Review by tafta -- We are Voulhire: The Fires of Virko

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tafta
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Review by tafta -- We are Voulhire: The Fires of Virko

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[Following is a volunteer review of "We are Voulhire: The Fires of Virko" by Matthew Tysz.]
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4 out of 4 stars
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This is a book that is deep fantasy. Creatures from the underworld, deep magic act interfering with the lives of mankind. Evil forces threatening to take over the nation of Voulhire. In We are Voulhire: The Fires of Virko by Matthew Tysz, Hans Vrelek nicknamed Folcro from his youth and son of the Lord of Virko is involved in the supernatural world of magic. There is tension in Virko. The sovereign powers of the Lord in governing Virko are being handed over to the captains of industry and commerce in the most industrialised city of Voulhire. The founding Lord of Virko, Lord Vrelek, is dying of cancer when Galen and Rowan alongside Dimitri, a monk, arrive from Magnum Caelum seeking iron. They urgently need to make weapons to defend their town against national rivals, Riva Rohavi. As a return of the favour of arranging for iron for the blacksmith and his entourage, Lord Vrelek asks for cleansing of his dark house. The monk goes about executing the dying Lord Vrelek's request. They encounter Sod the demon bound to the house by Folcro. Kayden, Folcro's childhood friend who he presently abhors is highly suspicious of Folcro and tries to investigate him. Meanwhile, the Eiodi of Yamon Soul, the religious leader of Voulhire investigate a magic mineral in Hillport and unknowingly encounter Meldorath the feared magician. In Virko, working to free and vanquish Sod, Dominic in his ignorance of what he was up against unleashes hungry numerous demons under Sod's command onto the city of Virko. There is a massive massacre until Lord Dragan settles Sod into working with Kayden to govern Virko and its survivors.

Meldorath visits Yamon Soul and challenges the Eiodi, his superior magic causes Eiodi Casper to vanish from this earth. Dimitri seeking a greater power to exorcise the demons in Virko finds the City of Yamon Soul in mourning and a new Eiodi has assumed office. there is nothing to do but wait. King Wilhelm of Voulhire is unaware of the evils that have befallen his nation, especially that of the cunning Magician he imprisoned, Meldorath.

In most books I read, stories end with evil being overcome by good. This book is different. It is a heralding of perilous times to come. Evil is erupting from all angles. I am one for happily ever after endings but there is none of that in this book. Evil is taking over territory. It is fantasy, but it has great bearing on the real world. People taking it upon themselves to act experimentally and knowing fully well that things can very easily go out of control. This is exactly what the character of Folcro did, playing games of power and meddling with the power-hungry and the demon world. Then there was the character of Dimitri. He is keeping his word and cleansing the Rendenhide the dark house. He intents to do good but he is ill-informed and his actions cost many people their lives. He also cannot get help from where he expected. How typical it all is to the world we live in today. People in power and position causing sufferings death and turmoil in their victims' lives. People who we count on being incapable of helping or defending us when a real need arises. Positions of power and authority being taken over by evil beings. I found myself drifting to all those serious issues of this world because of the gravity of the events in the book. It is the power of the book, drawing emotion and insight.

Matthew Tysz in We are Voulhire: The Fires of Virko shows great creativity. The book befits its sci-fi genre. Spiritual creatures, magicians and superhuman activities are the order of the day in the book. Some of the occurrences in the book are quite horrific, for example, citizens of Virko being devoured by demons. It brings mental pictures that are not for the faint-hearted. In this light, I would therefore not recommend the book to children. I have come across some lighthearted portions in the book, an example being in the character of Alabaster, Meldorath's mentor. The book is therefore not all grave and serious, it contains a bit of comedy to lighten the story.

The story in We are Voulhire: The Fires of Virko is short and to the point. I liked very much that the author goes straight to the point and delivers his story. The title of the books depicts what is in the book. There are subplots but there is no mistake that the story centres on Virko. I liked the clarity and precision. I did not like the 'bad guys' triumphing over the good simply because I am a happy endings person. I do understand though that the good had their weaknesses. On the whole, I enjoyed reading the very well-edited book. I will happily rate it the 4 out of 4 stars that it deserves. I have found the book to be a worthy read and rating it less would be an injustice. It is a stand-alone book and can be read as such though it is a part of a series of books by the same author.

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We are Voulhire: The Fires of Virko
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