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

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Camily Nunes
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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

Post by Camily Nunes »

[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 5 stars
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A story about a refugee who seeks the possibilities of a new life in a kingdom full of wonders and glory. What to expect about something that is close to reality but immersed in a fantastical realm, therefore so distant from ours? Lives entangled in many unexpected ways, kings and fouls dancing together following an invisible and strong string that connects every single character in a beautiful and mysterious drawing of Voulhire’s destiny. Matthew Tysz presents We are Voulhire: A new arrival under Great Skies, the first book of an ongoing series in which Galen, the protagonist, managed to escape his homeland after many years suffering from the deeds of a war between royalty in the Lands of Princes. Then, he finds shelter in his grand-uncle's past home, Magnus Caelum, a city of Voulhire, where he sees a possibility not only of survival, but also of an actual future.

As a fan of fantasy myself, I couldn't help but be swayed by the proposal of this book, especially when the author introduced magic to the readers as a universe to be explored. That kind of approach made me feel much more curious about the story and immersed in that mysterious world than I normally would. Matthew carefully develops that concept in an unexpected and nontraditional way, in which magic is seen as an exercise, a force that can’t be measured in normal concepts of human power.

Another aspect that positively caught my attention was how the book is divided into different character’s points of view, and yet, they are all tangled and connected, many paths leading to the final encounter. Those paths are well managed to cross each other at the right time, simultaneously showing different sides of the same happenings and how those affected people from various places, so you can see how the decision of King Wilhelm affects the simple folks from Hillport for example. Besides, a lot of interesting and charming characters are built in the narrative, such as Lady Charlotte who was a judge and the wife of Lord Elbus, constantly captivating the readers with her smitten words and noble acts. She was one of my favorites characters along with her son Marshus, both incredibly funny and intelligent.

Despite the presence of these enticing figures, some of the jokes told occasionally were unpleasant to me, it felt far fetched and too much of an effort to show masculinity using a kind of language that could be called out as rude or indecent by some more sensitive readers as when Rowan “jumped out from behind the bar and smacked the innkeeper in the rump” on page 32. There, the term rump is used to describe the lower parts of a woman which makes it offensive and out of touch, but since these descriptions were usually coming from one specific character (the one mentioned before), I believe it was simply a part of their personality that I disliked.

Finally, some of the questions raised by the book in certain moments intrigued me deeply, for instance, how the author criticized the poor treatment of the working force in an industrial and more similar to a capitalist scenario. This can be seen by the eyes of Galen, who feels shocked and offended by the way some workers were treated in Voulhire, the disdain towards their lives like they could be replaced any minute felt like a direct reflection on today’s society. Although it was a significant criticism, I would like to have it further explored in the book, not only as a passing thought of the main character.

That concludes to me rating the book 4 out of 5 stars, because even though it is a well written and edited piece, the discussions about matters such as immigration, violence towards workers and political wars, were brought up by the author but in a superficial way lacking further development. Those discussions could add a lot more to the book and to the composition of the characters if continued to be shown under different perspectives and experiences, they could also make the readers feel more relatable to what was happening in that world ‘for it would emphasize that it wasn’t that strange from ours. Therefore, I believe the book We are Voulhire: A new arrival under Great Skies has the potential to significantly impact the world of fantasy bringing joy and excitement, and, although there is still room for improvement, I happily recommend it for those who, like me, are interested in fantastical worlds and well crafted plots.

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We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies
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