Review of We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies
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Sarah Stace
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Review of We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies
[Following is a volunteer review of "We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies" by Matthew Tysz.]
It is funny that princes are free to start wars whenever their egos are bruised or their greed is left unsatisfied. Unfortunately, these princes are free to hole themselves up in high fortresses and stay untouched while their subjects fight the unnecessary wars that they started. This same predicament of princes and unnecessary wars is claiming the life of residents of the Islands of the Princes. For twenty years, the fighting has been going on. And in those twenty years, Galen Bray has seen more death and misery that would make a grown man wet his pants. It is not surprising that he grabbed the blessing of leaving this war zone when news of the death of Onita Galen, his uncle, reached him.
Armed with his papers and the dream of a peace-filled future, he sets for Voulhire, the country of possibilities. A few days into his stay in his new home, he is gifted with the shocking news of unrest and impending danger from all sides of the country. Lord Meldorath may not have been executed as the king claimed and the Riva Rohavi may finally succeed in their quest to destroy this country. But all of those are a bunch of maybes. To find out for sure if this new country turned out to be the Eldorado that Galen dreamt of, grab a copy of We Are Voulhire: A New Arrival Under Great Skies written by Matthew Tysz.
We Are Voulhire: A New Arrival Under Great Skies is the first installment of the We Are Voulhire series. This series is to contain a total of nine books. This one is merely an introduction to the country of Voulhire and the many plans that fate or the gods have in store for it. I will like to first comment on the title of the series. It is quite an intriguing name. It makes me understand that whilst a country must have a recognized geographical space or territory for it to be called a country, what truly makes it a country are the people in it. The name also suggests that the people are proud to be part and parcel of this country and that is evidenced by the talks of the likes of King Wilhelm, Chancellor Maido, the unnamed citizens, and even refugees like Galen Bray.
The second thing that I took great interest in was how carefully Matthew Tysz paid attention to the proper development of his main characters. For most of them, he told of their past and what shaped them into the people they are today. For those on whose past he did not throw light on, like Rowan, he shrouded in an air of mystery that hooks his readers and gets them wondering about said characters. I know that in time or the sequels, information concerning the past of these characters will be made known to the readers. But I greatly enjoyed the guessing game that these mysterious characters had me playing in my mind.
The style that Matthew Tysz employed in narrating the story is my favorite feature of the book. He told the story from Galen’s perspective and also from the third-person perspective. Whilst I would have been ecstatic if Meldorath was also granted the privilege of narrating things as he saw them unfold, I did not mind that all other characters had their stories told for them by the author. The shift in perspectives made the book more interesting to me. What I liked least in the book is how Galen did not get into any major action in the story. I understand that he is one of the main characters in the book and is possibly the main protagonist in the series. So I expected much from him but was disappointed to find that his mundane life and his discovery of the mystical stone were the much that I was given.
We Are Voulhire: A New Arrival Under Great Skies was written in a manner that all punctuations were properly placed and correct grammar was used throughout the book. So I say, without hesitating, that it was exceptionally well-edited. Also, the conflict between the Riva Rohiva, Meldorath’s escapades, and Rowan’s occasional humorous quips made this book super interesting. The plot and characters were developed quite well also. I indeed found Galen’s life boring. But I am optimistic that he will be more active and daring in the books to come. So, I gladly rate We Are Voulhire: A New Arrival Under Great Skies 4 out of 4 stars. I recommend this fantasy novel to fantasy novel readers who do not mind a little blend of magic and science in an interesting tale.
******
We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
It is funny that princes are free to start wars whenever their egos are bruised or their greed is left unsatisfied. Unfortunately, these princes are free to hole themselves up in high fortresses and stay untouched while their subjects fight the unnecessary wars that they started. This same predicament of princes and unnecessary wars is claiming the life of residents of the Islands of the Princes. For twenty years, the fighting has been going on. And in those twenty years, Galen Bray has seen more death and misery that would make a grown man wet his pants. It is not surprising that he grabbed the blessing of leaving this war zone when news of the death of Onita Galen, his uncle, reached him.
Armed with his papers and the dream of a peace-filled future, he sets for Voulhire, the country of possibilities. A few days into his stay in his new home, he is gifted with the shocking news of unrest and impending danger from all sides of the country. Lord Meldorath may not have been executed as the king claimed and the Riva Rohavi may finally succeed in their quest to destroy this country. But all of those are a bunch of maybes. To find out for sure if this new country turned out to be the Eldorado that Galen dreamt of, grab a copy of We Are Voulhire: A New Arrival Under Great Skies written by Matthew Tysz.
We Are Voulhire: A New Arrival Under Great Skies is the first installment of the We Are Voulhire series. This series is to contain a total of nine books. This one is merely an introduction to the country of Voulhire and the many plans that fate or the gods have in store for it. I will like to first comment on the title of the series. It is quite an intriguing name. It makes me understand that whilst a country must have a recognized geographical space or territory for it to be called a country, what truly makes it a country are the people in it. The name also suggests that the people are proud to be part and parcel of this country and that is evidenced by the talks of the likes of King Wilhelm, Chancellor Maido, the unnamed citizens, and even refugees like Galen Bray.
The second thing that I took great interest in was how carefully Matthew Tysz paid attention to the proper development of his main characters. For most of them, he told of their past and what shaped them into the people they are today. For those on whose past he did not throw light on, like Rowan, he shrouded in an air of mystery that hooks his readers and gets them wondering about said characters. I know that in time or the sequels, information concerning the past of these characters will be made known to the readers. But I greatly enjoyed the guessing game that these mysterious characters had me playing in my mind.
The style that Matthew Tysz employed in narrating the story is my favorite feature of the book. He told the story from Galen’s perspective and also from the third-person perspective. Whilst I would have been ecstatic if Meldorath was also granted the privilege of narrating things as he saw them unfold, I did not mind that all other characters had their stories told for them by the author. The shift in perspectives made the book more interesting to me. What I liked least in the book is how Galen did not get into any major action in the story. I understand that he is one of the main characters in the book and is possibly the main protagonist in the series. So I expected much from him but was disappointed to find that his mundane life and his discovery of the mystical stone were the much that I was given.
We Are Voulhire: A New Arrival Under Great Skies was written in a manner that all punctuations were properly placed and correct grammar was used throughout the book. So I say, without hesitating, that it was exceptionally well-edited. Also, the conflict between the Riva Rohiva, Meldorath’s escapades, and Rowan’s occasional humorous quips made this book super interesting. The plot and characters were developed quite well also. I indeed found Galen’s life boring. But I am optimistic that he will be more active and daring in the books to come. So, I gladly rate We Are Voulhire: A New Arrival Under Great Skies 4 out of 4 stars. I recommend this fantasy novel to fantasy novel readers who do not mind a little blend of magic and science in an interesting tale.
******
We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Timewise by Robert Leet
