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The Shadow Saga
Backstory
In 1994, Berkley published my first novel, Of Saints and Shadows.
This is how the press materials described it:
"A secret sect of the Catholic Church, armed with an ancient
book of the undead called The Gospel of Shadows, has been slowly
destroying vampires for centuries. Now the book has been stolen,
and the sect races to retrieve it before their purpose is discovered:
a final purge of all vampires. As the line between saints and
shadows grows ominously faint, private eye Peter Octavian is
drawn into the search. And he'll do anything to find the book
. . . for Peter Octavian is also a vampire."
Of course, there's a lot more going on in the book than that,
including some surprising historical figures showing up as vampires,
down and dirty sex, demons, sorcery . . . a little bit of everything.
The second novel in what I'm now calling The Shadow Saga was
Angel Souls and Devil Hearts. Published in 1995, it featured
the continuing adventures of the characters who survived the
first book. While the first book combined elements of mystery
and epic fantasy, the second is, pure and simple, a war novel.
Oh, sure, there are lots of interesting scenes that take place
in Hell, but those aside, it's a war novel.
I was ecstatic when ACE Books decided to rerelease them under
a 'Dark Fantasy' banner, in anticipation of the release of the
third book in the series, Of Masques and Martyrs, which hit
stores in October 1998.
Nearly six years later, The Gathering Dark was published.
I get a lot of e-mail about the books. I want to thank everyone
who wrote.
Reviews
"A
politico-religious thriller reminiscent of the novels of David
Morrell. A delightful read and a noteworthy debut by a writer
who cares passionately about the stuff of horror. Harrowing,
humorous, overflowing with characters and plot contortions,
abundantly entertaining . . . a portent of great things to come
from Christopher Golden."
--
Douglas E. Winter, Cemetery Dance
"Wildly
entertaining horror. For those of you not familiar with Golden's
Shadow Saga, it's like mixing Laurell K. Hamilton's action-packed
Anita Blake novels with the dark ambiance of an H. P. Lovecraft
story. The pacing is always pedal-to-the-floor, the main characters
are larger-than-life, and the demons and other assorted monstrosities
give Lovecraft's Cthulhu mythos a run for its money -- just
plain wild, spine-tingling, fun."
--
Barnes & Noble Online
"A
breathtaking story that succeeds in marrying gore and romance,
sex and sentiment. A brilliant epic."
--
Dark News, Paris
"One
of the best horror novels of the year. Filled with tension,
breathtaking action, dire plots and a convincing depiction of
worlds existing unseen within our own. One of the most promising
debuts in some time."
--
Science Fiction Chronicle
"You
can damn near chase me a mile these days with a vampire novel.
Then, along comes Christopher Golden. His work is fast and furious,
funny and original, and I can't wait until his next book."
--
Joe R. Lansdale, author of Mucho Mojo and
The Two Bear Mambo
"The
most refreshing books in the vampire genre since Anne Rice wrote
Interview with the Vampire, [Golden's novels] are completely
in a class by themselves."
-- Pathway to Darkness
"Christopher
Golden has painted an intriguing canvas, full of action, sweep
and dark mythology; a novel that unfolds like a vampiric Kabuki
theatre. Golden is smart and savvy; a writer with a bright future."
-- Rex Miller, author of Slob and
Chaingang
"Passionate
. . . Excellent . . . Golden has written one of the best . .
. a deep probe into the inner-workings of the church and a surprise
explanation for vampires. [A] brilliant vampire novel in a blizzard
of bloody tooth bites this year."
--
LitNews Online
"A
promising debut. In his world of vampires and dark magic, Golden
presents us with a complex canvas to rival Brian Lumley."
--
Craig Shaw Gardner, author of Dragon Waking
"Golden
combines quiet, dark, subtle mood with Super-Giant monster action.
Sort of M.R. James meets Godzilla!"
-- Mike Mignola, creator of Hellboy
"The
characters in Golden's books are always interesting and carefully
drawn. You might care a little too much about some of them.
Of Masques and Martyrs is a furiously paced, energetic thriller
with enough original ideas for three or four of anyone else's
books."
--
The Plot Thickens, from Mysterious Galaxy
Of Saints and Shadows
Book One in the Shadow Saga is a brilliant epic that takes
you into the secret world of vampires--and a secret society
sworn to destroy them. Sweeping, sensuous, and shocking, it
is a powerful vision of immortality that will hold you in its
spell...forever.
Additional Information
Published June 1994
Reprinted October 1998
300 pages
$6.99 US / $8.50 Canada
ISBN 0441005705
Angel Souls and Demon Hearts
The Shadows have been exposed. The ancient vampiric race now
finds itself in danger of the most powerful demon of all--human
prejudice. In a world where the good are no longer recognizable
from the bad, where Shadows are indeed the saints, a holy war
is about to begin, pitting humans and vampires against the darkest
demons of the Pit.
Additional Information
Published July 1995
Reprinted November 1998
401 pages
$6.99 US / $8.50 Canada
ISBN 0425148319
Of Masques and Martyrs
Led by Peter Octavian, the Shadows must drink blood. Yet they
do not steal life. New Shadows are created only by individual
choice. Peace is their only hunger. The minions of Hannibal
have a different goal: the enslavement of humanity. They kill
for pleasure and for thirst. They indescriminately create more
of their own. And they embrace the title of terrible legend:
vampire. Shadows and vampires. One and the same. Their war continues...
Additional Information
Published December 1998
292 pages
$6.99 US / $8.50 Canada
ISBN 0441005845
The Gathering Dark
Once upon a time, the world believed that demons and supernatural
creatures were figments of imagination.
Then The Gospel of Shadows was destroyed -- the one
magical weapon capable of keeping the monsters at bay.
Now, the barriers between the human world and paranormal realms
are being torn asunder, as beings born of nightmares swarm across
the globe.
And humanity's only hope lies in Peter Octavian -- a powerful
mage who's held in suspicion for once being mankind's worst
enemy.
A vampire.
Additional Information
Published June 24th, 2003
384 pages
$6.99 US / $8.50 Canada
ISBN 0441010814
Website Exclusive
Read the prologue of The Gathering
Dark. |
