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A Story of Sorrow #2
A Story of Sorrow: Book 2: The Unburied
Unburied and hungry!
After narrowly escaping persecution by the Church, Sorrow and his men flee to a new city. Landing in Ayr, they quickly find themselves in trouble, thanks to one crew member's lust for murder.
Another lucrative offer gives Sorrow an escape before the city guard can round them all up. A brutal conflict has the mercenaries of the world scrambling towards a mountain range aptly named the Borderlands.
And with war comes spoils and plenty of it. But, in those craggy hills, something else lurks, craving death. Something that was unburied and has a taste for human flesh.
Will Sorrow and his men strike it rich, or barely escape with their heads?
After narrowly escaping persecution by the Church, Sorrow and his men flee to a new city. Landing in Ayr, they quickly find themselves in trouble, thanks to one crew member's lust for murder.
Another lucrative offer gives Sorrow an escape before the city guard can round them all up. A brutal conflict has the mercenaries of the world scrambling towards a mountain range aptly named the Borderlands.
And with war comes spoils and plenty of it. But, in those craggy hills, something else lurks, craving death. Something that was unburied and has a taste for human flesh.
Will Sorrow and his men strike it rich, or barely escape with their heads?
123 pages, Paperback
Published July 31, 2023
10 people are currently reading
76 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
November 12, 2023
I wish I could say it was as good as the first, but it just wasn't. It seemed light on the plot specific to this book, and felt more like a disjointed collection of things happening. Also a lot of repetition of certain elements that really wasn't necessary - felt like more of a word count padding. I haven't seen these issues with previous DJV books. That being said, there was plot development for what I assume will take place in Book 3 and the character development was excellent. Still a good premise and this one really sank into fantasy elements more than the first which I enjoyed.
December 6, 2023
As the Journey Continues
The master swordsman Sorrow continues his journey with the band of mercenaries on a stolen church ship. When they reach the shore they seek food, shelter, comfort and to sell items from the church ship for funds until the ladies of the night start dying. One of their own is accused of murder, and the men flee to their ship to seek a less "hostile" location. When they do, they get more than a chance to enrich themselves.
This book is less about Sorrow and more about movement and discovery. Of course there's awesome action. This book is just a down and dirty fantasy-adventure book. It's fun and quick paced which is what you want from a series like this.
Straight and to the point we follow Sorrow as he watches the young mercenary and the darkness he sees in him. And at the end of the book there's another epilogue/interlude that is Sorrow's journal/inner thoughts that share his ponderings.
The master swordsman Sorrow continues his journey with the band of mercenaries on a stolen church ship. When they reach the shore they seek food, shelter, comfort and to sell items from the church ship for funds until the ladies of the night start dying. One of their own is accused of murder, and the men flee to their ship to seek a less "hostile" location. When they do, they get more than a chance to enrich themselves.
This book is less about Sorrow and more about movement and discovery. Of course there's awesome action. This book is just a down and dirty fantasy-adventure book. It's fun and quick paced which is what you want from a series like this.
Straight and to the point we follow Sorrow as he watches the young mercenary and the darkness he sees in him. And at the end of the book there's another epilogue/interlude that is Sorrow's journal/inner thoughts that share his ponderings.
November 10, 2024
I love anything that features hellish beasts and black hearted men. The Grimdark language though, I could've done without but that's my only critique. It is the setting the book is in, I get that. As a woman I could do without it but the fight scenes and dark nature of the men make up for that. Every book in this series is better.
Overall enjoyment:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Prose: ⭐️⭐️
Pacing: fast
Scary: not
Gore: 🩸🩸🩸🩸
Character Development:
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Atmosphere:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Overall enjoyment:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Prose: ⭐️⭐️
Pacing: fast
Scary: not
Gore: 🩸🩸🩸🩸
Character Development:
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Atmosphere:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 10, 2023
Actually read this like a week ago and now it’s finally on Goodreads. Anyways this book was fantastic. I loved that it was the same crew from book 1 on a bit of a different trip, and the little psycho in their crew is making for a good addition to the story. I’m wondering if they’ll accept his behavior or try to eliminate him eventually. I guess we’ll see what happens with this queen lady! And same with the first book, I so wish it was longer
December 31, 2023
Book two starts off running and doesn't stop until the last page. While this series doesn't have extensive world building like you'd find in other fantasy books, you're still whisked away to a bloody dangerous world with characters that leap off the pages and a creature made of nightmares.
I can hear this in my mind and it's gag inducing:
"Like a rotten melon falling from a roof, the sound of his bursting skull echoed off the rocks."
I'll be hearing this in my mind for a long time:
"A gaping circular mouth, lined with hellish teeth, cried a death wail."
I can hear this in my mind and it's gag inducing:
"Like a rotten melon falling from a roof, the sound of his bursting skull echoed off the rocks."
I'll be hearing this in my mind for a long time:
"A gaping circular mouth, lined with hellish teeth, cried a death wail."
March 17, 2025
They fled the Church. They cheated death. But the mountains don’t forgive.
Sorrow and his crew have always lived on the edge of a blade—running, fighting, killing, surviving. When a war in the Borderlands promises riches beyond imagining, they charge headfirst into the carnage, ready to carve out their fortune. But the battlefield isn’t the only thing hungry for blood.
There are things older than war lurking in those jagged peaks. Something ancient. Something that should have stayed buried. It does not fear steel. It does not bargain. It only feeds.
This book doesn’t just grip you—it drags you through the mud, the blood, and the horror of a world where survival is never guaranteed. Every clash of steel, every desperate gamble, every pulse-pounding second pulls you deeper into a nightmare where men are just meat, and the real war isn’t fought with swords. The monster? It’s not just terrifying. It’s unknowable, relentless, a thing of madness and hunger that twists through the pages like a fever dream.
Splatterpunk fantasy at its most ferocious—vicious, unflinching, and soaked in terror. If you crave dark fantasy with a pulse-pounding, flesh-ripping edge, this one delivers in spades. Now, there’s no turning back—I’m diving straight into book three.
Sorrow and his crew have always lived on the edge of a blade—running, fighting, killing, surviving. When a war in the Borderlands promises riches beyond imagining, they charge headfirst into the carnage, ready to carve out their fortune. But the battlefield isn’t the only thing hungry for blood.
There are things older than war lurking in those jagged peaks. Something ancient. Something that should have stayed buried. It does not fear steel. It does not bargain. It only feeds.
This book doesn’t just grip you—it drags you through the mud, the blood, and the horror of a world where survival is never guaranteed. Every clash of steel, every desperate gamble, every pulse-pounding second pulls you deeper into a nightmare where men are just meat, and the real war isn’t fought with swords. The monster? It’s not just terrifying. It’s unknowable, relentless, a thing of madness and hunger that twists through the pages like a fever dream.
Splatterpunk fantasy at its most ferocious—vicious, unflinching, and soaked in terror. If you crave dark fantasy with a pulse-pounding, flesh-ripping edge, this one delivers in spades. Now, there’s no turning back—I’m diving straight into book three.
September 18, 2023
The further adventures of Sorrow and his band of mercenary misfits finds them mired in the murky morass that is the town of Ayr , a den of iniquity, filth and corruption. Needless to say, things only get worse from here! Lured into an ongoing civil war in the quest for easy riches (and heads!) our motley crew face unspeakable foes and mortal peril. The middle volume of a trilogy there is a slight slackening of pace as the series builds to a spectacular denouement but remains compulsively readable. 4 and 1/2 *s.
August 24, 2024
Part two of Daniel Volpe’s grimdark fantasy series is just as bloody and exciting as the first. There’s a killer on the loose in the streets of Ayr, a secret meeting with a mysterious queen, and an indestructible monster in the mountains. Volpe has a great writing style that, to me anyway, rivals some of the best in the fantasy genre, with the added grotesque imagery of the best in horror. I highly recommend this series even if you’re not a fan of fantasy. You’ll still enjoy the characters and gore.
August 5, 2023
Full review at The Mort Report:
https://www.uncomfortablydark.com/the...
There are different opinions about this, but do you know the quickest way to a man’s heart?
Some would say it is through his stomach, some would say it is through his dick. I think it was Nanny Ogg who said that it was with a sharp knife between the second and third rib.
Whatever you may believe, it doesn’t have anything to do with this story. Because Daniel Volpe knows for a fact that the quickest way to a monster’s heart is through his mouth. Which happens to be in his stomach…
Having difficulty with this mental image – look at the damn cover!
And yet, Volpe actually makes it work.
So buckle up, sharpen your sword and go on another adventure with Sorrow and his crew.
The second Splatter-fantasy will make you wish you could get your hands on the third one as soon as possible, so make haste and devour it like your mouth is in your belly!
5 Stars!
https://www.uncomfortablydark.com/the...
There are different opinions about this, but do you know the quickest way to a man’s heart?
Some would say it is through his stomach, some would say it is through his dick. I think it was Nanny Ogg who said that it was with a sharp knife between the second and third rib.
Whatever you may believe, it doesn’t have anything to do with this story. Because Daniel Volpe knows for a fact that the quickest way to a monster’s heart is through his mouth. Which happens to be in his stomach…
Having difficulty with this mental image – look at the damn cover!
And yet, Volpe actually makes it work.
So buckle up, sharpen your sword and go on another adventure with Sorrow and his crew.
The second Splatter-fantasy will make you wish you could get your hands on the third one as soon as possible, so make haste and devour it like your mouth is in your belly!
5 Stars!
January 16, 2024
5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Sorrows adventures have ventured to the city of Ayr, and it's very short-lived with murders and chaos happening. This was a great sequel to the first book. Loved the characters. Q to book 3.
Sorrows adventures have ventured to the city of Ayr, and it's very short-lived with murders and chaos happening. This was a great sequel to the first book. Loved the characters. Q to book 3.
January 26, 2024
Really loving this series. Reminds me of an adult version of the Demonata series. I do wish this book was a little longer and that there would have been more to the beast.
I’m really excited to see what happens with Fin. On to the next
I’m really excited to see what happens with Fin. On to the next
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 6, 2024
Fantastic sequel!
Really enjoyed this sequel to Sorrows macabre take and am eager to read the next book! Daniel is, as always, a fantastic story teller and you will not be disappointed by this one!
Really enjoyed this sequel to Sorrows macabre take and am eager to read the next book! Daniel is, as always, a fantastic story teller and you will not be disappointed by this one!
January 26, 2025
An excellent continuation of the story of sorrow.
Again, a great fast paced hack and slash adventure. Simply great entertainment. Well written, great characters and freaky ass monsters keep you turning those pages and reaching for the next installment. Bring on part 3!
Again, a great fast paced hack and slash adventure. Simply great entertainment. Well written, great characters and freaky ass monsters keep you turning those pages and reaching for the next installment. Bring on part 3!
August 22, 2023
This was a little slow compared to the first book. It's definitely more setting up the story for book number 3. It picks up at about 60-65%.
August 22, 2023
Loved this book as much as the first in the series. Can’t wait to get my hands on book number 3!
December 17, 2023
Not as good as the first one, but still highly entertaining. 3.5 stars
June 5, 2024
❤️🖤 I fucking love Sorrow!! 🖤❤️
Only one book left and I am already sad. On to the 3rd book.
Happy Reading and Splatter On.....
Only one book left and I am already sad. On to the 3rd book.
Happy Reading and Splatter On.....
December 12, 2025
I was so excited for the sequel to this one. As we follow Sorrow and his crew and they do gain another member as they go on with their journey. The thing I highly enjoyed with this was the story just continued on, there was no long drawn out sections dragging the action down.
December 9, 2023
Another amazing entry in Sorrow’s journey.
In Ayr murder & mayhem abound and the men are forced to flee. In the Borderlands war and a monster also wreak havoc, leaving Sorrow & his sellswords to clean up the mess.
I just love this brutal fantasy series. It’s so gritty and dark, it really reminds me of another favourite series of mine, “The Nicci Chronicles” by Terry Goodkind.
Can’t wait to read Book 3!!!
In Ayr murder & mayhem abound and the men are forced to flee. In the Borderlands war and a monster also wreak havoc, leaving Sorrow & his sellswords to clean up the mess.
I just love this brutal fantasy series. It’s so gritty and dark, it really reminds me of another favourite series of mine, “The Nicci Chronicles” by Terry Goodkind.
Can’t wait to read Book 3!!!
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews