Knight, E.E. 1965-

PERSONAL:

Born 1965, in LaCrosse, WI; married; wife's name Stephanie. Education: Northern Illinois University, B.A. Hobbies and other interests: Reading, movies, history, gaming, travel.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Chicago, IL. Agent—John Silbersack, Trident Media Group, 41 Madison Ave., 36th Fl., New York, NY 10010. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

Writer, novelist, and educator. Harper College, Palatine, IL, writing instructor. Worked variously in jobs in fields including journalism, photography, retail, and software development.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Compton Crook Award and Darrell Award, both for Way of the Wolf.

WRITINGS:

"VAMPIRE EARTH" SERIES

Way of the Wolf, New American Library (New York, NY), 2003.

Choice of the Cat, ROC (New York, NY), 2004.

Tale of the Thunderbolt, ROC (New York, NY), 2005.

Valentine's Rising, ROC (New York, NY), 2005.

Valentine's Exile, ROC (New York, NY), 2006.

Valentine's Resolve, ROC (New York, NY), 2007.

Fall with Honor, ROC (New York, NY), 2008.

"AGE OF FIRE" SERIES

Dragon Champion, ROC (New York, NY), 2005.

Dragon Avenger, ROC (New York, NY), 2006.

Dragon Outcast, ROC (New York, NY), 2007.

OTHER

Lara Croft: Tomb Raider: The Lost Cult, Del Rey (New York, NY), 2004.

Contributor of short stories to anthologies, including Lords of Swords, Pitch Black Books, 2004, and It Came from the Cinema, Hellbound Books, 2004.

Also author of blog, Bohemian Word Werks.

SIDELIGHTS:

Genre-bending author E.E. Knight grew up reading a wide variety of books, from J.R.R. Tolkein's "Lord of the Rings" series to C.S. Forester's "Horatio Hornblower" books. Knight performed various odd jobs after graduating from college, eventually turning to writing books that combine aspects of many of his childhood favorites. Knight began his professional writing career with the "Vampire Earth" series. The first of these volumes is Way of the Wolf, a genre blend of horror, fantasy, science fiction, military, and survivalist adventure. Way of the Wolf is set in a postapocalyptic world ruled by a cruel, vampiric race called the Kurian. A small group of survivors attempts to mount a resistance to the Kurians and their symbiotic minions, the Reapers, creatures who suck away their human victims' blood and, in the process, transfer the person's life force to the Kurians, sustaining them. David Valentine, a soldier in this resistance group, is a member of the Wolves—a band of deadly guerillas doing their best to defeat the Kurians despite a strong imbalance of power. Way of the Wolf follows Valentine's coming of age as a soldier and familiarizes the reader with the Vampire Earth that acts as setting for the entire series. Adam Volk, in a review posted on the SF Site.com, praised the way the author "fleshes out his characters beautifully" and noted that Knight "is clearly within his element." Volk called Way of the Wolf "entirely original in its conception as well, masterfully blending multiple genres into a satisfying tale." Infinity Plus contributor Elizabeth Barrette held a similar opinion, noting that the book "lays down a strong beginning for what promises to be an engrossing series," and pointing out Knight's ability to use commonplace themes in "fresh and often unsettling ways." Volk summed up by calling the book "a unique, well-written and entertaining read."

Knight followed up his debut with Choice of the Cat, the second "Vampire Earth" volume. This novel picks up with David Valentine commanding a squadron of Wolves and maintaining the importance of putting his men first. In the book's adventure, Valentine joins forces with a Cat, or spy, named Alessa Duvalier. SF Site.com critic Alisa McCune observed that the "action starts immediately and does not stop until the last line of the book." McCune further predicted that "this world created by E.E. Knight will be the source for many more adventures to come and many hours of enjoyable reading."

By the time of the next "Vampire Earth" novel, Valentine's Rising, Earth's human population has dwindled to ten percent of what it was before the Kurian invasion. Valentine has secured a supply of quickwood, a substance that can kill Reapers much as silver kills werewolves, and is on his way to the Ozark Free Zone to distribute it to the resistance. To his horror, he discovers that in his absence, the resistance has been attacked, and the command base in the Ozark Free Zone no longer exists. As an even larger attack from the Kurians looms, Valentine must find the new base and deliver the important new weapon while dodging danger and the constant threat of being discovered by the Kurians' human collaborators. "Knight's storytelling skills continue to improve with each book, and with each book, David Valentine becomes more of an iconic hero," observed a reviewer for SFF World. The critic further remarked that "Knight is becoming one of the more assured and dependable pulp/adventure/SF writers in the market."

The fight against the Kurians continues in Valentine's Exile. With the resistance growing stronger, Valentine maintains his status as an important fighter in the freedom movement. When a fellow member of the resistance, William Post, asks him to find his missing wife, Gail Foster, Valentine heads deep into Kurian territory to search for the woman. Valentine knows that Gail might have been captured and forced to become a slave and collaborator. By the novel's end, however, he realizes that the Kurians have a much more terrible and sinister plan for the hapless Gail than mere slavery. In assessing the novel, SciFi Weekly reviewer Lois Gresh commented: "E.E. Knight is a master of his craft. His prose is controlled but interesting, and his characters are fully formed and come to life. The point of view is tight and rigidly maintained, and the transitions are beautifully handled from scene to scene." Gresh concluded that "Knight's work is creative, and his voice is his own."

Knight has also written in a more traditional fantasy vein, beginning the "Age of Fire" series in 2005 with the introductory novel Dragon Champion. This is the coming-of-age story of a dragon, Auron, from the birth of his vulnerably defective body through his aging and ultimately into his adventurous adult life. Many reviewers had favorable responses to the novel. Kliatt reviewer Donna Scanlon felt that the book "is competently written and will be of interest to dragon fanciers." A Publishers Weekly contributor called Dragon Champion a "bloody, unsentimental fairy tale" and praised its "brisk pace." Jackie Cassada, writing in the Library Journal, noted that the book would be "a fine addition to most fantasy collections."

Dragon Avenger, the second book in the series, focuses on the young female dragon Wistala, sister of Auron, as she struggles with personal problems and family tragedy on the cusp of adulthood. While her father AuRel is away, Wistala's family is besieged by a group of bloodthirsty dwarves. She sets out to tell AuRel the awful news but finds him near death, attacked by the same group of vicious dwarves. Before she can help him recover and regain his strength, AuRel is killed by a hunter known as the Dragonblade. Again forced to flee for her life and overwhelmed with grief, Wistala seethes with a desire for revenge, which she intends to seek after maturing for another year. After befriending an elf named Rainfall, Wistala reconsiders her quest for vengeance and instead sets out on a wiser course of action. "Knight makes the story complex enough to entertain readers of all ages," commented a Publishers Weekly reviewer.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Kliatt, March, 2006, Donna Scanlon, review of Dragon Champion, p. 28.

Library Journal, December 1, 2005, Jackie Cassada, review of Dragon Champion, p. 118; June 15, 2006, Jackie Cassada, review of Valentine's Exile, p. 63.

Publishers Weekly, October 31, 2005, review of Dragon Champion, p. 37; April 10, 2006, review of Valentine's Exile, p. 50; October 2, 2006, review of Dragon Avenger, p. 43; June 4, 2007, review of Valentine's Resolve, p. 34.

ONLINE

Best Reviews,http://thebestreviews.com/ (May 8, 2005), Harriet Klausner, review of Tale of the Thunderbolt; (November 15, 2005), Harriet Klausner, review of Valentine's Rising.

E.E. Knight Home Page,http://www.vampjac.com/vampireearth (April 5, 2008).

Fantasy Book Spot,http://www.fantasybookspot.com/ (April 5, 2008), "On the Spot with E.E. Knight," interview with E.E. Knight.

Flames Rising,http://www.flamesrising.com/ (April 5, 2008), May 6, 2006, interview with E.E. Knight.

Fresh Fiction,http://www.freshfiction.com/ (February 11, 2008), Leanne Davis, review of Dragon Outcast.

Infinity Plus,http://www.infinityplus.co.uk/ (April 5, 2008), Elizabeth Barrette, review of Way of the Wolf.

SciFi Weekly,http://www.scifi.com/ (July 19, 2006), Lois H. Gresh, review of Valentine's Exile; (July 18, 2008), Lois H. Gresh, review of Valentine's Resolve.

SFFworld.com,http://www.sffworld.com/ (May 3, 2005), Rob Bedford, interview with E.E. Knight; (June 11, 2006), review of Valentine's Rising.

SFReader.com,http://www.sfreader.com/ (April 5, 2008), Dan Blackston, interview with E.E. Knight.

SF Site Web site,http://www.sfsite.com/ (April 5, 2008), Adam Volk, review of Way of the Wolf; Alisa McCune, review of Choice of the Cat.

Vampire Earth Online Forum,http://www.fossilrecords.net/vampireearth (April 5, 2008).