Valentine's Rising

Vampire Earth #4

by E.E. Knight

Possessed of an unnatural and legendary hunger, the 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.Ozark Free Territory, 2071: The Kurian Order has reigned for 50 years. Using the dreaded power of their Reaper avatars, the alien, vampiric Kur hold dominion over the Earth and its inhabitants. Yet there are those who would rather die fighting than surrender to the unquenchable thirst of the enemy - those like David Valentine .

Returning to the Ozark Free Territory, Valentine is shocked to find it overrun by Kurians under the command of the merciless Consul Solon. In a bid to turn the tide, Valentine leads a courageous group of soldiers on a desperate mission to drive a spike into the gears of the Kurian Order. Valentine stakes life, honor, and the future of his home on a rebellion that sparks the greatest battle of his life - one that he may not survive...

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

Genres: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, Post Apocalyptic, Vampires, Fiction, Dystopia

368 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published December 1, 2005

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well narrated again & a super story, if a bit depressing. I used to have a poster that read something like, "Be truthful, courteous, helpful & you shall be rewarded." There was a picture of a guy with a big screw through him. That's Valentine. He does all the right things, but can't seem to catch a break. He wins battles only to lose wars he really doesn't want to fight. In many ways, this adds to his heroic side, but sometimes I want to kick him for it. Tooting his own horn a bit wouldn't hurt at all.

Again, the story was very realistic given the fantastic setting. I really appreciate that & Knight has done a great job ramping up the tension. Since I have read the series, I do know what's coming & have to say that he's set up for it perfectly, too.

For all the gritty, exacting detail in spots, Knight does a great job of skipping a few months so that I don't get bored. He's not writing any door stops. He keeps each book lean, just the details needed to invest me fully, let me really feel the world, but then moves ahead seamlessly into the future to pick up the action again. Excellent.

I've listened to 4 of these now, so I think I'll take a break & listen to an oldy, but a goody, Invasion of the Body Snatchers.

[Unwisely · Rating 3 out of 5]

Were you enjoying your vampire apocalypse? Because everything you loved is gone in this book.

Right, okay, too much might have been going right for Valentine in the last book, so I approve of giving him new challenges. But, my gods, this was the book where I thought, I bet the Kurians would have much more loyal followers if they stopped the denigration of women. Stop all the rapes and women being treated as currency and your case becomes a lot stronger, guys. (That applies to you non-vampires, too.)

Also I'm getting a little tired of him single handedly being the most awesome man on the planet.

Did I immediately download book 5? Yup!

[Jake · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of annoyed about the baby

[Justin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Valentine’s Rising takes place immediately following the disastrous end of the previous novel, Tale of the Thunderbolt. The disaster was widespread and has changed Southern Command forever, and David Valentine and his remaining men must find ways to survive the situation. Valentine’s Rising is a tale of espionage, sacrifices, and all-out war.

E.E. Knight sticks with the same format he’s always used in the VAMPIRE EARTH novels: plenty of action, hard choices, and cool characters. Over the course of the series I’ve gotten to know the cast of characters quite well. I often know what each of them would do in a given situation. Valentine, for instance, always has to make the tough choices for the greater good. He’s not afraid to get his hands dirty when it comes to neutralizing the enemy or asking his men to die for him. He will almost always find the optimum solution, usually at some great expense to himself. He carries the burdens of those decisions so others don’t have to.

There are several instances in Valentine’s Rising, though, that made me reconsider my understanding of David Valentine. Some of the decisions he makes feel out of character. I almost stopped reading at one point, thinking Knight had suffered a stroke while writing this novel. I stuck with the story and by the end I was feeling better, but I can’t help but feel a little disappointed in the way some things turned out. This is merely the nitpicking of a fan, rather than an actual literary criticism, though.

E.E. Knight’s no-nonsense writing style is solid and makes for a fun and quick read. Page-long descriptions of the color of the grass are not to be found in the VAMPIRE EARTH series. The clipped tone and fast pace fit the world very well, and are major reasons why I enjoy this series so much.

Valentine’s Rising is available in audiobook form from Brilliance Audio. Christian Rummel puts on a stellar performance. Like so many of the narrators in the Audible/Brilliance coffers, Rummel is the permanent voice of the VAMPIRE EARTH characters in my head. I would love to someday visit the studio where these books are recorded. These are not just books being read to you; they are performances, and I bet they would be fun to watch.

www.fantasyliterature.com.

You can also learn more about EE Knight’s books at the Fantasyliterature EE Knight page

[Scot McAtee · Rating 5 out of 5]

My nephew convinced me to read the first book of this series, even though I am not a huge "vampire" fan. But the vampires in this series are not vampires in the classic sense of the word, so I gave it a shot. Valentine's Rising is the fourth book in the series and I'm still reading, so what does that tell you?

It's not as much a "vampire series" as the name "Vampire Earth Series" would lead you to believe. This is more a post-apocalyptic tale than anything. It's the story of one man who fights for what he believes in, which is the human race. Even though he makes a few bad choices here and there, they are always made for the right reasons at the time, and that makes our hero an interesting character that we don't always see in literature, especially sci-fi and fantasy. Too often, we get the Superman with the fairy tale ending, two things I am not particularly fond of, except for when you get a Starship Troopers or Star Wars sort of story.

If I had read this when it first came out, I would have guessed that there wasn't much life left in the series, as we get an episodic sort of story, but since I know there are about 4 more books (and counting) in the series, I know there is. That's a tad bit disappointing as I would eventually like to see a "Valentine Wins" novel before I die, but I do love a good story and I do love sci-fi series where I can revisit worlds and characters I've missed for a while. I will continue reading this series until the end, or until the shark has been jumped. Suffice it to say, this book is neither the end or the shark jumper. It's just an enjoyable tale with a hopeful ending that I liked. I enjoy Knight's way of wording things too, so even if this series dies, I will probably find something else of his to read.

5 stars!

[Kaleb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another vampire earth book I enjoyed. This one was especially fun as it takes place mainly in Arkansas. As an Arkansan, it was fun to have a book set here. Overall a good read, however, the series is starting to wear on me. It's daunting to think there are still several books in the series with no real end in sight. I would still suggest the book and the series to those that enjoy a post-apocalyptic style world.

[TinaMarie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not a romance. David continues his mission trying to get the quickwood to Southern command, saving his men from the Kurian's and in that process takes his men deep under the Kurian's noses to help defeat Consul Solon. So much going on here, looking at what people will do to survive as well as what they will do to fight for what is right.

[Bryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this is the best of the series so far.
The author EE Knight has a great series here about resistance and endurance through terrible odds , and about personal perseverance and the costs of wars on not just our bodies but our humanity.

[Clare O'Beara · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm not into horror. This is a dystopian set in a future Ozark region of America. There are vampires. The reduced population say there were too many people, and now, over half the population has enough food and housing, doctors, there are even dentists though you may have to travel. There are still terrorists. There are also machine guns used to form a curtain of steel. Sounds like America today.
Not for my taste but some other readers may like it better. I didn't find anyone likeable.

[James Hein · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audio Book

Book about Dystopian future where aliens have control and the humans are trying fight back

[John Noehl · Rating 4 out of 5]

The series continues to grow

[Kevin]

DNF - I have had enough of this series. Moving on from this book

[Anne Patkau · Rating 3 out of 5]

**** "Valentine's Rising" (Vampire Earth 4) is a small part of Cat infiltrator David Valentine's success in a frontier-like future. E.E. Knight's bio shows history degree, so the military and philosophical nuggets of wisdom fit, but how does he ratch up the tension, pulling you in to read one more page, one more, one more, till you stay up all night? How does he keep us hoping, fighting, for the rebels to at least survive?
Despite the setting, these stories are about people. The enemy are ostensibly alien life energy drainers and their avatar blood suckers. Rescued POWs expose atrocities and become cannon fodder for the Alamo-like ending. I was going to give less stars for the my overall pain in the whole story, but decided crying, at what I thought was the saga conclusion, deserved author credit.
Previously we learned the evil Kurians originally had good intentions, now can bring down a universe. The series is sprinkled with Nazi references, but this volume explains Quislings are sympathizers in honor of a famous WW2 collaborater, and more on the Aryan ethic of culling, only the strong deserve to live. Ghost's core cadre is weaklings he has saved, who rescue him: alien animal, limbless slave, alcoholic marine. Even a general with a nervous tic does double duty. Females are independently strong companions, not tagalong, waiting, or blindly disobedient - common author misconceptions.
Weltgeist and joie de vivre have filled gaps in the English language; what is our word for a man (Knight uses sir and man for females) of lowly origin who by deed, conduct, and intent, inspires us to admire, emulate, and want more of - hero? Val humbly avoids credit, to the point of self-flagellation. He proves himself over and over and ever over.
I disagree on the baby incident. He should have lied only to the bad guys and put the blame where it belonged. His guilt enables him to be more effective by drawing enemy fire only when he wants the focus. Is the result is a side-effect?

[Benjamin Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the fourth book in the “Vampire Earth” series, a series name that is unfortunate because it leads to expectations of Dracula, Buffy, Twilight, or some other sort of more traditional definition of the term “vampire.” This series is, more or less, a post-apocalyptic series, taking place after an alien invasion and focuses on the efforts of a resistance force who struggle to fight back against the invaders.

Book 4 picks up just after the disastrous events of the previous book Tale of the Thunderbolt. David Valentine and what remains of his followers must try to survive undercover in a new environment with a severely depleted Southern Command. Valentine is an exceptionally interesting character in that he is humble in his leadership, does all the right things, but still gets screwed by circumstances beyond his control. His heroism is on full display here as he chooses to follow near impossible orders and finds himself in a situation not unlike The Alamo.

The author does his usual fine job of keeping his pacing lean and mean. We get to experience focused battles intermixed with character growth and interaction as they face the next nightmare scenario. But in between he doesn’t mind letting a couple of weeks go by with no day-to-day filler. The result is a nicely compact story that moves along at a nice pace, and yet also keeps raising the stakes.

I won’t wait long before picking up book 5.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another good book from the Vampire Earth Series. This one had a little less action in it because Valentine must take an army into deep cover to find out what happened to Southern Command while he was in the Caribbean. At the end of this book, it feels a little more epic than the others, there seems to be no way that Valentine can get out of a bad situation.
All of the good characters are either there, or show up at some point. The only thing about this book that kind of bothered me was the gap between the last book and the beginning of this book. The last book left a bit of a cliffhanger, Ahn-Ka and Valentine are running with the Quickwood away from a Kurian held part of the Ozarks. Ahn-Ka gets shot and that's the end of the book. There is no wrap up with Ahn-Ka and we are just supposed to assume that he healed just fine. Overall, the book gets 4.5 out of 5 stars for being another exciting adventure with Valentine and friends!

[Fantasy Literature · Rating 4 out of 5]

Valentine’s Rising takes place immediately following the disastrous end of the previous novel, Tale of the Thunderbolt. The disaster was widespread and has changed Southern Command forever, and David Valentine and his remaining men must find ways to survive the situation. Valentine’s Rising is a tale of espionage, sacrifices, and all-out war.

E.E. Knight sticks with the same format he’s always used in the Vampire Earth novels: plenty of action, hard choices, and cool characters. Over the course of the series I’ve gotten to know the cast of characters quite well. I often know what each of them would do in a given situation. Valentine, for instance, always has to make the tough choices for the greater good. He’s not afraid to get his hands dirty when it.http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi..... Read More

[Aaron Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this series. There's only one thing that really irritates me. The author gives freakin data-dumps at the start of every single chapter. Ostensibly in order to tell you details of the surrounding area, but it's freakin' utterly annoying. It's anywhere from 1-3 pages. Come on. But aside from that this is an enjoyable series. A nice new take on vampire-type-thingies. And they don't fucking sparkle.

[Jonathan Pettit · Rating 5 out of 5]

Still really enjoying the series. The reluctant leader David Valentine finds himself in command of quite a large contingent of Southern Command soldiers. Thankfully, the author has not killed off all the main characters (like in some other books I've recently read). Good survival and military action book. Much more military than before and the author does a good job of using tactics appropriately.

And yes, I will go to audible.com and get the next book.

[E. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Valentine has fought to bring the special weapon capable of killing off the Kurians back to his homeland but was betrayed before he could succeed. This chapter in the series is even darker as the evil Kurians and their minions are amassing even more territory while Valentine struggles to keep himself and his comrades alive and fueling the resistance.

[David Melbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love this series. The main thrust of these books is all about fighting, not just for survival, but to regain all that once was yours -- freedom.

Valentine is a great character. He has developed quite well throughout these books, as well as Ahn-Kha, the "Grog!" --From A Reader's Journal, by d r melbie.

[Bryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another few days, another Vampire Earth book down. I can't stop reading them. Some gritty realism, coupled with some character development, coupled with a grand post-apocalyptic world: it does not get any better when it comes to fantasy/sci-fi, in my opinion. Perhaps somewhat unbelievable at times, but still enough to keep me going, at least.

[Marcus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another exciting installment in the Vampire Earth series. I really enjoy the setting and style of this series so far and look forward to future titles. The third book lost me a little down in the Carribean but I feel that this book got things back on track with more of the action and intensity that I've come to expect.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the best of the series so far. Although the series plotline didn't move along very much, it was still filled with an action-packed story. I hope in the next few books we actually see some things happen.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the serial nature of these books. E.E. Knight seems to have a specific story arc in mind. I hope he has to courage to end it in due time instead of listening to his publisher & agent and letting it grow long-in-the-tooth.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

On all of these books, I wish I could award half stars. If I could they would be at 3.5 instead of four. I'm opting to be generous because they are page turners. Good stories to fill in the gaps between more serious stuff.

[Leonardo · Rating 2 out of 5]

i did not like this book as much as the previous three.

it is not that the story is badly written, just that i did not like the setting as much as the others.

DV is undercover almost all the book, and you get a lot KZ's day to day.

[Suz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it. The entire series is essentially "alien invaders that seem like vampires take over earth and our primary protag is a resistance gorilla that usually kicks ass, but not without complications and troubles."

On to the next.

[Lucias · Rating 2 out of 5]

A step down from the earlier books, I just didn't enjoy this one as much. Still, not a bad light read if you like the others in the series.

[Cody Littrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hell Yeah!! This was as good as the first one. Less "filler", more Killer. Don't get ahead of yourselves, though. You still have to read the first 3 to understand whats going on.

[Chad · Rating 5 out of 5]

after the ozarks are smashed, valentine winds up in the perfect position to jam the gears of the kurian order... very good