Is the plot really original?

Use this forum to discuss the October 2020 Book of the month, "We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies" by Matthew Tysz.
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ljohnson236
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Re: Is the plot really original?

Post by ljohnson236 »

This series partially reminds me the series of the Narnia Chronicles because of war, thrones, magic, who's good; who's not. But on another hand, it could be a little twist on Game of Thrones because of the hierarchy.
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Post by blessing_bona »

Originality comes in different packages, but it's mainly about owning your version of a story. Even though Matthew's story show some bits of medieval events, it's his version and he owns it well.
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kparikh
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Post by kparikh »

This story in unique. In order to be a good writer, you have to read, it is more probable that you are recognizing some aspects of other books that he may have incorporated into his story. If there are different thing you like for one book then you would consider adding it to your book-- with the required changes of course.
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Post by ReviewerDiksha »

There have been so many fantasy books by now that it is normal to see the repeating themes and settings in them. This book has somewhat similar tropes, previously seen in other sci- fi dramas, but I like how it places those previously used settings into the present world. I wouldn't say it is entirely "unique". But surely, the author has put a lot of time into the intricacies of the worldbuilding and has given a fresh twist to the story.
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Post by Lucille27 »

I don't think nothing can be entirely new and original these days. We are a conglomeration of what came before us. There are some resemblances to classic fantasy and medieval stories because it departs from there. However, the idea of the magic world and different kingdoms seems good and new enough. The general topics might be there so we can associate it with the genre, but, overall, I think the idea is pretty innovative and can lead to an interesting development. Also, the world building seems to be thoroughly thought.
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Post by athurst123 »

I feel like this story really is unique. I, personally, have never read a book with this exact storyline, which would make it original. Most books these days, especially in this genre, are about power, wealth, and fighting for something. So in that case, not it would not be entirely original. But the specifics of this storyline are what make it different and unique.
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Post by Jabril Miller »

Just by the concept of how thoughts are generated, there aren't any original thoughts in the sense that they've never been thought of before. However, there are new ideas in the combination of concepts, where water+fire=steam, fire+earth=glass, and so on.

Having said that, while this story is just another medieval magical fantasy, it also combines enough concepts to (at least in this reader's eyes) distinguish itself from all of the other ones that came before it. While I wouldn't call it original, I'd call it "unique", and being enough to stand out from other stories is enough for me.
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Post by Martina A J »

All good books are inspired by existing literature. But I love the unique writing style of this author. Using different types of POV characters is unique. The Emperor of Lullabies is a very unique the character. Almost all books with medieval type of world, have villains who are unequivocally evil. However, in We are Voulhire even characters that are definitely villains get their POV chapters. So that seems to be unique.
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Post by g0nfr3d »

It's quite hard nowadays to debate the concept of originality in a work of art. After all, there will always be previous works from which an author takes this or that idea as inspiration or template for his own. It all depends on the turn or approach with which the author faces said work. The similarities with a well-known fantasy saga around the battle for the throne are evident, yet books' own mythology is quite unique in its conception.
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Post by Nedbrian »

Purely a variation of most of the sci-fi books online. At some point I got bored because I felt I can seen some scenes in the book in different novels I have relished. So no. this doesn't seem nor sound original
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Post by Kolisa »

The plot of the book isn't original, as is the case with many in-genre books. There is a similarity that always is with shared enres. For instance, Meldorath and the magic, and his yearning for more power, and consequently more control.
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Post by Dominik_G »

I don't usually read fantasy so I don't have much to go on here. I do think that some of the concepts are a bit stereotypical (starting with the naive newcomer getting caught up in situations a lot bigger than him) but I also think that the overall story is unique enough and the characters aren't boring "just anothers" either.
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Post by leiabutler »

I think the plot was quite original! Of course as you say, it did have elements such as the magic, fantasy etc from similar books, but I do think the way the themes were presented in this book were told interestingly enough to make in unique as a whole.
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Post by Bisqwik »

I'm reminded a little of the Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind, and the Eye of the World series by Robert Jordan.
It's in the way that so many characters are treated as a main character at the same time. I would also maybe agree with Song of Ice and Fire. There are good unique takes. I found the northern geography to be much more interesting than the usual expanse of snow and ice.
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Post by Valkyrie9 »

If a book can be classified into a certain genre, it will inherently resemble other books in that genre. Most fantasy stories include beings of magic and beings without, as well as at least two sides for the reader to be either for or against. While this is true of New Arrival, I believe it is the characters that make a story unique - their thoughts, choices, and actions. In that respect, New Arrival is definitely unique.
"Doors are for people with no imagination." Skulduggery Pleasant, Derek Landy :idea:
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