Aleric Atheffelde was born to a village whore who is accused of witchcraft and executed. He doesn't know who his father is. Aleric was taught about the old ways and training falcons by his grandfather, and served the royal court as a predator trainer. He earns the name Falconer and rises quickly in the court hierarchy. When his forbidden love for the Baron's daughter is discovered, he is punished by a severe beating and is sent to the Holy Land, as a conscripted soldier, to war against the Saracens. That part of the novel is a great historical read, without supernatural elements.

Then he meets arch-vampyress, Pythia, who inducts him into the vampyre clan. The other vampyres become convinced that Aleric is the one to restore their former powers, and end the decline of their kind, but he must confront the legendary Priest of Blood. Aleric and members of his new vampyre tribe travel to the legendary vampyre necropolis of Alkemara, where the Priest of Blood is king. Their hair-raising adventures with strange creatures enroute to Alkemara keep the tension high. These demon-god vampyres are a far cry from Dracula, and Clegg's unique blend of myth and history makes an intense reading experience.

I loved this novel from Bram Stoker Award winner, Douglas Clegg. You can always count on him for a story that will keep you reading all night, but with all the lights on and the doors firmly locked. The characters that Clegg creates, and the world he sets them in is vivid and feels realistic. He sets the stage well for the next volume in the Vampyricon series, with enough of a cliffhanger to make you eager to get your hands on volume two.