Eternal Vigilance 2: The Death of Illusions [Paperback]

Another beautiful piece of cover art should have teenage goths, emos, and creatures of the night itching to get their hands--or claws-- on Book Two of the Eternal Vigilance series.

One year on from the original "Eternal Vigilance" book, Tynan Llywelyn, an immortal vampire, is battling the Vicinus in an attempt to save his own race, the Phuree, as well as humanity, from the Tyst empire's attempt to gain immortality. Despite being described by the author on her website as "technohorror", this was more of a typical Fantasy battle novel--high on action and thrills but less involved with character than the first book.

Although I didn't find much in the novel that particularly fitted the Horror genre, it works well as Fantasy, particularly for those who don't mind extremely lengthy back story and buildup. Lots of gadgets and deaths certainly make for up for lack of pace--eventually.

I was disappointed by the lack of character development, even though I was expecting a battle novel. If I don't care enough about the characters I won't be invested in whether they live or die, and the story will have difficulty holding my interest.

"The Death of Illusions" is ambitious, dark and very emo. As a teen I might have liked it more; as an adult, I felt it didn't capture my imagination in the way this author is very much capable of doing. Also, I had some minor niggles, like the over use of 'undulating'; a lot of typos; and far too much italic use in strange places. These niggles detracted from my ability to read the novel fluidly, as I found them off-putting. However, kudos to Faust for getting tentacles into the story. I did laugh at:

"Blinding pain exploded through the my [sic] torso and I looked down to see a tentacle of blue impaling my body"--page 108

I will still look forward to more from Gabrielle S. Faust in the future--I don't think the Eternal Vigilance novels have seen her reach the best of her potential. One for hardcore vampire fans (and tentacle lovers) only, I think.

[Review written by Jess Nash]

The vampire Tynan Llywelyn has been called upon to save not only his own race of vampires, but also humanity. After a century of sleep in an underground crypt, he awoke to find the world at war with itself. The humans were divided into two groups. The Tyst is completely in control of all technology and rules the earth with an iron fist. They are opposed by rebels called the Phuree who manage to survive by their command of ancient magic.

The Phuree learn that the Tyst have resorted to an unheard-of way to increase their power. They impregnated a woman with the spirit of the Chaos god, called the Vicinus. The Tyst incorrectly believe that they can control the Vicinus when it is born. The Phuree understand the folly of such a belief, and they fear the god will wipe out everyone on earth when it comes into the world.

In desperation, the Phuree ask the vampire Tynan to destroy the god before it can be born. They believe that his unique knowledge and abilities might allow him to succeed at an almost hopeless task. Despite the Phuree's belief in him, Tynan is wracked with doubt about both his ability to complete the task and whether he is doing the right thing. He finds he has no choice, however, because the survival of the vampire race is dependent upon the survival of humanity. He must infiltrate the Tyst stronghold and reach their Queen, who is carrying the growing god.

ETERNAL VIGILANCE: THE DEATH OF ILLUSIONS is the second book in a series that began with ETERNAL VIGILANCE: FROM DEEP WITHIN THE EARTH. This series combines vampires with post-apocalyptic science fiction, and magical fantasy. The first book in the series introduced the reader to the main characters and the dangerous situation they found themselves facing. This second installment picks up as Tynan embarks on his perilous quest to destroy the Vicinus.

The book has a number of interesting characters in it, including Tynan as a flawed hero who is filled with self-doubt. As Tynan heads to Tyst headquarters, he picks up the eclectic members of a team who will help him gain access to his destination. He has some history with most of these people, and there is a lack of trust among them. This adds to the challenge of their task, while increasing the story's conflict.

While the first book primarily set the scene for action, ETERNAL VIGILANCE: THE DEATH OF ILLUSIONS is more focused on actual action and resolving conflicts. Of course, the book's back cover mentions that this is part of a trilogy, so it is no surprise that some conflicts have been left unresolved. There remains plenty for Book #3 to cover.

Unlike some books that are part of a series but can be read separately, the books of the ETERNAL VIGILANCE series seem designed to be read together. ETERNAL VIGILANCE: THE DEATH OF ILLUSIONS relies heavily upon information that has been presented in the first book. Readers who did not pick up the first installment would doubtless find themselves confused by the people, situations, and motivations that are presented
here.

As with ETERNAL VIGILANCE: FROM DEEP WITHIN THE EARTH, I enjoyed the story itself, but I have some complaints. The biggest one is the same problem I had with the first book. It spends a great deal of time detailing Tynan's thoughts and feelings, as well as descriptions of physical surroundings and the movements of characters. There are pages that contain little or no action or dialogue, because they are focused on description. As mentioned in my review for the first title, this is a matter of style, and there are doubtless many readers who prefer description over dialogue. Those readers would probably enjoy the author's poetic, descriptive style.

ETERNAL VIGILANCE: THE DEATH OF ILLUSIONS is a unique approach to science fiction and vampire fantasy literature and offers something to those who read either genre. Younger readers should be aware that it contains a little adult language, as well as descriptions of some deaths, but it is not excessive or particularly gory. Most of all, fans of the first book will be thrilled that the second installment of Tynan's adventures has finally arrived.

Reviewed by: K. Osborn Sullivan

"Once again, Ms. Faust has woven a tale of intrigue and suspense. Written in a hauntingly realistic and atmospheric style, Eternal Vigilance II and its predecessor represent an intelligent progression in American horror literature that can't be overlooked."

-- Raven Digitalis, Shadow Magick Compendium & Goth Craft

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 3 reviews  4.0 out of 5 stars