Review by abudaniel28 -- We are Voulhire: The Flesh of t...
Posted: 18 Dec 2020, 11:56
[Following is a volunteer review of "We are Voulhire: The Flesh of the Mind" by Matthew Tysz.]
This novel is the sixth instalment of the We are Voulhire series. So far, the three main actors are still in the game: Galen Bray from the land of the Princes, now a resident of Caromentis; Rowan Van Asher from Soulhire, and Demetrius Waters from Virko. Furthermore, Matthew Tysz reintroduces the readers to some old names: Lord Folcro, son of the ex-governor of Virko; Lord High Chancellor Midius Maido, although presently the head principal at the Diamora, was once the second protector of Voulhire during the reign of King Wilhelm Arcolo; Lord Meldorath, the general-mage-fugitive-turned Eiodi, currently known as Eiodi Indarmo II and at the moment, a resident of Caromentis; King Nartik, the current ruler of Voulhire; and High Paladin Harper Renard, the saviour of Virko. Some new characters are worth mentioning: Lady Angela of Cridaea and her husband, Adrian. This duo is the sort of badass you need on your side if you are planning to start a revolution.
Before going any further, I have to say that one must be familiar with both the geography and history of Voulhire if one expects this book to come alive. I would suggest reading the first five books of this series in the correct order before delving into The Flesh of the Mind, so as to comprehend the storyline, as well as the timeline of the events. In this particular tome, we see Demetrius and Rowan trying to save Diamora from demonic forces; Harper and her fighters are dealing with their own terrors; Angela and Adrian are fighting hard to deliver their city from enslavement. The ambassadors of The Emperor of Lullabies are struggling to convince the Voulhirians to surrender willingly. Meanwhile, Folcro is planning to set The Riva Rohavi on a missionary spiritual path — to destroy the Church of Destinism and bring ultimate chaos to Voulhire. In a nutshell, every city in Voulhire is under occupation, siege, or is currently experiencing the shadows of things to come. While all these are happening in the Cosmos, Galen Bray, thought to be dead by his friends, is in Caromentis. He is trying to persuade Meldorath to return to Cosmos to save Voulhire from the Emperor of Lullabies like he once did. The success of this tough assignment depends on whether Galen is able to switch on his negotiating skills and find a way to convince Meldorath to give up his plans for Caromentis.
Specifically, I like four things about the book. First is the simultaneousness of the events. There are four unique events, at four different locations, and one of them isn’t even in Cosmos – it is happening right in Caromentis. What is superb about all these four peculiar but separate events is that they are all connected. The second thing I like about the book is the fact that even though these events are happening simultaneously, and are worlds apart location-wise, the author does not lose his audience inside this maze; you know exactly where you are and when. Thirdly, I find the conversations fascinating. They tend to be philosophical at times, though, unlike actual philosophy whose meaning eludes us more often than not, Matthew Tysz makes these discussions uncomplicated. Finally, I am a fan of novels whose title is understandable or at least explained in the book. So, I applaud the author for explaining the meaning of The Flesh of the Mind. On the other hand, what I dislike about the book is the use or should I say, overuse of profanities. In my opinion, these profanities are unnecessary since they neither add to nor remove from the story.
We are Voulhire: The Flesh of the Mind by Matthew Tysz is a well-edited and professionally-proofread book. There were no floating characters or pages. The stories are connected and easy to follow, and every new character has a mission and a purpose. The author wasn’t wordy. I think he outdid himself with this particular tome — it has everything you can imagine in an epic book — magic, science, religion, avaricious chancellors, epic fights, intensely philosophical discussions, romance or at least a hint at it, brotherly and sisterly love, and so on. All these compel me to award this book four out of four stars.
I would recommend We are Voulhire: The Flesh of the Mind by Matthew Tysz first and foremost to We are Voulhire fans. I would also recommend it to anyone who loves fantasy, epic fights and magic. I suggest starting with the first novel in the series — A New Arrival under Great Skies. According to the author, the series will ultimately consist of nine books, so, I am looking forward to the next issue. Furthermore, We are Voulhire: The Flesh of the Mind by Matthew Tysz has graphic content, so I would not recommend it to anyone who does not have the stomach for such things. Also, it contains quite a lot of profanities, insinuations of same-sex interactions, and a suggestion of sexual assault. This particular tome depicts fights with demons and extraterrestrial beings. Readers who might find any of the above disturbing should probably stay away from this book. I would also recommend it to students of English as a foreign language due to the correct grammar structure and professional use of vocabulary.
Finally, I long for a volume dedicated to the third universe, Alitheia, the spirit universe. So far, the nature and very existence of this world remain in the category of theoretical. Nothing is known about it, though, some of the previous books have mentioned it only in passing. Secondly, it would be a dream come true if We are Voulhire series somehow finds its way to the big screen. Fingers crossed.
******
We are Voulhire: The Flesh of the Mind
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
This novel is the sixth instalment of the We are Voulhire series. So far, the three main actors are still in the game: Galen Bray from the land of the Princes, now a resident of Caromentis; Rowan Van Asher from Soulhire, and Demetrius Waters from Virko. Furthermore, Matthew Tysz reintroduces the readers to some old names: Lord Folcro, son of the ex-governor of Virko; Lord High Chancellor Midius Maido, although presently the head principal at the Diamora, was once the second protector of Voulhire during the reign of King Wilhelm Arcolo; Lord Meldorath, the general-mage-fugitive-turned Eiodi, currently known as Eiodi Indarmo II and at the moment, a resident of Caromentis; King Nartik, the current ruler of Voulhire; and High Paladin Harper Renard, the saviour of Virko. Some new characters are worth mentioning: Lady Angela of Cridaea and her husband, Adrian. This duo is the sort of badass you need on your side if you are planning to start a revolution.
Before going any further, I have to say that one must be familiar with both the geography and history of Voulhire if one expects this book to come alive. I would suggest reading the first five books of this series in the correct order before delving into The Flesh of the Mind, so as to comprehend the storyline, as well as the timeline of the events. In this particular tome, we see Demetrius and Rowan trying to save Diamora from demonic forces; Harper and her fighters are dealing with their own terrors; Angela and Adrian are fighting hard to deliver their city from enslavement. The ambassadors of The Emperor of Lullabies are struggling to convince the Voulhirians to surrender willingly. Meanwhile, Folcro is planning to set The Riva Rohavi on a missionary spiritual path — to destroy the Church of Destinism and bring ultimate chaos to Voulhire. In a nutshell, every city in Voulhire is under occupation, siege, or is currently experiencing the shadows of things to come. While all these are happening in the Cosmos, Galen Bray, thought to be dead by his friends, is in Caromentis. He is trying to persuade Meldorath to return to Cosmos to save Voulhire from the Emperor of Lullabies like he once did. The success of this tough assignment depends on whether Galen is able to switch on his negotiating skills and find a way to convince Meldorath to give up his plans for Caromentis.
Specifically, I like four things about the book. First is the simultaneousness of the events. There are four unique events, at four different locations, and one of them isn’t even in Cosmos – it is happening right in Caromentis. What is superb about all these four peculiar but separate events is that they are all connected. The second thing I like about the book is the fact that even though these events are happening simultaneously, and are worlds apart location-wise, the author does not lose his audience inside this maze; you know exactly where you are and when. Thirdly, I find the conversations fascinating. They tend to be philosophical at times, though, unlike actual philosophy whose meaning eludes us more often than not, Matthew Tysz makes these discussions uncomplicated. Finally, I am a fan of novels whose title is understandable or at least explained in the book. So, I applaud the author for explaining the meaning of The Flesh of the Mind. On the other hand, what I dislike about the book is the use or should I say, overuse of profanities. In my opinion, these profanities are unnecessary since they neither add to nor remove from the story.
We are Voulhire: The Flesh of the Mind by Matthew Tysz is a well-edited and professionally-proofread book. There were no floating characters or pages. The stories are connected and easy to follow, and every new character has a mission and a purpose. The author wasn’t wordy. I think he outdid himself with this particular tome — it has everything you can imagine in an epic book — magic, science, religion, avaricious chancellors, epic fights, intensely philosophical discussions, romance or at least a hint at it, brotherly and sisterly love, and so on. All these compel me to award this book four out of four stars.
I would recommend We are Voulhire: The Flesh of the Mind by Matthew Tysz first and foremost to We are Voulhire fans. I would also recommend it to anyone who loves fantasy, epic fights and magic. I suggest starting with the first novel in the series — A New Arrival under Great Skies. According to the author, the series will ultimately consist of nine books, so, I am looking forward to the next issue. Furthermore, We are Voulhire: The Flesh of the Mind by Matthew Tysz has graphic content, so I would not recommend it to anyone who does not have the stomach for such things. Also, it contains quite a lot of profanities, insinuations of same-sex interactions, and a suggestion of sexual assault. This particular tome depicts fights with demons and extraterrestrial beings. Readers who might find any of the above disturbing should probably stay away from this book. I would also recommend it to students of English as a foreign language due to the correct grammar structure and professional use of vocabulary.
Finally, I long for a volume dedicated to the third universe, Alitheia, the spirit universe. So far, the nature and very existence of this world remain in the category of theoretical. Nothing is known about it, though, some of the previous books have mentioned it only in passing. Secondly, it would be a dream come true if We are Voulhire series somehow finds its way to the big screen. Fingers crossed.
******
We are Voulhire: The Flesh of the Mind
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon