Winter Duty

by E.E. Knight

Book Overview

Major David Valentine and his fugitive battalion are the remnants of an expeditionary force shattered in its long retreat from disaster in the Appalachians. And Valentine is losing allies fast. Some of the clans in the region have declared themselves in favor of the vampiric Kurians, throwing Kentucky into civil war. But instead of retaking the region, the Kurian overlords have ordered the extermination of every human living there...

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0451463013
• ISBN13: 9780451463012
• Release Date: July 2010
• Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 0.46 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 4.3" x 6.8"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Another great Scifi book form E.E. Knight

Let me start out by saying that I have read each book in the Vampire Earth series and have enjoyed them all. For me these books are an escape from the day to day grind and I do not get hung up on the details of whether it seems plausable to have a alien race that lives off of human aura take over the Earth. Like all of the books in the series, this book is a page turner which kept me interested from beginning to end. The main charecter, David Valentine is realistie in that he has flaws, makes mistakes, even gets injured, but like most heros in books, he stands up fow what he believes, overcomes those things and tries to make a difference in his world.

another Winner

Another winner from EE Knight. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I have read the entire series thus far and I am looking forward to the next installment.

great work EE Knight

I am a huge fan of the series. EE Knight provides an action packed adventure that draws you in. I read alot of sci-fi and fantasy novels and Mr. Knight is one of the best. I could not wait for "Winter Duty" to hit the shelves. It lived up to my expectations. A must read for fans of the series and a great book for beginners. Keep it up Mr. Knight.

Moving back in the right direction!

E. E. Knight's Vampire Earth series is one of the most interesting series to follow. Watching the maturation and evolution of the main character David Valentine has been very intriguing because Knight has done the right things. Val has been through the proverbial wringer in terms of losing friends, getting hurt and dealing with leaders who are more concerned with their own career than doing the right things for the Soldiers they lead. In many ways, Knight's tongue in cheek commentary on bureaucrats and indictment of self-serving Officers has been his most powerful theme. Winter Duty does even more. Once again Val is taking great personal risk to a mission that he feels is important, but that is not being supported by Southern Command. He lacks resources, qualified Soldiers and still he's willing to roll the dice on trying to save an area that was devastated by a previous offensive. It's exciting, compelling stuff. E.E. Knight continues to develop the post-apocalyptic conditions of Earth and doesn't stint on giving us solid examples of how society could have evolved. He really takes the reader into the world and gives you a chance to see how rough things could be. Training Soldiers while trying to fight an uphill battle with limited resources is very difficult and Knight doesn't try to sweep that under the carpet. In Winter Duty Knight pulls back several supporting characters who have been under used in recent books. This is just a treat. Knight's characterization of the relationship between Val and Ali, his long-time covert operations partner, remains one of the most tender yet brittle depictions of broken people finding trust in each other. Knight's pallet of emotional connections between characters is as well developed as you could hope for and that makes his series worth coming back to again and again. Winter Duty is a violent, emotional roller-coaster that resets the standard of this series back at a high level. Knight's latest effort really gives you something to savor while taking you for a ride through the harsh landscape of a war-torn world and man's fight for survival.

entertaining entry

In 2076 AD or the fifty-sixth year of the Kurian Order, the Kur reside inside heavily fortified fortresses while their Reapers harvest human by drinking blood and transmitting the core essences of the people they kill back to their masters. A rebellion is slowly taking back the land from their reaper occupiers, but in Kentucky, Operation Javelin failed and now only a small regiment led by Major David Valentine control Fort Seng and little else. They prove enough to enable the people of Kentucky to vote whether the state should be a free zone or part of the Kurian Order as some of Valentine's former allies prefer. A modern day Bleeding Kansas explodes the state into civil war as the voters choose the free zone option. A preacher and a Kurian realize the Order will not tolerate a free sate inside their realm nor invade a second time; instead the Overlords have chosen Kentucky as an example for rebels with plans to exterminate the state. David and his men leave their refuge try to save the people who were wounded in the failed operation as the Reapers supported by the Moondagger try and destroy the rebels. A blizzard makes things worse for the rebels. The latest Vampire Earth novel is an entertaining entry in a terrific saga. The action is not-stop filled with setbacks for the heroes as former friends choose to end their revolt with what they believe are a peace in our times solution while the Order selects mass termination. Valentine and his unit prove they are heroes as they risk their lives to overthrow the occupation force even as they are being called by their former partners, obstinate insurgents. The plot contains shockers and twists as E.E. Knight provides a powerful thought provoking suspense thriller that will keep fans up late into the night. Harriet Klausner