The Vampyricon consists of three full-length
novels: The Priest of Blood, The Lady of Serpents, and The Queen of
Wolves.
It is the tale of Aleric, the Falconer, who -- in the
Middle Ages -- is conscripted into the Crusades, but abandons war to seek his
own destruction -- but instead finds new life within the bloody embrace of
Pythia, the Lady of Serpents.
From Douglas Clegg, award-winning author of
Afterlife and The Hour Before
Dark, comes his first-ever fantasy novel, dealing with the dark edge
of a fantastic medieval world. The Priest of Blood
is the first novel of The Vampyricon, a saga of sword and sorcery -- and
vampyres.
Born the son of a woman thought to be a witch, Aleric does not know who
fathered him. From his grandfather he learned the skill that will change
his life. With that training -- and his own ability to communicate with
the great predator birds of the forest -- Aleric is taken into service by
the Baron and put in charge of his falcons.
Now called Falconer, he rises fast and far. Still, to those at court, he
remains the bastard son of a peasant whore. And when his forbidden love
for the Baron's daughter is discovered, his punishment is swift and
severe. Beaten and brutalized, he is forcibly conscripted as a soldier and
banished to the Holy Land to fight the Saracen infidels. Amidst the horror
and chaos of the ongoing struggle, he becomes a mighty warrior -- and a
man without faith or conscience.
Then, in an ancient ruined city, he finds a new love. She calls herself
Pythia -- and in her passionate, bloody embrace, he also finds his
destiny...
Set in a medieval world of ancient forests and buried kingdoms, of gods
and monsters, of love that crosses centuries, and vengeance beyond
lifetimes, The Priest of Blood is the tale of
Aleric, Falconer, of his quest for his beloved, and for the legendary
priest-king within whose tomb the secrets of the ancient, immortal race of
vampyres reside.
The stunning first volume of a new dark fantasy epic
from Stoker-winner Clegg (Nightmare House) gives
the iconic vampire a massive makeover and draws fresh possibilities from
its most familiar aspects. Aleric Atheffelde, a low-born medieval Breton
boy with a strange knack for training birds, gets snared while serving as
an unwilling soldier in the Holy Land by arch-vampiress Pythia, who
through a kiss inadvertently sparks a vision in him of his regal vampire
destiny. From the moment of Aleric's conversion, the tale detours sharply
from the well-plowed terrain of conventional vampire costume dramas into
an undiscovered country entirely the author's own...This rich and
symbol-laden blend of myth and history makes intense reading while it lays
a solid foundation for later books in the series.
**Starred Review**
Library Journal
...Clegg's series opener features
a vampiric hero whose beginnings in the Middle Ages marks him as a
warrior. Action and adventure combine with traditional vampire fiction to
create a book that will appeal to fans of vampires and historical fantasy.
Kirkus Reviews
"The opening of a historical fantasy series with a
vampire as protagonist. Clegg (The Machinery of Knight, 2005, etc.) begins
his story in the era of the Crusades; the opening chapters take place in
Brittany, the protagonist's birthplace. The bastard son of a peasant woman
who ekes out a living as a prostitute, Aleric grows up in the forest,
tutored by his grandfather to know the ways of birds. This skill gains him
a place in the baron's entourage as a falconer-a title that replaces his
given name. Life in the castle exposes Falconer to new dangers, including
bullying from another young servant and harsh discipline from the
huntsman, his immediate superior. But it is also a huge step up in the
world, and allows him to give some measure of support to his mother and
her ever-growing brood. Two events precipitate his fall from this state of
relative prosperity: an affair with the baron's beautiful daughter, and
the arrest of Falconer's mother for witchcraft...Well-paced fantasy adventure, and
not just for hardcore vampire fans.
"Astonishing. Douglas Clegg writes of...nightmares with such clarity
and passion you don't end up reading his books; you end up drinking them
in. The Priest of Blood is a bloody gem."
::Christopher Rice New York Times bestselling author of A Density of Souls and
Light Before Day.
"Clegg's Vampyricon offers a bold epic of a shadowy medieval world and a
dark tale of swords, sorcery and vampires in The Priest of Blood."
::Christine Feehan
NY Times bestselling author of Oceans of Fire and Dark Secret.
"A master of the genre. Absolutely thrilling! Douglas Clegg is the future
of dark fantasy."
::Sherrilyn Kenyon
NY Times bestselling author of the Dark-Hunters.
"The Priest of Blood is a richly layered, beautifully rendered foray into a
past filled with sorcery and mystery -- and a rousing good story."
::Kelley Armstrong
Bestselling author of Haunted.
"The Priest of Blood is a dark, sensual epic of alternate history, grand
mythology, and the supernatural. This is Clegg writing at his best. An
absorbing read, an astounding accomplishment."
::M.J. Rose
Author of The Halo Effect.
"For decades, vampire novelists have been attempting to find the perfect
blend of Fantasy and Horror. With The Vampyricon, Douglas Clegg has reached
that summit. A work of dark, delightful vision."
::Christopher Golden
Author of Wildwood Road and Buffy the Vampire Slayer novels.
