Review by Gabbriel Judge -- We are Voulhire: A New Arriv...

[Gabbriel Judge]

[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 4 stars

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After struggling to survive years of war in the Lands of the Princes, Galen is more than willing to escape the land of his birth. He may not know a thing about blacksmithing or the customs of the Voulhirian nation, but he'll learn. Just like Eldus Alderman will learn how to be the lord Hillport needs. Lord Orlin - and later Lord Meldorath - may have taken advantage of the people, but Eldus intends to be different. To the north, King Wilhelm is dealing with problems of his own. Rumors of Lord Meldorath's survival permeate the nation and must be squashed. The terroristic Riva Rohavi, while seemingly dormant, are bound to attack again. All of this and more weave their way through the narrative of the first novel in the We Are Voulhire series, A New Arrival under Great Skies by Matthew Tysz.

Though this may only be an introduction to the world of Voulhire, I already find myself hooked to the narrative. The way that magic-wielding Mages and average civilians live and work side-by-side without fear or conflict is a welcome change from the trope of many other fantasy novels. Users of magic aren't forced to hide their abilities and pretend to be normal so as not to be persecuted by their friends and neighbors. Instead, they are able to use their abilities for the good of the community and make the nation better. This to me makes it clear that magic runs deep within the nation of Voulhire and only those who abuse their power are to be feared.

One thing that throws me off a little bit while reading through the novel, however, is the shift in perspective amongst the various characters. For most of the viewpoint characters the scenes are written in third person, which makes sense given that it allows the narrator to shift from character to character with ease. For some reason, though, Galen's scenes are written in first person. This leads me to believe that the overall narrator is intended to be a future version of him but definitely makes me curious to know how he finds out about the events taking place around the rest of the nation. While writing a story in this way isn't necessarily a bad thing, it did raise some questions in my mind and pulled me out of the narrative.

Overall, I think A New Arrival under Great Skies is an excellent introduction to the world of Voulhire and a fascinating read. The characters are dynamic and well-rounded, the world-building is interesting and draws the reader in, and the novel as a whole is beautifully edited. Given that this novel is intended to introduce the reader not only to the adventures of the characters but also to the very world they live in, I feel that it does an excellent job of meeting those intentions. For this reason I am delighted to rate this novel 4 out of 4 stars. I can't wait to read the rest of the series and see what happens next.

This novel - and series as a whole - is sure to appeal to a wide range of people. It feels to be geared more towards a male reader based on the writing style and the content, but it is in no way limited to just men. People settled into their adult years are more likely to connect with the characters than younger readers. I'd say the ideal reader would probably be someone older than 25 with a steady job and an interest in warfare. This is by no means a war book, but there is a certain amount of gruesome conflict and tactical fighting either present or likely to appear in later installations of the series.

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We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies
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[DANAWEB]

I Have read several of the books in this series and found quite interesting. I enjoyed your detailed review.