Review of We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies
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Nathan Msomi
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- Latest Review: We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies by Matthew Tysz
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.]
We are Voulhire: A New Arrival Under Grey Skies follows a number of characters that reside in the land of Voulhire, although much of the focus is on the occurrences linked to the town of Hillport. Eldus has just taken over as lord of the town and has plans to prosper the town, however the town’s inhabitants and even the rest of Voulhire still feel uneasy and threatened by the supernatural power of the town's previous lord although they are assured that he has been sentenced to death. The novel also follows Galen, an immigrant in Voulhire as he begins his new life in greener pastures, having grown up on warring islands nearby.
I liked almost everything about this book. I liked how the language is very accessible. Often when authors write a story set in a world which resembles medieval times they tend towards language that brings that time period to mind. Matthew Tysz does not fall into this trap so that, for example we find “the guard at the front desk, peering into the holding block.(p50)” This means that the novel can concentrate on the story and characters and moves at a reasonable pace. The world building is fantastic, concepts like capitalism, universal healthcare and child psychology are skilfully woven into a world of magic, ‘lords’ and ‘ladies’ in a way that works. The author very effectively builds up tension with the story, really keeping the reader invested.
We are Voulhire: A New Arrival Under Grey Skies is the first in a series and for this reason, as a reader, one does not get the most satisfying resolution to the story. This is made clear from the onset so it is a very minor negative. A negative for me was the change in point of view in the story telling. I found that it was unnecessary in that I don’t see how it contributes positively to the story and there is one scene where I felt as though it diminished from the character work done up until that point. This is however a nit-pick, a very minor negative which I feel does not take too much away from a really great read.
My rating for We are Voulhire: A New Arrival Under Grey Skies is 5 out of 5. The book is richly descriptive and still manages to introduce a sizable number of interesting characters, all while telling an engaging story.
I would not recommend the book for young children as some of the themes and language is not suitable for them. I’d therefore recommend the book for everyone from teenagers upwards. As previously mentioned to book is written in a very accessible way so that even those who don’t ordinarily read in the fantasy or speculative fiction genre can enjoy reading this work.
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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 Grey Skies follows a number of characters that reside in the land of Voulhire, although much of the focus is on the occurrences linked to the town of Hillport. Eldus has just taken over as lord of the town and has plans to prosper the town, however the town’s inhabitants and even the rest of Voulhire still feel uneasy and threatened by the supernatural power of the town's previous lord although they are assured that he has been sentenced to death. The novel also follows Galen, an immigrant in Voulhire as he begins his new life in greener pastures, having grown up on warring islands nearby.
I liked almost everything about this book. I liked how the language is very accessible. Often when authors write a story set in a world which resembles medieval times they tend towards language that brings that time period to mind. Matthew Tysz does not fall into this trap so that, for example we find “the guard at the front desk, peering into the holding block.(p50)” This means that the novel can concentrate on the story and characters and moves at a reasonable pace. The world building is fantastic, concepts like capitalism, universal healthcare and child psychology are skilfully woven into a world of magic, ‘lords’ and ‘ladies’ in a way that works. The author very effectively builds up tension with the story, really keeping the reader invested.
We are Voulhire: A New Arrival Under Grey Skies is the first in a series and for this reason, as a reader, one does not get the most satisfying resolution to the story. This is made clear from the onset so it is a very minor negative. A negative for me was the change in point of view in the story telling. I found that it was unnecessary in that I don’t see how it contributes positively to the story and there is one scene where I felt as though it diminished from the character work done up until that point. This is however a nit-pick, a very minor negative which I feel does not take too much away from a really great read.
My rating for We are Voulhire: A New Arrival Under Grey Skies is 5 out of 5. The book is richly descriptive and still manages to introduce a sizable number of interesting characters, all while telling an engaging story.
I would not recommend the book for young children as some of the themes and language is not suitable for them. I’d therefore recommend the book for everyone from teenagers upwards. As previously mentioned to book is written in a very accessible way so that even those who don’t ordinarily read in the fantasy or speculative fiction genre can enjoy reading this work.
******
We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
