Another great addition to a wonderful series

books:


	• Valentine's Resolve (Vampire Earth, Book 6) E.E. Knight Roc, 2008 - 368 pages average customer review:based on 17 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

running out of steam?

E.E. Knight's "Valentine's Resolve" is the sixth installment in the Vampire Earth series. The series is set in post-apocalyptic Earth, in which an alien species at war with itself uses humanity as a pawn. The plot of the books, however, is not the strength; rather, Knight creates compelling and often believably conflicted characters. The protagonist, David Valentine, remains intriguing in this book, but with much less depth than in the first five. Knight seems to have tried to confer to Valentine the literary equivalent to the "10,000 yard stare"; he seems tired, somewhat bitter, and resigned to his lot, but it doesn't entirely work. Even the brief interludes with Valentine's old mentor and partner Duvalier are not enough rekindle the spark. I can't escape the feeling that Valentine is running out of steam.

While the series never was entirely plot driven, the flow of this book truly meanders across scenes that neither provide depth of character nor create an especially interesting story. Book six is driven purely out of the impressive momentum generated through the previous books. If you've read them, then without doubt you'll read this one. However weak the effort in book six, it can hardly derail the rest of the startlingly good Vampire Earth series. All of us who've read this series recognize E.E. Knight as a writer worth reading.

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Terrifying, Thrilling, Always Interesting

Reviewed by Vicky Burkholder
on 07/10/2008

Knight's post-apocalyptic science fiction series continues with this newest installment. David Valentine has left the Southern Command, one of the main sources of resistance against the Kur--the aliens who have invaded Earth. Knight's strength lies in his detailed and believable idea of how society could evolve after we've been taken over by intelligent but malevolent beings.

The opening chapter - and much of the book - is violently graphic, but that is the setting for the story. It is not gratuitous, but necessary to the plot and the development of the story. The character of Valentine undertakes a difficult mission to infiltrate the resistance in the Pacific Northwest, which he does. The story is about Valentine's struggles, but it is also about ourselves and how we would cope with invaders--and at what cost. Knight does this with a deft hand and amazing skill. His world building abilities are beyond scope.

I have to admit to not having read the other books in this series, but that is not an issue. This is an excellent stand-alone book. I read it and enjoyed it, and understood what was going on without feeling lost, like I often do with other series. I'm probably going to pick up the others to read just to find out what happened earlier. If I had any problems, it was possibly with the darkness of Valentine. He seemed almost too morose at times, though granted, with the story as it is, I'd be morose too. I also found I could not read the book in the evening as I became susceptible to frightening dreams, a weakness of mine that proves good story telling on the part of the author. The story stuck with me.

This is a terrifying, thrilling, at times graphically disgusting, but always interesting book that will not disappoint fans of the Vampire Earth series.

4.5 Books

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E.E Knight does it again

I love these books The Vampire Earth series will never be confused with great literature but they are incredibly entertaining. This book is the installment where I think David Valentine travels the most from the area of Southern Command to what used to be the state of Washington. In this chapter of the story it is his job to infiltrate the organization of a Mr. Addler who uses extremely barbaric methods in his own personal war against the forces of Kur.

Overall-It is interesting to note the evolution of David Valentine from a company man in Way of the Wolf and Choice of the Cat more of an independent in these more recent books. The only annoying quality is to realize that quisling organizations that are supposedly managing the planet always fall for whatever tactic of deception Valentine is using. Knight is a good author and I have the feeling that one day Valentine's luck is going to run out.

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Another great addition to a wonderful series

I started reading E.E. Knight's work several years ago and have been consistently impressed with all of his works. His writing style is similar to Robert Parker's (Spencer, et al. series) and like so many bad things for us, his work is addictive. It is so easy to get involved in the story because the characters are well written and dynamic. Like Spencer, Valentine stays true to a personal moral code. It is that moral compass that makes him stand out while he stands opposed to the evils, both great and small, in his world. It is refreshing to read about a character who knows he can be beaten, but never conquered. Simply put, Valentine's Resolve is a great addition to a great series. As one of many who appreciate your work, keep them coming Mr. Knight!!!

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Terrific read

I just discovered E.E. Knight with this book. I'd noticed his novels on the bookstore shelves before but I thought this was just another 'me too' vampire series. You know the ones. They try to be to hip and clever and kind of all read alike. Not this. The world that Knight builds is consistent, peopled with complex characters and the alien invasion premise is original and thought through.

While there's plenty of action the story is basically character driven. David Valentine is a great hero. He's a full and believable person. He's tough but gets results mostly because he works harder and pays more attention.

The story is well plotted and the bad guys (Kurians) are truly evil. Secondary characters are fleshed out and act from credible motives. They're not just cardboard pieces thrown in to move the plot.

When I finished this book I immediately hit the library to reserve the first books in the series. It compares favorably with any SF series in active publication.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4

After three years of exile from humanity?s war against the Kurians, David Valentine returns to battle. The Lifeweavers, Earth?s allies in the conflict, have mostly vanished, but those that remain are held captive by an overlord known as the Seattle Kurian. To free them, Valentine must convince the legendary resistance fighter known as the Marshal to join his cause. But the Marshal is something of an overlord himself?

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