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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 a science fiction novel. It is the first book written by Tysz, in the "We are Voulhire", nine book series, where the story of Galen Bray begins. This edition of the book introduces the characters. The theme of mysticism and magic will keep the readers hooked.
The novel tells the story of Galen Bray. He is a young man born in Land of Princes where all he witnesses during his childhood is rampant violence and war. Destiny gives him a break and he finds himself as an heir of a legacy which helps him escape the Land of Princes. He gets a chance to start a new life in the Kingdom of Voulhire, in the town of Magnum Caelum. Voulhire was a land of promising future for hard working people with plenty opportunities to escape poverty and build a prosperous life for everyone. The land had seen some of the greatest wizards and warriors from time immemorial. There is good and evil where ever you go in this world, same was the case with Voulhire too. They were always on edge protecting their land from the violent insurgents, the Riva Rohavi.
Voulhire is ruled by King Wilhelm, he is the beloved king of the land and there is joy and festivities happening in the land. At the same time, there is conflict between the monarch of Voulhire, King Wilhelm and Midius Maido, the First Knight of Voulhire. There is lot of politics happening and Midius makes sure that he makes the evening interesting by putting the king in a tough spot whenever he can through his banter. There is a lot of questions among people regarding the death of Meldorath - a mage with supreme magical powers. Most wonder if he is dead or alive, so was his wrath and power. Then there is Lord Orlin who was a paedophile and was brought down by Meldorath.
I particularly like the way the writer describes the emotions of Galen when he reaches Magnum Caelum. Its like looking at the world through the eyes of a small child and how he is amused by the littlest things in nature and people around him. It is a bit hard though, to imagine, that a lad of 28 years of age to be sm o naive. Galen was lucky to have been bequeathed a forge by his late uncle, Galen Onita. Rowan, the executor of Onitas' will, helps Galen start as a balcksmith. Magnum Caelum has a neighboring town called Hillport. It has been under constant attacks. The king sends Lord Eldus Alderman to reorganise the peace and prosperity which suffered in the hands of his predecessors, Lord Orlin and Lord Meldorath.
The story is told in both, first-person and third-person narrative style. The book was professionally edited. I could not find even a single error. The book involves mild sexual references. I did not find any profanity in this book . However, there is violence and murder scenes, so I would recommend faint hearted people to not read this book. There were no extreme graphic scenes to say it's not suitable for young teenagers. There is nothing I disliked about this book. I rate We are Voulhire: A New Arrival Under Great Skies a well deserved 4 out of 4 stars. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. Though I felt the sentences did not flow freely in many places, it was well-written and the characters are interesting and well developed. I felt the next installments in this series are going to be even more engaging and surprising, thanks to the exceptional description and explanations of the setting. It makes it interesting for the reader to follow the story and look forward to the new adventures and scenes that might unfold. I recommend it to fantasy novel lovers.
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We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies
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. Actually, when I first read Galen's part, I also thought this book was for teenagers. When he said that the war between the princes had been going for 20 years, I had to double-check and make sure I got it correct.
