The Red Serpent Trilogy, Rishabh Jain (3.5 stars)

The Red Serpent Trilogy Book Summary

The Red Serpent Trilogy presents a highly evolved vampire to fear: cold and callous, powerful and dangerous, possessed by mystic promises and destroyed only by silver. It is the year 2021 — the human world has degraded, its inhabitants unworthy of the supernatural gifts bestowed upon them. Compelled by ancient prophesy, an ancient vampire army takes the human race by force, sparing few lives. They await the second coming of their king, Anaxagoras, which will hurl the world into a final battle that will free the vampires from their infinite hiding. But by the hands of fate, there is one human who may save his entire race.

The Red Serpent Trilogy is a celestial fusion of science fiction and fantasy, unfolding conflicting intentions for the survival of both the human and vampire races. But in a world ruled by supernatural and mythological forces, there is only room for one race, and neither will go easily. The few survivors of the fatal vampire onslaught escape to an asteroid space station, Regnum, where they thrive as they keep an attentive watch on the vampires on the earth below. But unbeknown to himself or anyone else, Alex, half human half vampire, holds the keys to secrets that will help him realize his duties and cement his fate as either a human or a vampire.



Paperback Price: $12.99
Publisher: AJ International Press
ISBN: 9780984752201
Pages: 131
Release: 2007
Buy link

 

Review

 

Vampires are the seedy underbelly of our world in some books, the romantic and misunderstood heroes in others. In The Red Serpent, they are an alien race set to conquer Earth. This time, the humans lose and the few survivors escape to an orbiting space station, Regnum.

But they have a secret, a half-breed who the prophecies believe will change everything. His name is Alex. Both worlds want him, and he soon finds himself thrown into a savage war with family on both sides. An unexpected vampire, and his uncle, stands by his side. Now, in addition to fighting the vampires on Earth, he's fighting the humans to accept his vampire uncle.

The short novel, only 131 pages, showcases a new vampire race, one with very few weaknesses, and a new take on the origin of vampires--a serpent present at Christ's crucifixation drank some of his blood. I give high points to the author for creativity, adding a new layer to the vampire story if you will. And fans of science fiction stories will find this a fast-paced and interesting read.

For me, someone who loves fleshed out and memorable characters, the book came up just a bit short. I wanted more details about the vampire father and human mother who conceived him. It's ultimately a compliment that I felt the book was rushed, because it means the bare bones of the story left me intrigued.

I do recommend the book to science fiction fans, readers looking for a new take on the vampire genre, and readers who like a quick, action-filled tale. Kudos to Rishabh Jain for his detailed, and imaginative, new world.

 

Rating: 3.5 stars

 
Rishabh Jain's Bio:

Rishabh Jain was born in the city of Kanpur, in India, in 1990. From a young age, he displayed remarkable traits of creativity and inventiveness. When a young boy of 8 or 9 years old, Rishabh left his father (himself an electrical engineer) shocked and speechless one day, when he managed to make an asymmetrical and unbalanced structure made of blocks, with which he was very fond of playing, stand stable for 2 to 3 minutes, blissfully unaware that the laws of physics and mechanics made it impossible.

Rishabh entered Pathways World School in 2003, an International Baccaulaureate School on the outskirts of New Delhi, in the 8th Grade. Here, his multidisciplinary talents and interests blossomed in the creative environment of an International Level School. He was awarded an Academic Merit Scholarship from Pathways World School, for the academic years 2004-05 and 2005-06 (his 9th & 10th Grades). Being an absolutely ardent fan of and enamored by the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and the Harry Potter series, it was his dream to write a story of his own as a “Trilogy.” This was the inspiration from which he conceived the genesis and plot of this current book The Red Serpent Trilogy, and he finally realized his dream and completed the book in 2006 and was issued the copyright to the same in January of 2007.

Rishabh completed his High School (10th Grade) in 2006, with an award of Distinction from IGCSE, Cambridge. He participated in “Harvard Model Congress Asia” (a three-day student conference organized by Harvard University, where selected students were invited from around the world to take part in simulations of the United States Congress) in Bangkok, in September 2006. He also was a participant in Ryan International School’s Indian Model United Nations (INMUN) in 2006, which was a three-day simulation of the United Nations, wherein he received a Certificate of Achievement.

While studying for the International Baccaulaureate Diploma (11th & 12th Grades) in the same school, Rishabh participated in and won 1st prize in two competitions (one for extempore speaking and the other for debate) in VIVUM Bangalore (India). He also built a Bio-Gas plant during a Community Service Project in a village of Rajasthan near Rathambore National Park. Rishabh was democratically elected by the student body for a period of two years (2007 & 2008) as a member of the Student Council (consisting of a total of twelve members representing the whole school) — a most responsible and keenly contested and coveted position.

Due to the peer recognition of his multidisciplinary talents in Creative Writing, English, Literature, and General Knowledge, and his unique ability to relate to people, Rishabh was also elected as the Editor of the Annual School Magazine Rewind. In June 2007, Rishabh participated in “GLOBAL YOUNG LEADERS CONFERENCE” (GYLC) in Washington & New York. This was a global conference, where approximately 200 international students from various countries around the globe were invited to attend. The conference lasted two weeks, with one in Washington and one in New York. He was awarded “Youth Leadership Award” in recognition of meritorious achievement in scholarship, leadership and citizenship.

Due to his exemplary performance in GYLC in 2007, he was invited to attend a week-long program, and as a special guest among a very few selected international students, attended the appointment and swearing-in ceremony of Barack Obama, the 44th President of the USA, in January 2009. After earning his International Baccaulaureate Diploma (11th & 12th Grades) in 2008, from among a large number of offers from various prestigious Universities, Rishabh entered the Mechanical Engineering program at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he presently resides and is currently pursuing his engineering degree. Amid his grueling schedule of Engineering studies, Rishabh has almost completed a 2nd book, which is a space science fiction adventure & love story.

For more information, please visit his website.

This is a blog tour, please visit The Red Serpent Trilogy blog tour site for more stops.

Note: I received a complimentary copy from Tribute Books for review purposes. No other compensation was received. A positive review was not guaranteed or requested; the views expressed are my own.

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