Review: This Was a FIRST Novel??
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 08 11, 2010
I wish I had read Saying Goodbye to the Sun before I read 33 A.D. Both books stand alone without a problem, but I would have liked to have had the author's full take on his version of vampires, as well as the history of the Council of 13 first. If you have the chance, read this one before the other.That said, the author prefaces the book by stating that he never intended to publish this book and did so only at the urging of friends. Good for them! For a first effort, the story is remarkably well-polished. He also states that this is more of a romance than the other book. Okay, maybe a teensy bit, but it's still firmly entrenched in the horror genre.As I stated in my review for 33 A.D., if you're expecting sparkly, loveable teenaged vampires with cutesy attitude problems, look elsewhere. This book is what vampire novels should be: scary and violent.I don't recall any of Anne Rice's Vamps being cuddly, either.The story is told from the POV of Vincent, a human turned vampire in the mid-1980's by a stunningly flawed vampire, Raine. She tried to resist turning him, but Vincent couldn't manage to stay away from her. Raine is being pursued by other vampires and after partially-turning Vincent, she disappears. In McAfee's world, vamps aren't allowed to be made without approval from the Council of 13 and Raine didn't get permission. The Council, in a rare move, decides to finish turning Vincent instead of killing him and sends him out to capture Raine.The plot moves right along, while giving the reader detailed information on what constitutes the powers of vampires and their history.If anything, I thought the book was a little short. He could have taken this storyline and doubled it, I wouldn't have been the least bit disappointed. I am eagerly looking forward to the sequel to 33 A.D.