The Hierophant's Daughter by M.F. Sullivan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Word to the wise:

This novel has a ton of great worldbuilding... as in, the grand majority of your reading pleasure may very well be in the worldbuilding going on here. My recommendation? Skip to the appendix first, give it a brief, probably delighted, gander. Then, read the timeline. Do not skip the timeline. This will give you all the proper context to go into the novel proper. :)

But wait, Bradley, is that REALLY necessary? I mean, even Peter F Hamilton can be read without that long, long, detailed timeline at the beginning of his novels.

Yes, certainly, you can, but I would caution you to be patient because the full import of all the things that happen in this Future History skipping forward 2000 years is full of scientifically created vampires in a full cyberpunk world having undergone civil wars, vastly altered political landscapes, and herds of human meat ready for the dining pleasure of the "Martyrs".

Is this vast tapestry of bloodsuckers well thought out? Hell yeah. Right down to the ongoing mystery of where the Hierophant came from, the cult that sprang up around him, the general social and socioeconomic landscape, scientific progress, and so much more.

But what about the story?

Pretty damn fun. It has a good number of twists but the core is an immortal daughter's rebellion. :)

This is NOT your standard horror or SF epic. Or UF, for that matter. This is a fully realized future history with a fully explained SF core for every horror element here. Nicely done, I might add.

This is not a light read, overall, but it isn't particularly difficult, either. It is, however, worth investing a lot of effort. Well done.

In the future there are two kinds of humans in the world, and one of them eats the other. Dominia is a Martyr, but after the death of her wife, she is disillusioned with the way things are run and decides to defect to what amounts to a resistance.

I very much enjoyed this mix of cyberpunk, not-vampires, and the apocalypse. I think it does something a bit different with those elements, and I am here for it. The main character, Dominia, is fully realized and believably flawed, while also being likeable and fun. The side characters are amazing, especially the dog. I hope to see lots more of Basil in the future. The plot is tight and the prose is really beautiful and thoughtful throughout the book. This book left me wanting more, and I can't wait to read the next in the series.