Sunset: Book One of the Nightlord Series

This book has backbone that many lack nowadays, it's not afraid to go another direction at a moment's notice and the characters are wonderful, each has their own views and beliefs that make for a wonderful story.

Apparently self-published several years ago, but like many such never managed to get enough exposure to develop a fan following, which is a terrible shame considering the quality. This is not your usual B-grade cheap filler read, reasonably entertaining as long as you don't try to expect too much. This is fully A-list major author quality, right up there with many on my automatic "buy on sight" list, and will easily justify your Unlimited sub for the month by itself. My only real complaint is that I want more, and there isn't any. I'm hopeful though that this recent re-release on Kindle is working well for the author and will finally find the following he deserves, and encourage him to continue the series. It's how I stumbled on it, and I see most of the reviews are pretty recent.

A note on genre: the blurb (which needs serious work, I'm afraid) gives the impression that this is a modern urban dark fantasy/vampire story, but after an early setup phase, it's really mostly straight alternate-world magic fantasy. I was strongly reminded in several ways of the currently ongoing Spellmonger series by Terry Mancour, another great Unlimited find, especially in the style and tone of the hero; I love this kind of intelligent, competent, sensible yet essentially good protagonist, and they're hard to find. If you liked one, you'd probably like the other.

Nightlord: Sunset, by Garon Whited, is not your typical vampire story. Whited's use of witty, self-deprecating humor makes the reader smile throughout the story. The first real use is early in the book when Eric wakes up naked and not knowing where his clothes are.
I hate that. It's only happened the once, but I'm already sure of it.
This draws the reader in and makes it easier to appreciate the main character.

Although the character's inner monologue is interesting, the story gets off to a slow start. I asked myself several times, "What is the plot?" There is also a lot of description and explaining that tends to bog the reader down at the beginning. Although Eric seems to be seriously pissed at Sasha at the beginning of the story, he gets over it quickly and then jumps in with both feet, seemingly accepting his new life with no real issues. The use of tendrils and the description of how they work throughout the book is an interesting twist on how vampires usually feed on their prey. The descriptions used make it easy to see what's happening.

When things do finally take off, Eric has entered another dimension and it seems as though he'll never get back, but he doesn't really seem to care about that. Although it is a new take on the age-old vampire stories, it does make for an interesting story that Eric doesn't have a choice in the matter of how and when he becomes a vampire. However, he doesn't seem to be very upset when he finds out how and why he was changed, but instead, he seems to go with the flow.

There were several characters in the book that were very lovable, but my favorite had to be Firebrand and his delicious appetite for death and destruction. I enjoyed his attitude and the way he spoke to Eric throughout the book. Bronze was a close second, as she was a female who kicked butt and took names. Both characters were trusty and dependable and could be relied upon in times of need, of which Eric had quite a few.

The book does appear to be professionally edited, but there are still numerous areas where there are editing or grammatical issues. Although distracting to me at first, I soon got used to them and was able to gloss over them a bit. The witty statements, such as
I'm allergic to dying; I break out in screaming
helped to get me past those grammatical bumps. All in all, at the end of the book, I did find myself interested in what happens to Eric next, but not interested enough to spend the time reading the book. I rate this book 3 out of 5 stars. I assigned this rating because the book was extremely long, but it didn't seem like it needed to be that long. Too much description and explanation at the beginning, combined with a weak plot left me feeling like I had to slog through the story. I am an avid and quick reader, but this book took me a very long time to read. I did not give it a 2-star rating because it did have some interesting parts, and as I said before, Bronze and Firebrand were great characters. I found myself waiting for comments from Firebrand throughout the story. I did not give it a 4 because I felt like most people might start reading it but never finish it. If I had just picked up the book, I would have stopped reading it after the first few chapters, just because I don't enjoy reading books that I have to force myself to focus on reading.

I believed the book would appeal to me, as I have enjoyed quite a few vampire and fantasy books in the past. I believe this book would appeal to readers who aren't grammar freaks and who like magic, fantasy, and adventure stories. If a reader likes a strong, quick-moving plot, this book might need to be avoided.

What a journey!!!! I could not put this book down for any reason except food. Thank God I am a fast reader!! This book covered all the bases for an epic read. Great characters, magic, a quest, theological themes and relationships. This was no simple vampire book, it was a quest for the reader as well. WTH With the ending though? You can't spend the time to read 700. Pages and be left hanging!!!!!!!! I am bleary eyed and awash with the need for more =(

Nightlord: Sunset by Garon Whited

Eric wakes up with a horrible hangover and his life quickly spins out of control shortly thereafter. Sasha, the beautiful woman who shares his unfamiliar room, fills him in on a secret—that he's become a vampire, a reincarnation of her previous lord and lover. Eric takes this remarkably well for one who never believed in the existence of vampires, and begins learning his new powers with gusto. When his partner is murdered by a mysterious religious group called the Hand of Light, Eric embarks on a quest for vengeance, crossing the bridge into a whole new world where magic, demons, and gods are the norm. Armed with his sentient, flaming sword and loyal metallic horse, Eric (now Halar) is dropped into the middle of a war between darkness and light with himself being the primary focal point.

This book really did have an interesting and different take on your typical vampire novel, and I was initially intrigued. The idea of a vampire being alive by day and dead by night held a lot of promise, and the presence of magic and a vampire's thirst for revenge even more so. It started off slow, but I gradually got pulled in with the appearance of the Hand. Eric/Halar has a good heart and is kind to those thrust into his care despite the local legends about Nightlords being nothing but blood-thirsty monsters.

The story quickly derailed and began throwing out so many random conflicts that it got dull. Eric/Halar becomes the typical “Mary Sue” character as no amount of inexperience nor odds stacked against him keep him from easily succeeding, with no real explanations as to how. Very few conflicts are surprising, and I feel like if most of the repetitive ramblings were cut out, the book would have been half as long. There were a few shimmering moments, but for the most part I wanted the author to just “shut up and get on with it”.

With all the positive reviews, I really expected to enjoy it more, but I found myself annoyed with the characters, especially Eric/Halar. They were too flat and never really showed any development. Eric goes from simple human school teacher to Halar the Wizard and feared Nightlord without ever batting an eye, and it's way too easy for him to find those close friends that readily accept him as a vampire. Everything is all made so convenient and simple for him, but you never really see him struggle for anything.

It had plenty of promise, but it just fell flat. Lots of typographical errors, mind-numbing dialogue at times, and way too long. I would have enjoyed it more if the filler was cut out.

Where to begin...

First, the narration... if you like the Zombie Fallout series narration you'll loooove this one too. I personally stopped listening to the Zombie Fallout series due to the super annoying narration. Having said that and knowing I don't care for Sean Runnette's style... I wanted to give this series a try. For 36 hrs and 55 minutes, I mentally talked myself through how annoying Runnette is and tried to just focus on the story.

Second, the story... ugh... Nightlord Sunset is like someone who went to the local all you can eat buffet and barfed it out in print. Garon Whited seemed to be more concerned w/referencing any and all previous and future horror, sci-fi, and fantasy scenarios and stuffing them into one book than writing a great story. Forget character development. Forget strong story line.

Third, our main character... somehow he went from being a computer professor w/some physics thrown in to genius vampire who can solve any problem or issue w/super smartness powers. Oh and he's a natural, highly skilled fighter. And... if all that wasn't enough... he whines like a Mustang w/a Supercharger on it. Our main character whines for 36 hrs out of the 36 hr and 55 minute book. I wanted to poke pencils into my ear drums.

I honestly cannot understand all of the positive reviews. I listen to a lot of audio books. Keeps me busy while creating data files. This is one of the worst books that I've listened to... ever.

Nightlord: Sunset by Garon Whited
I have just finished reading this book. First the author’s book blurb found on the store, and then my review.

“Eric didn't ask to be a vampire. In fact, he didn't even believe in them. Then he hooks up with a hot babe, wakes up with a hangover, and bites his tongue with his own fangs……. Now he's trying to hold down his day job while learning the rules of the Undead -- the most important being that bloodthirsty urges and predatory instincts are a real bitch…… Upside; Eric has the beautiful Sasha to teach him the ropes, including the magic he'll need to survive. Downside; they're being hunted by members of the Church of Light, who are determined to rid the world of vampires…... Then Sasha is killed, and Eric is thrust into an alternate world in his quest to avenge her death. There he becomes a Nightlord, fights a dragon with the help of his magical steed, Bronze, and upchucks a sword named Firebrand……. Soon Eric finds himself at the center of an epic battle at the literal edge of the world in a fight to keep a terrible darkness at bay…..."When you fall off the Edge of the World into hordes of demonic Things from the Outer Darkness, you really start to wonder if you haven't made some mistakes."

This isn’t my usual genre to read and I was surprised to find out that it didn’t take much time to read this epic length book. Whited’s vampirism wasn’t what I expected at all, which, in itself, speaks volumes for the quality of this book. Eric is “newly born”, and as such he must learn his skills from the beginning. In doing so, the character comes into full bloom, and he loves acquiring knowledge. Eric maintains a sense of humor throughout.

I liked the way the ending was written, and I imagine readers who favor this genre will love this book. Overall, this story is well written and thought out. Whited wrote in a manner that brought the characters to life (or undead life). This story reads at a nice flowing pace and the grammar is great. I highly recommend this story.

Very imaginative world building and a likable protagonist with interesting supporting characters. The idea of combining a day-walking vampire and a wizard is a cool new twist on the paranormal genres. On top of that, the author has created a vampire/wizard who bases his spells on being a former physics/computer science teacher. Eric, the Nightlord, also applies these principles to developing the medieval world in which he finds himself after travelling through a vampire-hunting portal created by magicians working for the Church of Light which wants to wipe out all vampires. Whited distinguishes magicians from wizards in an interesting analogy to those who memorize processes rather intuitively know how to do things. Reminds me of my former days in the IT world where students come out of school with an AA degree in computer science by learning programming steps for specific situations, but could not for the life of them apply the same logic to a new situation. High work ethic and discipline, but low aptitude. Fortunately for magicians, the same spell methodology usually works to get the same result. But working on the fly - not so much. Hence better to be a master wizard like our hero. Looking forward to the next book in the series.

Nightlord Sunset by Garon Whited is a quite interesting. It involves the typical paranormal kind, vampires. Except from there things are not so normal. A human being sleeps with a beautiful woman, and the next he knows is that his life has changed forever. He has been turned. A vampire who needs to learn quickly how to survive. The beauty he slept with, helps him until she has been killed. Hunted down by another group. The new vampire, Eric, will go get his revenge only to face more obstacles. Every page kept me guessing. I didn't know what the main character would do or what the others were planing. Yet the further I went the more, I was dragged from my seat into this fictional world. Compelling, suspenseful, and engaging. Garon Whited knew how to keep his readers hooked. The ending of this tale, is keeping me lured for the next adventure. Overall, I recommend this fast-pacedread to all.

Quite good, much better than expected. A little bit of Mary-Sue-ism in the main character, but that's alright, as it tells an entertaining tale. Very long book, that's for sure; I read the kindle edition, and the location goes to 18643; for reference, a normal 300-400 page book would have locations to about 5-6k. So this is probably about a 1100 page book.

Quick note, for emphasis; as others have said, while this starts out as an urban fantasy with a tinge of horror, it morphs into normal high fantasy still with a tinge of horror, about 150 (rough estimate) pages in.

Probably the only other quibble I would have is that some of the characters in the high fantasy world have decidedly modern attitudes and ways of thinking/talking. Not a huge problem, but it is a very minor irritant, at least for me.

Definitely recommend this book, and although I read via Kindle Unlimited, I feel strongly enough about the book and the author that I am going to buy the full Kindle edition so the author gets something (something more than the pittance Kindle Unlimited provides, that is). Going to start into the second book shortly, and if it is even half the quality, I will be impatiently waiting for the final book in the trilogy to come out.

This book was written some years ago ... and I am quite glad that I found out about this author while reading someone's review of another book. This was, by far, one of the best fantasy/vampire novels that I have ever read. Yes, it is a long read. As you go from chapter to chapter you feel like you can feel the days move. I enjoyed this aspect of the book immensely. The protagonist, Eric, is met in the modern world of the 21st century by a vampire. And from there ... things just get wild. Without telling you about the unexpected adventure that unravels through each page, just know that if you 1) loved the length and breadth of the Hobbit because it gave you so much in each page (even if it was long); 2) admire the kind of good guy that has a strong (albeit clunky) moral compass even when said good guy has to eat people to live; and 3) do the two-step when you come across a writer with the imagination rivaling Lewis Carroll and Tolkien THEN this is the book for you. Witty and humorous. Comedic scenes. Adventure galore. Sword play. Magic. Blood. This book has it all! Enjoy.

Engaging and frustrating all at the same time. The author paints a vivid picture and then spills the paint on the canvas multiple times throughout the story.

Spoiler alert!!!!

Example 1 the author sets the main character out a questing to avenge his "love". Simple enough. But then the main character decides to lose his nerve and abandon the reason why he came to the land to start the story. He realizes that he is a bloodthirsty vampire that needs to feed on multiple victims to survive but won't kill someone that has clearly been responsible for the death of most of the people that he loves. very frustrating!!!

Example 2 the author gives the main character almost unlimited powers and then suddenly decide to take them away when he realises that the character is too overpowered to face the final opponent. no explanation really just decide that you know what you have too much power so we're going to take some of it away from you. very frustrating!!!!

Example 3 the author gives the main character the background of a scholar a physicist for that matter. but I've never seen a deep thinker so consistently surprised by the most obvious plot twists. Oh the evil elf that I let live way back when and I set on his own Quest has actually accomplished it. I have indirectly killed more people than any of the Gods of this world but I am clearly still a good person. really really seriously. oh I will definitely let the person that I'm pretty sure is probably the most crazy person in the entire story live as long as possible and then be very sad and frustrated when the woman that I actually love or one of the women that I actually loved is killed by this person really really.

Amidst all of this however is a very well-crafted story that many will find very enjoyable if you aren't consistently frustrated by the inaction of the main character. I've never seen a main character more full of teenage angst in any vampire story actually maybe in the Twilight series I take that back definitely in the Twilight series has more angst. But otherwise a well-told vampire story which is hard to come by these days and I'm actually considering reading the second book probably with the same amount of frustration but the story was good enough that I would like to know how it actually turns out.

I very much enjoyed this book! It wasn’t short, like many e-books these days. It took me the better part of a week to read it, and I’m not a slow reader. The main character, Eric (a.k.a. Halar), becomes a vampire at the beginning of the book, but not your normal kind of vampire. He’s definitely not the same kind of vampire that’s been written about so much lately (Anne Rice, Twilight, Vampire Diaries, etc.). He cares about people and is not all about killing, but he’ll do whatever is necessary to protect the people he cares about, including killing. He’s not sappy, and he actually turns out to be a hero. Don’t get me wrong, though, because he makes some very human mistakes. He has no problem going out in the daylight, but (of course) has more power at night. I loved all the characters in this book! I loved this story and I could barely stand to put the book down to do anything else, much less go to sleep! I really and truly hope that Mr. Whited comes out with the sequel soon (PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE)!!!

***** I received this ARC for free from Netgalley in return for an honest review *****

I give this book 5 very enthusiastic stars!!! It was very slow going in the first half of the book, but the second half more than made up for it! I particularly loved how it started with a modern day man, them quickly evolved into a vampire type story in mideval times. The evolution of Eric as a man was quite remarkable, and was everything love in a story!! Extremely well done, and have already recommended this novel to all of my friends and family!!

This about a modern day teacher who gets turned into a day vampire(I thought it was another Bill the Vampire but no, he is no dork), gets hunted by the church, old lady gets killed, chases killers to another (medieval) world, becomes a knight wizard vampire. This book is Awesome. It is one of those stories that is hard to put down. It is very fast pace with loads of action,learning of magic, vampire powers, and sword fighting. It is written like his personal diary, This one book is equal to most three book series.

This is an excellent read, especially if you like “out of the box” stories! Yes, at Rome’s it can be just a tad slow, but the overall story more than makes up for it. It’s hard to combine vampires with a variety of fantasy characters and make it work, but mister Whited does it! The top notch narration by the masterful Sean Runnette brings it all together perfectly!

I read several blurbs about this title before choosing to read it for myself. The premise at the heart of the story had potential, but it falls incredibly short mostly due to clumsiness. It’s difficult to pick out moments that I genuinely enjoyed. Some of Eric’s jokes were funny. I was intrigued by the way that their vampirism manifests, and the distinction between dayblood vampires and nightwalkers felt somewhat fresh.

To begin to understand where the book starts to veer off course you needn’t read too far into the text to discover numerous editing errors and strange word choices. I found myself wondering more than once (and I marked every instance to make sure) if the word being used was even a real word (they were not). Some of this was unintentionally funny, case in point, “...we repaired to the library”. Very early on there is also a basic misunderstanding of vampirism that feels inexcusable in a vampire novel since there is no additional explanation for why the term was used incorrectly. The instance here is calling female vampires succubi, which succubi are not, they are a type of demon.

Eric was not as likable as he was trying to be. His humor was often hit or miss. Additionally, he was incredibly unfocused in his morality and personality. I found myself flipping back pages often to check things, because within a few sentences he would entirely change his stances. Killing people is the most prominent example. One minute he would be violently opposed, the next he proclaimed that some people deserved to die; then he complained about not being happy to have killed someone, right after he described it as feeling like the best orgasm he’d ever had. His attitude feels unrealistic and it’s hard to relate because his opinion isn’t fixed, and when it is it lands on a blase approach; which is odd for someone who’s never killed anyone before. The reactions often don't feel appropriate.

It became apparent that the author has a dulled sensitivity or perhaps no understanding, of writing with a broad audience in mind. Eric’s brand of humor has its funny moments, but there are many offensive references to women throughout and I cannot tell if they are genuinely sexist or just sloppy writing. As a female reader, I often felt offended by what I was reading, my mouth gaped open at several particular passages the worst of which was Sasha ‘deserving’ a beating from Eric. (Not to mention most of Eric’s discussions with his friends about women.) As soon as he learns something unsavory that she voluntarily confesses, he says the following, “How dare- how dare- the bitch interfere! . . . I wanted to hit her- hit a woman! . . . If I wanted to beat her half to death and then leave her bleeding on the floor, she’d have taken it and not uttered a word of protest- because she deserved it and she knew it.” Even reading it again makes me upset. A few sentences later he goes back to loving her. The level of violence and the level of hatred toward women (and all because she interfered in his previous relationship) took me away from being able to like him again after this point.

These aspects made the work wholly unenjoyable, I found it very difficult to get into when I was constantly being pulled out of the moment by the disgust I was feeling over the objectification and demoralization of women in general and the female characters in the narrative.

Despite the awkwardness of the content, the greatest sin of the work is the length. I’ve seen a few reviews say that this book could’ve done with a great deal more editing, and I wholeheartedly agree. Stephen King has often spoken as a writer about the importance of editing and brevity. Putting it as succinctly as I can, this book was a slog. It dragged, even at the height of action scenes, bogged down with excruciatingly extraneous details. The story was not necessarily boring, but the sheer excess of detail made it boring. The story is told in a journaling style, but it often reads as just a stream of consciousness. We are privy to every little irrelevant thought that crosses Eric’s mind; and he often repeats himself (so many descriptions of horses). Having finally gotten to the end I feel as though a good 60-75% of the writing could be cut or edited down and the final product would be much more readable. Whited’s personal style is obviously prosaic and verbose, but there’s a clear difference between personal style and rambling.

I wanted to like this book because I enjoy supernatural stories and urban fantasy can be so much fun. The reviews I read lauded the creativity and ingenuity of the author’s take on a new type of vampire. There was potential there, some of the descriptions for a new type of vampire were very interesting. However, everything was mired in offensive phrasing, copious amounts of unnecessary detail, and flimsy wishy-washy characters. It’s often clumsy and tasteless, there’s a lot of length without anything being said. I’ve read a lot of vampire books, and I would give this title the lowest possible rating and no recommendation. If you enjoy childish humor and the generic white-knight male-centric hero story it may appeal to you, but I feel as though many women will feel uncomfortable. It was painful to read, both for the length and the language and at the core it suffers from a lack of perspective and good editing.

Kindle Unlimited - Thank you!
This is beyond good. I'll be blunt. If you're not reading this author, you're missing some excellent writing. The craft work is superb and there's an elegance to the style. The story is complex and simply magnificent. Hyperbole? I really don't think so.

Great first book in series. Cannot wait for number two. This a well written book with believable characters. It creates a world that is so well scripted you can feel it. I rarely write a review of first book in a series but if it gets one more person to enjoy good adventure my job is done.

Engrossing tale. Numerous parallels to historical events (nomadic plains tribes, purge and persecution of "evil", slavery, and corrupt powerful religious figures) the MC encounters them all. The MC is a nightlord combination wizard/vampire unbelievably humble and approachable who becomes a Hero through bardic tales in his deeds while acclimating to his newfound nightlord status thrust into a parallel world. He has self depreciating sarcastic wit especially when he talks with his sentinent sword.
The ending felt abrupt. I will definitely be looking for book two.

Garon Whited is an amazing storyteller. This book is an absolute joy to read. Metal fire breathing horse, grumpy bloodthirsty sword, dragons, mages, wizards, knights, nobility, gods, demons, fire witches, priests...and vampires! This book has it all and is sure to get a laugh. You will want more! Good thing it's just book one of the series!

A well written story. Action packed. The reader fits the story perfectly.

For some fantasy books, I question the motives of the characters and feel that those characters would have made different choices. As a result, I get taken out of the story and lose interest. Sort of like when you watch a movie with bad actors. But this book does a wonderful job of picking up for your imagination and taking you on a journey. A very imaginative story and world. The characters are well developed and believable!

I enjoy that the main character is not black or white (good or evil). While he is a vampire and has murdered people, the main character has many redeeming qualities. The story line was very unexpected as well. Takes a little bit to get into the meat of the story, but then really gets going. I usually don't read vampire books, but I loved this one!

this is a totally different twist on the vampire theme. Holds your interest and makes you want to see what comes next. It does cause some sleepless nights as it is hard to put down and go to sleep. It is a long book which allows for the main characters to be fully developed. plan on reading the entire series.

I must say that Nightlord surprised me as it really was an interesting twist on a old theme and the story was well developed. The cast and plot flowed well without confusion and even though I knew it was going to leave me hanging (waiting on the sequel) I still found it a good read. I read for escapism, however most of my books are historical either fact or fiction and this was an enjoyable change,

After reading all sorts of vampire books, I have to admit, the novel took quite a few turns that I didn't see coming. And it was all the better for it. In a quest for vengeance, the protagonist finds that he is actually a true Hero. I fully recommend this book.

This is a well written and enjoyable book! The author takes you on a journey that you can get wrapped up in, and keeps enough in the 'unknown' that you just want to keep pushing through. A fun adventure, with believable characters. Highly recommended.

I absolutely loved this book. It was invigorating and addicting. I loved all the different ideas the author put into this work. I can't wait to read the next book in this series and continue to follow Eric's story.

Great books with a really amazing protagonist and many interesting side characters. I especially liked Bob, would love to read more about him in the next book. A new take on an old plot line with a very satisfying twist. My only criticism is that the author should consider revising the books synopsis, while good, it does not adequately convey the truly epic story of the Nightlord. Really looking forward to the next book.

I REALLY enjoyed this book. It took time to incorporate a succession of love stories as well as a deeper plot that wasn't centered around being googly eyed. It was the most engaging scifi story that I've ever read. I can't wait to start the next one!

I rarely give 5 stars but this adventure deserved. I "found" this book a couple of days ago and haven't been able to stop reading. I would love to know what happens the next. The only addition I would have made would be to add a map. I would love to see how the world is laid out.

Cheerful, humorous, and benevolent vampire is the hero in a world ruled by a religious dictatorship. Interesting idea of prayer used as a magical spell. Although the end kind of left his future in flux, it also resolved the major plot line and I wouldn't consider it a cliffhanger. Will definitely read the next book.

This author has done an excellent job here! An Epic of a Vampire, who has magic, traveling through a well built world of fantasy. Enemies at every turn, the hero uses his wits and kindness to gain a following of the downtrodden and misfit. 700 pages long, which means you'll be with the Hero for many adventures, reminiscent of Lovecraft.

Very, very good, I wish paid books were so satisfying!

Fantastic read and an excellent story. The characters are easy to get to know. The book did leave me with a few story questions from start to finish. However despite those, I really truly recommend this for anyone who wants a good and fantastic adventure.

I cannot add anything that other reviewers have already mentioned. This book is an excellent read with great characters.

I will purchase the next book Mr. Whited writes immediately.

The one thing I would like to know is, are more books forthcoming?