Review by Nokkela -- We are Voulhire: The Fires of Virko
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Nokkela
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Review by Nokkela -- We are Voulhire: The Fires of Virko
[Following is a volunteer review of "We are Voulhire: The Fires of Virko" by Matthew Tysz.]
4 out of 4 stars
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Virko is a city where industry reigns supreme, sprung up from the barren plains around a mysterious castle and grown to previously unseen and prosperous heights within only a few decades. Its smokestacks fill the sky, pumping black ash into the air as the factories churn industriously. Now, as it's lord enters his final days, he is pushing to make Virko a city ruled by capitalism with only a token proxy in place to represent the king. Mysterious as the castle itself and known for his solitude, the lord's son has much darker plans.
Meanwhile, in the wake of the disastrous raid by the Riva Rahavi, Galen is making his way to Virko in an effort to secure shipments of iron for his smithy so that he can give back to the quiet coastal town he views as his savior. His plans are quickly derailed by the darkness long fermenting in the city.
We are Voulhire: The Fires of Virko is the second installment by Michael Tysz in his Voulhire series and it far surpasses his initial foray in terms of both writing and story-telling. While there is still much in the way of world building as Galen himself ventures further into Voulhire and we get glimpses of the previously mysterious Eiodi, this book focuses much more on events that are quickly working their way from a slow simmer to a full boil in Voulhire.
I absolutely adored the first book for all that it was not perfect. It showcased what I suspected to be a writer who would blossom and grow as he continued writing and I am happy to report that he has delivered. Gone is the sometimes stiff, awkward and childish phrasing that dotted the first book and, with the book venturing into a city proper for more than a short visit, the anachronistic seeming speech is less confusing. The strange combination of what I perceive to be steampunk era tech and more modern understanding of anatomy and medicine that fits in with the roaring 20s picture Virko presents combines excellently with sword and sorcery in this book.
Despite the much more fluid prose, the characters in the book still seem to have individual voices within the writing. My only gripe with this book was how abruptly it ended! I do not mind cliff-hangers but this one startled me with its suddenness and left me feeling like I had missed something or was missing pages.
That aside, this book was phenomenal, even if not compared to the first, and I would have to give it 4 out of 4 stars. The improvement in writing, the wonderful descriptions, the often morbid darkness in which only Galen seems to shine like a tiny light of hope weave a marvelous story that I will probably read again in the near future - but not until I have read the rest!
This book is not for the faint of heart, however. Once again, fans of darker series like Game of Thrones or even the seeming hopelessness of Robin Hobb's Assassin series will find things to enjoy here. I honestly have not read much else like this book and while I certainly read a lot, I seem to have avoided most things in this vein somehow though, as long as one isn't fixated on stories having female main characters, fans of the Facets of Fyrie series by Zoe Parker might also find enjoyment here.
My only remaining note is that, if possible, this book seemed even better edited than the first.
******
We are Voulhire: The Fires of Virko
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4 out of 4 stars
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Virko is a city where industry reigns supreme, sprung up from the barren plains around a mysterious castle and grown to previously unseen and prosperous heights within only a few decades. Its smokestacks fill the sky, pumping black ash into the air as the factories churn industriously. Now, as it's lord enters his final days, he is pushing to make Virko a city ruled by capitalism with only a token proxy in place to represent the king. Mysterious as the castle itself and known for his solitude, the lord's son has much darker plans.
Meanwhile, in the wake of the disastrous raid by the Riva Rahavi, Galen is making his way to Virko in an effort to secure shipments of iron for his smithy so that he can give back to the quiet coastal town he views as his savior. His plans are quickly derailed by the darkness long fermenting in the city.
We are Voulhire: The Fires of Virko is the second installment by Michael Tysz in his Voulhire series and it far surpasses his initial foray in terms of both writing and story-telling. While there is still much in the way of world building as Galen himself ventures further into Voulhire and we get glimpses of the previously mysterious Eiodi, this book focuses much more on events that are quickly working their way from a slow simmer to a full boil in Voulhire.
I absolutely adored the first book for all that it was not perfect. It showcased what I suspected to be a writer who would blossom and grow as he continued writing and I am happy to report that he has delivered. Gone is the sometimes stiff, awkward and childish phrasing that dotted the first book and, with the book venturing into a city proper for more than a short visit, the anachronistic seeming speech is less confusing. The strange combination of what I perceive to be steampunk era tech and more modern understanding of anatomy and medicine that fits in with the roaring 20s picture Virko presents combines excellently with sword and sorcery in this book.
Despite the much more fluid prose, the characters in the book still seem to have individual voices within the writing. My only gripe with this book was how abruptly it ended! I do not mind cliff-hangers but this one startled me with its suddenness and left me feeling like I had missed something or was missing pages.
That aside, this book was phenomenal, even if not compared to the first, and I would have to give it 4 out of 4 stars. The improvement in writing, the wonderful descriptions, the often morbid darkness in which only Galen seems to shine like a tiny light of hope weave a marvelous story that I will probably read again in the near future - but not until I have read the rest!
This book is not for the faint of heart, however. Once again, fans of darker series like Game of Thrones or even the seeming hopelessness of Robin Hobb's Assassin series will find things to enjoy here. I honestly have not read much else like this book and while I certainly read a lot, I seem to have avoided most things in this vein somehow though, as long as one isn't fixated on stories having female main characters, fans of the Facets of Fyrie series by Zoe Parker might also find enjoyment here.
My only remaining note is that, if possible, this book seemed even better edited than the first.
******
We are Voulhire: The Fires of Virko
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like Nokkela's review? Post a comment saying so!
