book is told with cinematic delight, almost gleeful. I appreciate vampire stories that are high on action, low on angst.

The book is read by James Marsters/ He is, by far, my favorite narrator. He manages to differentiate among the characters and to read the entire book with clarity and his melliflous voice.

I can't wait for the sequel.

Love the Narrator and Enjoyed Myself

Really pleasantly surprised by how well the male and female point of views and dialogues were different and fitting.
The first.. quarter? maybe, up to half was a little rough, but not enough to make me stop listening. Past that, I cared about the characters enough and the story was exciting to listen too.

if you've never listened to James Marsters, he really does a great job, creating enough differences in his voice to be different characters and portraying the appropriate emotions.

Entertaining story made better by James Marsters

Would you consider the audio edition of Vampire Empire - The Greyfriar to be better than the print version?

James Marsters does an amazing job with the narration, so I would highly recommend the audio edition over the print version.

What about James Marsters’s performance did you like?

He has a dynamic voice that is always entertaining, and there is never any confusion as to which character he is voicing at a given time.

Any additional comments?

The world in which the story takes place is well developed and interesting. I liked the way vampires were handled in the story as well. It ended leaving me wanting the next book.