The Shadow Saga by Christopher Golden

One of the fun activities of writing Vampire Readings (published more than a decade ago) was discovering new authors - at least new for me. Christopher Golden was one of those.

He wrote four books - The Shadow Saga series -  in what would in today's world might fall into the urban fantasy category, depending on your definition of said genre. However you categorize them, these are well written, riveting, adventurous vampire tales. The original four are being republished by Ace. The first book Of Saints and Shadows came out in July of this year.

A new adventure, Waking Nightmares, will appear in April of 2011.

Here's the publishing schedule:
July 27th, 2010  Of Saints and Shadows
October 2010 ANGEL SOULS AND DEVIL HEARTS
December 2010 OF MASQUES AND MARTYRS
February 2011 THE GATHERING DARK
April 2011 WAKING NIGHTMARES



From Vampire Readings: Of Saints and Shadows. Within the Vatican is a book called The Gospel of the Shadows. It holds secrets about a group most believe does not exist - vampires. When this book disappears Liam Mulkerrin, a priest and magician with a penchant for murder, sets out to retrieve it. Also in pursuit is Peter Octavian. He is a vampire, but an unusual one in that he does not kill. Peter eventually discovers many of the secrets about his race that are written in the Gospel. He also learns that the Church plans to annihilate all vampires in one bloody conflagration. [originally published June 1994]

From Vampire Readings: ANGEL SOULS AND DEVIL HEARTS. The sequel to Of Saints and Shadows takes place five years later. Vampires, who prefer the term Shadows, know a freedom unheard of in the history of their existence. They become part of the human world and abide by its laws. But this peaceful coexistence is threatened. First, there are the vampires who despise this accommodation. In their view, vampires should be feared. They should prey on humans. Then there is Liam Mulkerrin, whose magic powers have increased. He plans to use these powers in his insane dream to reshape the world. [originally published July 1995]

From the author's page:  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...
[originally published December 1998]

From the author's page: 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.  [Originally published June 2003]
(On the left is the original cover. The new one has not yet been released.)





From the author's page: Waking Nightmares.
When chaos erupts in the small coastal town of Hawthorne, Massachusetts, former vampire-turned-mage Peter Octavian and earthwitch Keomany Shaw arrive to investigate. 

Years ago, Octavian helped expose the secret existence of vampires to the world, dismantling the Vatican's sorcery corps in order to save his fellow shadows from destruction.  But without the Vatican sorcerers, the magical barriers they spent centuries constructing to keep the forces of darkness out of our world are beginning to fail, and things are slipping through. 

Now an ancient god of chaos is awakening in Hawthorne, its influence spreading...and it's Octavian's fault.  If he can't stop it, the blood of all human kind will be on his hands.
[no cover yet available]

For more information go to http://www.christophergolden.com/shadowsaga.html

[Thanks to Vampire Wire for first bringing this information to my attention.]