The Priest of Blood

By Douglas Clegg

Book Overview

A "stunning" (Publishers Weekly) epic from New York Times bestselling and Bram Stoker Award-winning author Douglas Clegg.

In a dark medieval age, Aleric the falconer meets his destiny in the bloody embrace of the seductive Pythia, sending him on a quest to unearth the mysteries of the ancient vampyre race.

Set in a dangerous world of ancient forests and buried kingdoms, of dark magic, and vengeance beyond lifetimes, The Priest of Blood is an epic dark fantasy of sword, sorcery -- and vampires.

Be sure to get the rest of the Vampyricon trilogy:

The Lady of Serpents, Book Two
The Queen of Wolves, Book Three

"Astonishing. Douglas Clegg writes of...nightmares with such clarity and passion you don't end up reading his books; you end up drinking them in. The Priest of Blood is a bloody gem."
-- Christopher Rice, New York Times bestselling author of The Vines and Heaven's Rise.

"A dark tale of swords, sorcery, and vampires."
-- Christine Feehan, New York Times bestselling author.

"Douglas Clegg has accomplished a rarity in the horror vein...This book will sink its teeth into you"
-- The Kansas City Star

"Richly layered, beautifully rendered foray into a past filled with sorcery and mystery -- and a rousing good story."
-- Kelley Armstrong, New York Times bestselling author

"Stunning...gives the iconic vampire a massive makeover."
-- Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

Discover All of Douglas Clegg's fiction:

Lights Out
Neverland
The Children's Hour
The Halloween Man
You Come When I Call You
The Hour Before Dark
Nightmare House
Bad Karma
Goat Dance
Breeder
Afterlife
Purity
Dark of the Eye
The Words
Wild Things
Red Angel
Night Cage
Mischief
The Infinite
The Abandoned
The Necromancer
Isis
Naomi
The Nightmare Chronicles
The Attraction
Night Asylum
The Priest of Blood
The Lady of Serpents
The Queen of Wolves
Mordred, Bastard Son
My Father's Mistress
Mr. Darkness
The Marriage of Figaro
The World on Butterfly
The Moonlit Dark
Coming of Age

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0990464873
• ISBN13: 9780990464877
• Release Date: April 2015
• Publisher: Alkemara Press
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 0.88 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.3" x 8.0"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Be drawn into a new world

Douglas Clegg has built an incredible world with a rich mythology that will leave you wanting more. This is not your run of the mill vampire tale or epic fantasy. It takes the best of both genres and trancends them creating an utterly fascinating story. If you're a fan of epic fantasy, dark fantasy, vampires, or just good stories you will be coming back for more.

The beginning of a new myth

This is the story of how Aleric began: his life before he became a vampire and what happens to him after he finds the destiny that fate has chosen for him. Aleric must make a journey that he wasn't expecting, but doesn't shy from. Events leave him no choice but to act. Original and entertaining, The Priest of Blood will make you glad you picked up this book. What better way to spend Halloween than to treat yourself to a new adventure? Dark, gothic, and filled with surprises, I'm so glad I read this one. I can hardly wait to see what comes next!

Very good story

Wow!!! This is my first Doug Clegg novel, however it will not be the last. The guy really knows how to weave a story together. I loved every bit of it. Clegg is as good a storyteller as any one that I have read. Check this book out, I guarantee that you will not be disappointed. This is the kind of tale that can be read over and over again. I just ordered The Necromancer also, and I will be posting my review of it soon. Enjoy.

Clegg Raises the bar for Vampire Fiction

Fans of Douglas Clegg's novels of contemporary horror should take note: THE PRIEST OF BLOOD is neither contemporary nor is it strictly horror. I would classify it as fantasy/alternative history with a large dollop of terror thrown in. THE PRIEST OF BLOOD follows Aleric, a peasant boy in medieval France, who lives at the edge of a great forest filled with practitioners of an ancient religion, among other mysteries. Aleric's existence is a harsh one-he lives in the most abject poverty with his siblings, his father has disappeared and his mother is the village whore. The only positive influence in Aleric's life is the presence of his grandfather, an old soldier who teaches the boy how to train birds and who shares with him tales of the Old Ways. Aleric's talent with birds-particularly falcons-leads him to a position within the castle of the local Baron. There, Aleric becomes known as Falconer and falls in love with the Baron's daughter. That relationship-forbidden on many levels-leads to Falconer's conscription into military service as a soldier in a Crusade to the Holy Land, where his life will end and his afterlife will begin. THE PRIEST OF BLOOD is the first volume in a series called THE VAMPYRICON, so it's no surprise what sort of creature Aleric becomes. What is noteworthy is how Clegg melds historical detail with the very human story of Aleric. In fact, the first half of THE PRIEST OF BLOOD is nearly devoid of supernatural elements, yet may be the most gripping writing Clegg has ever produced. Cleggs opens the door to a number of interesting concepts here, including the nature of Vampyrism, which is different enough from the variations that have come before to keep it interesting. The inexorable march of Christianity across Europe is another theme Clegg explores, as we watch the old religions and their followers trampled under the onslaught of the one God. THE PRIEST OF BLOOD ends on something of a cliffhanger, one which will make most readers anxious for the sequel. Grab itif you can, and join Clegg on the ground floor of what looks to be his most remarkable work yet.