Review by Eutoc -- We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under ...

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Eutoc
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Review by Eutoc -- We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under ...

Post by Eutoc »

[Following is a volunteer review of "We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies" by Matthew Tysz.]
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4 out of 4 stars
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The alchemical age of the eighteenth century references the times when humans possessed arcane knowledge that made them capable of transforming basal metal into gold. There was a societal faction that gave much reverence to people who wielded such super-human abilities. Matthew Tysz creates such a world in his magic realism book We are Voulhire: A New Arrival Under Great Skies. In the book, the people who possessed such abilities were called Mages, and their abilities exceeded the boundaries of metal transformation.

The Land of the Princes has toiled with incessant wars with her neighbouring islands. Only the elites were safe from the chaos of these wars. Bray Galen was lucky to get to leave the Land of the Princes after his long-lost Uncle invited him to Magnum Caelum, a small city in Voulhire. Unfortunately for him, his uncle died before his arrival. He was encouraged to take over his late uncle’s forge business, considering that he was his uncle’s sole heir. After Eldus Alderman became the new ruler of Hillport, a neighbouring city to Magnum Caelum, he tried to amend the treacherous reign of his predecessors. In the wake of events, the former ruler of Hillport, one of the best Mages ever known, sieges an attack on the city and attempts to execute the entire family of Eldus Alderman.

This book isn’t one that needs to be read all at one sitting. As the book progresses, it takes the reader through the vast characters and the different locales in the general setting of Voulhire. While maintaining the medieval times of the story, the descript of these locales came close to representing a macrocosm of the modern society; how the different cities in Voulhire were unique in their type of leadership and the sparse level of industrialization among neighbouring cities. One needs to take some time off to consume these contents and understand the underlying role this compelling setting plays in driving the plot.

It's either the personas of most of the characters or the author’s exquisite narration that intrigued me the most. Without the author explicitly attributing an adjective to describe any character, a reader would easily uncover Maido’s malicious motifs on King Wilhelm, Lord Meldorath’s calm but brute intent on regaining power and other characters’ demeanour. Their cues and actions were best narrated with the third-person narration and also with the first-person narration.

The book has a lot to be commended. It seems to be professionally edited, as I found a few grammatical errors. There isn’t anything I dislike about the book. I would gladly rate the book 4 out of 4 stars. I would recommend the book to science fiction lovers. It might not be your favourite Hogwarts series, but this series would be appreciated by those into magic realism books. Teens could also read this because it is light on sexual content.

******
We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies
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Saint Bruno
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Post by Saint Bruno »

Having read this book, I agree with your rating and analysis of it. Thanks for your wonderful review and recommendation.
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Post by Kevivas03 »

I reviewed this book and I gave it a totally differnt score. It shows how different we really are, which is great!
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Post by Erandi Ekanayake »

I have just read and reviewed this book. I enjoyed reading your review too. Thanks for the informative and interesting review!
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Post by Manang Muyang »

Matthew Tysz is turning out to be an author to watch. This book is next month's BOTM. I am looking forward to the discussions. I predict that they will be very interesting.
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Post by Justine Ocsebio »

The author has indeed an exquisite writing style. What I enjoyed the most about this book was the way it was written. I enjoyed reading your review.
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Post by Dreamer80 »

This book sounds brilliant because there is always something that puts a reader off, but you couldn't point out anything like that. Very well written! thanks
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Post by Prisallen »

I seem to be one of the few people who haven't read any of these books. I have to admit that they sound intriguing. However, I don't want to get into a series right now. Thanks for your wonderful review, though!
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Post by rahilshajahan »

This book was an awesome read for me. Right now, I'm in the sixth book in the series. Thanks for an insightful review!
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Post by xsquare »

I've read this book myself, and I liked Tysz's writing style as well. Thanks for the insightful review!
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Post by Eutoc »

Saint Bruno wrote: 24 Sep 2020, 03:14 Having read this book, I agree with your rating and analysis of it. Thanks for your wonderful review and recommendation.
Thank you for reading.
What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson
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Eutoc
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Post by Eutoc »

Kevivas03 wrote: 24 Sep 2020, 04:40 I reviewed this book and I gave it a totally differnt score. It shows how different we really are, which is great!
Yes that's true. We all have unique interests. Thank you for stopping by.
What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson
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Eutoc
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Post by Eutoc »

Erandi Ekanayake wrote: 24 Sep 2020, 12:17 I have just read and reviewed this book. I enjoyed reading your review too. Thanks for the informative and interesting review!
I'm happy you equally liked the book. You're welcome.
What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson
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Eutoc
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Post by Eutoc »

Miriam Molina wrote: 24 Sep 2020, 19:00 Matthew Tysz is turning out to be an author to watch. This book is next month's BOTM. I am looking forward to the discussions. I predict that they will be very interesting.
Really??
I can't wait to hear other people's thoughts about the book and the various characters.
What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson
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Eutoc
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Post by Eutoc »

lavenderbooks20 wrote: 24 Sep 2020, 21:30 The author has indeed an exquisite writing style. What I enjoyed the most about this book was the way it was written. I enjoyed reading your review.
Thank you Lavender for reading through.
What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson
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