Review by Oyster -- We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under...
Posted: 03 Jun 2021, 20:47
[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 novel in the We are Voulhire series. It tells the story of a young man who arrives at Voulhire with dreams of starting a new and successful life in this country. This young man, who goes by the name Galen, recently escaped dying in his homeland that is currently at war with neighboring lands. The book follows this refugee as he discovers Voulhire for himself and juxtaposes life in this country with life in his homeland. It tells of the discoveries he made on his quest to prove that he deserves the inheritance that his late uncle bequeathed to him.
We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies does not focus on Galen alone. It also follows some other characters like Modius, King Wilhelm, and Lord Meldorath. It shines a light on the path that they have chosen to follow and the many adventures that they will have. Being a book that falls into the fantasy genre, it is also filled with mages or wizards as we like to call them.
The first thing that I will like to say is that Matthew Tysz is an author whose book I have read over and over again. One of his series that I fell in love with is The Turn and one thing about that series is that I noticed is that he has mastered the art of using words to paint pictures in the mind. His words explain the stories he tells in a way that one envisions whatever he is talking about in their mind. Such a skill was replicated in this book titled We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies . This feature of bringing words and stories told to life is what I love best in the book. He is a man who has gotten my respect and deserves it from every single lover of fiction, fantasy, and sci-fi.
Another thing that I applaud the author for is the way the plot was arranged to make sense even if the focus of the story bounces from one character to the other. In one chapter, the focus is on Galen, in another, it’s on Meldorath and yet in another, it is telling of a conversation between the king and his subjects. Even though most of the different characters lived in different cities in the country and never crossed paths in the book, the plot flowed smoothly like a knife cutting through butter. I never got a sense or feeling of information overload neither was I ever confused as to what was going on at a particular time.
Because I am expected to mention negative points where I see any, I will like to announce that there is one thing that I did not like about the book. That thing is the lack of a major female character. The author is a brilliant author and this novel is an interesting one. There is no doubt about that. But, I would have been over the stars with happiness if a female character played a major role in the story. But this is not the case. Since this is the only negative point I saw in the book, I can say that this is my greatest dislike of it.
For a book that is as interesting to read like this, it is only right that it is professionally edited. The author did not stop at ensuring that this is the case, he made sure that it was excellently edited so that there is no error in the pages of this novel. It is for this reason and those mentioned above that I give it 4 out of 4 stars. I did not deduct any stars from it because I did not see any reason to do that. The author’s refusal to add a major female character is his decision. After all, it is his story. So he can do what he chooses to do with the plot. That said, I cannot judge the book harshly because its author chose to exercise said right.
Finally, I recommend this to readers that consume books with magic and those that like fantasy novels with a touch of science fiction. It is not suitable for consumption by young readers below 15 years because of the graphic violence contained in a scene in the novel.
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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 novel in the We are Voulhire series. It tells the story of a young man who arrives at Voulhire with dreams of starting a new and successful life in this country. This young man, who goes by the name Galen, recently escaped dying in his homeland that is currently at war with neighboring lands. The book follows this refugee as he discovers Voulhire for himself and juxtaposes life in this country with life in his homeland. It tells of the discoveries he made on his quest to prove that he deserves the inheritance that his late uncle bequeathed to him.
We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies does not focus on Galen alone. It also follows some other characters like Modius, King Wilhelm, and Lord Meldorath. It shines a light on the path that they have chosen to follow and the many adventures that they will have. Being a book that falls into the fantasy genre, it is also filled with mages or wizards as we like to call them.
The first thing that I will like to say is that Matthew Tysz is an author whose book I have read over and over again. One of his series that I fell in love with is The Turn and one thing about that series is that I noticed is that he has mastered the art of using words to paint pictures in the mind. His words explain the stories he tells in a way that one envisions whatever he is talking about in their mind. Such a skill was replicated in this book titled We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies . This feature of bringing words and stories told to life is what I love best in the book. He is a man who has gotten my respect and deserves it from every single lover of fiction, fantasy, and sci-fi.
Another thing that I applaud the author for is the way the plot was arranged to make sense even if the focus of the story bounces from one character to the other. In one chapter, the focus is on Galen, in another, it’s on Meldorath and yet in another, it is telling of a conversation between the king and his subjects. Even though most of the different characters lived in different cities in the country and never crossed paths in the book, the plot flowed smoothly like a knife cutting through butter. I never got a sense or feeling of information overload neither was I ever confused as to what was going on at a particular time.
Because I am expected to mention negative points where I see any, I will like to announce that there is one thing that I did not like about the book. That thing is the lack of a major female character. The author is a brilliant author and this novel is an interesting one. There is no doubt about that. But, I would have been over the stars with happiness if a female character played a major role in the story. But this is not the case. Since this is the only negative point I saw in the book, I can say that this is my greatest dislike of it.
For a book that is as interesting to read like this, it is only right that it is professionally edited. The author did not stop at ensuring that this is the case, he made sure that it was excellently edited so that there is no error in the pages of this novel. It is for this reason and those mentioned above that I give it 4 out of 4 stars. I did not deduct any stars from it because I did not see any reason to do that. The author’s refusal to add a major female character is his decision. After all, it is his story. So he can do what he chooses to do with the plot. That said, I cannot judge the book harshly because its author chose to exercise said right.
Finally, I recommend this to readers that consume books with magic and those that like fantasy novels with a touch of science fiction. It is not suitable for consumption by young readers below 15 years because of the graphic violence contained in a scene in the novel.
******
We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon