Bloodforged

Ulrika the Vampire #2

by Nathan Long

The second book in the Ulrika the Vampire series Unable to adapt to Lahmian society, Ulrika seeks her own way, striking out to the Chaos-besieged city of Praag to seek old friends and glory in battle. On her arrival, she finds a devastated but defiant people and the invaders repelled. But the Ruinous Powers can take many forms, and now a more insidious threat is rising from within – a Slaaneshi cult that seeks to claim dominion in Praag. Shunned by her Lahmian sisters, decried by the humans she seeks to protect, Ulrika treads a lonely path as she tries to find the root of this destructive plot. Caught between the will of the vampires and the insane designs of Chaos sorcerers and cultists, Ulrika must call upon all of her cunning and savagery if she is to triumph...

Genres: Fantasy, Vampires, Dark Fantasy, Fiction, Novels

416 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published May 31, 2011

About the author

Nathan Long is a screen and prose writer, with two movies, one Saturday-morning adventure series, and a handful of live-action and animated TV episodes to his name, as well as eleven fantasy novels and several award-winning short stories.

He hails from Pennsylvania, where he grew up, went to school, and played in various punk and rock-a-billy bands, before following his writing dreams to Hollywood - where he now writes novels full time - and still occasionally plays in bands.

His latest novel is Jane Carver of Waar, available March 6th from Night Shade Books. Visit his blog at www.sabrepunk.com.

Reviews

[Tim · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the previous book to be a fun filled pulpy fantasy novel, pure fun and a solid enough read to get a 3/5 stars. I feel after reading this one that perhaps I should revise my rating, as I’m giving this the same rating, but I prefer the first significantly. You see this one just barely makes the 3 cut, whereas the other was quite solidly on there.

Taking place almost immediately after the ending of the first, this one starts with Ulrika deciding to set out on her own. Returning to the city of Praag in search of old friends and combat she finds… well not much. The city is finally at peace and her friends are gone. Now it is time to find a new purpose in her undead life, and that may involve a lost violin and a cult.

Okay, so maybe she does find quite a bit.

I don’t exactly know what happened here, but somewhere between book one and two Ulrika because way more naïve and frankly childish. I liked her in the previous book, but the plot of this one is literally set off by a temper tantrum. In fact, for most of the novel she seems like a rebelling teenager and that got old fast. If someone tells her to do something, she does the exact opposite just because; even when all logic says she should go along with their idea. Some of her choices in this one are frankly groan worthy and almost lowered my enjoyment to a 2/5.

That said, the book is still entertaining and some aspect were enough to keep this on that lower side of a three. I still really like the world and love the information we get about the vampire society and how their manipulations work from a political stance.

Also, the Spire was awesome… bordering on awe inspiring (I would even go so far as to say deserving of a better book). It features ghosts reliving past battles and seeing the magical aftermath on some of the rooms was incredibly creative (I particularly liked the one where everything is preserves as it was, but as glass sculptures). A haunted tower that is practically chaos incarnated… it’s rather brilliant.

I also loved the otherness of the violin and how it was there from the beginning. At first I was a little annoyed that music was the constant way to describe the city, but as we learn the nature of the violin, I found it rather clever.

In closing, not as good as the first, but an enjoyable enough read. I'll certainly finish the third book at some point, but it may be time to give Ulrika a small break.

[Willow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nathan Long writes excellent fantasy. His world is visceral and imaginative. His prose is smooth and polished. His action scenes are clear and exiting. And his characters are flawed, dangerous, but also sympathetic. This is the second Ulrika the Vampire book, and I enjoyed it just as much as the first.

I think if you’re looking for a straight fantasy, this book is perfect. The Warhammer world is so well laid out and lush. Everything fits together and makes sense. I love how Long follows old vampire and witchy lore. I also love how Long’s female characters are badasses.

I do have a problem with the series though. I want more romance, damn it! I suppose there was a little bit in this book, but definitely not enough, at least not for me. And no… I’m not a lovey, dovey, fluffy vampire type of gal. I like my vampire stories dark and bloody (which these are). But I’d like to see Ulrika find love. Long writes amazing tension between Ulrika and Raiza, but he doesn’t pursue it. And since Long writes his female characters as being more fascinating than his male characters, I’d like to see Ulrika find love with one of the Lahmian sisters.

I’ve got a bad feeling though that there is no happiness in store for Ulrika. Book three will end up with Ulrika resigned to her fate leading a grim life. It makes me hesitant to read the 3rd book. I will definitely eventually read it though. I want to know what happens and Long is such a good writer. :D

[Kuba · Rating 4 out of 5]

Historię o dalszych losach naszej wampirzycy czyta się naprawdę wyjątkowo dobrze. Fabuła jest na tyle wciągająca że można się kolejny raz zatracić w starym świecie.

[Neila Volkov · Rating 4 out of 5]

I only remember reading this at the age of 10? I think? I'm still pissed off that the only copy available digitally of its sequel in Japan is like more than 10k yen. Also the thing that stuck out to me the most was that... love making scene. Boy oh boy young me was grinning a lot during elementary 🤣🤣🤣

[Abhinav · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shadowhawk reviews the second Ulrika the Vampire novel, a spin-off series inspired by and featuring a character from the popular and on-going Gotrek & Felix series.

“The first was a vampire thriller novel. The second is a vampire action novel that is going to draw you in so tight you are not going to want to get out.” ~ The Founding Fields

I read Bloodforged right after Bloodborn because now that I was hooked into Ulrika’s new world and her new life, I certainly didn’t want to stop too long along the road. I was also getting to grips with some of the aspects of the Warhammer Fantasy setting through a completely different viewpoint. First it was a band of renegades-turned-spies of the Empire. Then it was the adventurous duo of Gotrek, a Trollslayer, and Felix, a warrior-poet. And now it was a young, often petulant, Vampire.

I have fortunately been able to really enjoy all three viewpoints and since Bloodforged was close to hand, I dived into it with gusto, expecting a novel that would at least be as great as Bloodborn, if not better.

Two days I realized that it was better than its prequel in almost every way. The key word there would be almost – there are some things that Nathan definitely handled far better than he did in the first novel, yet I think slight mistakes were made. Nothing damning, mind you, but they broke the immersive experience at times. For most novels and for most authors in fact, that would be when the reader would put the book down because the reader is too put off with that experience being broken. One of the marks of a good author in my opinion however is how the author handles that and keeps you interested and makes you come back.

And Nathan certainly did that. With Blackhearts, I was already a fan of his work, and now with the two Ulrika novels, he is definitely up there in my esteem as Graham McNeill, Jim Swallow, Nick Kyme and others.

In Bloodforged, Ulrika is quickly getting extremely frustrated with the actions and scheming of her mistress, Countess Gabriella, and decides to do something drastic about it. She escapes and sets out to make a living for herself. In the very first couple of chapters Nathan establishes the continuity of the new novel with that of the first by referencing the events that have already happened, explaining and showing their ramifications and also continuing the solid characterization of the major characters that we have already seen.

Ulrika is still caught up in her struggle as Ulrika the Kislevite versus Ulrika the Lahmian. Gabriella is still caught up in her politicking and scheming with her counterpart, Hermione who is also unchanged for the most part. Thankfully, we don’t see more of her incessant, but somewhat likeable I guess, suspicions and all. And that is because I was so very close to running her through a silver sword. Few characters in fiction can do that. And then Famke is still her innocent, sweet self as only a Vampire can be, and is still that counterpoint to Hermione.

So it is no wonder that Ulrika decides to leave and strike out for herself. Her destination is her own natural homeland, Nuln. Leaving the life of Lahmians and Nuln behind, she decides to become a Vampire vigilante who helps the people in need and punishes those who wrong others. In this alone, she demonstrates admirably why she is just a child to the others, who have been Vampires for longer than she has and who have had a chance to come to terms with their new nature.

That our heroine refuses to do so is why she just doesn’t fit with her Lahmian sisters. And never will because of that inner struggle and her compassion for humanity, something that at least one new character in Bloodforged comments to her about and even reprimands her for being so.

And so Nathan sets the stage for a plot that links back strongly to Bloodborn but is also unique on its own. The murder mystery quality of Bloodborn is mixed in with an incredible amount of action scenes that make Bloodforged a proper action novel packed in with a healthy dose of the aforementioned thriller elements.

This is also where Nathan’s style of avoiding too much description and keeping his narrative and prose short and to the point really comes to the fore. The action flows well from scene to scene and even when the action isn’t physical, Ulrika’s interactions with her unlikely companion and with yet more Lahmians keep that action going. That is what I love in a good action novel. A good action novel is where the plot doesn’t dip too far down into the mundane and where it keeps moving at a good pace. The plot for Bloodforged definitely has both those qualities because there are no “down” scenes. Whenever the prose looks like it is about to become slow and just plod along, Nathan throws in a remarkable twist that has your attention equally and well-divided between reading further and trying to guess what is going to happen next.

As part of all that, the cliffhangers from chapter to chapter are executed well and Nathan avoids leaving the plot-threads hanging on their own for too long. Everything ties into each other from start to finish. Its nice to see that Nathan builds upon all the strong points of Bloodborn in Bloodforged, which makes this novel just as good as the first one, if not better.

Overall, the plot still has a good, heavy dose of mystery thrown in because this time Ulrika is tracking a Chaos cult which plans to deliver the city right into the hands of a Chaos army that is waiting somewhere out there in the North. As mentioned before, Ulrika now has a rather unlikely companion who helps her and guides her towards the rather explosive climax of the novel, which immediately links back to Bloodborn, making it quite apparent that a larger story is being told her than just what is in the meat of the novel. It makes for a rather rewarding experience, knowing that while the novels are sequential they aren’t one-offs either.

And that is just one of the reasons why I eagerly await Bloodsworn. In the first novel, we see Ulrika going through the “growth pangs” of being a newborn Vampire, hence the title – Bloodborn. In the second novel, we see Ulrika maturing and becoming more experienced, although it is still a topsy-turvy journey for her, hence the title – Bloodforged. And now, given the events that happen in the middle novel, I can make a fair few educated guesses at what Bloodsworn will be about. Blood does call to blood after all, for good or for for ill.

I mentioned earlier that the immersive experience was broken in Bloodforged, an element that was missing in Bloodborn. That single element would be just how naive and petulant Ulrika really is, even though she is making efforts to the contrary. Compared to Bloodborn, her inner struggles are even more profound than before and at times she often shows a reluctance to learn from her mistakes. It did get a little tiresome after a while. I was forced to think at least twice in the course of the novel if Ulrika could really be that stubborn. In drawing strong parallels with her characterization from Bloodborn, I believe that Nathan fell into the trap of mirroring it too much and fell into the trap of making Bloodforged formulaic in its execution.

However, that is not a damning charge to be laid at his feet because, Nathan being Nathan and Ulrika being Ulrika, there is a strong reason for all of this. Our young, inexperienced Vampire is back in her homeland, in Kislev. She was born here, raised here, fought in its defense, fell in love here and with all that, she still has strong connections to the city. That she is so humanly honest with her feelings is what causes that struggle with her new, unwanted life.

So should we condemn her for this? I would say. She doesn’t deserve scorn for being so naive and so human. She deserves some respect and some compassion. Her whole world has been turned upside down and sometimes just letting go and giving into her baser nature is rather cathartic for both her and us since it means that her learning isn’t a straight road but has enough twists and turns to keep us reading on.

On account of all that, I heartily recommend this novel to everyone because Nathan delivers a learning experience not just for his heroine but also for the reader. Almost without meaning to, it is a very thoughtful novel and you won’t realize it until you reach the end and put it down. That’s a big plus isn’t it? I’d say damn well yes it is.

And therefore, this novel deserves a 9/10 just like its predecessor.

In closing, all I’d like to say is that I feel very fortunate that I am getting to enjoy 2 years and counting of some really solid Black Library fiction. As you can see from my reviews here and from my own blog, the last three months or so have been really, really good and I have read some fantastic BL novels. So cheers!

I give this novel a 9/10 as well.

[Zbigniew Gacek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Drugi tom przygód Ulriki to w sumie Kawał ciekawie skomponowanej intrygi, na dodatek dziejącej sie w klimatycznym Praag. Są wampiry, kultyści, walki, pościgi, dochodzenie, więcej walki.... Warhammerowa historia ale kreująca w tle jeszcze większą intrygę w wampirzych klimatach.

[Hawke Embers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who knew that playing a violin as a distant mockery could be such fun ^.^

Bloodforged by Nathan Long is the second novel in the spin off vampire series, featuring the headstrong vampire Ulrika as she strikes out on her own after the events of the first novel. Long, is an enchanting fantasy writer who captures the heart of the locations and events the young vampire finds herself in from start to finish. Ulrika's adventure takes her to the far off city of praag in the hopes of reliving long lost glories but as you can imagine, things wont be that simple with her now being undead and all.

Its a thrilling adventure of self discovery and mystery that is well worth your time. The way Long portrays elements of vampire kind and Ulrika's ongoing adjustment into their world is captivating and it well worth the price of admission.

A solid recommendation for fans of fantasy and vampires,

A 4 out of 5.

[Nonethousand Oberrhein · Rating 2 out of 5]

Shepherdess of humans
Following the events described in Bloodborn , Ulrika chooses the road of independence and flies from her mistress Gabriella to become Praags protector… A bold move by the author, putting his principal character in a location important for her and, further along the novel, there is a quite nice gimmick to change the follow-up book into the trilogy second volume. Unfortunately, the character's development is paper-thin, and the too many repetitive descriptions and a limited vocabulary spoil the reading experience. A missed opportunity to build up a character that could rival the Slayer’s fortune and glory.

[Eric Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

While it wasn’t a must read book I think I finished it in about three sittings. Once I was reading it it moved along smoothly and the story was solid if a bit over burdened with some twists and turns. None of the villains were particularly memorable and were for the most part stock Slannesh characters but that too was just fine because it wasn’t really about them. It was about watching Ulrika grow up more and by the end of this second book she’s come quite a way from where she was in the first. Looking forward to see where she is at the end of the trilogy.

[Tomáš Drako · Rating 4 out of 5]

Čerstvá svieža upírka sa rozhodla, že bude rebel a vzoprie sa svojej mentorke a utečie do svojej rodnej domoviny, Praag. Tam čaká chaosacka sekta, debilné upírske vedenie a jeden Ulrikin budúci pichač.
Síce som bol na začiatku mierne (viac) rozčarovaný, no ako sa dostane do Praag, veci naberú fajn spád. Síce je hlavná postava detinská tvrdohlavá rajda, nejak v slede udalostí som to prestal vnímať.
Bavili ma ako vyšetrovanie sekty, spoznávanie miestnej upírskej šľachty a samozrejme akčné pasáže, ktoré sú dynamické a prehľadne napísané.
Som rád, že svet Warhammeru mi má vždy čo ponúknuť.

[Berylek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, zakończenie mnie dosyć zaskoczyło. Tak naprawdę czekam tylko na ostatnią część Ulriki i liczę że finał utrzyma poziom poprzednich, bądź jeszcze go pobije.
Akcja przyspieszyła pod koniec książki, ale dzięki temu nie mogłem oderwać od niej oczu xD
No i skończyło się na tym, że odłożyłem ją na półkę około drugiej w nocy

[Randall Ary · Rating 2 out of 5]

One of the most boring and uninspired fantasy novels i've ever read. I didn't realize that was reading the 2nd book in a trilogy, but that hardly mattered. I finished the book and had no desire to seek out the first novel or finish up the story line.

[Wren · Rating 4 out of 5]

CAUTION HERE MAY BE SPOILERS

A good book, a good sequel. I liked the storyline despite the the fact that she kind of acted like a whipped dog for some of it. And the idea of a killer violin just shows what a great author Nathan Long is, that guy make anything work

The Good Stuff

- it starts right after the first book, a small thing but I find it works best for books like this, i always find it annoying when the sequel is set months after and you spend the first few chapters playing catch up learning about things that happened during those few months because the author is to lazy to write it in. So yea, they was a good thing.

- I like how Ulrika decides to go all Batman like and try to be the haunted hero stalking the bad guys in the dead of night. Great character development and shows her inner turmoil about who she was and what she is now. Show best in her choice if her victims to feed on.

- loved how she up and left Gabriella upon realising that the pampered life isn't for her, and right at the dam beginning of the book! This is what I like! No dragging it out, no is she inst she? Just up and out.

The Bad Stuff

- One thing starts in this book and continues into the next one is this annoying habit she has of making pledges to follow someone or give them her loyalty and life then debate weather or not to act on it. I mean someone actually told her that if she doesn't submit they will kill her, so she does. Then she acts like she she owes them her life or something? If I was forced to give my word or I die, I'd say anything to get put of there alive and f@uck my word, i don't owe you nothing. This annoying sense of loyalty to people she just met is annoying and just drives me crazy.

[E J · Rating 2 out of 5]

Praag, as a fictional city, is interesting as a setting. But all of these characters are just dumb, over-emotional playing pieces, Ulrika the most dumb and over-emotional of the lot. Like Emperor Joseph in "Amadeus", whenever she tries to argue something I just want to say, "you are passionate, but you do not persuade."

If you want a better story involving young adult girls doing their hands-on-hips, loud-voiced, self-righteous argumentative shit but much better and perhaps relatable, read "Brimstone Angels" by Erin Evans. Or "The Shattered Mask" by Richard Lee Byers for a story with almost identical feel as "Bloodforged" in terms of setting and villains.

Overall, "Bloodforged" is a fast-paced read but it's over-long, melodramatic, unconvincing young adult fare.

[Jozua · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as the previous book...She didn't learn a lot apparently and the story fell flat immediately because of predictability. Good written combat and still interesting world/story makes me like this book more than I should.

[Jamie Fraser · Rating 4 out of 5]

Following on from the end of Bloodborn, this book follows Ulrika on the run, adapting to life as a vampire on her own trying to make her own way in life. The return to Praag, and cameos from characters from Gotrek and Felix is a nice inclusion, and really brings the world together

[Samantha Barthe · Rating 2 out of 5]

This novel was a little too slow and long winded for myself. I still love Ulrika but just lost interest in this particular plot about half way through 😕

[Jade Brown · Rating 1 out of 5]

Really struggled to get into this book and didn't enjoy it as much as the first.

[C Phil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Scrapes to three stars because of the world building, but the main character is becoming annoying.

[Tazio Bettin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The most recurring trope in the trilogy is Ulrika's daydreamings smashing against the hard reality. After a while it does grow very repetitive, so much that you can point whenever it happens and you already know that it's going to end in the worst possible way for the main character. While it might be entertaining to see how reality breaks on Ulrika's face, it's kinda frustrating to see how she always fails to see it coming. This makes for a protagonist that is hard to sympathize with. Ulrika is childlish, selfish, reckless and frustratingly naive.
So how can this trilogy be good despite the main character. It is because the supporting cast never fails to be interesting, and the exploration of the setting is well delivered.
The first book, Bloodborn, has an unexpected, incredibly grim ending that made me want to read more.
The second book, Bloodforged, was almost a hardboiled novel, and even if it lacked the originality of the first book, it was fun to read and I literally devoured it chapter after chapter to see how events would turn.
The third book gives the answer to the questions that were posed in the first two novels, but it's a rather disappointing answer. The evil lurking behind the plots in the first two books wasn't as impressive as the mystery promised, and in the end, everything is a little bit bland. Still, it was a good, quick paced and entertaining read, and I can't say I regret spending the money on it.
I'm only sorry that I won't miss Ulrika. Even though she can be a good, charismatic protagonist at times, she's downright annoying most of the time. All other characters are so much better built.

[Robyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, so I think I'm a little obsessed with fantasy creatures: vampires, dragons, trolls, chimaera, etc. If you put a book in front of me I am much more likely to read it if it contains any of those creatures, which is just one of the reasons that I am really enjoying this series. ( Not sure if it is a trilogy or not? I'm kind of hoping it isn't because I am just about to read the third and I am not eager for it to end just yet. ) The writing is exciting and impelling, the plot is cohesive, the characters are unique and exotic, and the story takes some paralysing turns that I have to say have upset me greatly ( I quite liked Stefan ).

Throughout I feared that this book was completely untied to the first - in that it contributed nothing to a story and that it was the beginning of a new adventure rather than the continuation of a plot - though thankfully, by a reference to an incident in the first book which I am not going to mention, I was pleasantly informed that this was indeed not the case. This having banished my doubts, I anticipated the third book before I had even finished the second. My hopes for Bloodsworn are thus: Ulrika gets her fair share of violence, they don't spend the entire book in nuln so we get to see a greater variety of fantasy creatures, ulrika doesn't fall in love again only to be confronted with a tragical discovery, and it's not the finale.

[Samuel]

I'm not finished with this book and I'm not sure I'll be able to. So why am I reviewing it you ask? Well, here's why.

I am an unpublished writer, yet I research what I write, I don't fabricate on the spot. Long, it would seem has a different approach, maybe he thinks researching is below him, I don't know. You see, Ulrika has the bad habit of beheading people with her rapier, anyone who has done the tiniest modicum of research would know that that is impossible. The rapier is a stabbing weapon, the only thing sharp about it is the tip.

That one thing, while small and inconsequential, really tore me out of the experience. It shattered my suspension of disbelief. Yes, I know it is stupid I am reading a book about vampires set in a fictional universe and that is the ting that tips me over the edge, but it shows that Long doesn't care, so why should I.

It's a shame because I loved the first book and Ulrika is a great character.

[Michael Alexander · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second book of the trilogy finds Ulrika striking out on her own. This isn't exactly the best idea for a vampire as inexperienced as her, and she does make quite a few mistakes and blunders.
The story tells of Ulrika making her way to Praag with the intent of linking up with her old companions and helping to defend the city from the hordes of chaos. Unfortunately when she gets there she finds that the hordes are not attacking, and her friends are nowhere to be found. Ulrika eventually stumbles on a cult of Slaanesh attempting to overthrow the city and she decides to defend it's people.
Like the first book the story moves quick and this one has quite a bit of action. The plot twists are hardly surprising and the some of the characters tend to be a little one note, but you don't come to a book like this for great literature. You come to a book look this to be entertained and it succeeds in that admirably.

[Zach Mcfarland · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this book thinking it to be the first part of the series, turns out its the second. I'm reading it anyways. I am at pg 201 now and I feel like I really should head the first one now. But stubbornly I will read on. It's good enough to keep me wanting more...

[Donna Boswell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I am a big fan of Mr. Long's writing style, and the setting was very rich and vibrant. I cannot wait for book three!

[Yara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really.. really like this book!!

[Ralph Tapia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Book

[Mohammed · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read.