Rating: 
Summary: just a good read
Review: I thought the first book was good, fast-moving and enthralling. The 2nd book is even more so. Definitely worth buying and reading. I am eagerly waiting for the next book.The story is a continuation of his post-apopaclyptic ? America. The characters get richer and fuller. The main character's soul gets even more tortured which is makes the story even a better read !
Rating:
Summary: Caution highly addictive
Review: If you have not read Way of the Wolf yet stop right here and go buy it. If you have then hang on to your seat because it just gets better. Book 2, Choice of the Cat, continues the exploits of Lt. David Valentine and his battle to end the Kurian incursion. In this book the plot takes on more focus as the state of affairs on Earth circa 2067 become more dire for mankind. The Kurians have a new threat that seems unstoppable and are pushing hard to obliterate the resistance that is Southern Command. Two new characters are going to fast become favorites pulling you into the book so that you can't put it down. The caste of the cat is expounded upon and a couple of new types of grogs are introduced. As David gets closer to solving the puzzle of the Twisted Cross the details of the setting and personalities of the characters are cleverly developed. The mix of action and detail is perfect and the ending ending will leave you salivating for Tale of the Thunderbolt.
Rating:
Summary: Avid Reader & Reviewer
Review: In 2022, the world as we know it comes to an end. With the introduction of the Kurians and their deadly Reapers, mankind reverts to its roots. It's a dog-eat-dog world out there and no one is safe from the Reapers. Each Kurian lord controls a group of Reapers, a vampire-like being that kills by absorbing a person's life force or aura. The Kurians use the auras that the Reapers steal as a means to achieve immortality. Humankind is now a farm animal for the Kurians. Hope is not lost. Lifewavers, enemies of the Kurians, have come to Earth to recruit humanity to fight their war with the Kurians. The Lifeweavers have a process of enhancement for humans referred to as "turning up the volume." These enhancements give humanity the ability to fight back and reclaim Earth. Choice of the Cat is E.E. Knight's second book in the Vampire Earth series. The book opens with Lt. David Valentine commanding a group of Wolves, a military designation for his unit, on a reconnaissance mission. Valentine has gained a great deal of maturity since Way of the Wolf. The young man, part Sioux, with a chip on his shoulder struggles to make a difference. Valentine has become a true officer who puts his men first. No one, not even the commanding officer, is going to use Valentine's men as cannon fodder. Of course, this attitude is not conducive to advancement with Southern Command or with his commanding officer. With the help of Alessa Duvalier, a Cat or spy, Valentine embarks on a new journey. From the Ozarks to Denver with a final showdown in Omaha, a city devastated by nuclear war, Valentine and Duvalier set out to find the Twisted Cross. Valentine will need all his skills as a warrior and his innate ability to sense Reapers to survive. Choice of the Cat is not burdened with the creation of the Vampire Earth world introduced in Way of the Wolf. Action starts immediately and does not stop until the last line of the book. In Way of the Wolf, Valentine started on a journey originated by his father. The young man comes into his own in Choice of the Cat. Valentine is a killing machine with a conscience and a moral identity. He will not leave anyone behind, no matter what the cost to himself. Through all the betrayals of his fellow man, David Valentine is able to be a true hero. I found myself rooting for him on page one. The episodic nature of this series reminds me of anime. Each twist in the plot deepens our understanding of Valentine and his world. This world created by E.E. Knight will be the source for many more adventures to come and many hours of enjoyable reading.
Rating:
Summary: entertaining post apocalyptic thriller
Review: It has been forty-five years since the Kurians invaded Earth. The world as it once was no longer exists as mankind devolved into a medieval age because machinery for the most part no longer exists. The Kurians are safely ensconced in their fiefdoms all over the world sending Reapers to feed on human essences that are sent back to them. There remains packets of human resistance, assisted by the Lifeweavers who were the losers in their war with the Kur. David Valentine is a wolf with enhanced senses given to him by the Lifeweavers and he and his wolf pack fight the minions of the Reapers whenever they can. During a vicious firefight, David takes charge of the battle, but later is forced to resign for the decisions he made. The Cats, solo operatives working inside the Kurian zones, recruit him. His first assignment is to find out about the Twisted Cross, an elite fighting force of Reaper that have some of the characteristics of man. He and his fellow Cat companion Smoke must finding a way of learning their enemies' secrets if they want to have a chance of winning the war. Fans of apocalyptic thrillers will want to read the second installment in the "Vampire Earth" series. The reapers are an unusual kind of vampire who suck the part of their victims to inhale their life energy and then relay it back to their master, a Kirian. The hero of this book is a warrior who kills the enemy without a second thought yet is still able to save the victims of the aliens. E.E. Knight has written a memorable and very entertaining science fiction novel. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: Second Effort Keeps Cookin'
Review: Just enough rehash to leave a pleasant aftertaste. Add a liberal amount of Western to the plethora of genres he's already expertly encompassed. Stir it up with a sassy Cat and a golden Grog. Boil it over gun-totin' Reapers led by a Nazi-esque General and you won't be able to stop eating it up. E.E. Knight's second in the saga of David Valentine keeps up the pace of heart-pounding action, charismatic characterization and perspicacious plotting so prevalent in his first book. I could elaborate on the storyline, but I won't deprive you of the pleasure of reading it yourself. Once again, E.E. Knight has shone like a new blade with his inimitable style.
Rating:
Summary: Second Effort Keeps Cookin'
Review: Just enough rehash to leave a pleasant aftertaste. Add a liberal amount of Western to the plethora of genres he's already expertly encompassed. Stir it up with a sassy Cat and a golden Grog. Boil it over gun-totin' Reapers led by a Nazi-esque General and you won't be able to stop eating it up. E.E. Knight's second in the saga of David Valentine keeps up the pace of heart-pounding action, charismatic characterization and perspicacious plotting so prevalent in his first book. I could elaborate on the storyline, but I won't deprive you of the pleasure of reading it yourself. Once again, E.E. Knight has shone like a new blade with his inimitable style.
Rating:
Summary: That Rare Thing in Science Fiction: a Strong Sequel
Review: Sequels are a tricky beast: they are required to play by the rules of the original book, but not tell the same story. They need to tell a strong story that neither overpowers nor is dwarfed by the original. It takes a strong writer with a sharp narrative to be able to make that leap. With this book, E.E. Knight has done just that. We have a natural continuation of the story in the first volume, "Way of the Wolf," without retreading the same story or trivializing what happened previously. The principal character, David Valentine, explores more of the world that was hinted at before. We are introduced to new characters, new secrets, and new glimpses of places in the world. This volume has two primary advantages over the previous book. First, this book isn't introducing us to a world, and doesn't need to spend half its length on exposition. Though this book is fully fifty pages shorter than the last one, there is more actual story and less time spent explaining things. Though there is a little bit of flashback to help explain the gap between the previous book and this one, it's very brief. For the most part, the author trusts you to jump into the story quickly, and makes it easy for you to do so. Second, where the first book was primarily a tale of derring-do, this book follows the quest pattern famous in fantasy. Specifically, it follows the quest pattern in "Lord of the Rings." When Valentine is preparing to help defend the Eagles' Wings Brand, it's impossible to miss the parallels to the defense of Helm's Deep. The liberation of Omaha reflects the seige of Minas Tirith without slavishly mimicing it. Knight knows a good pattern when he sees it, and knows how to imitate. Thankfully, in imitating Tolkein, Knight doesn't try to ramrod the story into that pattern. There is nothing extraneous in the story to force Valentine into the Frodo role; everything follows appropriately. Only once at the very end, when the principal villain lapses into the Talking Killer mode, does the story lag, and even that lag is small enough to be more than outweighed by the remainder of the book. Where "Way of the Wolf" stuck to the Mississippi River Valley, this story centers on the Great Plains. The greatest part of the story is set in Nebraska, where I've lived for twelve years, and I caught some geographical errors. Knight refers to the Sandhills, which dominate northern Nebraska, as the Sand Dunes; that term is seldom used except by geologists. He speaks of a train slowing to crest a hill east of Ogallala; the town of Ogallala is set in a flat river valley, much favored by railroad builders for its lack of steep grades. The characters cross the remains of the Kingsley Dam, which apparently is badly deteriorated, and see anglers fishing in the waters; without the dam, there's nowhere in that area with enough water to breed fish to support sport fishing. But this is niggling and most readers will flatly miss this. And in a wide-ranging story like this, doing that kind of research would be costly and time consuming. It's better that Knight spent his time writing the story, which is gripping to fans of fantasy, SF, and supernatural horror. This book is a self-contained story, an excellent sequel and a good bridge to the next volume. Fans who have waited for this book to come out will be well-rewarded, and readers coming to the story may be a little lost but will find plenty to like. (Note--check out the author's website. There's interesting supplementary material that fans will enjoy, much of which may serve as lead-in to future volumes of this series. <http://www.vampireearth.com>)
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding!
Review: The hits just keep coming. The second installment of the Vampire Earth SF series has all of the elements of a fantastic book. There is ample action mixed with heart-pounding drama and a dab of humor and romance to boot. Mr. Knight continues to craft a very likeable hero, David Valentine, who is not the typical faultless and predictable champion of good, which has ruined many a good character in this genre. Along the way he meets two new allies, which adds to the rich flavor of the story. The dynamics between these characters keeps the story moving and their combined talents gives hope to the reader when it seems all is lost. The antagonist is a crafty devil and adds new twists to the already convoluted Kurian Order. Don't forget the Reapers, Grogs and Quislings to make things difficult along the way. If you enjoyed the first book, I guarantee you will absolutely love this one. If you haven't read the first book - what are you waiting for? Buy them both, find a cozy spot, turn off your phone and set aside quite a bit of time. You won't want to put either of them down.
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Rating: 
Summary: I really enjoyed this, and can't wait for the sequel.
Review: The main reason that I gave it four stars, instead of five, was more a matter of tactical issues than anything else.
I like the descriptions given quite well, and was amazed that Way of the Wolf was a first attempt. (I rated that slightly better, for all that there are things that I actually enjoyed about this novel slightly more.)
I felt that the main hero character David Valentine had a nice depth to him, considering the nature of both the character and the book, and I liked the original science fiction cross over spin on the vampires.
It's pretty well done heroics against impossible odds, and quite enjoyable. Real page turners.
However...
All that being said, and humanity ravaging plagues aside, I wasn't entirely believing, considering the preternaturalesque advantages given the resistance, and their level of motivation, that there would be quite so many Kurian enemies left at this point.
With the way that the Wolves tended to operate, perhaps, yet, when joined with the Cats, and no doubt others, I can't see the issue not having been taken right to the doorsteps of the enemies (Who apparently are not that hard to find) long ago.
In short, I think that the author may be underestimating the level of fanaticism that might come to bear against something that is ultimately going to kill you anyway. They are well aware that hard as they are to destroy, the minions are goners without the head honchos. Going up against them has such a high rate of attrition, that it's shocking that they don't just get it done, call for some volunteers, and run a few good missions of the sort no one expects to come back from. No more Kurians, after all, no more worries about the Reapers, etc.
Still, as the third book has not yet come out, I might be missing something, and I did overall really enjoy these.
Rating:
Summary: Follow-up as good as the first
Review: The second book of the VE series not only lived up to the high expectations the first book established, but took it to another level entirely. I read Sci-Fi / Fantasy almost exclusively and would recommend anyone picking this book up that loves the genre. It is a new spin on the vampire mythos and with the basis of Way of the Wolf (VE book 1) in your pocket Choice of the Cat plows you further into this setting that the author has created. Character development was very well done, with new additions to the cast, while keeping the important areas of the plot and primary character intact. For those of you that read series', you know how important that is to the scheme of things. Can't say how highly I recommend this book.
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