Review by BarnsHolleday -- We are Voulhire: A New Arriva...
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BarnsHolleday
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- Latest Review: We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies by Matthew Tysz
Review by BarnsHolleday -- We are Voulhire: A New Arriva...
[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 by Matthew Tysz opens up like many other fantasy novels, with an exciting battle scene. A powerful mage and his companions assault a Lord’s castle. The group makes quick work of the guards and the Lord himself, giving you your first glimpse of the magic this world offers. The powerful mage, revealed to be Lord Meldorath, killed the previous Lord and took his place claiming he had committed atrocities against children. He seems the hero but that is quickly challenged as the story progresses. Soon you meet Gavin who with the assistance of Rowan, an executor hired by Gavin’s uncle, inherits his uncle’s forge and begins the process of learning to run the business. They travel to a nearby town to obtain lactic steel a material Gavin can learn to forge into powerful weapons and armor. Instead, they stumble upon a mysterious ore and set off to have it examined by a type of mage called an imbuer.
Meanwhile, the new Lord sent to replace Lord Meldorath who has been imprisoned arrives and begins digging into the mysteries of his predecessors. He discovers Meldorath had been experimenting on humans with magic and that perhaps the charges Meldorath laid against the previous Lord were false and implanted with magic. We also begin to learn about the parallel magic world Caromentis where magic and thought govern rather than physics and laws.
The world is well developed and teases of deeper lore are scattered throughout the story. Characters are interesting but are just beginning to show their depth. The magical systems are unique and have no clear limits which always keeps you wondering what is possible. Gavin’s story in particular has a pleasant shift in perspective that makes the overall reading experience more varied and enjoyable. It feels like a friend telling you of fond old adventures.
If you enjoy structured hard magical systems this isn’t the best choice. It does a wonderful job of getting you interested in the world and plot but it doesn’t wrap much up. The book is short and sets up a lot of plot points, I hope future books will answer, but standalone it’s not a satisfying ending.
I rate it 3 out of 4 stars. The book is enjoyable to read. The character perspective changing makes it variable and more interesting. It sets up the rest of the books but doesn’t do a great job on its own.
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We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies by Matthew Tysz opens up like many other fantasy novels, with an exciting battle scene. A powerful mage and his companions assault a Lord’s castle. The group makes quick work of the guards and the Lord himself, giving you your first glimpse of the magic this world offers. The powerful mage, revealed to be Lord Meldorath, killed the previous Lord and took his place claiming he had committed atrocities against children. He seems the hero but that is quickly challenged as the story progresses. Soon you meet Gavin who with the assistance of Rowan, an executor hired by Gavin’s uncle, inherits his uncle’s forge and begins the process of learning to run the business. They travel to a nearby town to obtain lactic steel a material Gavin can learn to forge into powerful weapons and armor. Instead, they stumble upon a mysterious ore and set off to have it examined by a type of mage called an imbuer.
Meanwhile, the new Lord sent to replace Lord Meldorath who has been imprisoned arrives and begins digging into the mysteries of his predecessors. He discovers Meldorath had been experimenting on humans with magic and that perhaps the charges Meldorath laid against the previous Lord were false and implanted with magic. We also begin to learn about the parallel magic world Caromentis where magic and thought govern rather than physics and laws.
The world is well developed and teases of deeper lore are scattered throughout the story. Characters are interesting but are just beginning to show their depth. The magical systems are unique and have no clear limits which always keeps you wondering what is possible. Gavin’s story in particular has a pleasant shift in perspective that makes the overall reading experience more varied and enjoyable. It feels like a friend telling you of fond old adventures.
If you enjoy structured hard magical systems this isn’t the best choice. It does a wonderful job of getting you interested in the world and plot but it doesn’t wrap much up. The book is short and sets up a lot of plot points, I hope future books will answer, but standalone it’s not a satisfying ending.
I rate it 3 out of 4 stars. The book is enjoyable to read. The character perspective changing makes it variable and more interesting. It sets up the rest of the books but doesn’t do a great job on its own.
******
We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
