Review of We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies
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SarahAnnHaywood
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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.]
We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies by Matthew Tysz is the first novel in a series that takes place in the country of Voulhire, a kingdom ruled by the kind and thoughtful King Wilhelm. The book tells the tale of Galen Bray, a young man escaping the Land of the Princes where civil war has wreaked havoc. Galen boards a ship to Magnum Caelum in Voulhire where he inherits the home and iron forge of his benevolent, recently-deceased uncle. The story develops as we see life from the viewpoints of several other characters including Rowan, the executor of Galen’s uncle’s estate, Lord Eldus, the newly-appointed lord of the seaside town of Hillport, and various other hopeful, magic, villainous, hard-working, and intelligent people inhabiting the physical (Cosmos) and magical (Caromentis) worlds within and surrounding Voulhire. While Voulhire is said to be in a current state of economic abundance and happiness, we find that evil does exist here and we are taken on a fantasy journey highlighting the possibilities rising and the perils lurking in this magical country and era. Readers will learn of Meldorath, the former general of King Wilhelm’s army, who has been arrested and supposedly executed on grave charges; however, forces close to Meldorath still cause unrest and worry among the good people of Voulhire.
The descriptive language and development of characters by author Tysz give the reader the feeling of being right there in Voulhire. Tysz has created a fantasy land complete with mages and imbuers, kings and lords, villains and “regular folk.” We ride massive horses along with the king’s army through forests and glens, gaze up mountains and out at the vast sea, stroll through picturesque villages and sit down at local pubs.
In addition, the reader is given a taste of what is to come in the author’s continuing series. Descriptions flow nicely into surprise scenes, and we are left with delightful anticipation as to what might happen next. I am personally looking forward to reading the next books in the series!
The only things that irritated me as a reader were the occasional use of modern language and slang in what was typically a more medieval way of speaking among the characters, as well as the fact that Galen’s story is told in the first person while the other characters are depicted using the third person. While these did not create a real problem for me, they were nevertheless distracting.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading something of this genre, and I am enthralled with the author’s general writing style and world-building capabilities. His imagination is wonderful! I give We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies a rating of 5 out of 5 stars for these reasons. The book seems to be professionally edited as I only noted a few typographical and grammatical errors. Readers who enjoy fantasy novels will likely be happy with this novel. Any sensitive readers should keep in mind that there are several sexual references, uses of profanity, gory scenes, and discussion of abuse in the novel.
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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 Great Skies by Matthew Tysz is the first novel in a series that takes place in the country of Voulhire, a kingdom ruled by the kind and thoughtful King Wilhelm. The book tells the tale of Galen Bray, a young man escaping the Land of the Princes where civil war has wreaked havoc. Galen boards a ship to Magnum Caelum in Voulhire where he inherits the home and iron forge of his benevolent, recently-deceased uncle. The story develops as we see life from the viewpoints of several other characters including Rowan, the executor of Galen’s uncle’s estate, Lord Eldus, the newly-appointed lord of the seaside town of Hillport, and various other hopeful, magic, villainous, hard-working, and intelligent people inhabiting the physical (Cosmos) and magical (Caromentis) worlds within and surrounding Voulhire. While Voulhire is said to be in a current state of economic abundance and happiness, we find that evil does exist here and we are taken on a fantasy journey highlighting the possibilities rising and the perils lurking in this magical country and era. Readers will learn of Meldorath, the former general of King Wilhelm’s army, who has been arrested and supposedly executed on grave charges; however, forces close to Meldorath still cause unrest and worry among the good people of Voulhire.
The descriptive language and development of characters by author Tysz give the reader the feeling of being right there in Voulhire. Tysz has created a fantasy land complete with mages and imbuers, kings and lords, villains and “regular folk.” We ride massive horses along with the king’s army through forests and glens, gaze up mountains and out at the vast sea, stroll through picturesque villages and sit down at local pubs.
In addition, the reader is given a taste of what is to come in the author’s continuing series. Descriptions flow nicely into surprise scenes, and we are left with delightful anticipation as to what might happen next. I am personally looking forward to reading the next books in the series!
The only things that irritated me as a reader were the occasional use of modern language and slang in what was typically a more medieval way of speaking among the characters, as well as the fact that Galen’s story is told in the first person while the other characters are depicted using the third person. While these did not create a real problem for me, they were nevertheless distracting.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading something of this genre, and I am enthralled with the author’s general writing style and world-building capabilities. His imagination is wonderful! I give We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies a rating of 5 out of 5 stars for these reasons. The book seems to be professionally edited as I only noted a few typographical and grammatical errors. Readers who enjoy fantasy novels will likely be happy with this novel. Any sensitive readers should keep in mind that there are several sexual references, uses of profanity, gory scenes, and discussion of abuse in the novel.
******
We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Sent to Watch by David J. Lebenstein
