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4 out of 4 stars
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We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies Is a fantasy book first in the series We Are Voulhire Written by Matthew Tysz. The book is set in an era when kings ruled the lands, when the horse and carriage were a mode of transport, and when a sword was a weapon of choice. In this epic novel, get ready to embrace the adventures and fantasies of two different worlds, the physical world and the magical world of Caromentis.
The kingdom of Voulhire has entered a golden age and its lands are flourishing with prosperity, but there are some towns further away from the capital Soulhire which are struggling to keep pace. King Wilhelm Arcolo, in his ambition to prosper the entire kingdom, appoints judge Eldus Alderman as the new lord of Hillport, a small town that relies only on fishing. He was to take over from the dreadful but Incarcerated Lord Meldorath, who murdered the former Lord Orlin, a perverted pedophile. As the new lord settles in the new home town, he begins to unravel the dark secrets of the former lords. Little does he know that besides Meldorath, he is coming under threat from an unlikely enemy of the king, the Riva Rohavi. Will the new lord accomplish the king's mission in Hillport?
On the other hand, there is a young man Galen Bray completely unattached to Hillport, the king and Lord Eldus. Upon the passing of his uncle, he sets out from the land of the princes to receive an inheritance due to him in Magnum Caelum. Before he could sharpen his prowess as a blacksmith, just as his uncle was, he meets Rowan Herr, who takes him on a series of adventures. They immediately set off after finding a substance which they supposedly thought was from another world known as Caromentis. On the journey, Galen begins to show an interest in magic. He develops a curiosity on how the two worlds influence one another. Will his fate cross with that of Meldorath, or maybe the Riva Rihova, the King, or perhaps that of the Lord Eldus? Read the book to find out.
The book features two parallel stories told from the first and second person point of view. The first story line that I noticed was one about Galen Bray. The narration is about his journey to Magnum Caelum and his ambitions of taking over his uncle's company as a blacksmith. His story is mostly told from the first-person point of view and is laden with themes of self-discovery. The young man is portrayed to be a modest and kind man, but rather audacious when it comes to fulfilling his uncle's wishes.
The second story line was that of the king in Voulhire, Lord Eldus, and the people of Hillport. I felt here that everyone was connected. The evil Lord Meldorath and the Riva Rihova also had a connection to the king, so I considered them to be in one story line. Here, the focus seemed to be of arbitration and retribution. The Lord Eldus was determined to ensure that the people of Hillport were rid of the fear that held on to them due to the injustices of the former lords. He was sure to bring justice to the ailing town of Hillport. This part of the narration was mainly told from the second-person point of view.
As the story went further on, it seemed as though the story lines would come to a convergence. They never did, although the writing prowess of the author had given some possible hints. Perhaps it will in the next book of the series.
What I liked about the book is that it was well written and properly structured. The characters were well-developed. Every narration was preceded by the labeling of the protagonist in focus. This helped me from getting lost in the narration. The book also contained a map of the kingdom and a link to a list of words one would find strange.
The other thing I liked was that although the book is first in the series and the plot not fully developed, I was able to draw in mind the likely projections the story would take. I also developed in mind a list of possible protagonists aside from Galen Bray.
What I liked the least and probably some may not consider an issue was the depiction of the high priest smoking a cigar whilst having a discussion with the king. This kind of lowered the gravity of his office and possibly anyone else in his line. The enemy's tone was set as that being so dreadful. I had expected it to be reciprocated with the seriousness it deserved by portraying characters of a fixed mind and morals.
The other thing I had issues with was the narration of how Lord Orlin abused small boys. I found it to be quite awful. Therefore, I wouldn't recommend the book to a younger audience.
All in all, the book was written by a talented writer. It was exceptionally written, quite engaging, and had not a noticeable error. There were a few instances of profanity and had no depictions of sex scenes, except when it was hinted at during the narration of Lord Orlin’s behavior towards small boys. I rate the book 4 out of 4 because the shortcomings I had earlier alluded to had been compensated by the author's witty writing style that had me glued to the book.
Therefore, I would recommend the book to young adults and adults who love books with a fantasy genre. There were some action scenes so anyone interested in action books may enjoy it too.
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We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies
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