The Kingmakers

Vampire Empire Book 3

By: Clay Griffith, Susan Griffith

Narrated by: James Marsters

The epic Vampire Empire trilogy rushes to a heart-wrenching conclusion of honor and love, hatred and vengeance, sacrifice and loss. A war to the death. Empress Adele has launched a grand crusade against the vampire clans of the north. Prince Gareth, the vampire lord of Scotland, serves the Equatorian cause, fighting in the bloody trenches of France in his guise as the dashing Greyfriar. But the human armies are pinned down, battered by harsh weather and merciless attacks from vampire packs. To even the odds, Adele unleashes the power of her geomancy, a fearsome weapon capable of slaughtering vampires in vast numbers. However, the power she expends threatens her own life even as she questions the morality of such a weapon. As the war turns ever bloodier and Adele is threatened by betrayal, Gareth faces a terrible choice. Their only hope is a desperate strike against the lord of the vampire clans - Gareth's brother, Cesare. It is a gamble that could win the war or signal the final days of the Greyfriar.

©2012 Clay Griffith, Susan Griffith (P)2014 Buzzy Multimedia Publishing

A fine conclusion to the series

This is as captivating as the other books in this series! I would recommend listening to the series from the start to this excellent finish. You would miss key events leading to the finish if you not start at the beginning.

An adventure to remember

Where does The Kingmakers rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

In the top 5.

Who was your favorite character and why?

That's like asking who is my favorite child. If I have to choose I guess it must be Adele because of how much she has grown over the course of the 3 books. She was always strong willed and independent but loss has had an effect on her and also seeing the results of ill considered actions in general seem to make her plan more and not just fly by the seat of her pants. By the end she is mature as a leader and as a woman.

Which character – as performed by James Marsters – was your favorite?

King Misiri. Probably because Misiri lives life with such gusto.After working on such serious characters it must have been a release to bring the African King to life.

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

Yes.

great series

fascinating world and an interesting take o. vampires. I also loved the steem punk approach to the whole world. I only wish that someday airships will make a comeback.

Great series ender.

I quit enjoy this book and book series. It has something for everyone. It's an action adventure, it has supernatural elements, it is a love story. The writing was quite enjoyable.

As well, I can't say enough about James Marsters performance in this series. He is very very good.

Another!

Would you consider the audio edition of The Kingmakers to be better than the print version?

Yes. I'm a big fan of the books, but there's something about hearing them that makes the story come to life. The universe in this trilogy (honestly the selling point for me) is so large and detailed, sometimes it's easy to not get everything when you're just following the plot.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Adele. She's well written, nuanced, and it's always great to see a powerful female character in fantasy. It's been good to see her really come into her own over the course of the series, especially in her relationship with Gareth. It can get a little cloying at times, but overall she's both fascinating AND relatable, and makes for a great main character.

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

James Marsters has been a fave of mine since his Buffy days. He has a cool, grounded, charisma that just works beautifully for this. Also he has a fantastic speaking voice.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I won't write down any spoilers, but Mamoru...just have some tissues ready, that's all I'll say.

Any additional comments?

Honestly? I would like to see the Griffiths go all ou,t expanded universe with this trilogy. If there were companion novels, board games, movies, comic books, etc., I WOULD BUY THEM. It's just that good.

Sorry to see it end

Kinda hope this isn't the end but it seems like it may be!! But smartly the authors have left the ability to pick things up and go in different direction!! Outside my normal choice of books these have been surprisingly enjoyable even tho I'm not a fan of Love story dramas!! This seemed to find the right mix of action & suspense to keep me coming back for more!! Bravo!!

The Marsters of voice acting :)

The story is so-so but good enough for me to finish the book. Sometimes I forget it's just one guy reading, the voice acting is so incredibly good. I wish the reader picked better books to read because there is only so much he can do for a flat story.

Love love love James Marsters

Love love love James Marsters. Terrific series with a perfect narrator/actor. Hoping for more from this artistic team.

Love it

The book is well written and Jim Marsters does an awesome job in reading the book. He is one of the best readers out there.

Worth finishing the series

I enjoyed the narration of this series. I am a bit disappointed that I figured out how it would end halfway through the first book, I was hoping that it wouldn't go that way. But I don't feel that I've wasted time at all on this series. It was fun, the narration is great and adds a lot to an otherwise mediocre story.