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Blood Skies (Book 1)
In thе time аftеr Thе Black, human survivors οf thе Southern Claw Alliance clash wіth vampire legions οf thе Ebon Cities іn a constant war fοr survival. Earth аѕ wе know іt hаѕ bееn forever hυrt bу аn arcane storm thаt fused ουr world wіth distant realms οf madness аnd terror. Things thаt once existed οnlу іn ουr nightmares tail thе earth.
Now, humanity іѕ threatened bу one οf іtѕ οwn.
Eric Cross, аn enlisted warlock іn thе Southern Claw military, іѕ раrt οf аn elite team οf s
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Impressed,
I had the privilege of reading Blood Skies before it was released and was pretty impressed. Steven Montano has full an ancient, tired vampire genre and tossed it on its head — then handed it a machine gun and a bag of grenades. I am particularly impressed with Montano’s ability to build worlds. His post-apocalyptic Earth is fresh, deep, and loaded with new thoughts that don’t bore. His battles are creative. His font are hilariously sarcastic, especially when the chips are down. I had no thought how attached I had be converted into to the main character, Cross, in anticipation of the tale started to take turns that were impossible to foresee. I was never bored even as reading this book. Certainly recommend.
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|Vampires As They Must Be,
Blood Skies is a grim and gritty tale set in a bleak and hopeless world. Combining elements of apocalyptic horror, urban fantasy, and military fantasy in the vein of Glen Cook and the like, it tells the tale of one of the human soldiers fighting a losing war against the vampires and undead bent on ruling the shattered remnants of our world.
The action is quick and deadly. The vampires of Blood Skies aren’t high schoolers who sparkle in the sunlight or who try to blend in among human society. They are ferocious animalistic killers who feel no more empathy to Man than Man does to a Huge Mac. Against them are the elite forces the humans have place collectively to stem the tide, using the newly learned magicks that awoke after the world changed. The protagonist is a human warlock who uses the power of the spirit he is bonded with to defend himself and his fellow soldiers against their enemies as they track one of their own, whose betrayal to the enemy threatens the precarious stalemate they’ve managed.
The treatment of key in the tale is a unique take on the often cliched wizards and witches in other tales. Every warlock is bonded to an otherwordly spirit and can channel their power for various uses, but the toll it takes on their bodies ensures a shortened and painful life. Steven Montano does an brilliant job bringing collectively all of the disparate elements in a cohesive storyline that moves forwards relentlessly, and at times tragically. The writing style is staccato and terse, helping to emphasize the oftentimes brutal events.
All in all, it’s a train ride through a hellish landscape to the top with nasty, unpleasant things. Aptly up my alley.
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|Lots of action and gorgeous imagery,
If you ever wanted to hunt down some vampires, here is the squad to take along to do it. Bring your guns, bows, grenades and machetes, but don’t leave your warlock behind. You’re going to need Eric Cross to survive after The Black, the apocalyptic hell that our world has be converted into.
When Cross’ sister gets full, his original mission of hunting down a traitor takes an unexpected turn. He will be up against some brutal vampires, but expect to find golems, unicorns, spirits, zombies, fantastic wolves and a world everywhere being a normal human barely makes the cut anymore. In this war you will have to accept and be converted into a part of the fantasy if you are to stand a opportunity of surviving, as here are arcane nightmares everywhere.
Gorgeous imagery and writing in here that will help you accomplish just that, at a pace full of action. But don’t dream too deep into it all, as you already have a small life expectancy by being a warlock, and the living are soon to be converted into the fantasy.
I will be watching for future works from Steven Montano, as this debut novel, Blood Skies, will stay on my shelf for reading again in the future.
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