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Fire in the Hearth
Volume II in the chronological short stories of Esterra Stake. Tractwalker. Mercenary. Exile.
From the ashes of despair, an ember awakens.
Esterra’s journey through the fractured lands of Verpace leads her into even stranger and deadlier tracts. In a caustic wasteland, she crosses paths with a naïve steelhunter and a zealous priest who is bent on resurrecting a long-dead cult. As ancient shadows stir and corrupted beasts stalk her every step, Esterra must join with old friends to face a broken world.
But as the licht’s call grows stronger, a new hunger festers within her, a hunger which threatens to unravel the fragile threads of her humanity.
The darkness hunts her, but so does the light. Can Esterra hold her ground against the violence of Verpace, or will it smother the fire in the hearth?
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With hints of grimdark and Lovecraftian horror, this second volume expands on the world of Verpace, introduces new characters, and brings back a few favourites. This page-turner has visceral action, wild monsters, mutant abominations, and more.
From the ashes of despair, an ember awakens.
Esterra’s journey through the fractured lands of Verpace leads her into even stranger and deadlier tracts. In a caustic wasteland, she crosses paths with a naïve steelhunter and a zealous priest who is bent on resurrecting a long-dead cult. As ancient shadows stir and corrupted beasts stalk her every step, Esterra must join with old friends to face a broken world.
But as the licht’s call grows stronger, a new hunger festers within her, a hunger which threatens to unravel the fragile threads of her humanity.
The darkness hunts her, but so does the light. Can Esterra hold her ground against the violence of Verpace, or will it smother the fire in the hearth?
-
With hints of grimdark and Lovecraftian horror, this second volume expands on the world of Verpace, introduces new characters, and brings back a few favourites. This page-turner has visceral action, wild monsters, mutant abominations, and more.
294 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication February 2, 2026
3 people want to read
About the author
Steven Raaymakers
6 books37 followersSteven Raaymakers is an award-winning fantasy author from New Zealand. He writes character-driven stories with dark themes and unique magic systems.
Steven reads and writes all day. In his spare time he plays Soulsborne and post-apocalyptic games, reads a ton of fiction from every genre, cooks spicy food, and spends time with his truly awesome wife.
www.stevenraaymakers.com
Steven reads and writes all day. In his spare time he plays Soulsborne and post-apocalyptic games, reads a ton of fiction from every genre, cooks spicy food, and spends time with his truly awesome wife.
www.stevenraaymakers.com
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 1, 2026
Craving some unsettling horror fantasy? Esterra Stake’s unnerving journeys in Vepace should fit the bill.
Fire in the Hearth is the second entry in The Scars of Magic Series. This is a dystopian type of world where the very land suffers from rot.
Just as in the first book, our heroine faces many horrors. She is a fantastic warrior though and fearless. In this one, she will struggle not with terrifying and ghastly creatures but with herself. Becoming a loving caregiver and provider. Do not worry though about her becoming soft though. This woman is badass to the core.
Any fantasy that weaves lovecraftian chills within already gets my stamp of approval. This has some spooky stuff especially a bit involving children that had me on edge. 😱
If you enjoy the Witcher this will probably be right up your alley.
Thanks to the author for providing this ARC.
Fire in the Hearth is the second entry in The Scars of Magic Series. This is a dystopian type of world where the very land suffers from rot.
Just as in the first book, our heroine faces many horrors. She is a fantastic warrior though and fearless. In this one, she will struggle not with terrifying and ghastly creatures but with herself. Becoming a loving caregiver and provider. Do not worry though about her becoming soft though. This woman is badass to the core.
Any fantasy that weaves lovecraftian chills within already gets my stamp of approval. This has some spooky stuff especially a bit involving children that had me on edge. 😱
If you enjoy the Witcher this will probably be right up your alley.
Thanks to the author for providing this ARC.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Fire in the Hearth is an aggressive, fast-paced, absolutely wild hit of dark fantasy. The stories are full of unexpected twists, deviations from standard tropes, and interesting characters. Tarr is back, and we learn more about who he is. One new character in particular throws a spanner in Esterra's established life, making her question everything about herself.
The Tales in the Wastelands story was a particular favorite of mine. It is simply three people sitting out a storm, and the conversation they hold. We meet a fundamentalist cult leader, and a young steelhunter. They discuss all sorts of things and then finally each tell a story. It was very different to the other stories in the book, and highly compelling.
Esterra is more mature this time around, more grounded, and definitely more complex. The stories and writing are an improvement on the first book, as we now have more of a character arc for Esterra, a larger story developing.
The worldbuilding is the most unique, interesting, and simply the weirdest stuff I have seen for a long time. Verpace is full of mystery. No one really understands the madness of the place, but they all make do as well as they can in the circumstances.
This is an excellent book, and I can't wait for the next!
Thank you to the author for an ARC for review.
The Tales in the Wastelands story was a particular favorite of mine. It is simply three people sitting out a storm, and the conversation they hold. We meet a fundamentalist cult leader, and a young steelhunter. They discuss all sorts of things and then finally each tell a story. It was very different to the other stories in the book, and highly compelling.
Esterra is more mature this time around, more grounded, and definitely more complex. The stories and writing are an improvement on the first book, as we now have more of a character arc for Esterra, a larger story developing.
The worldbuilding is the most unique, interesting, and simply the weirdest stuff I have seen for a long time. Verpace is full of mystery. No one really understands the madness of the place, but they all make do as well as they can in the circumstances.
This is an excellent book, and I can't wait for the next!
Thank you to the author for an ARC for review.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Esterra continues on her journey through the darkness of Verpace, but with a major difference. I won't spoil this book for you, but there is a big change from the very first story in Esterra's life. This book is dark, very very dark, but also wholesome and almost cozy at times. Definitely read the content warning if you have any qualms about death, because there is a lot of death in these stories.
The writing is a step up from the first book, and the prose was brilliant. There is so much action, horror, fantasy, and creativity on each page!
Thank you to the author for the ARC.
The writing is a step up from the first book, and the prose was brilliant. There is so much action, horror, fantasy, and creativity on each page!
Thank you to the author for the ARC.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews