Nocturne, Son of the Night
Nocturne Son of the Night, written by AJ Cooper, is an enjoyable adventure tale about a vampire elf, who tries to overcome his curse and live peacefully among humans.
Here, you will walk with Nocturne, as he wrestles with his destiny, through multiple adventures in the imaginative world of Varda.
I highly recommend this story for those who love fantasy and adventure for the escapism it provides. AJ Cooper presents the world of Varda with an ease of entry that is at once familiar and cozy yet interesting enough to keep you there wondering where he will take you next.
Nocturne himself is interesting as a main character and probably, because I’m not the most familiar with this particular genre of fantasy, the adventures of Nocturne remind me a bit of Conan the Barbarian, in that he is a wandering character, traveling, fighting, escaping, and having adventures. The ending was well done, leaving you satisfied at where the journey of Nocturne leaves us, yet wanting more of the world.
And even though the main character is Nocturne, I feel the world of Varda is the real character in the story. From what I’ve gathered from AJ Cooper’s author page, this seems to be the case and I’m looking forward to more stories to come out of Varda in the future…
And, I would love to see a map! Several times in the story, I really wanted to take a look at where I was in the world and see the distances that had been traveled.
All in all, this was a great little gem… and I recommend it if you like fantasy/adventure with a wandering, kick-ass vampire elf thrown in.”
-Rachel Hobbs
Book Blogger
Novel 1 in series (Currently unpublished)
This is what Michael A. Banks, New York Times bestselling author, had to say:
The Dark One’s Hand is a fast-moving fantasy quest novel that features several unexpected twists…
The story begins with a one-line lead that telegraphs the massive conflict to come. From this opening to the end of the book, the reader is completely immersed in the story world–a world of magic, wizards, ratlings, elves, a dark necromancer, vampires (including a baby), and other fantasy beings. Humans are also a part of this world, which has an epic history of good versus evil. As with most fantasy/magical worlds, the setting of The Dark One’s Hand is a neo-Medieval world.
Reev, the unlikely hero of the novel, is the young ward of the wizard Gastreel, who was charged by Reev’s hero-father with caring for Reev some years before… Gradually, Gastreel makes Reev aware that a major evil is loose in the world, prepared to bring forth the embodiment of the ultimate in evil. But he doesn’t tell Reev everything–some things Reev must learn for himself, and some battles he must fight without full knowledge because he could not win them otherwise.
The battles that take place are notable for the imagination the author puts into them, and for their variety. Some are wizardly battles. Others require strength and persistence and an unrelenting will. The heroes prove to have all of these qualities, and more.
Reev is an appealing character who, like most of us, tries to do what he perceives as his duty. He matures and grows as the story progresses, making The Dark One’s Hand a coming-of-age story as well as a quest…
(A) human touch is present throughout the novel, as elves, wizards, and other beings prove to be as human in their feelings and reactions and flaws as any human ever was.
Amo Scribere / AJ Cooper 