Review by DominicVenditti -- We are Voulhire: The Knight...

DominicVenditti · Post by **DominicVenditti** » 26 Apr 2020, 19:30

[Following is a volunteer review of "We are Voulhire: The Knights of Chalethire" by Matthew Tysz.]

4 out of 4 stars

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Ever since I was about twelve, I was always enraptured by fantasy like elements and the fantasy genre as a whole. Whether it be videogames (i.e. Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest) or even great classical works such as tales from Greek Mythology, the genre captivated my imagination and soul and transported me to realms and sensations beyond what my five senses and any means of locomotion could grant me. To this day I still find tales of the fantastic, of planes beyond the fabric of our reality, to be of a special nurturing and elevating phenomena. With this in mind, it should be of no great exclamation that We are Voulhire: The Knights of Chalethire (part of the titular “We Are Voulhire” series by Matthew Tysz) was instantly enrapturing and pleasing to me, taking me to another world that cultivated and nurtured everything fantastic one would expect from the genre and much more.

This installment of the series takes place a few months after the previous one with the same cast of characters trying to eek out anything from political power, theological prestige, military conquest, or simply trying to find stability and a decent life in the wake of the invasion of Voulhire by the Riva Rohavi. They are gaining ground, and all of the dukedoms, provinces, and principalities are trying to not only resist the encroaching invaders but also try to find power and prestige in the wake of Voulhire’s late monarch, Wilhelm, being assassinated and succeeded. Although the story tells of the points of view and exploits of a wide variety of characters throughout the war torn land, it focuses on the exploits of Demetrius, Rowan, and Galen, three displaced refugees from the political strife of the land who have taken up refuge in the city and state of Chalethire, famed for its prowess and extensive order of gifted knights. The three tell of how a nearby city, Virko, has been conquered by a demonic uprising and the knights are dispatched alongside them to investigate. Afterwards, the state of Chalethire, along with the celebrated three heroes, are then ingulfed in a major power struggle between the newly enslaved city of Virko, Chalethire, and the Rovi Romani to which the victor will ultimately have a significant advantage in spreading their grasp over the entire nation of Voulhire.

As stated before, the novel, and presumably the whole series, does a wonderful job of creating a unique and inspiring world with many interesting and motivated characters. The point of view changes every few pages or so, so the reader obtains a very all-encompassing idea of the power dynamics and motivations of many echelons of society both from setting to setting and from character to character. I’ve never read “A song of Fire and Ice” or any other work by George R. R. Martin but would imagine based on what little I’ve seen of his work something like the "We are Voulhire" series would fall well in place with fans of his.

As the average reader though, I would recommend either starting from the beginning of the series or simply passing to another novel of the genre. Though well in overall execution this specific installment does heavily presume that the reader has read the other installments in the series. For instance, usually in a series the author is more explanatory or descriptive of what has previously transpired as a means of allowing new fans to come in and still enjoy whatever installment they are on. You don’t get very much of that here. Ultimately the reader can piece together what has transpired but if you came in not knowing this was part of a greater series of books (like I did) you would be confused by some of the references and plot points that are not well explained. A minor problem, but not one that couldn’t be easily remedied by a quick search of the series on Wikipedia or some other website that will give a synopsis.

Ultimately, the entire novel was of no insignificant enjoyment to read. Pacing was for the most part spot on, and enough description of the world and its characters are given to appropriately guide the reader to very grandiose imagery and world building. Overall, I would give this book a solid four stars out of four, or, more specifically, ninety points out of one hundred. This is mainly because there are areas where more description to the action taking place could be given (although these times were rare). There was also an occasional typo about every ninety pages. Ultimately though, the book is rather impeccable in what it tries to do, and succeeds very much in letting the reader enjoy it for what it is.

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We are Voulhire: The Knights of Chalethire
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NatRose · Post by **NatRose** » 28 Apr 2020, 20:03

I also have a great appreciation of the fantasy genre, and I'm glad this book represents it so well! It sounds like there's a good bit of focus on the society and politics of this world. Would you say this book is more character driven or more driven by the overall plot? I love the idea of having refugees as main characters.

DominicVenditti · Post by **DominicVenditti** » 29 Apr 2020, 08:52

I would say, based on what I've read (remember, only read this book in the series) that its more society and politics. That isn't to say they haven't developed characters more in the past or there isn't anything of that nature at all in this installment however.

Prisallen · Post by **Prisallen** » 03 May 2020, 07:37

This sounds like an intriguing book with great world-building descriptions. I haven't read the first one, though, so I think I will have to think this over. Thanks for your wonderful review!