Spoiler-free
Now that the trilogy is complete, it seems only fitting to answer this question. And (if it's for you) should you read OR listen to this series?
The Pitch
Jay Kristoff wrote this dark fantasy series with the intention of making vampires scary again. Over time, media depictions of vampires has shifted from the classic archetype of monstrous creatures to be feared, such as Nosferatu and Dracula, to being mysterious beings to swoon over, such as Angel and Edward Cullen. Whilst both depictions have their place within vampire media, it is refreshing to go back to the roots of what’s at the core of being a vampire. An evil blood thirsty killer.
The vibes of this trilogy are immaculate. It’s a goblet of red wine on a stormy night. A quick glance back in a gloomy alleyway. A devilish whisper in your ear. The vibes perfectly encapsulates everything which makes vampire fiction so addictive and compelling. Think: The gothic atmosphere of Castlevania, the clan politics of Vampire: The Masquerade, the narrative style of Interview with a Vampire, The monstrousness of Nosferatu and the sexiness of just about every piece of vampire media ever!
The Premise
Empire of the Vampire is set in a world, where the sun doesn’t rise. Darkness has loomed over this gloomy landscape for almost 3 decades, allowing vampires to rule over humankind and build their villainous empire. Gabriel de León is a silversaint: a member of a holy brotherhood dedicated to defending realm and church from the creatures of the night. Imprisoned by the vampires, he is forced to recount his story to the very beings he vowed to destroy.
Will the sun ever rise again? Or will the shadow of Daysdeath loom on for eternity?
From holy cup comes holy light; The faithful hand sets world aright. And in the Seven Martyrs’ sight, Mere man shall end this endless night.
Should you read it?
If you are intrigued by my pitch and my shabby synopsis then there’s a solid chance this trilogy will be for you. Having said that, there are some important things to note.
Gabriel de León, by today's standards, would 100% be an Edgelord, there’s no way around it. He’s snarky, misunderstood and mysterious for the sake of being mysterious. Personally, I found him to be quite endearing and was a fun character to follow, but he is a prick. I can see why some people would find him cringey and insufferable.
It’s imperative that you are comfortable with an unreliable narrator. The entire story is told through the form of an interview. Therefore every event is through the lens of the narrator. We only know what the narrator tells us, and that’s why it’s important to take everything with a pinch of salt, slice of lime and shot of tequila.
Tendency to waffle. Given the nature of this type of narrative, there is a tendency to waffle. All of these books are fairly chunky and not all of them need to be so. The pace can be quite meandering at times, whilst other times it can be at break neck speed.
Swearing. Fuck my face, there’s a lot of swearing in this book. This probably links to how it can venture into edgelord territory, but personally I enjoyed all of the inventive ways in which Jay Kristoff got these characters to curse. The powers of being an Australian.
Graphic detail. There is an argument to be made for this series to be labelled as grimdark. The violence is extreme with guts and gore being prevalent throughout the story. Jay Kristoff said he wanted to make vampires scary again, and that they are. Typical for grimdark, the characters are mostly morally grey and not always likeable.
Timeline shifts. The first book, Empire of the Vampire, shifts between 3 timelines. There is the modern day timeline of Gabriel de León, recounting his events to a vampire historian, Jean-Francois (he’s my boy). The second timeline of, basically, the origin story, so Gabe from a very young age. The third timeline is more recent, covering the time he's spent as a silversaint. I know a lot of people can be put off by this, and listen, I’m right there with you, but I can assure you that all the timelines are distinct from each other and it never gets confusing or muddled. There is also good reason to tell the story this way, and by the end of the first book you will appreciate how we got to the climax much more, due to this structure. Besides, if at anypoint you are confused with the timeline, there is a good chance that Jean-Francois (the interviewer) also is, and would therefore ask for clarification.
Should you listen to it?
Personally, I listened to the first two books, and by the third book I listened and read the book at the same time.
The first book is read solely by Damian Lynch, who does a fantastic job. His smooth tone of voice matches the ambiance of the series perfectly. There are a fair few different accents involved, most notably French, which I believe Damian delivers to a high standard. We all know a bad french accent can be silly and too comedic, but Damian’s was believable. My only issue with his narration, was whenever there was a scene with a character shouting, he held back and delivered it in an almost whisper. I’m not saying that I want to be shouted at through my headphones, but to deliver these lines quieter than his usual speech seemed like an odd choice.
By the second book, Empire of the Damned, Damian Lynch is joined by a second narrator, Shakira Shute. This can be jarring, as we have spent the entire first book listening to Damian, however I can assure you that it makes sense to the story and is by no means the same thing as replacing a narrator halfway through a series. Similarly, Shakira Shute’s narration is top notch. I’ll admit, it took me a while to warm to her after the initial shock, but she also delivered the accents well and there wasn’t too much discrepancy between her voices and Damien's. My only issue for Shakira’s narration was that I found her voice for Celene quite irritating, but it does suit the character well, so I can’t complain too much.
The main drawback of opting to listen to the trilogy instead of reading, is that you miss out on the stunning illustrations done by Bon Orthwick in Empire of the Vampire and Empire of the Damned, and Gonzalom.art for Empire of the Dawn. This series is littered with these beautiful drawings throughout and they perfectly illustrate the grim imagery depicted by Jay Kristoff's writing.
All of this artwork can be found online, so if you do decide to listen to the series you have the option to look at the artwork afterwards. However, nothing beats the feeling in real time of turning over a page to reveal a full page illustration. Also, if you do end up loving the series, it's highly likely you will want a physical edition anyway, as the books are stunning to look at. I will say, I much prefer the art from Bon Orthwick in the first 2 books. Gonzalom.art's illustrations in Empire of the Dawn felt a little more generic, and less suited to my personal taste. But hey, they're still pretty badass and better than 99% of books that don't have any pictures.
So, Read or listen?
After weighing up the pros and cons, I'd say to read it. Whilst I loved listening to the Audiobooks and the narration is top notch, I did get some major FOMO of not having the illustrations. However, the best option is to read and listen at the same time, then you can't really go wrong. Immersion reading is such a trump card.
Is it worth it?
As I have already mentioned, these are chunky books, but I can assure you that they are not a slog. I also believe that it’s one of those series where you can figure out very early on if it’s one for you or not. Jay Kristoff has a distinctly dry sense of humour in the veins of Joe Abercrombie. This sarcastic sense of humour landed for me, but that’s not to say it will for everyone. If you don’t like the first book, I’d wager it isn’t worth your time to continue on with the series.
None of these books were 5 star reads for me, but that’s not to say that they have stayed with me. Interestingly, the longevity of this world and these characters in my mind has been quite impressive, resulting in Empire of the Dawn being my most anticipated book of 2025. Oftentimes, I read a book and rate it very highly, but that doesn't mean it will stand the test of time. A few books later, I can find myself forgetting about the characters I once loved and the world I once lived in. The opposite is true for Empire of the Vampire. I have my issues with the books’ pacing, and some plot decisions made. However, Jay Kristoff has conjured up a world that has cemented in my mind and has left me wanting more. I think this harpers back to my initial intent of the series: To make vampires scary again. This is something I, and plenty others, have been craving for a long time. If this is you, then this trilogy may just well be the thing to scratch that itch.
Average and overal trilogy rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑4 stars
Comments