Review by Joy C -- We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under ...
Posted: 16 Apr 2021, 15:07
[Following is a volunteer review of "We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies" by Matthew Tysz.]
We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies is the first book in a nine-part series written by Matthew Tysz. I believe this initial book sets the pace for the series. The book introduces us to Galen Bray and the land of Voulhire. Galen Bray is a young man from the Land of the Princes from which he escapes when he is bequeathed a large inheritance and invited to Voulhire by his uncle. This uncle, who he had never met, is a blacksmith based in Voulhire. Voulhire is a prosperous nation with huge resources and at the peak of massive economic growth. Galen arrives at this time in the nation’s history and must learn how to blend in with the system. Also, he must not become prey to the predators of Voulhire. We also learn about the Lord Meldorath, a vicious mage, and the Riva Rohavi, a subtly growing terrorist group in this first book.
Like every other nation on earth, Voulhire is not devoid of the politics and issues brought by change and economic growth. The quest for power and riches and its attendant effects cannot be overemphasized. These are brought to the fore in this short introductory book. It is a well-told story of a land of mages and priests, a meeting point of the Cosmos and the Caromentis. It brings to light a nation where magic, knowledge, and skill intermingle. I wonder what lies ahead for Galen and the entire land of Voulhire. If the Riva Rohavi will usurp authority and how far they would go in their quest. Not only that, but I also wonder if Lord Meldorath is as bad as he seems, or if his vices are aimed to prove a point.
The story is exceptionally descriptive and allows one to get into the flow of events. It felt like watching a movie. Each scene was vivid, and I could picture what each character would look like. The author tells Galen Bray’s story in the first person while the other parts describe the people and the happenings in Voulhire and the Land of the Princes. I was most intrigued by the fact that Voulhire and the world around it are fictional. Matthew’s storytelling is gripping. At some point, I imagined Voulhire was a real place, and the events were from history.
Though the book begins with Galen Bray’s story, it seemed to focus more on Voulhire; the land Galen would find solitude after his breathtaking escape from the terror and onslaught in the Land of the Princes. There were so many loose ends though. This made the book a bit hard to follow. Worse still, the book alternated Galen’s story with that of different Voulhirans and with different events in Voulhire. This added to my challenge with the stories. I assume this might be so because it is an introductory book. As such, character development is on.
Notwithstanding the few aforementioned challenges, I would rate this book four out of four stars. This is because the story is deep and captivating. It draws you in, and you wouldn’t want to put down this book until you see what happens next. Beginning at the prologue, it had an intensity, which I must say, served its purpose. Moreover, I didn’t find a single error in this book, which made it even more delightful. I also found the 10-page reference guide at the end of the book quite helpful. This strengthened my thoughts that Voulhire just might be real and these events actually happened.
The book has a lot of magic and violence. For this reason, it might not suit those averse to such. As expected, the book ended with a big cliffhanger, as did the prologue. I feel like We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies only scratched the surface of the events from a past world era. And I would be most delighted to follow the author as he unravels this.
******
We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies is the first book in a nine-part series written by Matthew Tysz. I believe this initial book sets the pace for the series. The book introduces us to Galen Bray and the land of Voulhire. Galen Bray is a young man from the Land of the Princes from which he escapes when he is bequeathed a large inheritance and invited to Voulhire by his uncle. This uncle, who he had never met, is a blacksmith based in Voulhire. Voulhire is a prosperous nation with huge resources and at the peak of massive economic growth. Galen arrives at this time in the nation’s history and must learn how to blend in with the system. Also, he must not become prey to the predators of Voulhire. We also learn about the Lord Meldorath, a vicious mage, and the Riva Rohavi, a subtly growing terrorist group in this first book.
Like every other nation on earth, Voulhire is not devoid of the politics and issues brought by change and economic growth. The quest for power and riches and its attendant effects cannot be overemphasized. These are brought to the fore in this short introductory book. It is a well-told story of a land of mages and priests, a meeting point of the Cosmos and the Caromentis. It brings to light a nation where magic, knowledge, and skill intermingle. I wonder what lies ahead for Galen and the entire land of Voulhire. If the Riva Rohavi will usurp authority and how far they would go in their quest. Not only that, but I also wonder if Lord Meldorath is as bad as he seems, or if his vices are aimed to prove a point.
The story is exceptionally descriptive and allows one to get into the flow of events. It felt like watching a movie. Each scene was vivid, and I could picture what each character would look like. The author tells Galen Bray’s story in the first person while the other parts describe the people and the happenings in Voulhire and the Land of the Princes. I was most intrigued by the fact that Voulhire and the world around it are fictional. Matthew’s storytelling is gripping. At some point, I imagined Voulhire was a real place, and the events were from history.
Though the book begins with Galen Bray’s story, it seemed to focus more on Voulhire; the land Galen would find solitude after his breathtaking escape from the terror and onslaught in the Land of the Princes. There were so many loose ends though. This made the book a bit hard to follow. Worse still, the book alternated Galen’s story with that of different Voulhirans and with different events in Voulhire. This added to my challenge with the stories. I assume this might be so because it is an introductory book. As such, character development is on.
Notwithstanding the few aforementioned challenges, I would rate this book four out of four stars. This is because the story is deep and captivating. It draws you in, and you wouldn’t want to put down this book until you see what happens next. Beginning at the prologue, it had an intensity, which I must say, served its purpose. Moreover, I didn’t find a single error in this book, which made it even more delightful. I also found the 10-page reference guide at the end of the book quite helpful. This strengthened my thoughts that Voulhire just might be real and these events actually happened.
The book has a lot of magic and violence. For this reason, it might not suit those averse to such. As expected, the book ended with a big cliffhanger, as did the prologue. I feel like We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies only scratched the surface of the events from a past world era. And I would be most delighted to follow the author as he unravels this.
******
We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon