Review of We are Voulhire: The Fires of Virko
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Diana_Montoya
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- Latest Review: We are Voulhire: The Fires of Virko by Matthew Tysz
Review of We are Voulhire: The Fires of Virko
[Following is a volunteer review of "We are Voulhire: The Fires of Virko" by Matthew Tysz.]
The industrial city of Voulhire, Virko, is the scenario of the second book in Matthew Tysz's series. Lord Vaden lies on his death bed and leaves his son Hans in charge of the city at a time when the future is uncertain. Unaware, Galen heads toward this city with his friends looking for a supply of iron for the forge his father left him. Meanwhile, Meldorath moves from the shadows to gain power and influence before the king notices he is free.
As the second installment in a larger story, Matthew Tysz writes a book that continues the series while working as a stand-alone novel. The plot is interesting and engaging while providing bits and pieces of information that seem unrelated, but connect with the previous book and, I suspect, with future books also.
The Fires of Virko also sets the tone for the series; while the first book did have allusions to sensitive subjects, The fires of Virko is not scared to delve deeper and more explicitly into mature and sensitive topics and events. Though this may be off-putting to some readers, I value books that explore the darker side of human emotions, actions, and their consequences.
On that same note, the main characters have a layer of complexity that I find intriguing. They are not one-dimensional and, though not all motivations are explicit they seemed moved by goals beyond what they tell the reader or each other. Even when the action was slower, the characters kept me engaged and interested.
However, some things did bother me about the characters. Galen, despite seemingly being the protagonist in the series, seems far too naïve to be from a place crippled by endless war. It is a characteristic that is mentioned often, and I find it unrealistic that a person that has lived in a warzone most of his life is so trusting and ingenious.
The pacing of the story is slow and only picks up towards the end. Most of the book involves world-building and exploring the political and social tension in the city of Virko, the activities in Yamon Soul, and Meldorath’s moves from the shadows. This made the book a bit boring, despite the interesting characters that kept me interested enough to turn to the next page.
Nonetheless, despite the effort placed in world-building, some details threw me out of the fictional world Tysz is creating. Though an author draws inspiration from their own experience, the use of a complex historical concept such as “fascism” seems like an oversimplification that feels foreign in the context of the novel.
For these reasons, I rate The Fires of Virko three out of four stars. It is compelling, and I think any fan of high fantasy will enjoy the series very much. It is not intended as a young adult novel, and the presence of gore and more sensitive subjects, such as rape, would make it unsuitable for a younger audience or those who feel uncomfortable with these topics.
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We are Voulhire: The Fires of Virko
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
The industrial city of Voulhire, Virko, is the scenario of the second book in Matthew Tysz's series. Lord Vaden lies on his death bed and leaves his son Hans in charge of the city at a time when the future is uncertain. Unaware, Galen heads toward this city with his friends looking for a supply of iron for the forge his father left him. Meanwhile, Meldorath moves from the shadows to gain power and influence before the king notices he is free.
As the second installment in a larger story, Matthew Tysz writes a book that continues the series while working as a stand-alone novel. The plot is interesting and engaging while providing bits and pieces of information that seem unrelated, but connect with the previous book and, I suspect, with future books also.
The Fires of Virko also sets the tone for the series; while the first book did have allusions to sensitive subjects, The fires of Virko is not scared to delve deeper and more explicitly into mature and sensitive topics and events. Though this may be off-putting to some readers, I value books that explore the darker side of human emotions, actions, and their consequences.
On that same note, the main characters have a layer of complexity that I find intriguing. They are not one-dimensional and, though not all motivations are explicit they seemed moved by goals beyond what they tell the reader or each other. Even when the action was slower, the characters kept me engaged and interested.
However, some things did bother me about the characters. Galen, despite seemingly being the protagonist in the series, seems far too naïve to be from a place crippled by endless war. It is a characteristic that is mentioned often, and I find it unrealistic that a person that has lived in a warzone most of his life is so trusting and ingenious.
The pacing of the story is slow and only picks up towards the end. Most of the book involves world-building and exploring the political and social tension in the city of Virko, the activities in Yamon Soul, and Meldorath’s moves from the shadows. This made the book a bit boring, despite the interesting characters that kept me interested enough to turn to the next page.
Nonetheless, despite the effort placed in world-building, some details threw me out of the fictional world Tysz is creating. Though an author draws inspiration from their own experience, the use of a complex historical concept such as “fascism” seems like an oversimplification that feels foreign in the context of the novel.
For these reasons, I rate The Fires of Virko three out of four stars. It is compelling, and I think any fan of high fantasy will enjoy the series very much. It is not intended as a young adult novel, and the presence of gore and more sensitive subjects, such as rape, would make it unsuitable for a younger audience or those who feel uncomfortable with these topics.
******
We are Voulhire: The Fires of Virko
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: We are Voulhire: The Fires of Virko by Matthew Tysz
