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

[Okobi Louis Awele]

[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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In the book We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies by Matthew Tysz, a story is told of a wise and wicked Emperor who ruled over a mighty nation and was known throughout the world as the Emperor of Lullabies. It’s almost contradictory for a king nicknamed such a childlike name to be described as wicked, isn't it? We’re told the Emperor had four sons who had equal legitimate rights to his throne as the traditions of their land allowed it, and they often disagreed and fought one another as each wanted the throne for himself. But after a while, they quietly settled their differences and began to conspire against the king to kill him and share the kingdom equally. The king, realizing that his sons had secretly settled their differences and that meant his life was at risk, devised a brilliant idea to get them off his back.

The king then allocated a small island just around his kingdom to each prince, a small army, small weaponry, and those living on each island as their subjects. He didn't favor any of the princes against the others. Instead, he gave each the same measure of army and arsenal. Still, he was expectant that they would soon begin to fight against one another, and the strongest would seek to rule over them all and use the native citizens of these islands as their soldiers. It was so because the princes lacked discipline, and their father's plan was working. We are told of how they fought against one another, using the natives of these lands as soldiers, creating havoc across the islands since no one had an advantage over the other; the civil war dragged on for decades, which led to citizens running out of the islands for fear of their lives and properties and into Voulhire for safety.

In this book, a story is also told of Meldorath, a powerful man who was a general in the king's army, supposed dead but feared to be alive. Meldorath wasn't just a powerful man because he was a general in the king’s army; he possessed great magic, more than anyone had seen before; even the most practiced mages needed to move their bodies to channel and perform magic or move objects with their minds, but according to stories, he could move men without moving any part of his body and controlled magic as he walked in silence. After taking down Orlin, Meldorath declared himself lord over Hillport. Still, his reign was short-lived, as the king watched him closely without his knowledge because he didn't trust him, even though they were friends. He soon learned about his experiments with magic, people, and even children. He was arrested by the king and was said to have killed himself.

I liked the scene on the boat after Galen had boarded to Magnum Caelum. When the old man talked of the different cities in Voulhire, his presentation was filled with hopes of adventures to come; I felt so relieved knowing Galen was going somewhere better than where he was coming from. I recommend this book to those who love fantasy novels and adventure books. I'm rating this book 5 out of 5 stars because I disliked nothing about it, and it was well-written and exceptionally well-edited.

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We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies
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[Cynthia Pence]

We Are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies by Matthew Tysz sounds like an engaging and richly layered fantasy novel that combines adventure, magic, and political intrigue. The story of the Emperor of Lullabies, who cunningly manipulates his power-hungry sons by pitting them against each other, creates an interesting dynamic of family betrayal, strategy, and warfare.