Bitten by Books
The world was reeling from nuclear wars that broke out in the Middle East. The natural power resources were lost in flames and radiation. Communication abilities were nearly non-existent in every nation and each struggled to survive this new era in mankind. In the United States, power became the new currency. Those states that could generate power through oil, coal or nuclear plants soon became almost fiefdoms, bleeding the riches and manpower from less-fortunate neighboring states. Humanity was struggling to adapt to this new reality when yet another blow was struck against it.
For centuries, vampires had preyed on humanity from the shadows and done it so well that they were thought to be a myth. But with the world’s population weak and wobbling, the vampires struck. They rose up, striking in the night and creating legions of thralls (humans who were bitten and tied in obedience to a particular vampire). In a remarkably short time period, there was a new world order: vampires as rulers, their thrall servants and enslaved humans kept as a blood food source. The enslaved humans were given a serum that attacked both mind and body and kept them docile. But there were a few small bands of humans that avoided that fate and were determined to survive and resist.
Peter Harris was a leader in one of the bands and master-minded daring raids to free humans, but always at a terrible cost. The group numbered almost one thousand, winter was on them and supplies were short. The group faced discovery from the Vampire Lord of the territory and from the leader of a group of renegade thralls who had broken away from their Vampire Lord.
Peter knew there was even a worse danger looming over them-vampire war. The serum used to keep humans docile would eventually kill them and those vampires who fed off of them would go mad, consumed by rage. And it was already beginning. The small population of humans is caught in a vise between all these dangers and must move, but the effort is just as dangerous as doing nothing. And there is a traitor.
Trail of Tears is the fourth book in the Vampire Apocalypse series and a great addition. The author does an outstanding job of maintaining the continuity of the central storyline, while seamlessly introducing new branches and unexpected scenarios. The books are all about action and I suspect the author has some experience in military tactics and strategies.
The vampires are unique, with no pretense of a scrap of humanity and truly an alien species. All the characters (vampire, thrall and human) are complex, individual and multidimensional. Mr. Gunn has created a world at its grimmest and grittiest, with all the flaws and strengths of humanity in play. Trail of Tears is an engrossing read, as are the other books in the series. My only complaint is that he keeps killing off characters that I have grown attached too. But each loss brings a new depth, a new twist to the story, so I suppose I can forgive him.
Book Stats:
- Paperback: 274 pages
- Publisher: Permuted Press (April 25, 2014)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1618682490
- ISBN-13: 978-1618682499
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Books in the Vampire Apocalypse series in the order they should be read:
A World Torn Asunder
Descent into Chaos
Fallout
Trail of Tears
Review Overview
Overall Rating
Total
Summary : Trail of Tears is the fourth book in the Vampire Apocalypse series and a great addition. The author does an outstanding job of maintaining the continuity of the central storyline, while seamlessly introducing new branches and unexpected scenarios. The books are all about action and I suspect the author has some experience in military tactics and strategies.
