Review of We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies

[Cristina Chifane]

[Following is a volunteer review of "We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies" by Matthew Tysz.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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Galen Bray is only twenty years old. He comes from the Lands of the Princes, a realm torn apart by civil war. When his great uncle dies and leaves him his forge, Galen is more than willing to start a new life in the magnificent kingdom of Voulhire.

Unaware of the young man’s existence, King Wilhelm celebrates the Feast of Human Hands in the name of unity and prosperity for all the people. Despite the king’s efforts to keep everybody together, underground forces work hard to undermine his authority and destabilize the kingdom. On the one hand, Midius Maido, the High Chancellor of the Mianoran Council, tries to manipulate Darius, the king’s son. On the other hand, the shadow of Dalehei Meldorath, Wilhelm’s former general and close friend, still looms large in the quiet southern town of Hillport.

We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies by Matthew Tysz is the first book in a fantasy series aspiring to acquire epic dimensions. The author includes a detailed map of Voulhire and mentions various locations such as the capital city of Soulhire, Magnum Caelum, Hillport, Alcovia, or Yamon Soul, the holy city. In other words, Matthew Tysz takes his time gradually developing the setting for what promises to turn into an immersive fictional universe in the following books in the series.

Both the plot and the characters manage to captivate the readers’ attention. You do not stand a chance of getting bored. First, the narrative focus constantly changes from one character to another. Young Galen, King Wilhelm, Lord Eldus Alderman, Midius Maido, and the powerful Meldorath take turns in the spotlight. Secondly, there are many twists and turns which keep readers in suspense up to the moment when the forces of magic unleash their powers.

The novel is a unique mix of realist and metaphysical aspects. This is the thing I liked most about it. Somehow, the realist descriptions of the ordinary citizens’ lives or the court intrigues smoothly merge with psychological meditations on the passage of time, the differences between Caromentis and the Cosmos, or stories of knowledgeable imbuers, biomages, and dancing warriors. There are also some things I would have liked to be different. I wish the female characters, such as Beth and Beverly, had been more visible. In addition, I would have expected the author not to leave so many unanswered questions at the end. However, I am curious to read the other books in the series to see if there are any female protagonists and to find out the answers to the cliffhangers.

Regarding the editing, I only noticed seven minor typos and punctuation mistakes. Since I thoroughly enjoyed the topics and the writing style, I am rating We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies 5 out of 5 stars. I recommend it primarily to fantasy series readers who like challenging ideas and complex characters. More sensitive readers should be aware that the novel includes profanities, violent scenes, and hints of child abuse.

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We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies
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[Rosandra Hosein]

Lovely review! I recently started reading this book. The plot's been slow and steady now all of a sudden, my favourite character dies. I don't know how to feel about that honestly.

[Onyeka Dibor]

Galen's internal journey as he grapples with his past and his future is a poignant aspect of the novel.