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

[Brenda Cronenberg]

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

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3 out of 4 stars

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We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies by Matthew Tysz is a gripping, beautifully written novel set in the idyllic kingdom of Voulhire, the place everyone wants to go, especially those who are cursed enough to begin their existence in the vicious, survival-of-the-fittest Lands of the Princes. Only a few happy souls have the opportunity to travel to Voulhire, and such is the case of my favorite protagonist in the book, young Galen Bray. His estranged, dying uncle sends him his travel papers from the picturesque Voulhirian village of Magnum Caelum, and Galen barely escapes his war-torn country alive as he boards the vessel bound for better waters.

Galen reaches Magnum Caelum and happens to meet Rowan, his uncle’s sophisticated, irreverent executor, while looking for something to eat at a local tavern. They become fast friends as Rowan tries to show him how to operate his late uncle’s blacksmith shop.

All of this occurs behind the panorama of a threatening cold war between the rogue, once-fearsome Riva Rohavi, who have retreated to a mysterious district not far from the struggling Voulhirian city of Hillport, and King Wilhelm of Voulhire (along with his sleazy, opportunistic chancellor). Wilhelm sends the trusted Lord Eldus and his charming family to Hillport, where they make plans to commercialize the precious stones and delicious lobster that are so abundant in Hillport and to help its people heal from a history of corrupted lords. But the previous lord, a skilled and deadly mage whom King Wilhelm originally banished in shame to nearby Lorcia’s Island, may not be as dead as the king would have his people believe.

This story actually contains passages that brought me to tears, and not necessarily the romantic ones. It is that good at awakening the emotions. I loved the regal, magical setting and reveled in the author’s skill at weaving together disparate events to culminate in a powerful climax using a style nearly reminiscent of Robert Penn Warren's novel All the King’s Men as adapted by screenwriter Robert Rossen into the acclaimed movie by the same name, not forgetting the occasional side of good humor. This book's editor was so thorough that the few areas for possible grammatical improvement hardly obstructed my enjoyment of the fairy tale.

Unfortunately, just as I was beginning to see this becoming a compelling, coming-of-age triumph for the optimistic, honest, thoughtful newcomer Galen Bray, I felt like Tysz simply took me to a stunning cliff and left me dangling. Does the Riva Rohavi have other plans to subvert the entire kingdom? What will the exclusive imbuer find when he painstakingly analyzes the mystical, blue-black rocks Rowan and Galen bought at the mine for Galen’s blacksmith shop, and what purpose might the stones serve for King Wilhelm and the people of Voulhire? Why are the imbuer and Galen's late uncle (via his book) casting subtle shade on Rowan? But, maybe, I prefer to imagine for myself the well-deserved success Galen earns, and how that benefits his new-found friends. Or, perhaps, dear reader, that is another story…

I give this magnificent piece of art a resounding three out of four stars. The only reason I am not assigning four is the necessary precaution parents should take before allowing young adults to read the passages that contain violence, profanity, and confusing sexual innuendos. The average adult reader would find this book an emotionally intelligent, captivating page-turner until the surprising end, which, in turn, would definitely leave him or her wanting more.

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We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies
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