Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Review of NEW Book Vampire/Urban Fantasy- Exsanguinate Book 1-World of Blood by Killion Slade

Review
 

 

 Exsanguinate
Book 1-
World of Blood
 
Have you ever come across a book that you never want to finish? Maybe for fear it will be over all too soon?. You realize that this book just may be the next best seller. It is going to take off and become a huge household name and blowup and there is no way this freight train is going to stop.
 
     I have had the opportunity and honor to read such a book. "Exsanguinate" by Killion Slade. Let me tell you why I believe this is the best book I have had the pleasure to read since (cough) another now well known "vampire fantasy" novel. By the way I read that book prior to it's huge success and multi-film empire as well.
 
   Being a gamer and loving horror and vampires and all things that go "bump" in the night. This book was right up my so called "alley". I mean come on. My favorite movie of all time and space will always be "The Lost Boys". Who's kidding who here? I am in love with vampires. So I am very selective about my folklore and I cannot stand when authors do not do their research. Mr. and Mrs. Killion Slade work as a husband and wife team and trust me when I say, they know their vampires.
 
   I went into this book with a really open mind. It's been the first novel of it's kind that I have read with an ability to "scan" barcodes to get an enhanced feeling for the book. I cannot begin to say how happy I was with this little extra bit. I used to get so upset when a book was over. I craved more, wanting to read about the characters lives inside and out. I find myself wanting the same things as I finish "Exsanguinate". Killion Slade has taken this seed of their main heroine Cheyenne and grown her character with every ounce of internal thought process, picture, memory and depth a character needs to grow and possess your heart.
 
   "Exsanguinate" is a tale that almost has the feel that it could be happening in the world around us as I write. It's a huge place we live in and in this time and age where technology is increasing almost with humans trying to catch up at every turn. "Exsanguinate" also gives you the tech with the human aspect of joy, fear, love and humor. Something a computer will never be able to render, but something we are able to attract and experience. You will find this a story of past, present and future for Cheyenne.
 
Here is an excerpt as an example of "Exsanguinates" ability to make you want more:
 
Normally, I loved Friday nights. This Friday however, was a different story. My presence was mandatory at one of the scariest places on the planet – Halloween Scream Nights. Scheduled to arrive at Global Studios for their annual fright fest with both my sisters, I had a backstage pass to watch, record, and study fear, and analyze the types of things that cause grown men and women to run out of buildings while screaming and pissing their pants. This fear data would help us develop the next rollout of ExsanguiNation, our online simulation game. According to my boss, my older sister Sheridan, it was my professional responsibility to research what frightens people, regardless of whether or not it frightened me.
I thought about how three sisters should have had better means of entertaining and employing themselves than finding new and improved ways to scare the beegeezus out of one another. No wonder we were the weird ones. The Irish, redheaded, horror-obsessed O’Cuinn sisters. We knew horror movie trivia better than other people knew baseball. I wouldn’t trade my sisters for anything in the world. I never knew why the three of us couldn’t be all up into guys, shopping, or something else mundane like that.
Lying in bed before starting the day, I often questioned my sanity and choice of profession. Why did I become a software programming engineer for online game simulators powered to scare the hell out of people, when I personally was the biggest chicken-shit on the planet? The alarm clock beamed seven-thirty a.m. onto the ceiling as Celebration by Kool and the Gang blared out the speakers. I stared at the numbers as if they were an omen. Not wanting to wake up, I held the pillow over my face. The day I had been dreading since last Halloween had finally arrived.

 
 
Now try to explain to me why you wouldn't try to get a copy of "Exsanguinate" before this review is over? But, seriously before I conclude my review I really wanted to take this opportunity to thank Killion Slade for sending me my very own copy of "Exsanguinate" and even taking the time to sign it! I will treasure it always.

  I also wanted to mention that as I read this book I could not stop playing and listening to the group Bastille for some reason. Their song "Pompeii" really stuck a cord with me as I read "Exsanguinate"
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
     Interview with:
Exsanguinate Book 1- World of Blood Author:
 Killion Slade
 
Questions by Traci aka Dvldoll
 
 
What draws you to this genre?
 
Urban Fantasy engages the fun possibilities of melding two or more realities in order to create new and exciting ‘what if’ societies. It’s fun to imagine those ‘what if’ questions and then add a host of characters to play out a scenario and see what happens. I truly enjoy horror, but in watching how I personally handle fear and then studying how others do, I quickly learned how true terror and ecstasy aren’t far from one another. Think about it for a moment. When is the last time you were truly frightened? How relieved were you when the fear passed? Did you have an adrenaline rush? Did you laugh at yourself and feel a little silly after you figured out the fear was nothing? This subject of fear and laughter fascinates me, and when my son kept taking me to Halloween Horror Nights while we lived in Florida, I knew I wanted to write in that style. What scares people and how they handle it.
 
 
 
How much research do you do?
 
JK Rowling inspired me in how she based many of her characters on real British folklore. In researching our characters for this novel series, we hunted down vampiric folklore all over the world. Research is a very important part of creating a new mythos, especially one set in a contemporary setting. You have to learn many mythos, their origins, and then create a unique spin on something familiar. In order to maintain writing on the cutting edge of technology, I constantly have to research what is conceivable, but it still out of reach to the consumer at this time to keep it fun and engaging.
 
 
 
When did you decide to become a writer?
 
I have been writing since I was a child, but honestly didn’t become serious about crafting genre fiction until 2009. I knew I wanted to write a love story that wasn’t a heaving bosom romance story, but one that fits a contemporary relationship which embodies modern day technology, gaming, and social media. That’s when the World of Blood series came to me. I haven’t looked back since. I threw myself into grammar study, creative writing, character development, plot structure, editing, and many more classes. What is the hardest thing about writing for you personally? The hardest thing for my writing is time. I work a full-time day job to help support my family and I wish I had more daytime hours to write. As it is, I have to structure each chapter and completely outline all the prep before I can see down and write out a chapter. Oh how I wish I had more time to write full time, but I am very thankful for what I have.
 
 
What is your favourite book (or quote) and why?
 
  I have way too many books to ever choose a favorite. It just simply isn’t a possibility. One of my favorite quotes however comes from Bill Cosby - “In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure”
 
  I wanted to sincerely thank you for your time today and this interview. These were great questions and a lot of fun!
 
Exsanguinate
 
A Halloween scream night theme park adventure for software gaming developer Cheyenne O'Cuinn reveals a hidden supernatural reality she never dreamed existed. Recovering from a vicious attack and her sisters’ abductions, Cheyenne must rescue her sisters from vampiric kidnappers before they’re used to breed warmongering dhampirs.
Betrayal lurks in every corner. Cheyenne must evade attackers by unconventional means through her online role-play game. She must navigate through virtual, tortuous clues and mailed body parts, which cross over from her virtuality into reality. Can a team of dragons, vampires, and werewolves come together to help her? Who can she trust? Will the help from her virtual lover become compromised when he learns of her new immortal existence and crush the fragile love they share?
Amidst an impending vampire apocalypse, Cheyenne finds herself both in conflict for survival and for her heart. Will her immortal self derail any hope of solving the multiplying puzzles before time runs out to save her sisters, herself and her humanity?

Official Book - Interactive Second Screen Website: http://www.worldofblood.com/

Official Author Website: http://www.killionslade.com/

Publisher: Draconian Publishing – Spirit Imprint


 

Editorial Reviews:
Exsanguinate flawlessly blends horror, fantasy, romance, action and humor into one entertaining read. This book has it all and fans of all genres will enjoy it. ~David Watson, HorrorAddicts.net
A must-read for vampire lovers. An interactive novel with virtual content that will keep horror gamers entertained for hours. A bloody, suspenseful read. ~Emerian Rich, author of Night's Knights Vampire Series
If Killion Slade's book concept was a hybrid horror clone - the style would take the snarky humor from Shaun of the Dead, combine it with the variety of avatars found in World of Warcraft, and give it the agility of movement from Second Life. Then cross that with a 'virtual' romance come to life and lay it at the feet of three 21st century sisters who are in big trouble - and you would simply be touching the edges of this story. ~Rhonda Carpenter, author of The Mark of a Druid
 

 
 
(Thank you Killion Slade for the opportunity to read  and review Exsanguinate)
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