Review - Talos by D.G. Carothers
The vampyr Talos has ruled over what was the western United States for over a hundred years, ever since the supernaturals wrested control of the planet from humans before they destroyed it. There is, of course, an organized human resistance to supernatural rule, but Talos’ spies are always at least one step ahead of them. It’s come to light that the resistance plans to assassinate Talos during one of the Roman gladiator style games the king enjoys. Talos is in no danger, but there is still a surprise when it turns out the assassin, Bayne, is actually Talos’ fated mate. The king will need to overcome a lifetime of indoctrination Bayne has been exposed to for them to share a life together.
The yaoi-style cover and some versions of the blurb gave me doubts about this book. Yaoi often implies angst-filled teen drama, but as the blurb suggests, this is a very adult story, full of some rather kinky elements. There’s actually quite a lot going on in this book, as the couple and their entourage careen from one crisis to another.
The narration switches between multiple characters from one chapter to the next, although most sections are from either Talos or Bayne’s points of view. Talos is more than a thousand years old. Vampyrs are a separate non-human species. Their bite can convert humans to vampires, and Talos has “sired” hundreds of them, which he considers his children. He keeps them around him as their loyalty is unquestionable. Talos doesn’t seem like your typical ancient ruler. He’s described as very diminutive, like a winsome boy typical of yaoi stories. Talos is definitely used to being the king, though.
Bayne is perhaps the most pivotal character. He was indoctrinated and trained almost from birth to hate the supernaturals, then he finds out he is mated to one. I thought that Bayne’s acceptance that everything he thought he knew was a lie came a little too easily. He still has moments of doubt and conflicts with Talos, so the change of heart isn’t entirely unbelievable. There are also aspects of the bond that develops with Talos that smooth the way to acceptance. There are other significant characters introduced in the story. Some of them will apparently be the main characters in the second book of the series.
“Talos” is available from Smashwords or see Bookshop.org to purchase from an independent bookseller.
