Backstory

In 1994, Berkley published my first novel, Of Saints and Shadows. This is how the press materials described it: "A secret sect of the Catholic Church, armed with an ancient book of the undead called The Gospel of Shadows, has been slowly destroying vampires for centuries. Now the book has been stolen, and the sect races to retrieve it before their purpose is discovered: a final purge of all vampires. As the line between saints and shadows grows ominously faint, private eye Peter Octavian is drawn into the search. And he'll do anything to find the book . . . for Peter Octavian is also a vampire." Of course, there's a lot more going on in the book than that, including some surprising historical figures showing up as vampires, down and dirty sex, demons, sorcery . . . a little bit of everything. The second novel in what I'm now calling The Shadow Saga was Angel Souls and Devil Hearts. Published in 1995, it featured the continuing adventures of the characters who survived the first book. While the first book combined elements of mystery and epic fantasy, the second is, pure and simple, a war novel. Oh, sure, there are lots of interesting scenes that take place in Hell, but those aside, it's a war novel. I was ecstatic when ACE Books decided to rerelease them under a 'Dark Fantasy' banner, in anticipation of the release of the third book in the series, Of Masques and Martyrs, which hit stores in October 1998. Nearly six years later, The Gathering Dark was published.

I get a lot of e-mail about the books. I want to thank everyone who wrote.

- Christopher Golden

Reviews

"Christopher Golden was writing kick-ass urban fantasy before the genre even had a name.  The Peter Octavian novels are smart, fast-paced, lyrical and vicious." 

-- Jonathan Maberry, New York Times bestselling author of The Dragon Factory and Rot & Ruin

"A politico-religious thriller reminiscent of the novels of David Morrell. A delightful read and a noteworthy debut by a writer who cares passionately about the stuff of horror. Harrowing, humorous, overflowing with characters and plot contortions, abundantly entertaining . . . a portent of great things to come from Christopher Golden."

-- Douglas E. Winter, Cemetery Dance

"Wildly entertaining horror. For those of you not familiar with Golden's Shadow Saga, it's like mixing Laurell K. Hamilton's action-packed Anita Blake novels with the dark ambiance of an H. P. Lovecraft story. The pacing is always pedal-to-the-floor, the main characters are larger-than-life, and the demons and other assorted monstrosities give Lovecraft's Cthulhu mythos a run for its money -- just plain wild, spine-tingling, fun."

-- Barnes & Noble Online

"A breathtaking story that succeeds in marrying gore and romance, sex and sentiment. A brilliant epic."

-- Dark News, Paris

"One of the best horror novels of the year. Filled with tension, breathtaking action, dire plots and a convincing depiction of worlds existing unseen within our own. One of the most promising debuts in some time."

-- Science Fiction Chronicle

"You can damn near chase me a mile these days with a vampire novel. Then, along comes Christopher Golden. His work is fast and furious, funny and original, and I can't wait until his next book."

-- Joe R. Lansdale, author of Mucho Mojo and The Two Bear Mambo

"The most refreshing books in the vampire genre since Anne Rice wrote Interview with the Vampire, [Golden's novels] are completely in a class by themselves."

-- Pathway to Darkness

"Christopher Golden has painted an intriguing canvas, full of action, sweep and dark mythology; a novel that unfolds like a vampiric Kabuki theatre. Golden is smart and savvy; a writer with a bright future."

-- Rex Miller, author of Slob and Chaingang

"Passionate . . . Excellent . . . Golden has written one of the best . . . a deep probe into the inner-workings of the church and a surprise explanation for vampires. [A] brilliant vampire novel in a blizzard of bloody tooth bites this year."

-- LitNews Online

"A promising debut. In his world of vampires and dark magic, Golden presents us with a complex canvas to rival Brian Lumley."

-- Craig Shaw Gardner, author of Dragon Waking

"Golden combines quiet, dark, subtle mood with Super-Giant monster action. Sort of M.R. James meets Godzilla!"

-- Mike Mignola, creator of Hellboy

"The characters in Golden's books are always interesting and carefully drawn. You might care a little too much about some of them. Of Masques and Martyrs is a furiously paced, energetic thriller with enough original ideas for three or four of anyone else's books."

-- The Plot Thickens, from Mysterious Galaxy

Other Covers

The new British cover for Of Saints and Shadows:

The original covers for the series: