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KELL’S LEGEND
Book One of the Clockwork Vampire Chronicles
PROLOGUE: Slaughter
“I know you think me sadistic. You are incorrect. When I punish, I punish without pleasure. When I torture, I torture for knowledge, progression, and for truth. And when I kill…” General Graal placed both hands on the icy battlements, staring dream-like to the haze of distant Black Pike Mountains caught shimmering and unreal through the mist: huge, defiant, proud, unconquered. He grinned a narrow, skeletal grin. “Then I kill to feed.”
Graal turned, and stared at the kneeling man. Command Colonel Yax-kulkain was forty-eight years old, a seasoned warrior and leader of the Garrison Regiment at Jalder, Falanor’s major northern city and trading post connecting east, south and west military supply routes, also known as the Northern T.
Yax-kulkain was hunkered down, fists twitching uncontrollably, staring up into Graal’s blue eyes. Pupil dilation told Graal the commander could still understand, despite his paralysis. Graal smiled, a thin-lipped smile with white lips that blended eerily into the near-albino skin of his soft, some would say feminine, face. Running a hand through alabaster hair Graal released a hiss and gave a heavy, pendulous nod. “I see you understand me, colonel.”
Yax-kulkain murmured something, an animal sound deep in his throat. He trembled, in his frozen, kneeling position, and with ice crackling his beard, gradually, with incredible force of will, lifted his blue-hued face and snarled up at the conquering general. There came a crack as he forced frozen jaws apart. Ice fell, tinkling from his beard. In rage, the ice-chilled warrior spat, “You will… rot… in hell!”
General Graal turned, staring almost nostalgically across frosted battlements. He spun on his heel, a fast fluid motion, slim blade slamming to cut the command colonel’s head from his body. The head rolled, hitting stone flags and cracking a platter of ice. It rocked, and came to a halt, eyes staring blank at the bleak, snow-filled sky.
“I think not,” said Graal, staring down the long line of kneeling men, of rigid, frozen soldiers that stretched away down the considerable length of the ice-rimed battlements. “It would appear I am already there.”
His voice rose in volume to a bellow. “Soldiers of the Army of Iron!” He paused, voice dropping to a guttural growl. “Kill them all.”
Like automatons, insects, albino soldiers stepped up with a synchronised rhythm behind the ranks of frozen infantry at Falanor’s chief garrison; white hair whipped in the wind, and black armour cut a savage contrast to pale, waxen flesh. Black swords unsheathed, eight hundred oiled whispers of precision steel, and General Graal moved his hand with a casual flick as he turned away. Swords descended, sliced through flesh and fat and bone, and eight hundred heads toppled from twitching shoulders to thud and roll. Because of the frozen flesh, there was no blood. It was a clean slaughter.
Ice-smoke swirled, thickening, flowing in the air from a resplendent and unwary city below, beyond the smashed protection of the garrison stronghold. Buildings spread gracefully and economically up the steep hillside from the broad, half-frozen platter of the Selenau River; and as Graal’s odd blue eyes narrowed to nothing more than slits, it was clear the ice-smoke was anything but natural: there were sinister elements at play.
Graal strode down the line of corpses, halting occasionally and stooping to force his finger into the icy stump of a soldier’s neck. The swirling smoke thickened. Through this carnage, up the narrow steps to the battlements, glided– The Harvesters.
They were tall, impossibly tall for men, and wore thin white robes embroidered with fine gold wire and draped over bony, elongated figures. Their faces were flat, oval, hairless, eyes small and black, their noses nothing more than twin vertical slits which hissed with a fast rhythm of palpitation. Their hands were hidden under flapping cuffs and they strode unhurriedly, heads bobbing as they stooped to survey the scene. The ranks of motionless albino soldiers took reverential steps back, and whilst faces did not show fear exactly, the albino warriors of Graal’s army revealed a healthy respect. One did not cross the Harvesters. Not if a man valued his soul.
The first halted, peering myopically down at Graal, who folded his arms and smiled without humour. “You are late, Hestalt.”
Hestalt nodded, and when he spoke his words were a lazy sigh of wind. “We were preparing the ice-smoke for the city. We had to commune with Nonterrazake. Now, however, the time has come. Are your men ready with their primitive weapons of iron?”
“My soldiers are always prepared,” said Graal, unruffled, and he unsheathed his own slender sword. The Harvester did not flinch; instead, a hand appeared from folds of white robe. Each finger was ten or twelve inches long, narrowing to a tapered point of gleaming ivory. The Harvester turned, bent, and plunged all five bone fingers into the corpse of Command Colonel Yax-kulkain. There came a gentle resonance of suction, and Graal watched, mouth tight-lipped, as the body began to deflate, shrivelling, flesh shrinking across the bones beneath.
Hestalt withdrew bone fingers, and leaving a tiny, shrivelled husk in his wake, moved to the next dead soldier of Falanor. Again, his fingers invaded the man’s chest, deep into his heart, and the Harvester reaped the Harvest.
Unable to watch this desecration of flesh, General Graal shouted a command which rang down the mist-filled battlements. Ice-smoke eddied around his knees, now, expanding and billowing in exaggerated bursts as he strode towards the steps leading down to the cobbled courtyard. His albino regiment followed in silence, swords unsheathed and ready, and like a tide, with Graal at its spearhead, moved to mammoth oak gates that opened onto a cobbled central thoroughfare, which in turn led down the steep hillside into Jalder’s central city – into the city’s heart.
Two albinos ran forward, slim figures, well balanced and athletic, graceful and moving with care on ice-slick cobbles. The oak portals were heaved apart, iron hinges groaning, and Graal turned glancing back to the tall stooping figures that moved methodically along the battlements, draining the dead Falanor garrison of life-force. Like insects, he thought, and made distant eye contact with Hestalt. The Harvester gave a single nod: a command. He pointed towards the city… and his instruction was clear.
Prepare a path.
Ice-smoke gathered in the courtyard, a huge pulsing globe which spun and built and coalesced with flickers of dancing silver; suddenly, it surged out through the gates to flow like airborne mercury into the city beyond, still expanding, still growing, a flood of eerie silence and cotton-wool death, a plague of drifting ice-smoke shifting to encompass the unwary city in a tomb-shroud of blood-oil magick.
From the Paperback edition.
James_Atlantic
Posted July 28, 2010
Hang on to your hats boys and girls. Kell's Legend is the sort of book that grabs hold of you and does not let go. If it weren't for the two infant children in my home, I would have read it in one sitting. If dark fantasy and balls out action is your thing, this is the novel you have been waiting to find.
I will only describe the book in the briefest of terms to avoid any spoilers. The kingdom of Falanor is invaded by a race of clockwork vampires. Kell, an old veteran with a legendary past, is forced back into action to protect his granddaughter. The story also follows a second protagonist from the vampire side of things. I do not want to say anything that will spoil her for you, but she is an excellent character. Her story arch takes the reader deep into the strange culture of the vampires and an enjoyable contrast to Kell.
This is one of the most entertaining books I have read this year. The characters are dynamic and believable. The plot takes off at a rapid clip and does not slow down. Remic's clockwork vampires are the most creative and interesting vampires I have seen in quite some time.
8 out of 9 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.bookwormiest
Posted November 13, 2010
This was my first venture into B & N's Free Fridays, and it wasn't a complete waste of time.
First, the good. The universe is intriguing, the plot action-packed and fast-paced, the characters mostly interesting. I always enjoy multiple plotlines, and the cliffhanger chapter endings kept me turning the page. I loved the whole idea of the Vachine; very novel and interesting.
The bad. Ugh, the writing. Maybe the overblown purple prose is common in this genre, but it kept taking me out of the story. A lot of the dialogue was just flat-out unbelievable, and most of the female characters were really hard to take. Does this guys actually know, or talk to, real women?
So, it's probably pretty good for what it is. There are other fantasy writers like R.A. Salvatore where I couldn't even get through one chapter. This is much better than that. I probably won't read the sequels, since I'll have to pay for them :-), but it was decent, short-term entertainment.
5 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.This was a Free Friday book and it was awful. The plot may have been okay, but the author threw in ridiculous adjectives in every action scene, until it finally became unreadable and I gave up on it. Maybe for teenage boys...
4 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.ReidMH
Posted October 23, 2010
You must like gratuitous violence, profanity, and porn to like this book. Would not recommend for discussion.
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.This book is not for the prudish or squeamish. It is not Harry Potter.It is Game of Thrones if written by RE Howard. As a big fan of heroic fantasy, most notably David Gemmel and RE Howard, I was pleased with this book. It was action packed and filled with brutal fight scenes. It did hold many similarities to Gemmel's Legend, but the antagonists, the vachine, were something new. The cliff hanger ending only whets my appetite for more and I will be delving into the brutal world of Kell for more encounters.
Gerald L. Black- Author of Chronicles of The Sentient Sword Vol. 1
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted January 22, 2012
Love the story line and the series
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted November 3, 2011
Good, easy, & fun read. Interesting concept and well thought out characters. I enjoyed this and will be picking up the other two books in the series.
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.CandiBee
Posted May 18, 2011
I've never read a lot of fantasy type books before, but I like this one. The writer is very talented in balancing detail without getting flowery, and it's also packed with action. The main character is the good guy with a bad past. It's a mix of midevil, viking, steampunk, vampire fantasy. Which to list it all out probably sounds confusing but the writer makes it work. I think this book would appeal to guys with short attention spans, and I do mean that as a compliment.
Last thing I will say is I got the first book for free on my Nook, and I ended up buying the rest of the series.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.clay1diverTX
Posted March 30, 2011
I personally would not recommend this book due simply to the over use of profanity. The writer has talent, but buries it in excessively profane and gruesome prose. I suppose that if you are a fan of shock-jocks like Howard Stern, or even movies like Saw then you may enjoy this book.
I seldom put a book down without finishing it, no matter how bad it is. I did not finish this book.
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.bookie505
Posted March 21, 2011
Ennjoyed this book had to purchase the sequel as soon as I finished Kells Legend! Go Kell!,,,,
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted December 29, 2010
This story could have been written, and delivered a lot better. I can not understand why the writer chose to include some of the vulgar and offensive wording he included in this book, was it a shock factor? Looking to get a rise out of people? or was he attempting to add color to the charachters.
I will be the first to admit, he writes better than I could, but if he can't sell a book without including the very unflattering descriptive terms he used in this book, than I won't be buying any in the future.
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted December 6, 2010
This book was much better then I had originally expected. I was so interested in the story that I was amazed when I realized that I had read half the book. This was fun and full of adventure. Love reading it and would love to read more like it.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.I enjoyed this book tremendously. It's fast-paced and interesting enough to keep you wanting to know what will happen next. For those people who like traditional vampire stories - this isn't for you. But if you like a story that is an original blend of sci-fi, horror, and action, then this is just up your alley.
These are not your normal blood sucking creatures who stalk people at night. These vampires are part of a complex world where humans exist with various things including: vachines (part human, part machine), harvesters (vampires who suck blood and people's souls), crankers (vachines gone mad), and others. And our hero, Kell, an aging human who is a legend among warriors, isn't perfect either. But the author, Remic, does a great job of weaving a story that is exciting and captivating.
A very good read!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Bookworm2RJ
Posted November 21, 2010
This was well written and kept me wanting more. Ending left many loose ends. Makes for many sequels!!!
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.I loved everything about this book! There is absolutely nothing negative I can say about Andy Remic's 'Kell's Legend.' This has got to be the very best horror fantasy novel I've ever read. I thought Joe Abercrombie's 'The First Law' trilogy to be vividly gruesome, (and it is.) However, the acts of remorseless, inhumane violence and brutally barbaric battles will leave you shivering and smelling the blood page after page.
Personally I love vampire novels, and Andy Remic has reinvented them to a far superior level and species. If you can, imagine the combination of the machinations of the eerie Borg from Star Trek and the creepy life force draining wraith from Stargate Atlantis, and then you may have some small idea of what the vachine are like. I'm thrilled to have found 'The Clockwork Vampire Chronicles'.
As if the high volume of action, adventure, danger, and lust wasn't enough to keep my interest, the author's talent takes me on a journey where the puzzles and mysteries unfold only as the characters discover them and the answers for themselves. I haven't been surprised like this by an author, since reading the 'Harry Potter' series. There wasn't anything expected or that I saw coming. Thankfully, the comedic camaraderie of Kell and Saark is not only a relieving break from all the seriousness, but they are laugh out loud funny!
I can't seem to get enough. I've picked up book two of the series immediately after finishing book one. I'm betting you will too.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.I loved everything about this book! There is absolutely nothing negative I can say about Andy Remic's 'Kell's Legend.' This has got to be the very best horror fantasy novel I've ever read. I thought Joe Abercrombie's 'The First Law' trilogy to be vividly gruesome, (and it is.) However, the acts of remorseless, inhumane violence and brutally barbaric battles will leave you shivering and smelling the blood page after page. Personally I love vampire novels, and Andy Remic has reinvented them to a far superior level and species. If you can, imagine the combination of the machinations of the eerie Borg from Star Trek and the creepy life force draining wraith from Stargate Atlantis, and then you may have some small idea of what the vachine are like. I'm thrilled to have found 'The Clockwork Vampire Chronicles'. As if the high volume of action, adventure, danger, and lust wasn't enough to keep my interest, the author's talent takes me on a journey where the puzzles and mysteries unfold only as the characters discover them and the answers for themselves. I haven't been surprised like this by an author, since reading the 'Harry Potter' series. There wasn't anything expected or that I saw coming. Thankfully, the comedic camaraderie of Kell and Saark is not only a relieving break from all the seriousness, but they are laugh out loud funny! I can't seem to get enough. I've picked up book two of the series immediately after finishing book one. I'm betting you will too.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.MrUbiquity
Posted February 5, 2012
Solid characters in a gritty fantasy world. Sure there's quite a bit of profanity, and there are some very detailed sexual encounters... But, it's true to the characters' natures and gives the book a bit of an edge. I'd much rather a grizzled ex-soldier say "You look like an <expletive deleted> and I'm going to <expletive deleted> kill you" instead of "Hey jerk, I'm going to kick your butt." Might be just me but I think Kell is great. Read the other two books in the series after this one, and am fairly happy with how the storyline progressed.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.2367929
Posted June 24, 2011
Oyw
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted March 16, 2011
Moves quick and keeps you interested. Characters are creative but need a little more depth.
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.UKgrad98
Posted January 2, 2011
I bought this based on the positive reviews and the interesting-sounding plot.
The plot, honestly isn't bad. That's the only reason I gave it two stars instead of one. But the writing is horribly sophomoric. The characters are all one-dimensional caricatures that we have seen written better in dozens of other fantasy novels. They have no substance whatsoever.
The action scenes are decent, but somewhat over the top and can't take the place of good (or even decent) characters.
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Overview
THEY CAME FROM THE NORTH AND THE CITY FELL.
It is a time for warriors, a time for heroes. Kell's axe howls out for blood. The land of Falanor has been invaded by an albino army, the Army of Iron. A small group set off to warn...