fantasy book reviews science fiction book reviewsAppalachian Overthrow by E.E. Knight fantasy book reviewsAppalachian Overthrow by E.E. Knight

Appalachian Overthrow the tenth novel in E.E. Knight’s VAMPIRE EARTH series, is about Ahn-Kha. not David Valentine. I wanted to get that out upfront because if you have been following this series for a long time, which I have, then reading this book is interesting because of who it’s about and not because of the way it advances the storyline.

Ahn-Kha is a grog. That’s like saying that he’s an amphibian or a mammal because the diversity between the different species is enormous. As a “Golden One,” he is highly intelligent, very wise and has the physical dimensions of a Star Wars Wookie. Basically he’s huge, strong and super smart. Humans are lucky that the Kurians didn’t do a good job of linking his race to their war or we would have been in even worse trouble.

After David and Ahn-Kha are separated during a raid, Ahn-Kha is taken prisoner by the local Kurian enforcers. I have to give Knight credit for continually pointing out that humans at times really sink to the lowest possible level we can get away with and thrive. After being sold back and forth between different groups of Kurian supporters, Ahn-Kha lands in the West Virginia coal country. He plays dumb to avoid too much attention now that he is fairly certain he will heal from the wounds he took while on the raid with Valentine.

After a time of being a bodyguard to a local member of the ruling family, during which he gets to witness some really depraved individuals, Ahn-Kha is moved to the mines. The worst of the mines as it turns out. Number Four is the mine where all the troublemakers, rebels and dissidents are basically sent to work until they die. In this pit of misery there is a flower that has bloomed in the dark. Aym, Amiable Fise, is a sweet, funny young woman who has vision problems and would normally be a prime target to be “harvested” by the Kurians. Her place in the mine has helped her to hide, and the kind spirit and improved meals that she offers the miners makes the hell they live in bearable. For Ahn-Kha she becomes a reminder that there are still good people worth caring for, fighting for and maybe even dying for.

Appalachian Overthrow was not my favorite book in the VAMPIRE EARTH series. I like Ahn-Kha and he is a great supporting character in the series, but I didn’t necessarily need a whole book about him. Reading this was like taking a break from the real story to fill in some of the details about things that were alluded to in other books, but never really fully described. I have always liked this series and some of the books have been wonderful. This was just good. It was enough to keep my appetite for the series fresh, but not enough to truly satisfy.

Published on April 2, 2013. Captured and sold to the Kurian–allied Maynes Conglomerate, to work as a slave in the coal mines of Appalachia, Ahn-Kha is angered and appalled by the dangerous working conditions, and the brutal treatment inflicted upon his fellow miners. When a protest against shortages is deliberately and bloodily suppressed, Ahn-Kha sets himself against the ruling Maynes family and sets out on a trail of vengeance through the Coal Country. Finally, the people of the Coal Country are driven to the breaking point—and they now have a leader, a powerful and battle-hardened leader, determined to forge them into an army that will wage guerrilla warfare against the Maynes family and their Kurian masters—and free the Appalachians from their tyranny…

book review E.E. Knight Vampire Earth Way of the Wolf, Choice of the Cat, Tale of the Thunderbolt, Valentine's Rising, Valentine's Exile, Valentine's Resolve, Fall With Honorbook review E.E. Knight Vampire Earth Way of the Wolf, Choice of the Cat, Tale of the Thunderbolt, Valentine's Rising, Valentine's Exile, Valentine's Resolve, Fall With Honorbook review E.E. Knight Vampire Earth Way of the Wolf, Choice of the Cat, Tale of the Thunderbolt, Valentine's Rising, Valentine's Exile, Valentine's Resolve, Fall With Honorbook review E.E. Knight Vampire Earth Way of the Wolf, Choice of the Cat, Tale of the Thunderbolt, Valentine's Rising, Valentine's Exile, Valentine's Resolve, Fall With Honorbook review E.E. Knight Vampire Earth 1. Way of the Wolf 2. Choice of the Cat 3. Tale of the Thunderbolt 4. Valentine's Rising 5. Valentine's Exile 6. Valentine's Resolve 7. Fall With Honor 8. Winter Dutybook review E.E. Knight Vampire Earth 1. Way of the Wolf 2. Choice of the Cat 3. Tale of the Thunderbolt 4. Valentine's Rising 5. Valentine's Exile 6. Valentine's Resolve 7. Fall With Honor 8. Winter Dutybook review E.E. Knight Vampire Earth 1. Way of the Wolf 2. Choice of the Cat 3. Tale of the Thunderbolt 4. Valentine's Rising 5. Valentine's Exile 6. Valentine's Resolve 7. Fall With Honor 8. Winter Dutybook review E.E. Knight Vampire Earth 1. Way of the Wolf 2. Choice of the Cat 3. Tale of the Thunderbolt 4. Valentine's Rising 5. Valentine's Exile 6. Valentine's Resolve 7. Fall With Honor 8. Winter Duty 9. March in Countrybook review E.E. Knight Vampire Earth 1. Way of the Wolf 2. Choice of the Cat 3. Tale of the Thunderbolt 4. Valentine's Rising 5. Valentine's Exile 6. Valentine's Resolve 7. Fall With Honor 8. Winter Duty 9. March in Countryfantasy and science fiction book reviewsfantasy and science fiction book reviews

Author

  • John Hulet

    JOHN HULET is a member of the Utah Army National Guard. John’s experiences have often left a great void that has been filled by countless hours spent between the pages of a book lost in the words and images of the authors he admires. During a 12 month tour of Iraq, he spent well over $1000 on books and found sanity in the process. John lives in Utah and works slavishly to prepare soldiers to serve their country with the honor and distinction that Sturm Brightblade or Arithon s’Ffalenn would be proud of. John retired from FanLit in March 2015 after being with us for nearly 8 years. We still hear from him every once in a while.

    View all posts