Review of We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies

[Charlie-C]

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

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5 out of 5 stars

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"Voulhire is a fantastic land." Those could have been soothing remarks for Galen Bray. After 28 gloomy years and tentative beginnings, loneliness and suffering in the war-mangled Land of Princes evicted him from his unstable fantasy motherland. While mages, soldiers, corrupt kings, and knights dealt out strife, war, vengeance, greed, and treachery, he anchored onto the non-violent ambient seashore of Voulhire. He was going to accept the blacksmithing business from his uncle. And yet he emerges as the center of interest in this simple-paced, 199-page inaugural series. Besides him are diverse mischievous, witty, and humorous figures such as Rowan, the approachable estate executor, who soon receives center stage in a witty, progressive fantasy story. The king’s island was where Galen and his associates turned up. Is Voulhire the utopia it appears from a distance, or is a powder keg of nitro-glycerine delaying the detonation of a war zone? This will unfold soon. Be warned that with its unmentionable sins and mages dabbling in the paranormal and supernatural dimensions, a dazzling volley of spells awaits to bind your mind in We Are Voulhire: A New Arrival Under The Great Skies as a prelude to medieval occult and magic mysteries.

In each of the successive chapters, Matthew Tysz’s riveting imagery unravels an exhaustive host of mischievous characters. He progresses at leisure to draw the reader between the intertwined spheres of the magical realm, announced as "the flesh of the mind," and the natural multiverse of the galaxies. He somewhat mitigates the burden of understanding his unique terminologies by combining a glossary of terms towards bringing the text to a conclusion and illustrating the Land of Voulhire at the start of the narrative. It is thus easier for readers to perceive his fanciful earth. The poetic justice line of unraveling feuds among adversaries leaves a lingering taste on the lips of most Voulhirians. After finding out the state of affairs, he came to terms with them.

Fantasy is not my cup of tea, but for the authorial techniques exploited in this writing, it is captivating enough to pass for a brilliant record. In the chapters, the writer spun a tapestry of scenes and characterization. It was pleasant to read and hard to stamp the text out once I started reading, except for the archaic-sounding names of people and outlandish places. Despite the elusive characters in concurrent plots, I adjusted them into as readable an arrangement as possible so as not to mention spoilers for later installments.

I didn't know where the story was heading. It took a while to go through the motions. Minutiae from ambiguous chapters did not detract from liking the story. It’s merely an introduction to upcoming and more captivating series, and so that’s pardonable as it did not lessen the quality of enjoying the clashes akin to those in Game of Thrones among princes and nobles and the rest of the saga.

For the reasons above, I rate this edition 4 out of 4 and 5 out of 5 stars.

While this particular edition won’t appeal to teenagers and minors due to the occasional gory massacres and bloodshed, I gladly recommend it to science-fiction fanatics who may have a field day lapping up modern life entwined with the Voulhirian. It has well-written English and hence would serve as a mind-sharpener for those who love storytelling.

I didn’t encounter errors of any sort, and the index in the reference section was definitely a welcome relief, explaining the idiosyncrasies employed in Voulhire.

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We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies
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[Faith Ejai]

I loved the way you wrote the review. I enjoyed reading it. Thanks for providing this useful information. I'm sure many will love this book.

[Valeria Riveraa]

Meldorath, what's the deal with him anyway? Hearing about Meldorath makes me scared for Galen. I wonder what he'll find in the land of Voulhire. Thanks for the honest review, I'm looking forward to reading this book.