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4 out of 4 stars
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Imagine a physical world (Cosmos) existing somewhere during the medieval times when kings rule with awe and majesty, and high-ranking officials are locked in a political tie with the king for power over their subjects. This is a time when lords and ladies oversee the smaller cities, and the prettiest knights in the world (The Mianoran knights), whose white armour and bleached white garbs shine on top of massive stallions protect the empire. It is a period when horses and carriages are the norms, and magic or the magical world (Caromentis) isn’t a strange sight to behold and neither is it a far-fetched concept to grasp. That is the kind of picture which is portrayed in We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies by Matthew Tysz.
Before going any further, I have to say that We are Voulhire is not for everyone, especially if one neither has the patience nor interest in fiction. There are so many names and themes running through the book and following them all is quite difficult. Although to the author’s credit, a whole list of the glossary to help readers navigate this complexity is provided, however, it is in the form of a link, which isn’t convenient. Nevertheless, if one could manage to get into the zone; it is an extremely interesting book, attesting to the author’s wild and wide imagination.
Oddly enough, the centre of the entire book is a young man named Galen Bray. He is smuggled out, though willingly, from the Lands of the Princes. This is a chain of four islands outside Voulhire. The lands are in despair due to constant state of war which is orchestrated by their father Emperor of Lullabies. Galen goes to Magnum Caelum (a town in Voulhire) at the behest of his great-uncle whom he has never met. Galen then meets Rowan, his uncle’s executor and together, they plan to restart the forge which now belongs to Galen Bray.
During the time of Galen Bray’s arrival in Magnum Caelum, Voulhire is experiencing instability in different parts of the kingdom: Hillport has a new lord, but the city is still tormented by the history of the previous two lords. Riva Rohavi, a rebellious organisation whose only reason for existence seems to be Voulhire’s complete destruction, is planning something apocalyptic. These are just some of the happenings inside the kingdom of Voulhire.
Even though We are Voulhire is a work of fiction, Matthew Tysz manages to present the stories with so much verisimilitude that one is tempted to search the world map for the city of Voulhire. The writing style is brilliant, the author isn’t garrulous, and the language use is flawless. Though We are Voulhire contains some religious words and priests, it isn’t a religious book, so anyone with interests in fiction could read it irrespective of one’s religious beliefs. By the way, the book contains some vulgar languages and some references to sex, but that does not remove from the enjoyability of the book.
We are Voulhire is a series, and there will be a total of nine books in all. The Fires of Virko is the next one in the series, so I am going to get it. We are Voulhire is well-edited and thoroughly proofread and I failed to find anything wrong with either the grammar or the format. Matthew Tysz does an excellent job of giving life to each character in the book. There are no floating ideas or unnecessary information, everything is connected, so I will award it a four out of four stars.
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We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies
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