1 out of 4 stars
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We are Voulhire: Someone Else's End by Matthew Tysz is a fantasy tale about a place called Voulhire. Voulhire is a developed nation ruled by King Wilhelm. The land posses magical and supernatural entities. Voulhire is a mystical place, one that is developed but controllable as the Emperor of Lullabies has his sights set on it. The novel sees three characters named Rowan, Demetrius and Galen who embark on a journey to Voulhire in order to persuade the church of Elodi. Although these lands are situated on Earth, the actions that take place and characteristics of these lands are completely different to that of modern human understanding. During their journey the three friends endure difficulties and struggles as the hardships of battle, friendship and existence are drawn.
The novel primarily revolves around the idea of the mystical and supernatural. The characters are drawn out to be magical beings. Even the names of the characters such as Emperor of Lullabies are constructed in a way that they portray the sense of the unknown. The action is purely fantastical and devoid of rationality. The plot follows on smoothly, although at times the lack of narrative vision makes the plot go haywire as the linear progression is disrupted.
The main character in the novel can easily be said to be the land of Voulhire itself. The novel treats Voulhire as alive in itself. Voulhire is an entity, who lives and breathes. The city and its future is the main concern of the author and that is clear from the novel. The fact that the development of the city is given too much notice is also apparent in the fact that most other characters are hardly developed. At the end of the novel, they are not even worth mentioning, let alone being a subject of analysis.
Apart from the fact that a lot of the novel is interesting and engaging, there are hardly any merits that the novel possesses. The narration lacks a linear strategy. It shifts from one perspective to another very abruptly and fails to develop a sense of belonging to neither the characters nor the plot. The chapters fail to exist coherently. Even the descriptions of fights and magic are too loose to actually engage the reader. The story is made more complicated as the novel progresses and the fact that narration shifts from one person to another does not help the cause. The most likeable aspect of the novel is the plot. The fantastical elements that have been imagined by the author are truly engaging and in parts magnificent. The plot is fantastically well thought of and executed. The most dislikable aspect of the novel is prominently its storytelling. The author lacks the idea of how a story is told and in trying to innovate the modes of storytelling complicates it in a way that the story becomes unfathomable.
I give We are Voulhire: Someone Else's End by Matthew Tysz 1 out of 4 stars. The plot had a lot of potentials and could have been developed further into a great novel but is marred by the poor narration and lack of direction. It is commendable that the novel lacks any editorial errors. The novel should be appealing to readers of any age and especially to children, should they be able to navigate through the complexities of how the story is told. As far as adults are concerned, the novel should be of interest only if the readers is a huge fan of fantasy fiction and are appreciative of fine imaginative talent.
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We are Voulhire: Someone Else's End
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