Ancient Blood: A Novel of the Hegemony

The Order Saga, Volume 1

By: Brian Patrick McKinley

Narrated by: Brian Rollins

Avery Doyle loves vampires; he's read every novel, seen all the movies, and researched the folklore. When his first one-night-stand, Caroline, turns out to be a true vampire on the run, he jumps at the chance to leave his ordinary life and join her as a "child of the night". The honeymoon ends, however, when Caroline's brutal Creator Sebastian enslaves them on his island estate and Avery must confront the dehumanizing reality behind his dreams. In order to survive, Caroline and Avery take their place as servants in Sebastian's household during a gathering of the most powerful vampires on Earth, the Hegemony, and soon find themselves involved in the myriad intrigues and deceptions that form the night-to-night existence of The Order. A society of wealth, power, and inhuman decadence whose existence is protected by human complicity and disbelief, The Order is the immortal aristocracy hidden behind the giant corporations and political leaders of the world. Sebastian, however, has a plan that will change The Order forever and shatter human civilization. To avoid this terrible fate, Avery and Caroline will not only have to defy the most powerful creatures on Earth, but also confront the darkest aspects of themselves. For in the world of the Hegemony, even victory may cost them their souls... A fast-paced thriller that both re-imagines and pays tribute to the traditional vampire, Ancient Blood is a story of love, ambition, sacrifice, and betrayal that is frighteningly human.

©2012, 2013 Brian Patrick McKinley (P)2014 Brian Patrick McKinley

A Welcome Respite From The Usual Vampire Tale

What did you love best about Ancient Blood: A Novel of the Hegemony?

The politics and machinations of the vampires was a great change from the brooding, moody vamps of years past.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Sebastian. He was powerful and yet I could understand his motivations. That's great in a villain. Too often the bad guy is a mustache twirler that is evil just for the sake of being evil.

What does Brian Rollins bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Such delightful accents and characters (of which there are over a dozen)! He captures Avery's voice wonderfully, but then switches to cool and confident for others, then powerful and angry for others. Wonderfully done.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I laughed at a few parts, but the rest just kept me quietly riveted to the story.

Any additional comments?

I'm interested in seeing what happens after the fallout of the climax. More Caroline too!

Never liked vampires - up until now

As the title states, I am not from the vampire generation. Born in 90's, I wasn't really exposed to the vampire culture in its authenticity (Twilight didn't help either). This book, on the either hand, opened a new genre for me.

As for the story, everything is happening in modern age (with guns, helicopters, security cameras, etc.). Vampires, however, seem to still work their old ways from 100s of years ago. Loved the clash of morals in the book, different kinds of vampires, and scary (and graphic) scenes.

The development of the main character is interesting. I wouldn't say if was very unpredictable, but it was interesting to see how he changes throughout the story. Supporting characters and their stories before they've met are also on point.

Overall, a neat book that left me with quite a few things to debate about.

Slow in places but an enjoyable listen

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

I thought it was an interesting take on the vampire theme. Much more intelligent than your general bloodsucking undead.
I did find the political side of things quite difficult to get my head round. It did make listening a bit of a chore on a few occasions.

Vampires

Any additional comments?

All the characters are very easy to imagine Every stereotypical vampire seems to be present, all the way down to personality differences. The hierarchy of the Order and the system they're all working in show fascinating sides to each character, bringing a true sense of realism to the story .

A new twist on the vampire world

If you could sum up Ancient Blood: A Novel of the Hegemony in three words, what would they be?

Political, Dark, Mysterious.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Ancient Blood: A Novel of the Hegemony?

I enjoyed the world that the author built, and the way the narrator allowed the story to come through.

Have you listened to any of Brian Rollins’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes, great voice.

Any additional comments?

I will be looking for the next book in this series. This story caught my attention enough that I would like to see how the story and characters develop and grow.

Never thought Id enjoy Vamp Polotics

What does Brian Rollins bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

everything!

Any additional comments?

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review

This book was awesome. Vamp politics ... lust, backroom dealings, downward spiral of a mad man ... all wrapped up with a dark humor bow.

a very busy book

Would you recommend Ancient Blood: A Novel of the Hegemony to your friends? Why or why not?

I would recommend this book to friends who were already interested in vampires and the paranormal. I say that because the author 'name checks' many other paranormal authors and if you aren't familiar with them you could get lost. Also, I felt at times there were too many characters. If the author had weeded out one or two, he could have still told his story and it wouldn't have been so 'busy'.

What does Brian Rollins bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I really enjoyed the narration of this book. Brian Rollins greatly added to this book. Since he was reading this to me, I didn't have to worry about how names were pronounced and some of the nuances that the author had put into the story such as vampire vs vampeer (sp). He gave each of the characters life and that made the story more interesting to me.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes and no. I would recommend listening to this story where you have little to no distraction. There were parts of the books that were full of back story and if you were distracted it would be hard to keep up. I sometimes had trouble following the interweaving story lines and keeping all the players straight.

Any additional comments?

Seeing as this is book one in the series, I am interested to see where the author goes in book 2. I would give it a listen.

Ancient Blood review

Where does Ancient Blood: A Novel of the Hegemony rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

High among the ones I consider favorites.

What other book might you compare Ancient Blood: A Novel of the Hegemony to and why?

None that I can think of.

What does Brian Rollins bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

A unique voice reading the words.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I was entertained more than anything.

Any additional comments?

I enjoyed the paperback - read previously, and wanted to listen to the audio version.

Half way there

Would you try another book from Brian Patrick McKinley and/or Brian Rollins?

Yes

Would you ever listen to anything by Brian Patrick McKinley again?

Yes. I expect greater books in this series to follow.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Brian Rollins?

Probably not. Aside from the story itself a little slow, Rollins only takes away from it. There is emphasis where there shouldn't be. Where there should be emphasis, there is none. His accents are extremely exaggerated. And I can't help but get the impression that he didn't read the book beforehand.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Ancient Blood: A Novel of the Hegemony?

It is not so much the scenes but the over-detail of them that can use some cutting out. Some details are important and add to the story, while most simply make the scenes longer than they need be.

Any additional comments?

You have to take Ancient Blood for what it is, a budding authors first crack at writing a novel. McKinley goes for a very intrigue heavy story told through the eyes of Avery, a character that shoots past lovable underdog into just plain pathetic. For a story that is suppose to be thick with cloak and dagger/intrigue/subtlety, McKinley clearly says what he wants the audience to feel or experience through Avery.
The beginning of the book is clumsy and slow as the author tries to introduce you to the characters, and the over-arching world all at once. It feels slow and you begin to wish it would cut straight to the action. McKinley is obviously in love with the characters to the point that he goes into great detail to capture their mannerisms, appearance, and in some cases back story. It would probably pan out better over the course of several books rather than just the one. About halfway through the book, you stop caring about the main character, or even his creator/girlfriend, and become more vested in the old powerful and downright evil vampires
As I started with, I take this book for what it is, a first. Much like Jim Butcher's "Storm Front", or "Dragons of Autumn Twilight" the author has to fumble around a bit before they can get their feet under them and the story off the ground. I believe Ancient Blood can be a wonderful springboard into the rest of the Hegemony series as the author, and hopefully his characters, grows and develops.