Review of We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies
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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 Great Skies sits somewhere between Game of Thrones and The Lord of the Rings. Written by Matthew Tysz, it is the first installment in a saga and tells a tale rife with magic, mystery, and adventure. It opens in the war-torn Lands of the Princes, where Galen Bray was born and raised. It’s a harsh place, not fit for a young boy. But you can be sure that Galen’s great-uncle, a famous blacksmith, isn’t sending an executor after Galen to secure him for the heritage he’s to receive in the peaceful town of Magnum Caelum, a place that is beautiful in its own way and full of the colors of peace—not for any old reason. That’s because when Galen sets out for Magnum Caelum, his uncle has already died, and Galen knows nothing of the challenges, mystery, and adventure that await him, all befitting the protagonist of a fantasy novel.
Upon reaching this enchanting town, Galen is overwhelmed by the comforts and opulence of his new home. He quickly makes acquaintances and starts enthusiastically learning the blacksmith's trade, all the while leaving behind the civil strife and suffering of his previous life. Voulhire is a strange kingdom of marvels and magic, ruled by King Wilhelm. At a grand banquet in the Palace of Caromentis, King Wilhelm commands Lord Eldus and his family to take up the titles of Lord and Lady of Hillport, a town in the kingdom's southern reaches, which is still reeling from the disastrous tenures of its two previous lords. Lord Meldorath, the last to rule Hillport, was one of King Wilhelm's closest allies and advisors.
Voulhire consists of two realms—the natural and the magical. While each realm has its own population, many of Voulhire's inhabitants live in both. These are the magi, wielders of magic who mostly go about their lives unobtrusively, but some use their powers for dominance and control. Lord Meldorath, a master of the dark arts, is King Wilhelm's greatest nightmare come to life. Supposedly, he is dead, but in this first installment of the Voulhire series, the author gives rise to the suspicion that this might be a ruse. As an opening gambit, Voulhire is a land that holds many secrets.
The theme of fantasy is intensified in this book by the descriptions of the landscapes, the different worlds explored, and the various characters with magical abilities that populate them. Their talents and the unfolding events keep the reader guessing and imagining what might happen next. The tension built through character relationships keeps the reader in a state of anticipation and adds to the theme of fantasy. Word upon word, image upon image, the reader sees the story in their mind. Each description is so vivid that it feels like you're watching a movie. Every power the characters possess truly feels magical, and they use it in ways even more mysterious than one might expect.
In this debut novel, the author satisfactorily presents the premise of the overarching story. A mix of history and character development accomplishes the storytelling remarkably well and sets the stage for the next installment. The book could easily be adapted into a television pilot; it has that clear of a narrative. The only source of confusion in the work—well, almost the only one—arises from the challenge of identifying which time period the story is set in. Descriptions of houses, castles, and other such settings create a clear illusion of an older time, while the characters themselves seem to live in a more modern era.
Another minor point is that the book contains so many locations, characters, and forms of magical power that it can be hard to keep up with everything and everyone. The characters often speak and act as if following some form of magical "dance," the steps of which the reader is not privy to, which can make navigating this richly woven story somewhat challenging. Some will love this first foray into an epic, we-are-not-in-Kansas-anymore kind of fantasy novel that takes on all comers and explores vast realms. Others, less inclined towards such expansive fantasy, may find the mixture of civil strife and magical intrigue a bit overwhelming, albeit in an undeniably riveting read.
I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. I am confident it has been professionally edited because I found no spelling or grammatical errors. The book is appropriate for adults, as it contains profanity, sexual content, and adult themes.
******
We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
We Are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies sits somewhere between Game of Thrones and The Lord of the Rings. Written by Matthew Tysz, it is the first installment in a saga and tells a tale rife with magic, mystery, and adventure. It opens in the war-torn Lands of the Princes, where Galen Bray was born and raised. It’s a harsh place, not fit for a young boy. But you can be sure that Galen’s great-uncle, a famous blacksmith, isn’t sending an executor after Galen to secure him for the heritage he’s to receive in the peaceful town of Magnum Caelum, a place that is beautiful in its own way and full of the colors of peace—not for any old reason. That’s because when Galen sets out for Magnum Caelum, his uncle has already died, and Galen knows nothing of the challenges, mystery, and adventure that await him, all befitting the protagonist of a fantasy novel.
Upon reaching this enchanting town, Galen is overwhelmed by the comforts and opulence of his new home. He quickly makes acquaintances and starts enthusiastically learning the blacksmith's trade, all the while leaving behind the civil strife and suffering of his previous life. Voulhire is a strange kingdom of marvels and magic, ruled by King Wilhelm. At a grand banquet in the Palace of Caromentis, King Wilhelm commands Lord Eldus and his family to take up the titles of Lord and Lady of Hillport, a town in the kingdom's southern reaches, which is still reeling from the disastrous tenures of its two previous lords. Lord Meldorath, the last to rule Hillport, was one of King Wilhelm's closest allies and advisors.
Voulhire consists of two realms—the natural and the magical. While each realm has its own population, many of Voulhire's inhabitants live in both. These are the magi, wielders of magic who mostly go about their lives unobtrusively, but some use their powers for dominance and control. Lord Meldorath, a master of the dark arts, is King Wilhelm's greatest nightmare come to life. Supposedly, he is dead, but in this first installment of the Voulhire series, the author gives rise to the suspicion that this might be a ruse. As an opening gambit, Voulhire is a land that holds many secrets.
The theme of fantasy is intensified in this book by the descriptions of the landscapes, the different worlds explored, and the various characters with magical abilities that populate them. Their talents and the unfolding events keep the reader guessing and imagining what might happen next. The tension built through character relationships keeps the reader in a state of anticipation and adds to the theme of fantasy. Word upon word, image upon image, the reader sees the story in their mind. Each description is so vivid that it feels like you're watching a movie. Every power the characters possess truly feels magical, and they use it in ways even more mysterious than one might expect.
In this debut novel, the author satisfactorily presents the premise of the overarching story. A mix of history and character development accomplishes the storytelling remarkably well and sets the stage for the next installment. The book could easily be adapted into a television pilot; it has that clear of a narrative. The only source of confusion in the work—well, almost the only one—arises from the challenge of identifying which time period the story is set in. Descriptions of houses, castles, and other such settings create a clear illusion of an older time, while the characters themselves seem to live in a more modern era.
Another minor point is that the book contains so many locations, characters, and forms of magical power that it can be hard to keep up with everything and everyone. The characters often speak and act as if following some form of magical "dance," the steps of which the reader is not privy to, which can make navigating this richly woven story somewhat challenging. Some will love this first foray into an epic, we-are-not-in-Kansas-anymore kind of fantasy novel that takes on all comers and explores vast realms. Others, less inclined towards such expansive fantasy, may find the mixture of civil strife and magical intrigue a bit overwhelming, albeit in an undeniably riveting read.
I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. I am confident it has been professionally edited because I found no spelling or grammatical errors. The book is appropriate for adults, as it contains profanity, sexual content, and adult themes.
******
We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
