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

[Snigdha Pandey]

[Following is a volunteer review of "We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies" by Matthew Tysz.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies by Matthew Tysz is the first book in the We are Voulhire series. It can be described as a book containing two stories running in parallel in the world of Voulhire. The first one is the story of Galen, a young man who has just arrived in the country of Voulhire from the Land of the Princes. It has been narrated by Galen himself, in first person. There is just an introduction here, just the beginning of what would be Galen's journey.

The second story can be called the story of Hillport, a Southern coastal town of Voulhire, and its new lord, Lord Eldus Alderman, can be viewed as the protagonist of this story. Though there are a number of important characters introduced in this part, none has been described as thoroughly as Lord Eldus. This story has been narrated from a number of different viewpoints, from Lord Eldus to King Wilhelm to probably the most feared man in all of Voulhire, Lord Meldorath, all of them in third person, giving it a distinction from the parts of the story narrated by Galen.

The readers have been warned by the author in the description, that the first book focuses on world-building. This is true, this book is mostly about getting the readers familiar with the world of Voulhire and the key characters of the series. But it still gives the reader an engaging story. While Galen's journey is slow, Hillport's story goes in full flow, telling us about the politics and magic of Voulhire, and the nature of its rulers. The cities of Voulhire play as important a role in this book as the characters, each having its own unique features. There are many new terms and concepts specific to the book and the world of Voulhire: most importantly, the concept of two worlds - Cosmos, the physical world, and Caromentis, the magical world; and then the different types of mages, magic and materials. Every new concept has been patiently explained using the characters, as well as mentioned in an index at the end of the book. Galen comes in handy for giving explanations to the readers, because like the readers, he is also new to Voulhire, and it feels natural when he asks questions. Different places and incidents have been connected together seamlessly, albeit a little slowly.

There are some scenes that feel a little stretched. They are more about character development and giving depth to various characters rather than about creating mystery or intrigue. This is not particularly a bad thing. But this leisurely pace of most of the scenes makes the conclusion of the story of Hillport and Lord Eldus seem rushed. Also, the way Galen goes on to a journey hundred miles long, only a day after arriving in a new town, just to see a new metal, it is a little extreme, even for the kind and wide-eyed Galen.

I would give this book 4 out of 4 stars because it creates a whole new world and explains it to the reader from a lot of different viewpoints, while keeping them engaged. My favourite thing about the book is how different incidents have been subtly interconnected together, where the characters are seemingly oblivious about the facts, but a reader can clearly see the connections. Different point of views from different characters have been weaved together flawlessly to shape the story perfectly. The readers only see it all coming together as they continue reading.

The book seems to be professionally edited, with no obvious errors. I would recommend this book to any reader who is looking forward to losing themselves in the magic and politics of a new made-up world. Despite of it being a fantasy, I would not recommend it to children or sensitive individuals because it contains some dark themes like pedophilia and controlling the mind/body of others.

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

I read this book as well and enjoyed the Voulhire worldbuilding, Lords, mages, magic, and materials too. I hope you can read the next books as well. Thanks for your greatly written review!

[Snigdha Pandey]

I read this book as well and enjoyed the Voulhire worldbuilding, Lords, mages, magic, and materials too. I hope you can read the next books as well. Thanks for your greatly written review!

Thank you!
Yes, I'm looking forward to reading the other books in the series.

[markodim721]

All the time I have the impression that geopolitical relations in Europe have served as an inspiration to the author.

[Snigdha Pandey]

All the time I have the impression that geopolitical relations in Europe have served as an inspiration to the author.

Yes, it's possible. Looking at the map though, it reminds me of Africa.

[Ace John]

I'm glad Tysz had a good job with this one. Sound an amazing book for a next read. You have a wonderful review.