The Wailing

Liminality #0.4

by M.R. Graham

With Nazi bombs falling from the sky and fires consuming London, reluctant immortal Daniel Leland finds himself in an uncomfortable position. As a halfhearted employee of the British government, blackmailed into submission, he is forced to use his peculiar talent for murder in the service of the Crown. But as the assignments become impossibly challenging, the limits of that talent are tested. The Luftwaffe is not the most explosive thing to menace Great Britain, and even dead things can die again. There is more at stake than the questionable life of a lone agent, more at stake than Daniel Leland would care to admit.

Genres: Fantasy, Horror, Paranormal, Historical Fiction, Historical

105 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 2012

About the author

USA Today bestselling author M.R. Graham is a native Texan who traces strong cultural roots back to Scotland, Poland, and England. A mild-mannered PhD student during the day, Graham transforms at night into a raging Holmesian loremaster and rabid novelist.
Though passionate about all scholarship and academia, Graham's training and true love lies with anthropology, particularly the archaeological branch.
Also, steampunk and vampires.

Reviews

[Jodi Lamm · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read The Wailing during my short breaks at work, and it turned out to be great company!

1. Was the story fun to read? Yes. It was fast-paced with an interesting, historical backdrop. It was a classic take on vampire lore with the twist being the vampire lore doesn't really seem to be the point. It's really a story about an assassin who just happens to be a vampire, and his target who also happens to be a vampirish, creepy bug-monster… thing. Had I chosen to sit down and read when I had hours to kill, I'm pretty sure I would have finished it in a day or two.

2. Did the characters intrigue me? Of course. This was Daniel Leland, who I'm always happy to read about. I enjoyed the other characters as well, particularly Rowan and Signe. I was a little sad we didn't get more of them. They both clearly had a history and weren't at all what they seemed, but we never learned much about them. We pretty much just stuck with Daniel.

3. Did the premise make me think? No. The story didn't delve much. It just laid out the plot through Daniel's eyes and let us enjoy the action. Like I mentioned earlier, the read was quick, novella-esque, and fairly straightforward. I could see it as a film easily. My one quibble: I wanted more, especially at the end. Suddenly, it was just done, and I wasn't.

I recommend The Wailing if you're looking for a quick read that'll be more interesting than your average vampire story. The historical setting with the inclusion of inhuman creatures put me in mind of Doctor Who, and coming from me, that's high praise.

[Noree Cosper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh Daniel, how I loved you in this book. Here we have a vampire that can be inhumman but not completely monstrous. The monstrous one is the vampire he's hunting. Rowan, his parner, is paranoid, secretive, and deadly. A combination I love. Violet White is more lady-like but she is still brave enough to join a vampire to hunt another one. The story takes place during World War 2, and you can feel the atmosphere of fear around London. This was a great tale of a moment in Daniel's life and it left me wanting more. I wanted to know more about him, which I hope to get in more stories from Ms. Graham.

[Alicia Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

Our story begins in wartime London. A London that hides not only spies and other wartime dangers, but wizards, shapeshifters and the undead. Our protagonist, Professor Daniel Leland is one of the latter, in the service of the Crown. He doesn't really have a choice. Asked to hunt down a far older, far more dangerous member of his own kind, he seeks help to track her down...
I enjoyed it. The prose is quite flowery, but not overly so, and suits the time period in which the story is set. There's plenty of mystery and action that keep the story interesting right up until the very last sentence.

[La La · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 on my blog. As soon as I read the last Book of Lost Knowledge available right now, The Mora, I will be reviewing this group of books as a whole on the blog. I will be back with a better mini review, also. My personal recommendation would be to read The Medium first, The Wailing second, and then In the Shadow of the Mountains. I might even have liked the beginning of In the Shadow of the Mountians better if I had read The Wailing first.

[Nai · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great premise. It was a really intriguing synopsis that drew me to this book. I can't say it was a fantastic read. It was short, and left a lot to the imagination, but also left a lot to be desired in terms of developing story lines.

Rowan's character wasn't developed as much as I would have liked.

The book is set in London/Great Britain, and while that is a great landscape for a story to be set, the reader is expected to guess where many of the scenes take place. A library not named, a well known street. I think the intent was to show the reader that the professor's role is a secretive one in the war effort, however, it mostly just confused the narrative. It may have been better to develop a fictional world set in a real place and use made up place names.

There were elements of something like steam-punk, horror, goth, sci-fi, fantasy, and mythology. It left me wishing the book had focused on a specific genre rather than trying to incorporate so many elements into one short story.

This would definitely not deter me from reading other books by Graham. I'm not sure that this was the best book to start with, but I can say I loved the narrative, and would be open to reading more books. I'd probably be choosier when researching and reading the synopsis next time.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

First - I won this book on First Reads, and the author signed the book and also sent me a nice handwritten note and a book mark and I did a lot of squee-ing before I finally settled down to read it. Second - I'm a sucker for a good vampire story, so far as I don't think there has ever been a vampire story I have read that I truly hated. So with that, I still have to say I very much enjoyed this short story. It grabbed me from the get-go, and I couldn't put it down until I finished it. It reads a little Dreseden Files-ish, but in a good way. I liked the characters and there were a few surprises in the mystery along the way. My only criticism is that I personally felt it was too short, it left too many unanswered questions about vampires and wizards and just how the heck some of that stuff worked for my liking, but then again I prefer my novels to be of the 800 page variety and almost always feel short stories are just too short. So I am definitely going to order the next book in this series ASAP, which I think is the best endorsement I can give.

[Larry B Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

For all you vampire lovers, this is a book for you. The Wailing by MR Graham is a dark paranormal vampire story which takes place in England during World War II.

The author did a great job of weaving an intriguing tale full of adventure and action without all the blood and gore so many authors try to outdo themselves with. It was a very believable story and easy to follow the various twist and turns. I really enjoyed the story.

The characters well developed and defined. They were both strong and easy to identify with. It was easy to identify and feel the anguish the main character felt.

I really enjoyed The Wailing by MR Graham and highly recommend it to all readers.


[Please note: I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.]

[David Duncan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Wailing by Mr. Graham is my seventy-sixth book that I have received and read from Goodreads. I really enjoyed reading this book. It was fast paced and real interesting. It takes place in London England, during World War Two. This story is about a vampire assassin who himself is a vampire. Daniel Leland is a Professor and a vampire. He is in the service of the Crown. He is tasked with hunting down a female far more older than he is, and much more dangerous.
There is plenty of action and suspense, it keeps you right on the seat of your pants. As I have said, I really enjoyed The Wailing by Mr. Graham. I would highly recommended this book to all readers. I would like to thank Mr. Graham for taking the time to sign my book.

[Sharon Stevenson · Rating 4 out of 5]

'The Wailing' is the story of reluctant assassin Daniel and his hunt to find and destroy a dangerous vampire who seems to have an unusual ability.

This is a very well written story that is atmospheric and mysterious throughout. The plot was interesting and I thought this was something a bit unique and original for a vampire story. The one thing I wasn't totally sold on were the characters. They were a bit on the cold side and so I didn't really connect with them.

Overall this was an enjoyable and relatively quick read. It looks to be the beginning of a well thought out series. Anyone who enjoys a bit of mystery and intrigue in their vampire books should love it!

[Judy Nappa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love vampire Daniel Leland and his unusual job and (un)life. Vampire stories are at the top of my reading list and this has a different kind of plot and a bit of historical background (WWII London) to add some kick. Definitely a new spin on vampires. Looking forward to reading more of Daniel Leland and his un-dead life.

[Penny lurkykitty · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this little book through a Goodreads giveaway. I really enjoyed it. I like the style of the narration. The action was fast paced and interesting. It did feel like the beginning of a bigger novel, so it did leave you wanting more. The wartime setting created a tense and dangerous atmosphere. I would like to read more by this author and more about this character.

[D. Mellott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good things come in small packages; and this is often true of books. "The Wailing" is cleverly written and engaging. Even though I was satisfied at the conclusion, I wanted more -- and hopefully I can follow-up with other books in this series and feel just as pleased with the end result.

[MG · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this quite a bit. It's a tight, fast-paced cross between gritty urban fantasy and a historical thriller, with a surprise twist. I like how Graham's vampires aren't indestructible juggernauts. It makes for more exciting fight scenes and higher stakes.

[Peter Dawes · Rating 5 out of 5]

The writing is quickly paced and engaging. I found myself burning through pages without noticing them pass, eager to find out what would happen next! This is definitely worth the read.

[Heather Poinsett Dunbar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Totally addictive and an interesting spin on the often-tread vampire myth. Ready for the next one in the series.

[Faye Hollidaye · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read! A well-written and intriguing novel/la that kept me interested until the very end. I highly recommend for anyone who likes paranormal mystery and adventure.

[Martin Landry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've actually read this book twice now, the first time as an ebook and the second in paperback, and I believe I enjoyed even more the second time.

[Russell Mercer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really good read! Getting to know Daniel was great since I read the second book in the series first.

[Gretchen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short, and very good. Vampire-related, Sherlock Holmes-like. Give it a try.

[Teresa Lavender · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book here on goodreads. This was a GREAT book - I wanted MORE though. I feel as if the characters could have been more developed and the story fleshed out a bit more. I look forward to reading more by M.R. Graham.

[Kirsten · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book in a Goodreads Giveaway and was sooo excited! When I received a package from the author I was blown away at the hand written note and the special touches added. I enjoyed this book and the characters were great! I loved Rowan and the fact that the author never really stated the fact that the Professor was a vampire. She beat around the bushes for a lot of it and it was an interesting read. I was really expecting a huge twist in the book and didn't really get that, so that was a little disappointing, but all in all, I would recommend this to the vamp lovers and can't wait to read the next book :) I would give this book a 77% just because it didn't have a big wow, shocker factor.

[Ramona Plant · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is yet another fantastic story by the author. She has a pleasant writing style that reads easily and has a great pace. I never feel rushed nor feel like she is dragging out the story.

Leland is definitely one of my favorite characters at this point and I always enjoy reading more about him. He is a rather complex character and with every book I read I find out more about him. In this one where he came from is revealed and makes him and even more likable character.

The story is great but does leave you with a cliffhanger. I always look forward to read more books from Graham and can only recommend her work to my fellow lovers of paranormal.

I have received this book from the author for an honest review.

[Stef · Rating 3 out of 5]

win in goodreads giveaway

cool plot and themes, interesting setting