Dark Ascension: A Generation V Novel

PRAISE FOR THE GENERATION V NOVELS

“M. L. Brennan’s Generation V urban fantasy series is a fresh, fun take on vampire lore. Reluctant vampire Fortitude Scott is one of the most interesting takes on vampires I’ve seen in a long time. Grab these books. You won’t be disappointed.”

—Stephen Blackmoore, author of
Broken Souls

Tainted Blood

“Wickedly clever. . . . Rapid-fire prose and intimate characterizations infuse stock mythic figures with pertinence and attitude. Fortitude is an enthralling good boy going bad, struggling to merge monstrous powers with humility and wisdom. . . . Brennan’s smart, sassy, and seductive vampire mythos injects fresh blood into a lethargic subgenre.”

—
Publishers Weekly

Iron Night

“A pitch-perfect addition to this imaginative, funny series. . . . Fortitude Scott is an earnest, engaging hero with a heart of gold. Fans will delight to see the return of his sidekick, Suze, in all her wild glory, as well as the rest of this fascinating cast.”

—
Romantic Times

“A funny, refreshing urban fantasy tale. . . . Geek-inspired humor and unexpectedly sympathetic characters (particularly the deadly Madeline) help make this a novel worth reading.”

—
Publishers Weekly

“An excellent sequel. . . . M. L. Brennan manages to entwine horror and urban fantasy strands smoothly.”

—Fantasy Book Critic

“These books are golden! . . . A fresh take on the bloodsuckers of the paranormal world.”

—Kings River Life Magazine

“
Iron Night
is just as good as
Generation V. . . .
There’s plenty of action and supernatural baddies to round out Fort’s narrative, but it’s Fort’s journey, within himself, and with his family . . . that really makes this shamelessly addictive series sing.”

—My Bookish Ways

“Ripe with mystery, suspense, and a cast of richly diverse characters that will have you laughing and rolling your eyes at their antics. . . . Brennan has brought back the dangerous and cruel supernatural creatures of old and integrated them into the modern society with nary a hitch.”

—Smexy Books

“A wonderful trip through a continuously creative universe.”

—All Things Urban Fantasy

Generation V

“I loved M. L. Brennan’s
Generation V
. Engrossing and endearingly quirky, with a creative and original vampire mythos, it’s a treat for any urban fantasy lover!”

— Karen Chance,
New York Times
bestselling author of
Tempt the Stars

“Full of vivid characters and terrific world building,
Generation V
is a fun, fast-paced romp of a story that kept me glued to the pages to the very last word. Loved it! Bravo, M. L. Brennan, bravo!”

—Devon Monk, national bestselling author of
Infinity Bell

“At last, the millennial generation has a vampire to call its own. Brennan’s debut blends old-world mystique and the brutality of literature’s best vampires to make a sensational coming-of-age story rife with chills and smart one-liners . . . [a] promising series.”

—
Romantic Times

“Brennan has a wholly new, and very deep, take on the vampire mythology . . . a perfect combination of new and old that comes along only very rarely.”

—Tor.com

“A strong debut with a lot of heart, with an interesting take on the vampire mythos . . . unexpectedly awesome.”

—SF Signal

“Brennan’s new, creative take on vampires was a breath of fresh air. Creepy fresh air, but fresh nonetheless.”

—All Things Urban Fantasy

“A quirky, humorous new urban fantasy series . . . a clever mix of dark humor and seriousness.”

—Smexy Books

“A unique, and sometimes very scary, take on the vampire mythos . . . [a] wonderful debut.”

—My Bookish Ways

“A refreshingly unique novel that all urban fantasy enthusiasts should read, and a book capable of encouraging even the most ardent critics of the genre. Very much a page-turner, a story that has a lot of heart and much to offer. With an extremely fun novel full of charm, Brennan has written a winner.”

—Bastard Books and Other Crap

“
Generation V
is that rare beast: an urban fantasy that managed to both entertain me and surprise me, while also eliciting plenty of chuckles. . . . It’s quickly paced, tightly written, and often funny.”

—Civilian Reader

“Brennan does an excellent job of separating
Generation V
from the run-of-the-mill vampire tale . . . a fresh take on an old saw that benefits from Brennan’s excellent world building and the authenticity of its cast. Fans of urban fantasy who are weary of the same old, same old shouldn’t miss this engaging mix of action, humor, and coming-of-age tale.”

—52 Book Reviews

“Brennan’s vampires are much more complex than your run-of-the-mill vampires. They are the brainchildren of science and fantasy. . . . Extremely well written, the characters were well developed, the comedy was beautiful, and the serious parts made my heart swell.”

—Ladybug Literature

Also by M. L. Brennan

Generation V

Iron Night

Tainted Blood

ROC

Published by New American Library,

an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC

375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014

This book is an original publication of New American Library.

Copyright © R. L. Murphy, 2015

Penguin Random House supports copyright. Copyright fuels creativity, encourages diverse voices, promotes free speech, and creates a vibrant culture. Thank you for buying an authorized edition of this book and for complying with copyright laws by not reproducing, scanning, or distributing any part of it in any form without permission. You are supporting writers and allowing Penguin Random House to continue to publish books for every reader.

Roc and the Roc colophon are registered trademarks of Penguin Random House LLC.

For more information about Penguin Random House, visit penguinrandomhouse .com.

ISBN 978-0-698-18813-6

PUBLISHER’S NOTE

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”

For Devon.

Who let me read all his
Star Trek
novels, helped me roll my first D&D character, beat all the really tough level bosses for me, and sat with me for hours upon hours until we figured out that we had to type “Tickle whale’s uvula with peacock feather” at that one point in King’s Quest IV.

More recently, when I was behind schedule on this book, he wrote me the following haiku:

Bare slate beckons man:

“Fill the page ere dusk descends.

Words don’t write themselves.”

You are, without a doubt, the best big brother anyone could ever have.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I am utterly grateful to Anne Sowards and the incredible people at Roc for letting me give Fort and Suze a fourth outing. This was a book that I’ve wanted to write for a long time, and I feel so privileged that I got to do it.

Seth Fishman has my sincere thanks and devotion for helping me out at a critical and particularly panic-ridden juncture. Sarah Riley somehow managed to resist punching me in the face when I was capable of little more than whining about how stressed I was about writing this book—during her wedding. Immense thanks also go to Sarah’s mother, Marie, for also giving me extremely generous reassurance at a time when there were substantially more important things going on. (For the record: I’m still sorry about failing Bustle 101.) Kudos as well to all of my fellow bridesmaids, as well as the extremely awesome bridesdude.

John Shearer not only read this manuscript in one of its earliest and rawest forms, but gave me many useful notes that helped me keep Fort’s trials and tribulations with Scirocco ownership accurate. He also reminded me that a vegetarian should not be eating a bacon-wrapped scallop. For all your efforts at keeping me from embarrassing myself, John, I salute you.

Andrew, Arlen, and Ryan kept me from collapsing on the side of hiking trails in Yosemite National Park and being eaten by bears. I appreciate that, guys. The rest of my family has also shown unending support and enthusiasm for my work, and I’m so lucky to have all of you.

At one point I got extremely nervous about where a particular story element was going and begged Jaime Lee Moyer to give me some feedback. I can’t believe how fast she read through the manuscript for me, and I’m still unbelievably grateful for the assurance when I needed it the most. Jaime, I owe you a drink.

Thanks are definitely due to my husband for daily support and belief as well as for functioning as my eternally on-call sounding board, which he handles with grace and humor. And to my cats —those still alive, and those who sadly passed away during the time that I was working on this book: You have no idea what the hell I’m doing when I huddle at my computer for hours each day, but having you with me—sitting on my lap, blinking lazily at me, or knocking random shit off the desk just to piss me off (Shackleton)—makes me feel a lot less alone.

This book would never have happened without all of the readers and fans of my slacker vampire who made their opinions known—and loudly. I sincerely hope that you enjoy this one—you made it happen.

In writing this book and pondering the intricacies of a vampire’s digestive tract, I once again owe a great debt to
Dark Banquet: Blood and the Curious Lives of Blood Feeding Creatures
by Bill Schutt. This excellent, informative, and deeply funny book gave me the inspiration for many scenes—one in particular. I’m sorry about that one scene, Anne, but I owed it to Schutt. Because of
science
.