The Priest of Blood (Vampyricon) - Softcover

Dear Reader,

The Priest of Blood has been a labor of love of mine for many years. It is my first fantasy novel, and is both a dark love story and a tale of sword, sorcery, and vampyres. I am thrilled that Berkley/Ace is releasing it first in hardcover in 2005.

The ages are dark and the war of the vampyres has not yet begun -- but when a peasant boy grows up in France, falling in love above his station, he soon learns of the brutality of the mortal world.

As a young man, he becomes a warrior in the Crusades, and there learns of that ancient necropolis of legend from the vampyre Pythia -- the Pythoness -- and discovers the dark destiny to which he was born.

You will meet on this journey, Aleric, Falconer; his mother, the maligned Armaela who turns to the forest witches for help; his beloved, Alienora, daughter of the Baron, who will sacrifice much for those she loves; Aleric's companion, Ewen, who will follow him beyond the brink of darkness; the lamprey-maidens called the Alkemars; and others, including the legendary priest-king of the vampyre race, Merod Al-Kamr.

I hope you enjoy The Priest of Blood, and will continue to discover the books of The Vampyricon as they are published.

With dark dreams and best wishes,

Douglas Clegg

"A work of dark, delightful vision..." -- Christopher Golden, author of The Myth Hunters and Wildwood Road. "Stunning...Clegg gives the iconic vampire a massive makeover and draws fresh possibilities from its most familiar aspects." -- Publisher's Weekly Starred Review. "Clegg's unique interpretation of vampire mythology makes for a page-turning, bone-chilling adventure. Vampire fans and horror aficionados will relish this tale." -- Romantic Times magazine. "Clegg delivers!" -- John Saul "Douglas Clegg has become the new star in horror fiction." - Peter Straub

"Clegg's stories can chill the spine so effectively that the reader should keep paramedics on standby!" -- Dean Koontz "Clegg is one of the best!" -- Richard Laymon "Clegg is the best horror writer of the post-Stephen King generation!" -- Bentley Little "Clegg is a weaver of nightmares..." -- Robert R. McCammon