Blood & Fire

V-Wars: Chronicles of the Vampire Wars #2

by Jonathan Maberry (Editor), Kevin J. Anderson, Scott Sigler

It's been one year since a virus triggered junk DNA and people all over the world started changing. Becoming something else. Craving blood. It's been ten months since the word 'vampire' stopped being something from old monster stories and Hollywood movies. It's been six months since our world and theirs erupted into war. It's been two months since an uneasy peace was signed. It's been one hour since that peace was shattered. The war is here again. The vampire war. Our world will burn. Our world will bleed! When anyone can turn, when every street is a battlefield, there is nowhere to run! V Wars: Blood and Fire features all new stories of the Vampire Wars by Kevin J. Anderson, Scott Sigler, Larry Corriea, Joe McKinney, Nancy Holder, Yvonne Navarro, Weston Ochse, James A. Moore, and Jonathan Maberry.

Genres: Horror, Vampires, Audiobook, Short Stories, Paranormal, Science Fiction, Fiction

304 pages, Hardcover

First published November 6, 2014

About the author

JONATHAN MABERRY is a NYTimes bestselling author, #1 Audible bestseller, 5-time Bram Stoker Award-winner, 4-time Scribe Award winner, Inkpot Award winner, comic book writer, and producer. He is the author of more than 50 novels, 190 short stories, 16 short story collections, 30 graphic novels, 14 nonfiction books, and has edited 26 anthologies. His vampire apocalypse book series, V-WARS, was a Netflix original series starring Ian Somerhalder. His 2009-10 run as writer on the Black Panther comic formed a large chunk of the recent blockbuster film, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. His bestselling YA zombie series, Rot & Ruin is in development for film at Alcon Entertainment; and John Wick director, Chad Stahelski, is developing Jonathan’s Joe Ledger Thrillers for TV. Jonathan writes in multiple genres including suspense, thriller, horror, science fiction, epic fantasy, and action; and he writes for adults, teens and middle grade. His works include The Pine Deep Trilogy, The Kagen the Damned Trilogy, NecroTek, Ink, Glimpse, the Rot & Ruin series, the Dead of Night series, The Wolfman, X-Files Origins: Devil’s Advocate, The Sleepers War (with Weston Ochse), Mars One, and many others. He is the editor of high-profile anthologies including Weird Tales: 100 Years of Weird, The X-Files, Aliens: Bug Hunt, Out of Tune, Don’t Turn out the Lights: A Tribute to Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, Baker Street Irregulars, Nights of the Living Dead, Shadows & Verse, and others. His comics include Marvel Zombies Return, The Punisher: Naked Kills, Wolverine: Ghosts, Godzilla vs Cthulhu: Death May Die, Bad Blood and many others. Jonathan has written in many popular licensed worlds, including Hellboy, True Blood, The Wolfman, John Carter of Mars, Sherlock Holmes, C.H.U.D., Diablo IV, Deadlands, World of Warcraft, Planet of the Apes, Aliens, Predator, Karl Kolchak, and many others. He the president of the International Association of Media Tie-in Writers, and the editor of Weird Tales Magazine. He lives in San Diego, California. Find him online at www.jonathanmaberry.com

Reviews

[Stacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

VWars: Blood and Fire is the second installment in the VWars series, edited and co-authored by New York Times bestselling author Jonathan Maberry, featuring such talented writers as Kevin J. Anderson, Larry Correia, Joe McKinney, James A. Moore, Yvonne Navarro, Weston Ochse, and Scott Sigler. The book is set up in a manner reminiscent of World War Z, in which the reader is treated to snippets of the escalating battle between the “Beats” (humans) and the “Bloods” (vampires). No need to worry if you haven’t read the first one (though I do recommend the first installment): the anthology is character-driven, engaging, and sucks the reader in from the first page.

My favorite installments included “The Enemy Within,” a solid entry from Yvonne Navarro, who introduces us to Mooney, a vampire uncomfortable with her new status. She becomes immersed in local vamp infighting. Mooney is an intriguing character, and this story will have you hoping that Mooney gets her own novel someday.

“War Torn,” the piece from James A. Moore, creates an engaging voice in Johnny Lei. Lei is empathetic, and you’ll find yourself rooting for the misunderstood vampire, until he reminds you that first and foremost, he is a predator.

Scott Sigler’s “The Hippo” is a fascinating piece about a serial killer hunting amid the vampire wars. This was probably my favorite story in the book—it finally let the reader get a glimpse of reporter Yuki Nitobe, who is mentioned in several other pieces, plus, it reminds the reader that not all of the monsters in this book are vampires. Humans are capable of some pretty awful things, too.

Finally, Maberry’s “Monsters in the Dark” is a brilliant character portrait of a vampire that is intriguing, opens up new questions, and leaves the reader wanting more.

Overall, VWars: Blood & Fire showcased some fabulous writers, kept me turning the pages, and got me excited about the next collection.

[Brent Soderstrum · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the 2nd book of the four part anthology series by Maberry and 7 other writers. After the first volume had ended with a truce the V-Wars started up again with more intensity. I enjoyed this one even more then the first because each story by each writer wasn't broken up by other stories as they were in the first book. Yes, Maberry would have a short 3-4 pages separating the parts of each writer's story but there wasn't 3 or 4 stories going at the same time.

Also this volume was much more graphic of the torture that was inflicted by the vampires and werewolves and even the humans. Plus, not all vampires were evil. The scenes in Manifest Destiny in which the Native Americans tortured, raped and killed one of the good vampire's family was pretty gruesome.

At the end of this book the Vampires were becoming more organized under their new leader Charlemagne. The humans were also unveiling their secret weapon which they were convinced would end the vampire race for good.

Looking forward to the next volume.

[Amy Braun · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first time in the V-Wars universe and it started off with a bang. The first story quickly established what I was going to be in for, and I still didn’t find myself prepared. This is a gory collection with stories from vampires, humans, and creatures in between. It is not shy about its bloody content, even going to some hard extremes, yet I did enjoy most of the stories.

I won’t go into detail about every story, since most of them were divided into about three parts to keep with the current timeline, but I will say the quality is there. These writers are experience and let their imaginations run wild in this vampire universe.

Though I did find some of the stories to be a bit more graphic than I would have liked, I did enjoy most o them. Especially The Hippo, but the always glorious Scott Sigler.

All in all, if you’re a fan of these authors, vampires, and blood-drenched stories with graphic violence and varieties of vampire lore, this is an anthology for you!

[WendyB · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bloody, messy, violent, full of vampires and werewolves... need I say more?

[David Vinther · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really good follow up to the first book in the series. Continued some of the stories from the first while introducing some new authors and their spin on the main storyline made for a good mix of the familiar and the new. While none of the segments were bad some were kind of incomplete, with the story resuming in the next book. Some of the segments were really cool and I would've liked an entire book featuring the characters in those segments, especially the draugr in Weston Ochse's segment. I love everything Jonathan Maberry writes, and Scott Sigler is my favorite author, so this book was an easy sell for me. I really look forward to the next installment.

[Wendy Bocock · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the author line-up! Some of my favorite authors are represented here. Awesome stories - can't wait for the next book in the series!

[Stacy Kingsley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a compilation of stories after the V-Wars first happened. V-Wars was the first book, and there is also a graphic novel. This was a compilation from several authors and it was several different stories revolving around the introduction of vampires, werewolves, and how humans interact with them.

I enjoyed most of the stories, especially "The Hippo" by Scott Sigler and "Apocalypse Tango" by Jonathan Maberry. I felt that both had complete ideas, and in "The Hippo" I enjoyed the idea that the main character didn't know the truth about his life, and I enjoyed how the story ended, leaving me with the knowledge that he didn't know.

As a compilation of several short stories, I did feel that I was a little bit behind the curve on this one as I have not read V-Wars, and I don't know how the "change" started, or how it was addressed. I also felt that some of the characters I should have had more information for, especially since it felt that I should know more about them. I wanted a of backstory for more of the characters, this didn't seem as if it were actually something that could be a standalone. The other issue I had was that these stories, a lot of them, didn't have an ending, so I am not sure if I am waiting for another book, or what is going on with this.

I did enjoy the idea that the stories followed different characters, and that there were several different types of vampires. In fact, the idea behind the different types of vampires was interesting, especially in the vampires who had special skills and weren't just "bloodsuckers" like what one would expect. The werewolves could have been developed a little better, as there were only a few scenes with the vampires.

If it weren't for the different types of Vampires, and the character of Swann (written by Jonathan Maberry), I might have given up. In all honesty I wanted to love this more than I did, but only a few stories and characters stood out, mostly I was bummed that most of the stories didn't have a clear conclusion.

I'd also like to add, if you are writing military speak in a novel for anyone, maybe there are some things you want to describe as most civi's won't know what you are referring to. Otherwise, The Hippo was a great, fascinating character, and Swann, I want to see what he does in the future.

[Livey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a continuation of V Wars in that it is almost a year later and the some of the different types of vampires are now transforming into wolves. Again depending on where your genetic ancestry places you when you get to closed to the virus. So the war starts up again with some horrific acts and the main characters who live through the first sporadic fighting now have to choose a side. The newly mutated human and getting smarter and faster. They bided their time a will text when i am not driving have joined teams some assisting humans other assisting themselves into food and places to live and hunt. The worst part is the press leads everyone into a world of speculative reporting that makes the situation worse. Some stories are better than others but overall they’ve come together to present a very scary picture.

[RJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

The V Event is in full swing. The selected character’s stories continue as they realize what they are, confronting, choosing, and/or abhorring the options to survive. The vampire’s legendary enemy, the werewolf, entered the conflict to give the vampires something to worry about. Maberry’s Pine Deep even made an appearance. As in other conflicts throughout history, some wanted the war, and those who resisted were confident that the problems affected only a small percentage of the population, not worthy of a full-scale war. The morality tug of war played a significant part in this volume. Were the vampires monsters or were they people with a disease? The stories were interesting and gave different points of view on the conflict. One tale was quite gory. My favorite would be Yvonne Navarro’s Mooney in “The Enemy Within”. I wanted more of the vampires organizing, the new vampire’s court, and its leader Charlemagne. I imagine it will be in volume three.

[Alexandra Kaupisch · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good read, pulls you in on the first page (very nice to start with a familiar character). It is a much more gritty and gory read in comparison to the first book. The clear line of vampire vs human becomes more and more muddled when a second supernatural group asserts its presence. And as always there are some right-wing nutters on each side wreaking havoc.
As was mentioned in other reviews, this book can be read without the first but I would not recommend it. There are quite some stories that start in the first book and are being picked up in the second book, showing quite different developments for the new vampires during the 2 V-wars.

[Lu · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

This is a extremely hard book to rate. The first few stories were fantastic, I especially liked 'The Enemy Within'. It was interesting being back in the V-Wars world, but then in the middle things got boring, which is bearable. However, the last few stories were violent. Not that violence bothers me. It was the type of violence, unnecessary violence. I am also not a fan of rape-driven-plots. And then there was one plot line that seemed a bit silly to me: The Hippo talking to his gun and his gun talking back.

[Severina · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second anthology book in the V-Wars series picks up shortly before the start of the second V-War, as tensions continue to rise between the vampires and the humans. Editor Maberry anchors the story with his high-level view of the conflict through the eyes of Dr. Luther Swann, while various other authors deal with stories at street level. There were only two characters whose tales I didn’t care for, so the plus ratio is pretty high. Some might be annoyed by the unfinished (not cliffhanger) endings, but to me they felt appropriate to the point in the story we’re at.

[Evan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think the second volume was my favorite and I finished it in 2 days. Unlike the first volume, these stories do a better job of staying on the same story arc and timeline. I think the reader has no idea what is really going on inside the vampire court, but maybe that is because I am listening to it as an audiobook. I can't understand the Rancid angle.

[Ernesto I. Ramirez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting stories about the change of humanity when they have to deal with the population turning into something else, each story show either the political, ethical, moral, or human situation of either side.

We all have a monster inside, but even monsters can keep their humanity.

I need to read the previous and the following one.

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was good! Sci-fi, horror but with stories and plausible ideas that could just maybe…. 🤔 nah! There is even humor. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was so spot on I felt like I was watching a movie with the audio description on.
I recommend the audiobook.
Yes I will be checking out the next books in the series and other books by this author.

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very creative and grounded take on vampire stories in modern day, similar to what World War Z did for zombies.

I love the interconnected anthology pacing of the short stories, with interesting characters throughout that were always a delight to return to.

Keen to jump into the others in this series. Definitely a good read.

[Femisapien · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read

The first book was all about the science and politics. This is all about the terror and war.
Easy to read and fun for the gore lover, although the main characters remain little developed and less interesting than the “monsters”.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Hippo is hands down the best story in this book. All of the stories are fantastic and I love all the tie ins and continuity between Yuki and Luther than run throughout. All of these stories are great and the authors are all masters of their craft.

[Floyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read out of order - I started the 1st book just after finishing this volume. Enjoyed it very much. The authors each tackle the themes and setting uniquely. Characters are interesting and while I wasn't wow'ed, I was thoroughly engaged and entertained.

[Edward Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good quick read of short stories based upon the ever expanding V-Wars world. Some bright spots, some low spots but overall a great set of tales in the vampire apocalypse.

[Kash Hatton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some interesting stories and worth the read overall, but does not live up to the standards set by the previous books in the series.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

I gave this one 5 stars not only bc it's a good book, but mostly bc it quotes the movie "Monster Squad." I love that movie, even if it is cheesy AF! 🤣

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as the first book.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Enjoyed this one a bit more than volume 1. Dang cliffhanger ending means gotta go find volume 3.

[Monique · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another good collection of short stories about the V-Wars. This novel follows numerous characters who are trying to survive after another V-war starts. The stories are mostly told from vampire POVs (as their unique power makes them more interesting than humans) but a few feature human perspectives. A few major powers are rising (both human and vampire) that could change the face of the world and the war.

This novel was slightly better than V-Wars as the format was better and it felt more polished. My favorite stories were, again, by Jonathan Maberry as he is one of my favourite authors. Novel was very American, as in most of the stories were located in the USA. This did bother me initially but it makes sense in book 4.

As I write this review I am in the middle of the last novel in the series, V-Wars: Shockwaves, and I can finally see how all four novels blend perfectly into a nice, complete plot.

Overall a good novel I would recommend to vampire fans.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Normally I hate short stories. But these are very good. Incomplete, but good. I hope they will do more.

[Sheila · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too much gore, too much macho posturing, not enough character and plot

[Jonathan Ayala · Rating 5 out of 5]

(read through LIBBY APP)

[Christian · Rating 1 out of 5]

I hate giving books one star and actually the stories in this were really good, but were set out in such a strange way that I felt like I was reading the book wrong.

[Doug · Rating 2 out of 5]

Stories are hot or miss, though Maberry’s are generally very good. The concept continues to be interesting, but the scope feels limited. Had to skip over several parts, which were worse because they were irrelevant to the plot. Should come with trigger warning.