Review of We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies
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Venah Gitahi
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Review of We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies
[Following is a volunteer review of "We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies" by Matthew Tysz.]
We Are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies is a general guide to the universe of the We Are Voulhire book series.
The story opens with a man rescuing a town from the clutches of evil in a grand and altruistic act. As the tale continues, it calls into question the intentions and motivations of various players in a multi-faceted game encompassing an entire kingdom. The king wants to do right by his kingdom but is surrounded by people whose interests he finds difficult to trust. An unassuming young man who simply wants to enjoy the quiet moments in life is led into adventure by a friend in the land to which he is a newcomer. A nigh-omnipotent mage plays a game only he appears to know the rules to with the lives and futures of the citizens of Voulhire. Meanwhile, mysterious powers conspire to bring about an extended golden age for the kingdom.
The exposition is appropriate and unhurried. Despite it being a self-proclaimed mostly expository introduction to the book series, it avoids being explanation-heavy. It explores situations and histories as they arise, and with relevance to the characters involved. The parts that stand out as being obviously expository are brief and rare. The characters are fully fleshed out with distinct and separate personalities. Conflicts are multi-dimensional and clear-cut lines of good versus evil are avoided. Diverse interests, motivations and flaws make for a multi-layered and intriguing cast of characters. The editing is excellent, with the most noticeable errors being mistakes in continuity and idea flow.
The foreshadowing and dramatic irony are on point. The small fire as an opening gambit of Lord Meldorath to a later, larger fire is extremely well-done. The writing makes the reader work for these tiny prizes in a satisfying way instead of explicitly pointing out connections. The contrast between the implied main hero and villain of the story in their intentions, actions and rewards is stimulating. The book subverts, and outright ignores at times, tropes without taking the 'kill your darlings' motif too far. It reflects the real world, where abuse of power is often ignored or even awarded. It is an excellent introduction that increases interest in the rest of the book series.
The reporting clauses, especially the word 'uttered', are a bit much at times. The glossary is perhaps unnecessarily long and feature words not encountered in the book. If it is intended as a reference guide to the rest of the series in lieu of separate glossaries for each book, this is okay. If, on the other hand, it is intended to only be an introduction to the series, the glossary should be tailored to each book.
I rate We Are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies by Matthew Tysz 4 out of 4 stars. The editing is excellent. The introduction and exploration of the universe of Voulhire is more than satisfactory. The story itself, while atypical in its progression, is arresting and draws the reader in. It was a pleasure to read.
I would recommend this book to fans of fantasy who want to see new takes on familiar tropes.
******
We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
We Are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies is a general guide to the universe of the We Are Voulhire book series.
The story opens with a man rescuing a town from the clutches of evil in a grand and altruistic act. As the tale continues, it calls into question the intentions and motivations of various players in a multi-faceted game encompassing an entire kingdom. The king wants to do right by his kingdom but is surrounded by people whose interests he finds difficult to trust. An unassuming young man who simply wants to enjoy the quiet moments in life is led into adventure by a friend in the land to which he is a newcomer. A nigh-omnipotent mage plays a game only he appears to know the rules to with the lives and futures of the citizens of Voulhire. Meanwhile, mysterious powers conspire to bring about an extended golden age for the kingdom.
The exposition is appropriate and unhurried. Despite it being a self-proclaimed mostly expository introduction to the book series, it avoids being explanation-heavy. It explores situations and histories as they arise, and with relevance to the characters involved. The parts that stand out as being obviously expository are brief and rare. The characters are fully fleshed out with distinct and separate personalities. Conflicts are multi-dimensional and clear-cut lines of good versus evil are avoided. Diverse interests, motivations and flaws make for a multi-layered and intriguing cast of characters. The editing is excellent, with the most noticeable errors being mistakes in continuity and idea flow.
The foreshadowing and dramatic irony are on point. The small fire as an opening gambit of Lord Meldorath to a later, larger fire is extremely well-done. The writing makes the reader work for these tiny prizes in a satisfying way instead of explicitly pointing out connections. The contrast between the implied main hero and villain of the story in their intentions, actions and rewards is stimulating. The book subverts, and outright ignores at times, tropes without taking the 'kill your darlings' motif too far. It reflects the real world, where abuse of power is often ignored or even awarded. It is an excellent introduction that increases interest in the rest of the book series.
The reporting clauses, especially the word 'uttered', are a bit much at times. The glossary is perhaps unnecessarily long and feature words not encountered in the book. If it is intended as a reference guide to the rest of the series in lieu of separate glossaries for each book, this is okay. If, on the other hand, it is intended to only be an introduction to the series, the glossary should be tailored to each book.
I rate We Are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies by Matthew Tysz 4 out of 4 stars. The editing is excellent. The introduction and exploration of the universe of Voulhire is more than satisfactory. The story itself, while atypical in its progression, is arresting and draws the reader in. It was a pleasure to read.
I would recommend this book to fans of fantasy who want to see new takes on familiar tropes.
******
We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Steel Reign: Flight of The Starship Concord by Braxton Cosby
