Review of We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies
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Storm Welman
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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.]
In the novel, We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies by Matthew Tysz, we are presented with two parallel plots. The most significant plotline centres around a small fishing town called Hillport that have undergone several traumas involving previous lords. A former judge, Eldus, is sent to this town to bring it prosperity; all the while guarding a deadly secret. The second storyline follows a refugee, Galen, that has just entered Voulhire. The reader experiences the country through fresh eyes as he embarks on his mission in becoming a blacksmith.
After reading the first chapter I made a snap judgement and decided that this is one of my favourite books, and after finishing it that sentiment still holds true. Everything within this novel is immaculate. In numerous cases, the author treats his work like written art, and there were many instances where his descriptions gave me goosebumps. The first line that caused this reaction was: "All of those flowery sentences stringing all of those tight and rhythmic stanzas. But how much you enjoyed your power depended on how seriously you took it, and on how seriously the people around you did." – and it keeps getting better throughout the novel. His world-building is beautiful, and a lot of his lore is so interesting and unique. You can see how much passion he has for this book and writing as a whole, and it is such an awesome experience to share with him.
My favourite feature in this novel was the build-up to one of the characters, Meldaroth. His introduction in itself was insane, since the book begins with him storming into a castle and slaughtering everyone in it through the use of magic without even blinking. He is later arrested and rumoured to have committed suicide, but the majority of the characters do not believe that he is dead, and he is essentially imprisoned in Schrodinger's box. Matthew installs such a profound fear in the audience regarding this mage simply through the perspectives of other characters. It is such a powerful skill to have, and he enriched the book so much because of it.
Because of these above comments, I am rating this novel five out of five stars – it does not deserve anything less and it was also thoroughly edited. We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies is the first book in an upcoming series and has been treated as a foundation for building the world and lore, as well as introducing the main characters. That being said it is not recommended for those looking for a quick and easy read, or even individuals who are new to fiction. The book is rather complex and there were multiple occasions when I had to reread a section to understand what was going on. I would rather suggest that those who love involved plots, dimensional characters and integrated themes read it because then it will also be fully appreciated.
I could only find negative aspects in this book when I started nit-picking: there are times that the lore or descriptions do not flow seamlessly into the narration which causes the pacing to become awkward. Along with that, there were a few moments that were just uncomfortable to read, such as: "Beth could feel her womanhood; not just the sensation of a womb, but the awareness of what it meant, the attunement with one's uniquely formed body." – a woman would never speak or think like this, and I truly hope to never see descriptions like these from him again.
Other than that, the book passively supported feminism and LGBTQ rights by simply being completely inclusive without making a big deal of it. From the get-go, women are grouped with men in such a way that led me to believe that there was never inequality, to begin with, and the same goes for a few of the LGBTQ characters. I love it when writers support minorities like this because it simply shows a world in which everyone is accepted, without these sentiments taking over the entire plot. Matthew did a very good job with this, and it was so refreshing to read.
******
We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
In the novel, We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies by Matthew Tysz, we are presented with two parallel plots. The most significant plotline centres around a small fishing town called Hillport that have undergone several traumas involving previous lords. A former judge, Eldus, is sent to this town to bring it prosperity; all the while guarding a deadly secret. The second storyline follows a refugee, Galen, that has just entered Voulhire. The reader experiences the country through fresh eyes as he embarks on his mission in becoming a blacksmith.
After reading the first chapter I made a snap judgement and decided that this is one of my favourite books, and after finishing it that sentiment still holds true. Everything within this novel is immaculate. In numerous cases, the author treats his work like written art, and there were many instances where his descriptions gave me goosebumps. The first line that caused this reaction was: "All of those flowery sentences stringing all of those tight and rhythmic stanzas. But how much you enjoyed your power depended on how seriously you took it, and on how seriously the people around you did." – and it keeps getting better throughout the novel. His world-building is beautiful, and a lot of his lore is so interesting and unique. You can see how much passion he has for this book and writing as a whole, and it is such an awesome experience to share with him.
My favourite feature in this novel was the build-up to one of the characters, Meldaroth. His introduction in itself was insane, since the book begins with him storming into a castle and slaughtering everyone in it through the use of magic without even blinking. He is later arrested and rumoured to have committed suicide, but the majority of the characters do not believe that he is dead, and he is essentially imprisoned in Schrodinger's box. Matthew installs such a profound fear in the audience regarding this mage simply through the perspectives of other characters. It is such a powerful skill to have, and he enriched the book so much because of it.
Because of these above comments, I am rating this novel five out of five stars – it does not deserve anything less and it was also thoroughly edited. We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies is the first book in an upcoming series and has been treated as a foundation for building the world and lore, as well as introducing the main characters. That being said it is not recommended for those looking for a quick and easy read, or even individuals who are new to fiction. The book is rather complex and there were multiple occasions when I had to reread a section to understand what was going on. I would rather suggest that those who love involved plots, dimensional characters and integrated themes read it because then it will also be fully appreciated.
I could only find negative aspects in this book when I started nit-picking: there are times that the lore or descriptions do not flow seamlessly into the narration which causes the pacing to become awkward. Along with that, there were a few moments that were just uncomfortable to read, such as: "Beth could feel her womanhood; not just the sensation of a womb, but the awareness of what it meant, the attunement with one's uniquely formed body." – a woman would never speak or think like this, and I truly hope to never see descriptions like these from him again.
Other than that, the book passively supported feminism and LGBTQ rights by simply being completely inclusive without making a big deal of it. From the get-go, women are grouped with men in such a way that led me to believe that there was never inequality, to begin with, and the same goes for a few of the LGBTQ characters. I love it when writers support minorities like this because it simply shows a world in which everyone is accepted, without these sentiments taking over the entire plot. Matthew did a very good job with this, and it was so refreshing to read.
******
We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
