Review by revathy sw -- We are Voulhire: A New Arrival u...

[revathy sw]

[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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Review: We Are Voulhire: A New Arrival Under Great Skies by Matthew Tysz

We Are Voulhire: A New Arrival Under Great Skies is Matthew Tysz’s brilliant, intriguing and riveting start to his fantasy series, We are Voulhire. In this novel, Tysz successfully and poignantly captures the vast arena of human feeling, experience, personal ambition, greed, hope, and suffering.

The story of the novel is set in the magnificent, magical (literally), fictional kingdom of Voulhire. In this strange new land, where the ordinary and the extraordinary coexist, plays out the stories of an assorted cast of characters, ranging from civilians like the endearingly, if a bit frustratingly, naïve and innocent protagonist Galen Bray and the world savvy Rowan, to the royalty and nobility of Voulhire, like the pensive monarch, King Wilhelm, the enigmatic and dangerous mage, Meldorath and the cool-headed, optimistic, Lord Eldus. These are of course only some in a plethora of characters who are all inadvertently caught up, or eagerly take part, in the war that is created by the ancient, frenetic, and opposing energies of order and chaos.

We Are Voulhire: A New Arrival Under Great Skies is told in alternating third person point of view, giving us an indepth look at several of its characters. I don’t usually identify with and care about every character in a book, but Tysz made me do just that, to the point where I was fully invested even in the minor characters, all of whom will hopefully be explored further in the following books in the series.

The novel is loaded with beautiful imagery, which has the power of bringing pictures and impressions to the readers’ minds so vivid as to fool them into thinking they’ve been transported into its world and are marveling right along with Galen, the sights and sounds of the majestic Voulhire. Tysz holds back no punches and the novel starts off with a startling and exciting bloody coup. There are scenes that will leave you reeling with their blunt depictions of tragedy and evil. Even in those parts of the novel which are mostly filled with descriptions of the daily lives of the characters, there is always a feeling of trouble brewing in the horizon which is sure to make readers feel a kind of nervous anticipation throughout. And even if the novel is guilty of a lack of action after the prologue, it more than makes up for this in its last twenty percent. What I also appreciated was that, despite its atmosphere of barely contained violence and danger, the novel had great moments of levity with unexpected humor, wit, and banter, that made me laugh out loud.

One minor complaint that I have is with the language used in We Are Voulhire: A New Arrival Under Great Skies. The majority of it is written in a flowing, elegant prose, greatly reminiscent of days when chivalry and honor were valued; yet out of nowhere you’d get modern abbreviations and phrases like “wanna,” “dad,” “get laid,” “action-figures,” and “crappy” which I found a bit disconcerting. Also of note here is the novel’s representation of women. Most of the female characters are portrayed as being strong, intelligent and filled with fortitude, and as fighters, and brave defenders. However, a few male characters, make several condescending and disparaging comments about women, which many times, cross the line into objectification. As I said, this is only the case with a few male characters and is clearly part of their personality and is not a stance that the novel itself promotes or justifies, so I didn’t have too much of a problem with it.

I would give this novel 4 out of 4 stars for the fact that, despite my reservations, the good aspects of the novel far outshine its bad ones, so as to render the latter nearly inconsequential, and also for the fact that it has been flawlessly edited.

There are instances of sexual innuendoes or mentions of a few sexual acts along with suggestions or explicit references to disturbing content including rape and pedophilia. There are plenty of gory scenes of murder and bloodshed, including that of children. There is also lots of swearing, mild and strong; I estimate that there are around twenty-five instances of outright swearing in the novel. With all this in mind, I’d recommend We Are Voulhire: A New Arrival Under Great Skies as a must-read for fantasy lovers aged sixteen and older.

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We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies
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[Mariana Figueira]

Thanks for the amazing and detailed review!

[revathy sw]

Thanks for the amazing and detailed review!

Thank you.

[Cara Wilding]

[Following is a volunteer review of "We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies" by Matthew Tysz.]

The story of the novel is set in the magnificent, magical (literally), fictional kingdom of Voulhire. In this strange new land, where the ordinary and the extraordinary coexist, plays out the stories of an assorted cast of characters, ranging from civilians like the endearingly, if a bit frustratingly, naïve and innocent protagonist Galen Bray and the world savvy Rowan, to the royalty and nobility of Voulhire, like the pensive monarch, King Wilhelm, the enigmatic and dangerous mage, Meldorath and the cool-headed, optimistic, Lord Eldus. These are of course only some in a plethora of characters who are all inadvertently caught up, or eagerly take part, in the war that is created by the ancient, frenetic, and opposing energies of order and chaos.

The novel is loaded with beautiful imagery, which has the power of bringing pictures and impressions to the readers’ minds so vivid as to fool them into thinking they’ve been transported into its world and are marveling right along with Galen, the sights and sounds of the majestic Voulhire. Tysz holds back no punches and the novel starts off with a startling and exciting bloody coup. There are scenes that will leave you reeling with their blunt depictions of tragedy and evil. Even in those parts of the novel which are mostly filled with descriptions of the daily lives of the characters, there is always a feeling of trouble brewing in the horizon which is sure to make readers feel a kind of nervous anticipation throughout. And even if the novel is guilty of a lack of action after the prologue, it more than makes up for this in its last twenty percent. What I also appreciated was that, despite its atmosphere of barely contained violence and danger, the novel had great moments of levity with unexpected humor, wit, and banter, that made me laugh out loud.

Revathy, I reviewed this book a bit ago; this author is one of my favorite finds from last year! I have yet to forget the world he created in this book, and you captured so articulately that feeling of tension that lies beneath the pages, even without the action! I can remember this feeling that something was brewing and about to happen - also that it would not be good! Did you have a favorite character? While I liked Galen, I was drawn to Meldorath's character for some reason. I also found the author's sense of humor to be refreshing, and it gave the book that extra bit of enjoyment for me. You did a wonderful job with this review; this would have convinced me to grab it if I hadn't already read it! I'm so looking forward to reading more from you! Until next time...

[revathy sw]

Revathy, I reviewed this book a bit ago; this author is one of my favorite finds from last year! I have yet to forget the world he created in this book, and you captured so articulately that feeling of tension that lies beneath the pages, even without the action! I can remember this feeling that something was brewing and about to happen - also that it would not be good! Did you have a favorite character? While I liked Galen, I was drawn to Meldorath's character for some reason. I also found the author's sense of humor to be refreshing, and it gave the book that extra bit of enjoyment for me. You did a wonderful job with this review; this would have convinced me to grab it if I hadn't already read it! I'm so looking forward to reading more from you! Until next time...

Cara, this was my very first review on this site. This book, therefore, holds a very special place in my heart. However, and I completely agree with you on this, the reason this book still ignites a sense of excitement and curiosity in me is because of the characters and the magical world of Voulhire. There is just the right amount of humor to balance out all the evil scheming and tragedy. I agree with you on who the best characters in the book are. Galen was an absolute sweetheart and Meldorath was a very compelling villain.
Thank you so much for your kind words and for taking the time to write such an amazing comment.