Review by markodim721 -- We are Voulhire: A New Arrival ...
Posted: 08 May 2021, 15:49
[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 series about the kingdom of Voulhire. The plot of the book takes place in a rich and powerful monarchy, seemingly harmonious but in fact torn apart by the unequal development of its parts. The state of catchy name is being eroded by internal squabbles in the levers of power, but also by armed conflicts that are smoldering and threatening.
One after the other, only at first glance, several unrelated stories intertwine. A young refugee comes to the city of a prosperous kingdom to receive his inheritance. He is assisted in this by the executor of the will, a young man of friendly, informal demeanor and adventurous spirit. Will a diverse country manage to rise above the conflict of its representatives? Which will prevail, magic or justice? Will the benevolent king manage to save his country?
What I particularly liked about We Are Voulhire: A New Arrival Under Great Skies is the remarkable attention given to the development of all the characters in the book, both major and minor. Each of the characters has authentic habits, motives, way of thinking, appearance, vocabulary. Also, the dialogues in the book are fluent, they are in the right places, and they fit perfectly into the rest of the story. Well-designed characters form the backbone of an very well-designed, complex plot. For ease of reference, the author offered readers a map of Voulhire. In addition, at the end of the book, there is a reference guide, which offers additional explanations of toponyms, characters, and terms encountered in the book. In this elegant way, Matthew Tysz avoided unnecessary explanation in the text itself and the dynamics of the plot did not suffer either. Perhaps the main advantage of the book is the whole imaginary culture of Voulhire. The book itself has few errors and is quite well edited.
The objections I have regarding the book concern the occasional predictability of the content and the occasional naivety shown by some of the characters. Also, I find it strange that the content of the book has a German-speaking overtone. Thus, the king of Voulhire bears a name characteristic of the German-speaking countries. The same can be said for occasional addressing, in the manner common in Germanic countries.
Due to the listed characteristics of the book, the decision on how to evaluate We are Voulhire: A New Arrival Under Great Skies was quite easy. In the end, my final judgment is to rate the book with four out of four stars. A well-designed plot, strong characters that fit well, and a whole functional fictional world represent the main values of the book and far exceed its minor shortcomings.
Fans of science fiction, magic, distant fictional worlds, and entire cultures will surely enjoy the book. However, due to the occasionally vulgar language, I do not recommend the book to adolescents and people sensitive to this type of content.
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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 series about the kingdom of Voulhire. The plot of the book takes place in a rich and powerful monarchy, seemingly harmonious but in fact torn apart by the unequal development of its parts. The state of catchy name is being eroded by internal squabbles in the levers of power, but also by armed conflicts that are smoldering and threatening.
One after the other, only at first glance, several unrelated stories intertwine. A young refugee comes to the city of a prosperous kingdom to receive his inheritance. He is assisted in this by the executor of the will, a young man of friendly, informal demeanor and adventurous spirit. Will a diverse country manage to rise above the conflict of its representatives? Which will prevail, magic or justice? Will the benevolent king manage to save his country?
What I particularly liked about We Are Voulhire: A New Arrival Under Great Skies is the remarkable attention given to the development of all the characters in the book, both major and minor. Each of the characters has authentic habits, motives, way of thinking, appearance, vocabulary. Also, the dialogues in the book are fluent, they are in the right places, and they fit perfectly into the rest of the story. Well-designed characters form the backbone of an very well-designed, complex plot. For ease of reference, the author offered readers a map of Voulhire. In addition, at the end of the book, there is a reference guide, which offers additional explanations of toponyms, characters, and terms encountered in the book. In this elegant way, Matthew Tysz avoided unnecessary explanation in the text itself and the dynamics of the plot did not suffer either. Perhaps the main advantage of the book is the whole imaginary culture of Voulhire. The book itself has few errors and is quite well edited.
The objections I have regarding the book concern the occasional predictability of the content and the occasional naivety shown by some of the characters. Also, I find it strange that the content of the book has a German-speaking overtone. Thus, the king of Voulhire bears a name characteristic of the German-speaking countries. The same can be said for occasional addressing, in the manner common in Germanic countries.
Due to the listed characteristics of the book, the decision on how to evaluate We are Voulhire: A New Arrival Under Great Skies was quite easy. In the end, my final judgment is to rate the book with four out of four stars. A well-designed plot, strong characters that fit well, and a whole functional fictional world represent the main values of the book and far exceed its minor shortcomings.
Fans of science fiction, magic, distant fictional worlds, and entire cultures will surely enjoy the book. However, due to the occasionally vulgar language, I do not recommend the book to adolescents and people sensitive to this type of content.
******
We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
