Review of We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies

[sayjil gordhan]

[Following is a volunteer review of "We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies" by Matthew Tysz.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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In We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies by Matthew Tysz, the reader embarks on a journey to a rich world, which is full of magic, darkness, action, and mystery. The story follows sensitive, brave, and strong-willed Galen Bray who comes from a place called the Lands of the Princes. These are islands ruled by the sons of the Emperor of Lullabies. A strategic gift given by the emperor to keep his sons from killing him and taking over. However, the people of these islands have suffered greatly from this. If you are actively contributing to the economy of an island, you are a threat and if you are not, then you are in poverty. With difficulty, Galen escapes to Magnum Caelum in Voulhire, where he takes over his great uncle’s blacksmith business, who passed away. Voulhire is ruled by King Wilhelm. The reader will follow Galen’s innocence in the new world of betrayal, power-play, mystery, and magic. In Voulhire, there are many power plays, or civil wars, so to speak taking place. The most intriguing of which is the mysterious, powerful Lord Meldorath in Hillport. King Wilhelm has many enemies and allies from which the reader gets perspectives. The main character, an ally of King Wilhelm, is Eldus. After Hillport’s sordid history with the previous lords, Eldus is set to be the new lord of Hillport, becoming Lord Eldus, whose duties consist of protecting against rebels called Riva Rohavi. Much like Galen, Eldus embarks on a new path with ideals and enthusiasm. Only there is much to discover for Lord Eldus.

I am no stranger to a fantasy novel. Initially, I procrastinate at the start of fantasy books because it takes some time to absorb the world and learn the terminology, but honestly, with this book, I did not struggle. It’s captivating from the very beginning. New terminology and mythology are masterfully introduced to the reader. No vast or complicated glossary needs to be learned before beginning this novel to understand the plot.

The book is written in first person for Galen and third person for all the other characters. Concerning the prose, at the beginning of the book, it felt that instead of the story or even dialogue flowing, it almost seemed forced in a sense. This, however, turns into a more well-written, captivating dialogue between characters as if the author and reader are confident and fully immersed in the Voulhire world.

My criticism is that at certain points of the book, there isn’t enough dialogue and since the main protagonists keep changing, it becomes almost frustrating. The many plots and subplots within the book are difficult to keep track of at first and because there are many points of view, I think it can be frustrating. Galen’s presence as a main character doesn’t outweigh the other characters, which I find odd because, as a reader, I would want to see the depth of his character more. The depth of Lord Eldus was continuously captivating and I couldn’t wait to see the discoveries of Hillport.

The book contains some sexual innuendoes and mild profanity. There are themes such as religion, monarchy, pedophilia, corruption, and immigration. There was exceptional editing, as I had not noticed any typos or errors. I would recommend this book to readers who like fantasy books set in, what resembles an archaic period, and who like to follow many characters through multiple plots. I do think when removing the fantasy element of this series, there are relevant messages of society today. For a fantasy novel to accomplish so much in one book, I rate the book 5 out of 5 stars.

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

Galen and Eldus share the limelight it seems. This way the reader can see the story from two different perspectives. This enriches the story. I love books that have been properly edited. Thanks for your review.