This week Abigail and I have the opposite of a “perfect game” going on. There are many titles that received unanimous approval, but we also have a perfect record of asynchronous thumbs down going on. Not one title got two thumbs down this week. In a few instances, we mentioned the exact same detail and then went our separate ways (my favorite is the battle axe rock star). Feel free to chime in an help us break all these ties.
 | Title: The Rift Walker
Sexual Content: Kissing. References to sex Rating:
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**Visit Dark Faerie Tales today for her Deadly Destination tour of Thea Harrison New York & Chicago from Niniane Lorelle, the Dark Fae Queen & a chance to win STORM’S HEART**
Rarely has a place impacted me as a reader as much as the Vampire Empire, the setting of the superb series by Clay and Susan Griffith. It began with THE GREYFRIAR, which remains one of the best vampire books ever, and continues on September 20th from Pyr Books with THE RIFT WALKER. It is the vampires themselves who are taking us on today’s Deadly Destination…on a tour of the London left after The Great Killing. The giveaway today is equally fantastic thanks to Clay and Susan, five commenters will win a signed copy of THE GREYFRIAR and an ARC of THE RIFT WALKER! See details below.
The Vampires Guide to London
by
Clay and Susan Griffith
London
A filthy creature crouching in the center of a vast empire. A monster, reaching out at its whim, snatching up the weak and helpless to feed its voracious appetite.
Dark and unhealthy. Fired by a white-hot heart of burning coal. The air choked with smoke boiling from hundreds of thousands of chimneys. Black soot blocking the sun, staining the buildings and the people with a layer of grime that can never be scrubbed away. The Thames choking with waste, turning that great river dark and dead. Even the space of the city itself serves the powerful, with the poor herded together into small, filthy hovels where they die young at the mercy of their predatory masters.
But all that was before we came.
For countless centuries, we had lived among the humans of the north, skulking in the shadows, hiding in forests and catacombs. We slid out at night to hunt and feed. They called us many things – ghouls, witches, undead, vampires.
Then, in 1870, our time came. We descended on the bloated, faithless civilizations of the north. We fell on London and we wiped it clean. The savages who ruled it could not run, could not hide, could not win.
Now, it is one hundred and fifty years since the Great Killing and the cities of the north are reborn, chief among them, old London. The underworld of boilers is cool. The forest of chimneys is calm. Grey skies are now blue. Brown water is now clear. Green grass covers hard cobblestones and macadam. There are no rich and poor. There are only humans, and they are all equal before us.
Anyone is free to live where they may. Certainly, a very few spaces are reserved for the business of the vampire clan. Buckingham Palace, for example, is the center of the clan’s rule. There you will find King Dmitri and his son, Prince Cesare, who are masters of a reign that prides itself on leaving their subjects to their own devices. There are no burdensome taxes and no tyrannical restrictions. Humans are totally free to live as they see fit, to live as well as they can manage.
Virtually any other space in the city – Westminster, St. Pauls, Hyde Park, the stately homes of Kensington, the trendy flats of Mayfair, the warrens of Whitechapel – are free for the taking, if you can hold them. The British Museum is the frequent home of a particular clan lord – Gareth, Prince of Scotland – but rumor has it he wouldn’t begrudge humans squatting in his town home, even while he is in residence.
London is a free and natural city once more. The perpetual and unnatural filth of human industrialism has been replaced with the temporary waste of humanity itself. Blood soaks into the ground and is gone. Flesh decays to humus and feeds new growth. And even bones eventually degrade to dust and blow away in the fresh wind. All that we do leaves little impact. We live in harmony and London will slowly return to the fields and forests that once graced these riverbanks. We have put a firm stop to the savagery of humanity that mutilated the Earth.
Now, London is a pleasant, green space of freedom. If we send for you to visit, you dare not refuse.
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About Clay and Susan Griffith
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Clay and Susan have written many comic books over the years including The Tick, The Man-Eating Cow and, more recently, Ray Harryhausen Presents: It Came From Beneath the Sea…Again. They also script and contribute to the tv/web show Monster Creature Feature (www. mcftv.com). They plan to continue writing together. And to stay married. |
| Want to read more from Clay and Susan Griffith?
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5 winners will receive a signed copy of THE GREYFRIAR & an ARC of THE RIFT WALKER by Clay and Susan Griffith
Available on September 20, 2011 from Pyr Books
Description:
Princess Adele struggles with a life of marriage and obligation as her Equatorian Empire and their American Republic allies stand on the brink of war against the vampire clans of the north. However, the alliance's horrific strategy for total victory drives Adele to abandon her duty and embark on a desperate quest to keep her nation from staining its hands with genocide. Reunited with her great love, the mysterious adventurer known to the world as the Greyfriar, Adele is pursued by her own people as well as her vengeful husband, senator Clark. With the human alliance in disarray, Prince Cesare, lord of the British vampire clan, seizes the initiative and strikes at the very heart of Equatoria.
As Adele labors to bring order to her world, she learns more about the strange powers she exhibited in the north. Her teacher, Mamoru, leads a secret cabal of geomancers who believe Adele is the one who can touch the vast power of the Earth that surges through ley lines and wells up at the rifts where the lines meet. These energies are the key to defeating the enemy of mankind, and if Princess Adele could ever bring this power under her command, she could be death to vampires. But such a victory will also cost the life of Adele's beloved Greyfriar.
The Rift Walker is the second book in a trilogy of high adventure and alternative history. Combining rousing pulp action with steampunk style, the Vampire Empire series brings epic political themes to life within a story of heartbreaking romance, sacrifice, and heroism.
“I was blindsided by how phenomenal THE GREYFRIAR was from start to finish. Amazing vampire mythology, a chilling alternate history, and a poignant romance that grips your whole heart and refuses to let go. . . . The action is exhilarating, the vampires are refreshingly sinister, and the love story a gentle force so captivating that I truly believe it will weather even the most daunting obstacles. Book two in the Vampire Empire can’t come soon enough.”
– All Things Urban Fantasy
Pre-Order from
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See our Giveaway Policy if you have any questions
I’ll give you a few clues about the debut before I show you the sequel book cover:
I was blindsided by how phenomenal X was from start to finish. Amazing vampire mythology, a chilling alternate history, and a poignant romance that grips your whole heart and refuses to let go.
……………….Have you guessed yet? Scroll down to see the reveal
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I’m talking about the highly anticipated sequel to The Greyfriar - VampChix Best Vamp Novel 2010!
Praise for The Greyfriar (Vampire Empire, Book 1):
“I absolutely loved The Greyfriar…and literally couldn’t put it down… It’s simultaneously alternate history, epic adventure fantasy, apocalyptic horror, and heartrending romance… an insanely appetizing mélange of genre fiction ingredients... The future of genre fiction is now—and it’s…The Greyfriar.” —Explorations: The B&N SciFi and Fantasy Blog
“I love this book. It's epic and lovely, heartbreakingly romantic (in every sense of the word), and an incredibly satisfying read, both for the characters and the richness of the world.” —Marjorie M. Liu, New York Times bestselling author of the Hunter Kiss and Dirk & Steele series
“I am totally and completely enthralled with The Greyfriar... If I had book two right now, I'd immediately start reading. This is one of my 2010 best book picks and I cannot recommend it enough.” —A Tale of Many Reviews blog
Vampire Empire, Book 2
Clay Griffith & Susan Griffith
Princess Adele struggles with a life of marriage and obligation as her Equatorian Empire and their American Republic allies stand on the brink of war against the vampire clans of the north. However, the alliance's horrific strategy for total victory drives Adele to abandon her duty and embark on a desperate quest to keep her nation from staining its hands with genocide. Reunited with her great love, the mysterious adventurer known to the world as the Greyfriar, Adele is pursued by her own people as well as her vengeful husband, senator Clark. With the human alliance in disarrray, Prince Cesare, lord of the British vampire clan, seizes the initiative and strikes at the very heart of Equatoria.
As Adele labors to bring order to her world, she learns more about the strange powers she exhibited in the north. Her teacher, Mamoru, leads a secret cabal of geomancers who believe Adele is the one who can touch the vast power of the Earth that surges through ley lines and wells up at the rifts where the lines meet. These energies are the key to defeating the enemy of mankind, and if Princess Adele could ever bring this power under her command, she could be death to vampires. But such a victory will also cost the life of Adele's beloved Greyfriar.
The Rift Walkeris the second book in a trilogy of high adventure and alternative history. Combining rousing pulp action with steampunk style, the Vampire Empire series brings epic politcal themes to life within a story of heartbreaking romance, sacrifice, and heroism.
………………………..And here’s the cover………………………..
To be published on September 20th 2011 by Prometheus Books
Pre-order it Today!
Clay & Susan Griffith are a married couple who have written and published together for more than a decade. Their credits not only include two novels for Bantam Doubleday Dell in the mid-1990s and another novel for Pinnacle Entertainment Group in 2002 but also numerous short stories published in many anthologies, some featuring noted genre characters like Kolchak the Night Stalker and The Phantom. They've also written scripts for television and published graphic novels. The authors have attended many cons multiple times over the years.
Visit them at
Happy Valentine’s Day! It seemed like the prefect way to celebrate the most romantic day of the year by welcoming back husband and wife authors Clay and Susan Griffith to talk about ‘Everyday Romance with a Wife and Husband Writing Team Working to Make Their Heroines and Heroes Work Together.’ And if you haven’t already seen that teamwork in action, you need to read one of my absolute favorite books from 2010: THE GREYFRIAR: The Vampire Empire Book 1. I still get goose bumps thinking about that near perfect blend of paranormal and steampunk (read my 5/5 review HERE).
The action is exhilarating, the vampires are refreshingly sinister, and the love story a gentle force so captivating that I truly believe it will weather even the most daunting obstacles. – My review
The next book in The Vampire Empire trilogy has a title now, THE RIFT WALKER and will be released in September 2011. Here’s a teaser about the story:
The story will take you to new societies (both human and vampire) and show you much more of the world made by the Great Killing. But at its heart, the book is a story about characters (both human and vampire), the ones you came to love in The Greyfriar, and new ones too. As with the first book, it's a pulp adventure story with romance, steampunk style, dark fantasy angst, against a background of epic politics and war. Oh, and vampires.
Are You Even Listening to Me?
Everyday Romance with a Wife and Husband Writing Team Working to Make Their
Heroines and Heroes Work Together.
by
Clay and Susan Griffith
There has been a lot of chatter about how woman and men speak the same language differently. Scholars. Pop psychologists. Talk shows. Comedians. Everybody talks about it. And it’s true, the genders do say things differently, and hear things differently. And if you really want to test those miscommunication theories to the breaking point, just put a woman and man together on a writing project. Oh, and make sure they’re married. That’s us. It’s hard enough for us to decide what to have for dinner, imagine how hard it is to decide how to nurture a developing relationship between heroine and hero.
It could be the prescription for divorce.
Or it could be a constant example that no disagreement is as bad as it seems. Be patient. Pay attention. Be quiet for a second and listen to the other person. Take some time and think about what the other person is saying. And, guess what, most of the time we’re talking about the same thing. We’re on the same page, we’re just using different words to describe it.
While writing the Vampire Empire series, we have run up against a lot of disagreements. What should this character do in this situation? Why would she react so negatively? I don’t think he’d say that. No man acts like that. Women don’t think that way. If she does that in chapter 5, the whole book falls apart. Do you even understand what this book is about? Oh my God, this is a disaster! And so on…
Every few weeks (or days), we have a disagreement (or argument) over some element in the book. And it’s always about something major. There’s no sense in arguing about small stuff; that all takes care of itself. But the BIG stuff is trouble. Princess Adele is all about duty to her nation. No, Adele is about love for Greyfriar above all else. Flay is cold and calculating. No, Flay is fraught with emotional distress. Senator Clark is an idiot and has to fail. Yes, Senator Clark is an idiot, but he is also a tactical genius and knows how to fight a war. Greyfriar is all about retribution. No, Greyfriar is all about salvation. No reader will understand that reference! Well, I understood it!
Any time these disagreements rear their heads, it suddenly seems like we’re working on different novels. How can we work together when we don’t have the same vision? If it’s truly co-written, why should one person run the whole thing? Is he calling me stupid? Why doesn’t she understand what I’m talking about? How did we even get this far when we clearly don’t see eye to eye on this project on any level?! There might be angry words. Eyes rolled. Cold stares over coffee cups. Hands thrown into the air in desperation.
But then something amazing always happens. Despite our best efforts to support and preserve our own point of view, we start to think about what the other person is saying. Hmm. Adele is in love with Greyfriar, but she loves her country too. Should she leave him and return to her life of duty? Duty and devotion have to balance, and we both know that. Yes, Flay IS cold and calculating, BUT she is also vulnerable. Her life is based on savagery and war, but how much would she surrender for Gareth? One point of view doesn’t erase the other. Nobody is all one thing. Every character needs to have flexibility to have any sense of realism, even in a fantasy novel. No one is all good or all bad. No one is always wrong. And no one is always right.
And that applies to authors too.
It’s a great moment of relief. No more harsh words. No more glares of disbelief. Just smiles and hugs, and back to work with a renewed joint purpose. It’s a wonderful moment to be on the same page again. There’s nothing quite as exciting as being in agreement.
Until the next time when we come at the same problem from different directions. And there are more snide comments and rolled eyes.
But, you know, the fact that the last time we came to an impasse, it all worked out, means that it will eventually work out this time too. There will be some pushing and shoving of opinions, then some listening and consideration, then a consensus and understanding. It’ll all work out.
We haven’t been together this long to screw it up now.
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Clay and Susan Griffith are the authors of The Greyfriar: Vampire Empire Book 1 (Pyr Books). The second book in the Vampire Empire trilogy, The Rift Walker, will be published September 2011. They are a married couple who have written and published together for more than a decade. Their credits not only include several books, but also numerous short stories published in many anthologies, some featuring noted genre characters like Kolchak the Night Stalker and The Phantom. They've also written for television and published graphic novels featuring characters such as The Tick and Allan Quatermain.
Visit Clay & Susan online
Blog|Twitter|Facebook
THE GREYFRIAR: VAMPIRE EMPIRE BOOK 1
Available now
Description
In the year 1870, a horrible plague of vampires swept over the northern regions of the world. Millions of humans were killed outright. Millions more died of disease and famine due to the havoc that followed. Within two years, once-great cities were shrouded by the gray empire of the vampire clans. Human refugees fled south to the tropics because vampires could not tolerate the constant heat there. They brought technology and a feverish drive to reestablish their shattered societies of steam and iron amid the mosques of Alexandria, the torrid quietude of Panama, or the green temples of Malaya.
It is now 2020 and a bloody reckoning is coming.
Princess Adele is heir to the Empire of Equatoria, a remnant of the old tropical British Empire. She is quick with her wit as well as with a sword or gun. She is eager for an adventure before she settles into a life of duty and political marriage to a man she does not know. But her quest turns black when she becomes the target of a merciless vampire clan. Her only protector is the Greyfriar, a mysterious hero who fights the vampires from deep within their territory. Their dangerous relationship plays out against an approaching war to the death between humankind and the vampire clans.
Vampire Empire: The Greyfriar is the first book in a trilogy of high adventure and alternate history. Combining rousing pulp action with steampunk style, Vampire Empire brings epic political themes to life within a story of heartbreaking romance, sacrifice, and heroism.
Interested in guest blogging on All Things Urban Fantasy? CONTACT ME
Our guests today are Clay and Susan Griffith, the husband and wife writing duo behind the near perfect (yep 5/5 bats!) new novel THE GREYFRIAR (the first in the Vampire Empire trilogy). It’s a paranormal steampunk set in a world where vampires have essentially taken control of the earth and the humans left free are preparing the war to end all wars to take it back, and the impossible love story at its heart:
I was blindsided by how phenomenal THE GREYFRIAR was from start to finish. Amazing vampire mythology, a chilling alternate history, and a poignant romance that grips your whole heart and refuses to let go. – All Things Urban Fantasy’s Review
Clay and Susan are explaining all about the supernatural universe in THE GREYFRIAR and (thanks Pyr) giving away 3 copies of the book. See details below.
“Open” and “Closed” Supernatural Universes
by
Clay and Susan Griffith
Hello everyone. We are Clay and Susan Griffith, a husband and wife writing team whose new novel THE GREYFRIAR (Pyr Books) hit stores on November 2. It’s the first part of the Vampire Empire trilogy.
On the convention circuit this summer, we were introduced to the debate about “open” and “closed” supernatural universes in fantasy settings. Since it was new terminology to us, we thought it might be new to others too. Basically, it’s simple. It’s a matter of whether the existence of myths and monsters in your fictional world are publicly known, or hidden from the world. Lots of authors use both systems very imaginatively. Each system makes for excellent stories when utilized in new and unique ways.
A lot of occult fiction operates with a closed system. For example, in the classic Dracula, the characters don’t know that creatures such as vampires exist, except in legend. The vampire lurks in shadows and takes precautions not to reveal himself to the outside world. It is only through the character of Van Helsing that the characters discover this secretive and terrifying underworld. Even so, the rest of the world never learns that such creatures exist.
Another good example of a closed system is Tanya Huff’s wonderful Blood series. Henry Fitzroy is the 450-year-old vampire living in Toronto, Canada who exists outside of human society. Even after he teams up with human detective, Vicki Nelson, his true nature remains a secret to the world at large. Thanks to Vicki, we readers are given an in-depth glimpse into the supernatural world lurking in Toronto’s cold urban landscape.
Sometimes the “monster” itself strives to become a part of human society, even while struggling to keep their secret from being revealed. In Maria Lima’s exciting Blood Line series, the heroine, Keira Kelly, gives us firsthand knowledge of what it means to be a necromancer and shapeshifter.
The closed supernatural system gives the writer ready-made tension and plot conflict. The tension comes from the delicious revelation of the hidden mysteries, and its shocking impact on the main characters. However, this type of system can lead to limitations too, such as restricting the type and amount of interaction between the monster and characters. If supernatural secrets are revealed, then they must have repercussions, and the writer must deal with it – or mindwipe people.
Now, on the other side, there are plenty of books with open supernatural systems, where the myth is widely known to exist. The monsters walk freely (more or less) and interact with the world and its denizens. In the Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris, vampires are your next door neighbors. Another good example is Gail Carriger’s Parasole Protectorate series where the supernatural and soulless openly defend the citizens of London, England.
Our new novel, The Greyfriar: Vampire Empire Book 1, is very much an open system. In our book, everyone is painfully aware that vampires are real because the fiends have conquered half the world. While that may diminish an unfolding sense of mystery, it offers up unique opportunities for us. In our world, vampires are a global superpower. They have their own politics and economics, and we juxtapose their blood-soaked civilization with industrial human society. And the interplay isn’t pretty.
We also rearrange the old vampire legends and myths for our system. Our vampires are not the undead, but rather a parasitic species. They aren’t harmed by daylight, per se, but they can’t tolerate constant heat, so they prefer the night, and tropical climates can be deadly to them. They have heightened senses, except for their blunted sense of touch which makes them capable of absorbing terrible damage without stopping, unless they suffer catastrophic injury such as the destruction of a vital organ, giving rise to the stake through the heart myth.
The open supernatural system works well for us, although technically our vampires aren’t supernatural. While the closed system serves best for tales of mystery, our book is more of an adventure story than a horror novel. In order to tell an epic story of war and romance, we need the vampires to be in the open. Of course that doesn’t mean that the humans in our book completely understand the vampire rules. Centuries of myth persist, and that confusion of truth and legend can be a bad thing considering a war to the death is about to begin between the two species.
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Clay & Susan Griffith are the authors of The Greyfriar: Vampire Empire Book 1 (Pyr Books, Nov. 2010) They are a married couple who have written and published together for more than a decade. Their credits not only include several books and numerous short stories published in many anthologies, some featuring noted genre characters like Kolchak the Night Stalker and The Phantom. They've also written scripts for television and published graphic novels featuring characters such as The Tick and Allan Quatermain.
Visit Clay & Susan online
Blog|Twitter|MySpace
Giveaway courtesy of Pyr Books
3 copies of THE GREYFRIAR by Clay Griffith & Susan Griffith
Description
In the year 1870, a horrible plague of vampires swept over the northern regions of the world. Millions of humans were killed outright. Millions more died of disease and famine due to the havoc that followed. Within two years, once-great cities were shrouded by the gray empire of the vampire clans. Human refugees fled south to the tropics because vampires could not tolerate the constant heat there. They brought technology and a feverish drive to reestablish their shattered societies of steam and iron amid the mosques of Alexandria, the torrid quietude of Panama, or the green temples of Malaya.
It is now 2020 and a bloody reckoning is coming.
Princess Adele is heir to the Empire of Equatoria, a remnant of the old tropical British Empire. She is quick with her wit as well as with a sword or gun. She is eager for an adventure before she settles into a life of duty and political marriage to a man she does not know. But her quest turns black when she becomes the target of a merciless vampire clan. Her only protector is the Greyfriar, a mysterious hero who fights the vampires from deep within their territory. Their dangerous relationship plays out against an approaching war to the death between humankind and the vampire clans.
Vampire Empire: The Greyfriar is the first book in a trilogy of high adventure and alternate history. Combining rousing pulp action with steampunk style, Vampire Empire brings epic political themes to life within a story of heartbreaking romance, sacrifice, and heroism.
Click HERE to read an excerpt from THE GREYFRIAR
GIVEAWAY GUIDLINES
Interested in guest blogging on All Things Urban Fantasy? CONTACT ME
| Title: The Greyfriar
Sexual Content: Kissing Rating:
Near Perfect - Buy two copies: one for you and one for a friend. |
In the year 1870, a horrible plague of vampires swept over the northern regions of the world. Millions of humans were killed outright. Millions more died of disease and famine due to the havoc that followed. Within two years, once great cities were shrouded by the grey empire of the vampire clans. Human refugees fled south to the tropics because vampires could not tolerate the constant heat there. They brought technology and a feverish drive to reestablish their shattered societies of steam and iron amid the mosques of Alexandria, the torrid quietude of Panama, or the green temples of Malaya.
It is now 2020 and a bloody reckoning is coming.
Princess Adele is heir to the Empire of Equatoria, a remnant of the old tropical British Empire. She is quick with her wit as well as with a sword or gun. She is eager for an adventure before she settles into a life of duty and political marriage to man she does not know. But her quest turns black when she becomes the target of a merciless vampire clan. Her only protector is The Greyfriar, a mysterious hero who fights the vampires from deep within their territory. Their dangerous relationship plays out against an approaching war to the death between humankind and the vampire clans.
The Greyfriar: Vampire Empire is the first book in a trilogy of high adventure and alternate history. Combining rousing pulp action with steampunk style, The Greyfriar brings epic political themes to life within a story of heartbreaking romance, sacrifice, and heroism.
I was blindsided by how phenomenal THE GREYFRIAR was from start to finish. Amazing vampire mythology, a chilling alternate history, and a poignant romance that grips your whole heart and refuses to let go.
Imagine a world where vampires have decimated the population on nearly every continent for the past century, where the remnants of humanity have fled to the warmest parts of the earth and attempted to rebuild society, where the humans who didn’t escape (and those who are captured during raids) live as cattle. Welcome to the Vampire Empire.
The vampires in THE GREYFRIAR are frighteningly fascinating. Cunning and merciless, they view humanity much the same way we would a hive a bees: useful yet bothersome, and ultimately expendable. They have a complex political structure steeped in tradition and social pedigree. They are preternaturally strong and, among other abilities, they can control their density enabling them to ‘fly’ along wind currents.
As rich and absorbing as the vampire empire is, the heart of THE GREYFRIAR was the blossoming romance that grew between Adele and Greyfriar amidst the war between humans and vampires. It was moving and heartbreaking at every turn. She duty bound and promised to another man, he torn between family loyalty and the woman he desperately wants to understand.
I’m amazed that a story as epic and lavish as THE GREYFRIAR comes in at just over 300 pages. That’s a testament to writing ability of husband and wife duo Clay and Susan Griffith who wasted not one word in their superb vampire steampunk novel. The action is exhilarating, the vampires are refreshingly sinister, and the love story a gentle force so captivating that I truly believe it will weather even the most daunting obstacles. Book two in the Vampire Empire can’t come soon enough.
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