We are Voulhire: The Fires of Virko

We Are Voulhire #2

by Matthew Tysz

While Galen continues to find his place in his new home, the opportunity for a next big step is calling from deeper in the kingdom.

In the heartland of Voulhire lies the heart of Voulhire's economy: the industrial powerhouse of Virko. There, smokestacks climb hundreds of feet into the sky as ash falls like black snow onto every street. Factories roll out innumerable goods that find their way from the southern shore to the northern mountain border.

But the people of Virko are not accustomed to give without receiving, and the price for putting a kingdom into a new age may be more than that kingdom can afford.

Genres: Fantasy

260 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 1, 2019

About the author

I was born on May 24th, 1989, and raised on Long Island, where I attended a small town public education. My vocational path has taken me down many roads, from retail, to used car sales, to high school security, working in a network or group homes to working as a nighttime patient sitter at my local hospital.

I’m a homebody at heart, though I possess this strange fondness for city life and, like the great H.P. Lovecraft, I have an especially painful attraction to Manhattan (a place which I have lovingly destroyed in several of my stories).

I love people, though I often find I keep them at arm’s length. I love watching people, ruminating on their behavior and building little stories out of my predictions as to what each man or woman I see is going to do next. Most especially, I like to imagine them in different settings, extraordinary settings, and ponder the discoveries of such extreme displacement.

I’ve always believed that chaos is the muse of creation, and a good story is often driven by the choices made in the wake of madness.

Reviews

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

You have settled down in a comfy chair and are about to read We are Voulhire: The Fires of Virko . Stop! You will want to read Matthew Tysz’s We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies first. We are Voulhire: The Fires of Virko is the second book in the series. This story will make more sense after being introduced to the world in the first book. Also, you will not be disappointed that you read the first book (it is fantastic).

Voulhire is a place of science, magic and faith. Virko is an industrial town that has very little room for anything else. Galen, Rowan and Demetrius find their way to Virko when they learn of a shortage of iron in Magnum Caelum. Venden, the Lord of Virko, is willing to give them all the iron they need if they help save his son, Hans. Unfortunately, Hans, also known as Folcro, does not want to be saved.

Folcro has grown up in Virko and has had every advantage. He is intelligent, charismatic and sadistic. He delights in manipulating those around him, especially Lord Kayden Morgan. While he could destroy the hearts and minds of his people with little help, he has bound the demon Sod to help him.

In the meantime, Meldorath, still feeling betrayed by King Wilhelm, plans another plot to expand his hold over Voulhire.

If you'd like to read more of my review you can find it here: https://forums.onlinebookclub.org/vie...

[Iris Marsh · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book on OnlineBookClub in exchange for an honest review.

While I enjoyed reading this second book, I also felt slightly disappointed by it. The previous book was a clear introduction to the world and the characters. For The Fires of Virko, I expected things to pick up and continue with higher stakes and a quicker pace. Instead, this book felt more like an extensive subplot to the main one.

So, what's the book about: Galen and his friends, Demetrius and Rowan, go there to help Galen secure a deal for iron so that he can start forging. There's an ominous air in the city itself, and it doesn't take long for them to figure out the source: a demon. It seems to be controlled by a man who goes by the name of Folcro, but his intentions are still unclear.

What I did like about this book was the underlying theme: a commentary on the evil side of capitalism, human greed, and consumerism. At least, that is what I got out of it. Further, we meet new characters and learn more about the city Virko and its inhabitants. One of the new characters is Kayden, who seems to be a kind man, yet struggling with who he is and with the darkness that's inside of him. Of all the characters in this book, he probably has the biggest transformation, and I think he'll be a big part of the sequels as well.

However, I think there went a lot of detail into this book, whereas this didn't need to be such a big story. I feel like it's getting further away from the overarching global story. In fact, I'd argue that the book is missing such an overarching global story. While Galen and his friends are on a continuous hunt for forging materials, and Meldorath and his plans are a recurring feature, it seems to be in the background. There's no 'ring to be destroyed' or 'object to be acquired.' There's no clear goal to the story.

I did, however, enjoy the ending of the book, even though there were some pretty gruesome moments. I am looking forward to the next books, as I'm interested in what comes next, especially what Meldorath is planning.

If you enjoy reading fantasy and are looking for some shorter and easy-to-read stories, then We Are Voulhire is a good series to read. It's enjoyable; there are diverse characters and plenty of interesting worldbuilding. However, it lacks some character development, as most characters in the story don't seem to change all that much. I'd also argue that this second book is more of an extensive subplot, made bigger than it needed to be.

[Amy Garrett · Rating 3 out of 5]

We Are Voulhire: The Fires of Virko by Matthew Tysz, is the second book in his We Are Voulhire series. I would personally give this book 2 out of 4 stars. I have read the first book, and I did rate that one higher, however for this book there are some factors influencing my rating. I noticed more spelling and grammar mishaps with this book versus the first one, and there were a few other things I wasn’t fond of, which I will go into later, but first I will tell you about this book.

As I said, this is the second book in this series. We still have Galen Bray as the main character, who is still living in the County of Voulhire, and in the town of Magnum Caelum where he is living in his late Uncle’s house that he inherited in the first book. Also, on the land he inherited, is his late Uncle’s forge. Galen has been using his Uncle’s notebooks to teach himself the forging techniques. This book centers more around Voulhire’s town of Virko. 25 years ago, Virko really didn’t exist- in fact, you won’t even find it on old maps. Lord Venden Hrelek built the industrial town up from nothing. Today, he is a sick old Lord. He has a son named Hans Hrelek who is in charge of the upkeep of his fathers’ estate. The people of Virko want the city to grow more, and for the technology and government to expand and become prosperous. Lord Vendon Hrelek doesn’t really like that idea, and he starts turning the town into a Capitalist Land. Hans receives a mysterious letter that says the King of Voulhire is going to put Virko in charge of the Royal Administration. Meaning lots of money. Galen travels to Virko, to speak to the ailing Lord on behalf of his town to ask for reserve of iron. Lord Vendon Hrelek agrees to the reserve but asks for a favor in return. He is worried that his son has fallen into the influence of a dark demon, who was baited and binded to their house decades ago. Galen agrees to cleanse the house and rescue the Lord’s son from darkness, and so our adventure truly begins.

What I liked about this book what that it was easy to get swept into. It is almost like you are transported to that time and era, and you are really in the story. I love how realistic the characters all are- you get a great picture in your head of who they really are. It is almost as if they are truly living. I like the pace of the book as well. There are no grudgingly slow parts, as some books tend to have. This book grabs you from the start, and has you holding on till the very end. I also like how each chapter is clearly titled with who’s point of view it is from/who it is about. It makes it easier to keep track.

What I didn’t like what that the author seemed to try to make it be standalone, by briefly summarizing the first books characters background in the first chapter we come to for them. For example, chapter 3 is called Galen Bray. It talks about the town he is in and his uncle’s forge. However, it also calls his uncle his great uncle, and that confused me quite a bit. Having read the first book, I believe there would be enough that you could just pick up and read this book, however I feel you would be missing vital information. I think a section in the beginning of the book summarizing the first book and the characters and main cities would have been helpful. I didn’t like the lack of editing this book seemed to have. There were a lot of words that should have been hyphenated I felt; goodlooking [pg 23], milkchocolate [pg 27], twenty five[pg 7] to name a few. Page 45 talks a lot about an armchair, but in one spot on the page it says armchai and is obviously missing an “r”. I feel like the book would certainly deserve a higher rating if it even had one read-through editing session done!

This book is for the lover of fantasy or old times. There are Kings and Lords, but there are also mentions of demons and magic. Anyone who loves an adventure story would most certainly love this book. People who like book series will enjoy this, as well as those who prefer standalone books. I personally am not a huge fan of fantasy or medieval times, but I really did enjoy this book. I started reading and could not stop till I finished!

[Marco Sobreira · Rating 5 out of 5]

The world of Voulhire is back full of intrigue and enchantment. It returned with the science, the spiritual, the magic, and now we have demonic powers and alchemy on the menu. We are Voulhire: The Fires of Virko by Matthew Tysz brings Bray back to us. Our hero needs iron to place his forge into work, and he, Rowan and Demetrius (those two always make you have a lot of fun) set course to Virko. In there, they find the ruler sick, and his son getting ready to succeed with demonic ambitions. They need to execute an exorcism to fulfill a promise made that will have terrible consequences. New players come into the story, some knowing more than they demonstrate, and revelations about Hans’s past and other characters’ sexual preferences. I don’t know what the future will tell us about Bray, but it seems that he is a bright light in the middle of a lot of filthy plots and conspiracies.

The story will get darker, bloody and intriguing as truths about characters will be revealed, bad choices will be made and many will die. We find hordes of demons, treason, guilty, corruption and a plethora of different circumstances. An old battle becomes clear this time, a battle between those who want change and those who don’t. A struggle between those who want to be rich and those afraid to lose their riches. What is new? Capitalism. Merchants that are full of desire for increased income and liberties harbor conspiracies to bring this new system to its fruition. Virko comes to the play with its blessings and curses, darkness will find its place in many moments and will corrupt the heart of a man. Desires of those who seek only to harm, those with the intention to dominate their surroundings, and those in pursuit of multi-worlds domination will become clearer.

In the last one, we had to wait a long while for the action to begin, this time the show comes right from the entrance door. The environment of suspense and mischief is continuously keeping you breathing slowly. The narrative continues being told by Galen when he is part of the chapter and an anonymous narrator for the rest of the characters and situations. The world-building has improved a lot with beautiful descriptions with a poetical taste.

I liked the metaphors in the book that made us think about ourselves: “Sharpness comes later”, included in Galen Onita’s instructions. This makes me remember that we want results fast; sometimes they come, sometimes don’t. You can apply this in so many ways in life, and you will find more along the journey.

I indicate this book to adult readers. The previous one I indicated for young readers also, but here more caution must be taken. Using demons as a means to obtain power, homosexuality, references to sexual abuse and promiscuity, and sexual jokes may not be suited to all audiences. There is no sex scene or deep description of the subjects mentioned, I want just to highlight that these topics are present. So if you don’t like these topics this may not be a book for you.

I have found no errors in the edition and I am satisfied with the way the author is building the story. So I gladly rate it 5 out of 5 stars. The end is gloomy, it seems there is no light against so much darkness. Let’s see how Bray survives and fights all of this.

[Towfiq Juma · Rating 5 out of 5]

“We are Voulhire: The Fires of Virko” is a fantasy novel by Matthew Tysz that takes place in a world filled with magic, kingdoms, and powerful conspiracies.The story follows Galen Bray, a refugee from the land of the princes who inherits his late uncle’s property. He begins settling in and training to match or even surpass his uncle’s skills. However, he discovers that Hillport has been raided, and the lord he had an agreement with was killed during the attack. Galen’s friend Demetrius suggests they go to Virko to negotiate with his childhood friends for metal supplies. Upon arrival, a friend of the monk directs them to Lord Venden, who is on his deathbed, for assistance. After making Galen promise to save his son, Folcro, from the demon bound at Rendenhide by killing it, Lord Venden agrees to their terms. The question remains: Will Galen and his friends emerge victorious against the demon or succumb to its wicked powers and suffer a crushing defeat?

One of the strengths of this book is the intricate and well-developed world-building. Tysz has created a rich and detailed universe, complete with its own history, culture, and political intrigue. The various kingdoms, magical creatures, and factions all feel distinct and well fleshed out, making the world feel alive and immersive. Another highlight of the book is the diverse cast of characters. Each character has their own unique personality, motivations, and backstory, making them feel like real people rather than mere archetypes. The interplay between the different characters is also well-written, and there are some truly memorable moments of dialogue and character interaction.

The pacing of the book is generally good, with a good balance of action, mystery, and exposition. However, there are some sections where the pacing can feel slow or meandering, particularly in the middle of the book.

I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars because it is a well-plotted and paced story with twists and turns that keep readers engaged making it difficult to put down.

Overall, it is an engaging and well-written fantasy novel with a strong world-building and memorable characters. While it may not be for everyone, fans of epic fantasy and intricate world-building are likely to find plenty to enjoy here.

[Clarissa Fray · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novel is the second installment of the Voulhire series, We are Voulhire: The Fires Of Virko
by Matthew Tysz. In this book we are again introduced to the kingdom of Voulhire. The story sets in the town located in the southern shore of Voulhire named Virko. Lord Venden of Virko built this town from ground and transformed it into a great city which is known throughout Voulhire.

But the town has some dark background, some evil living with its citizens. Even the people there can sense something wrong but they choose to ignore it. The Lord's son, Hans Hrelek or Folcro, insted of ignoring this, chooses to look into it. He is an introvert and believed to be passive, but in reality he has a greater motive behind all this pretension. He binds a demon in his house. Galen, with his companions visits Virko when they learned about the shortage of iron in Magnum Caelum and meets the Lord Venden to solve the issue just before his death and decide to stay there to complete Lord's last wish to Demetrius. On other hand, we see that Meldorath is sad by the betrayal he faced from his old friend, the King Wilhelm.

It was great reading it. But being a fiction and fantasy love, I didn't love the book. But if you're interested then go ahead, this one worth your time.

[Luis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is as dramatic and interesting as the first installment. As I read through the book, I sense the politics of our modern time. It is very intriguing to note that the author mixed political power with people of a “strange” personality. In our modern times, we often hear gay politicians and open society for gays. The author is very keen on depicting “slanted” society in his book.
The book, [i]We Are Voulhire – The Fire of Virko[/i], by Matthew Tysz never fails to disappoint me. The more I read through the series the more I am interested in the other book of the same author. Again, I liked it when the author writes his book straight without a table of contents on it. I am very eager to grab hold of the next series.

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book of the We are Voulhire saga, it continues where the first book ended and it keeps building the Voulhire lore. "Matthew Tysz beautifully weaves the different storylines throughout the pages in a way that the reader gets caught with the story from the beginning. One thing that I didn’t like was the lack of female characters. The women that appear in the story are mostly background characters."
Read my full review here: https://forums.onlinebookclub.org/vie...

[Christy Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent Story that Rivals Fairytales of Yon

I believe Matthew Tysz is a rare breed of storyteller that truly has crafted modern fairytales. His writing is solid and the story that unravels becomes more convoluted and spellbinding the further one reads. I have consumed this volume as one on fire runs to water. I can't wait for the next book.. So, I won't! Happy reading and Thank You Matthew Tysz!!

[Raj Nandani ( Wrap the Fury) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book of the series. I've read the first part and enjoyed it a lot. All the grievances I had with the first part are solved in this one.

The darkness the author defines could be felt surging around us while reading this.

[Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Handwork

This book felt like a bit of a slog tbh. The story is interesting, but it also feels unnecessarily long winded in places. Lots of movijg parts. I can see how they're coming together (I think) but it seems really drawn out. Also some truly horrific imagery in places.

[Dominique · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

Not quite a four star book. I enjoyed the progression of the story. However I feel like some things could have been explained in more detail. Also there were a couple of spelling errors. Overall I did enjoy the book and I will be continuing with the series.

[Moushmi Radhanpara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Definitely better than the first book, with more magic and more demons, but I was still not very satisfied with the experience. Only a very few chapters hooked me up.

[Sou Hi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Please see my review on OnlineBookClub

https://forums.onlinebookclub.org/vie...

[Binyamin · Rating 3 out of 5]

https://forums.onlinebookclub.org/vie...

[Pauline]

Check out my book review at https://forums.onlinebookclub.org/vie...

[Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Check out my full review here:
https://forums.onlinebookclub.org/vie...

[Vivi · Rating 3 out of 5]

My review on Online Book Club.https://forums.onlinebookclub.org/vie...

[Marvee Jamali · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is for the readers that want to read something different, a unique plot. Galen is our protagonist. He is in new city this time, city of Virko, for iron in order to practice his forgery skills. But, as the saying goes, nothing good comes easy. So, what is the favor that the Lord of Virko requests? Magic, politics, darkness, and a unique plot are the main aspects of this fantasy.

This was a fantastic book for me.

[Phoenyx Frost · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the review: https://forums.onlinebookclub.org/vie...

[Following is a volunteer review of "We are Voulhire: The Fires of Virko" by Matthew Tysz. Published at onlinebookclub.org by PhoeNyxFrost]

Left with the thrilling and despairing conclusion from the first installment, We are Voulhire: The Fires of Virko by Matthew Tysz continues with vivid brutality and features otherworld mysteries together with the magic of Caromentis. It also introduces us to a new set of characters like Hans Hrelek or Folcro, the anti-social only son of Lord Venden, and the respected noble Kayden Morgan his once long-time friend. The story revolves around the two and their past relationship as they affect the drastic change of the famed industrially advanced city of Virko and its rapid advancement to a capitalistic society.

Galen, our protagonist, together with Rowan and Demetrius received the unfortunate news of Hillport that resulted in canceled metal trade. To help the town, the three of them traveled to Virko to source out metal but instead encountered a troubling situation. The news of the failing health of Venden Hrelek-the governing Lord of Virko, served as a catalyst for the hidden plans of his son Folcro. With the arrival of the trio, they stumbled upon the devilish secrets of Folcro unraveling not only his sinister nature but also a much more dangerous and powerful creature. Progressing to a more dark turn of events, Meldorath had made his move for revenge to control another powerhouse of the Kingdom, and maybe the only hope of Virko, Yamon Soul.

I noticed a parallel to the writing style from the first book. The author takes us to the heart of Voulhire's featured city with the eyes of the people that affect its changes using a 3rd person perspective, all the while using the protagonist's 1st person view of an observant to relate to the readers. While this may be unwelcome, I can say that the style was used effectively. The first book ended with some disturbing news that left me with questions, and I expected a continuation but The Fires of Virko, started out in its own pace and dismissed the major contents of the 1st book except for the major characters such as the group of our protagonists and Meldorath, thus limiting their exposure on the story. This could upset some readers just as it upsets me together with the consistent theme of hopelessness. The book kept revealing problems while presenting a solution, only to take it back again and surprise you with a hellish turn of events. I had to change my mindset to a darker tone of interest to fully enjoy the story. I observed that the book focuses and highlights human desires, thoughts and actions, mostly dark, and how it contributes to the slowly building bigger plot. Personally, reading through those was the most engrossing part of the book.