Welcome to my stop on Scott M. Baker's Online Book Tour for Dominion, the third and final book in The Vampire Hunter's trilogy. Please make sure to leave a comment or question below to let Scott know you stopped by.
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Dominion
by Scott M. Baker
Vampire Hunters Trilogy, Book 3
Publisher: Pin Hill Press
Release Date: October 1, 2011
Length: 364 Pages
Genre: Paranormal/Horror
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Blurb:
After being hidden away for centuries, the Vampyrnomicon, the Book of the Undead, is finally unearthed, and with it the terrible secret of the vampires’ origins. The discovery of the Vampyrnomicon gives Drake Matthews the means to defeat the Master and eradicate the vampire threat, but it also provides Chiang Shih with the knowledge she needs to make her masters immortal.
Now more powerful than ever, Chiang Shih raises an army of the undead and creates a vampire nation in Washington D.C. Her attempt to assassinate Drake and his colleagues nearly cripples the hunters, but fails to kill them all. Driven by vengeance, and with his band of hunters swelled by unlikely allies, Drake leads the group into the infested city.
With the fate of humankind hanging in the balance, hunters and vampires wage the final epic battle in the streets of the nation’s capital to determine who will hold dominion over the earth.
Excerpt:
Chiang Shih turned to face the rose window. Picking up the Vampyrnomicon, she opened it and began to read.
“Fortunate are the evil in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of Hell. Fortunate are those who hate, for they will be avenged. Fortunate are the strong, for they will dominate the earth. Fortunate are those who hunger and thirst for wickedness, for they will be satiated in their lust. Fortunate are the merciless, for they themselves have been shown no mercy. Fortunate are the dark of heart, for they will know Satan. Fortunate are the war makers, for they will be called sons of Satan. Fortunate are those who persecute the righteous, for theirs is the kingdom of Hell. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in Hell.”
A rumbling emanated from outside, similar to thunder but deeper and prolonged.
“Praise Satan! Oh Dark Lord, you are very great; you are clothed with cruelty and ignominy. You wrap yourself in darkness as with a garment. You undermine the earth’s foundations; it can never be stable again.”
A small black cloud three feet in diameter formed out in front of and just above the cathedral.
“How many are your works, Oh Dark Lord! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. We all look to you to give us our human food at the proper time. When you give them to us, we gather them up; when you open your hand, we are satisfied with evil things. When you send your Evil Spirit, we are created, and you renew the face of the earth in Hell’s image.”
The cloud expanded rapidly until it dominated the sky above the front lawn.
“May the infamy of the Dark Lord Satan endure forever; may the Dark Lord Satan rejoice in his works, he who looks at the earth and the earth trembles. May the righteous vanish from the earth and the humans be no more. Praise the Dark Lord Satan!”
The cloud began swirling, forming a vortex. The rumbling grew increasingly louder until the cathedral trembled from the noise.
“The Dark Lord Satan said, ‘I am the resurrection of death. He who obeys me will live as the undead. Whoever obeys me and lives as the undead shall never die.’
“Dark Lord Satan, make us immortal like you!”
A thunderous boom rocked the cathedral. The rose window shattered outward, covering the humans below with shards. Walker watched in fascination as the black cloud deepened in density and its swirling increased in speed. A brilliant beam of sunlight emanated from the vortex and shone through the frame, illuminating Chiang Shih. She stiffened. Her body glowed until she seemed almost as bright as the beam. When she turned to face her masters, her eyes burned bright yellow.
Without warning, sunlight flowed from her eyes and filled the interior of the cathedral, washing over the masters, the vampires huddled in the corner, and the corpses scattered around the nave. Walker closed his eyes and crouched, expecting death. Instead, he felt a sensation he had not experienced since his days as a human. Warmth.
Walker opened his eyes and stood. Sunlight bathed his body. Rather than peel off and crumble, however, his flesh tingled. He looked back down the nave toward the crossing, excited to see his shadow extending away from him. Raising his hand in front of his face, he noticed that his shadow did the same.
Chiang Shih had done it. She had made them all daywalkers.
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Author's Bio and Links:
Born and raised in Everett, Massachusetts (just outside of Boston), Scott M. Baker has spent the last twenty-two years living in northern Virginia. He has authored several short stories, including “Dead Water”, “Rednecks Shouldn’t Play with Dead Things”, “Cruise of the Living Dead”, “Deck the Malls with Bowels of Holly” (an alcoholic mall Santa battles zombie reindeer), and “Denizens.” His two latest short stories – “The Last Flight of The Bismarck,” about steampunk zombies, and “The Hunger,” a tale of cannibalism during a zombie outbreak – will both be released later this year in anthologies being published by Knighwatch Press.
Scott’s first zombie novel, Rotter World, which details the struggle between humans and vampires during a zombie apocalypse, was released by Permuted Press in April 2012. He has also authored The Vampire Hunters trilogy, which has been published by Pill Hill Press and received excellent reviews from Famous Monsters of Filmland and Fangoria, among others. Scott has finished his fifth novel, Yeitso, a homage to the monster movies of the 1950s set in northern New Mexico, which is currently with a publisher, and is wrapping up his sixth novel, Hell Gates, the first in a series of young adult novels set in a world in which the realms of Hell and earth have merged. When he is not busy writing, Scott can either be found relaxing on his back deck with a cup of iced coffee, or doting on the four house rabbits that live with him.
Please visit the author’s website at http:\\scottmbakerauthor.blogspot.com
Trailer for The Vampire Hunters: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCcOcV3anjs Trailer for Vampyrnomicon: http://www.youtube.com/embed/KBMFGQXsnKM?rel=0
Trailer for The Vampire Hunters Trilogy: http://www.amazon.com/Dominion-Three-Vampire-Hunters-Trilogy/dp/1617060534/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1336526702&sr=1-1
My Review:
With a portent for the future, Dominion, the third and final book in The Vampire Hunters trilogy, begins with a scene giving us part of the history of the Vampyrnomicon, the vampire bible which was the focus of the second book. Filled with action, violence and characters we've come to know, this installment is a powerful conclusion to the series. While the destruction of the vampires has always been a focus of this series, the future of mankind is definitely up for grabs in this installment.
Once again, hunters Drake Matthews and Alison Monroe find themselves in the thick of things with the Vampyrnomicon having been discovered. Aided by assistants Jim Delmarco and Juan Rodriguez, Drake and Allison have no problems locating vampires to destroy, they're just outnumbered as usual. Fortunately the average vampire is no match for them. Unfortunately, the master vampire they find themselves up against is Chiang Shih, who managed to survive their previous battle.
Armed with just enough information from the Vampyrnomicon, master Chiang Shih plans to change the course of the war against the hunters. Determined to turn her nest into "day walkers", who would be stronger, feed more often and be able to turn more vampires, she's a woman with a cause. If there are no mistakes, she and her vampires will be able to take over the world and she'll become the supreme ruler.
Once again providing us with the viewpoint of both the hunters and their vampire enemies, we are provided a front row seat for all of the action that takes place. With the stakes in the battle being raised, Drake and Allison find themselves being targeted by Chiang Shih. When the battle becomes more than personal, Drake and Allison find new and unlikely allies.
Will Drake and Allison be able to win the battle against Chiang Shih armed with the knowledge they've obtained from the Vampyrnomicon? Will Drake and Allison be willing to make the sacrifice victory will require? And will Drake and Allison finally give into their love? You'll have to read Dominion to find out. While the ending was not what I expected, it is a fitting end.
My Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Maria,
ReplyDeleteMany thanks for hosting me on this tour, and for all the great reviews of the books in my trilogy. I appreciate all you've done for me.