Sister of the Dead - By Barb Hendee & J. C. Hendee
PART VAMPIRE. PART HUMAN. PERFECT HUNTER.
The Noble Dead saga continues as Magiere and Leesil,
the slayers of the undead from Dhampir and Thief of Lives,
embark on a quest to uncover the secrets of their mysterious
origins—and those responsible for orchestrating the
events that brought them together....
Magiere is a dhampir—half human, half vampire—sired for the purpose of slaying the undead. Outside the village of Chemestuk, where she was born and raised, stands her father's keep. Within its walls, she hopes to discover the secrets of her past and figure out why a vampire would wish to breed a creature capable of slaughtering his own kind....
But there are those who don't want Magiere to learn the truth— and when her half-elf partner, Leesil, makes a startling discovery in the keep, he can understand why. Before Leesil can reveal the truth to Magiere, they must vanquish a creature of unimaginable and unlimited power who has damned a small village of people with a horrifying curse....
PRAISE FOR DHAMPIR AND THIEF OF LIVES
"Fabulous entertainment wrought with mystery, adventure, and sharp-toothed wit. "
—Mark Anthony, Author of Beyond the Pale
"Action-packed. "—Midwest Book Review
* * *
Praise for the Hendees' Novels of the Noble Dead
Thief of Lives
"Readers will turn the pages of this satisfying medieval thriller with gusto. "
—Booklist
"Fans of Anita Blake will enjoy this novel. The characters are cleverly drawn so that the several supernatural species that play key roles in the plot seem natural and real.... Supernatural fantasy readers will enjoy this action-packed strong tale be cause vampires, sorcerers, dhampirs, elves, fey-canines, and other ilk seem real. "
—Midwest Book Review
"Thief of Lives takes the whole vampire slayer mythos and moves into an entirely new setting. The world the Hendees create is... a mixture of pre-Victorian with a small slice of eastern Europe flavor.... Magiere and Leesil are a really captivating pair.... [The Hendees] handle the ideas and conventions inherent in vampires really well. While, thanks to the clever setting and characters, they make it feel like a very different twist on the subject. "
—SF Site
"A great fantasy adventure, an intriguing mystery, and a chilling gothic tale, weaving a complicated but ever-alluring literary fabric. If anything, this one was even better than [Dhampir], which is no small feat. "
—Sequential Tart
Dhampir
"Dhampir maintains a high level of excitement through interesting characters, both heroes and villains, colliding in well-written action scenes. Instead of overloading us with their world-building and the maps and glossaries typical of so much fantasy, the Hendees provide well-rounded characters that go a lot further than maps in making a lively fantasy world. "
—The Denver Post
"Take Anita Blake, vampire hunter, and drop her into a standard fantasy world and you might end up with something like this exciting first novel.... A well conceived imagined world, some nasty villains, and a very engaging hero move this one into the winner's column. "
—Chronicle
"This Buffy-like story in a medieval setting won't disappoint vampire aficionados. "
—Booklist
"Barb and J. C. Hendee have written a refreshingly innovative horror novel... The plot is meaty and juicy with unexpected turns so that readers are anticipating the next surprise. "
—Midwest Book Review
"With its complex heroes, refreshingly multifaceted villains, and carefully choreographed fight scenes, this novel opened a broad new world. Well done. "
—Mindy L. Klasky
'This Buffy-in-medieval-Transylvania novel is fast moving and fun. "
—Kliatt
"An altogether compelling and moving work... these are characters and a world worthy of exploration. "
—Brian Hodge, Hellnotes
"A rollicking good romp, it's Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust meets Anita Blake meets The Vampire Lestat in a realm reminiscent of Dungeons and Dragons... The Hendees have taken the best of vampire pop-culture and given it new un-life. "
—Sequential Tart
* * *
Don't miss the exciting beginning of Magiere, Leesil, and Chap's adventures in
Dhampir
Thief of Lives
* * *
A ROC BOOK
* * *
Pronunciation Guide
All non-English languages are presented with a shared set of English letters, characters, and marks for a common standard in pronunciation. There are no silent letters; all letters are pronounced. All vowels are generally in the English "short" manner, though exceptions not noted do exist. At first, languages may appear similar in print. The table below explains the more basic rules of pronunciation, and by sound and syntax, you will note the differing flavor of individual languages.
Grave Accent: An English standard "short" vowel, but its voiced duration is short, as well. It is little more than a way to shape the transition between surrounding letters. Example: i = i (nearly unvoiced) as in bit.
Acute Accent: An English standard "short" vowel in most cases, but the voiced