Grand Conspiracy: The Wars of Light and Shadow

The Wars of Light and Shadow series continues with, in my opinion, by far the best work so far. This series has captivated me from the beginning: this book was one of the most compelling and intricately crafted works of literature I have ever read.I think Janny Wurts has stopped pandering to the thrill-a-minute faction of her readership and started writing for herself. Her style has blossomed and intensified a thousandfold. This series began with a promising paradox and the cruellest of curses and has gone on to extend and explore the possiblities of those origins in devastating style.The tormented exiled prince, Arithon S'Ffalenn, Master of Shadow, who is so utterly human and so desparately unlucky that you cannot fail to love him, is, as ever, in hiding, maintaining leagues of seawater between himself and the seeresses who hunt him by magical means and seek to bring him to his doom as a convicted sorceror. As soon as he sets foot on dry land they can track him, and should he disembark on the same continent as his brother Lysaer of the Light, curse-induced madness will fall upon him to the extent that he will let no-one and nothing stand in his way until his brother is dead. His entourage of swordsmen, seamen, and the Mad Prophet Dakar, are a motley crew. Dakar is drunk most of the time, but when needed to work a powerful enchantment he usually rises to the occasion. He must save the dark prince from himself as often as he has to guard him from his enemies, and this creates a perverse and abiding tension in the relationship between the unlikely duo.Prince Lysaer of the Light, however, is loved by his people, would never stoop to sorcery and rules with wisdom, humanity and impeccable judgement. Only one problem: he is perpetually insane in his determination to crush Arithon S'Ffalenn at all costs. His abiding hatred of his brother poisons every decision he makes, and his apparent kindness, wisdom, humanity and judgement are all simply means of achieving this one obsessive aim. He needs allies, and he has the gift of winning men's hearts wherever he goes. He is probably the most evil character I have ever had the pleasure to come across in fantasy literature. More men, women and children die in his campaign to defeat his already defeated brother than have ever been threatened by Arithon's occasional fits of madness. And yet he plays those around him to perfection, seducing them with his charismatic glamour and blinding them to the terrifying truth.Arithon just plays music, and this to ease his soul from the plaguings of a deeply troubled conscience and his intellect from the frustration of thwarted magical ability. One of the novel's chief ironies is that he cannot even practise magic: his powers have been blocked and no recent charge of sorcery against him can possibly be true.I love the way Janny Wurts plays with your morals, preconceptions and affections in this novel. I love the grim and violent hopelessness of Arithon's existence and the allu

Wurts has created a work that transcends Fantasy. Her suberbly crafted writing stretches our vocabulary, weaves a brilliant imagery, and gives deep insight into the human spirit. The intricacy and scope of the plots and sub-plots leaves plenty to the imaginations of those who delight in unravelling mysteries and guessing future developments in the novel. It's rich in character development. I have followed Arithon's development as a character with the same enjoyment as I did Ursula K. Le Guin's character, Ged. She has real skill with major and minor characters, using them to continually reflect new angles and interpretations of the themes and characters of the series. Wurts harkens back to a time when the land was held as something sacred. The Paravians represent lost innocence, and the compact a reminder that we borrow the land from future generations. Her descriptions of magic are multi-sensory journeys that take us towards a more subtle understanding of what world consciousness is and touches on the oneness of everything.What I found most valuable in these books was the portrayal of the causes of conflict, and the machinations of war. She puts war and greed under an unforgiving spotlight, but also refuses to typecast. Lysaer is portrayed both as liberating leader and protector of the people and deluded tyrant. Arithon is at once freedom fighter and terrorist. We are not asked to choose a side and blame the other, but encouraged to have compassion and understanding, and to see the whole picture. We are shown graphically that war leads to further wars, there is never an end to them, unless there is dialogue and an attempt towards mutual understanding. We are not allowed to give into euphoria after 'justice' has been served, but read on and discover the horrific consequences. It makes us question what is true justice, and whether there is a place for human compassion in it.The curse itself is an accurate and menacing metaphor for blind, ignorant prejudice that has the same effect on the leaders and followers of this world, as it does on Athera. She powerfully describes the effects of illusion and delusion that create mobs and narrow-minded communities. She neatly portrays blinkered opinion and assumption and shows how they develop into reasons for wiping out other ethnic groups.When you read her books, suspend judgement. Don't get lost in plot and in trying to interpret the Black Rose Prophecy. Use a dictionary for the more difficult words. Let her writing take hold of your imagination and leave youself open to seeing the parallels of Athera to Earth. Identify with the characters, experience them as aspects of yourself. Make it a journey of discovery. Read each book twice.

i couldn't put this book down. there are so many twists and turns that are just so unexpected. You can see all the double-agents, but when something actually goes through, it's a total surprise. Ms. Wurts' language and descriptions just seem to jump off the page. I also noticed that she has started dating the beginning of every chapter--which helps a lot. the development of lysaer and arithon's hatred gets more intense. i felt like i could actually see arithon's anguish at the lies being spread; and i was indignant with how lysaer's ego gets bigger & bigger. i can't wait for the next book in the series to come out!

Although I must agree with some of the other reviews for this book, that find it slightly below the standard set by the other books, I must attribute that to the author's need to split this section of the story into four different sections. Grand Conspiracy is only the second, in what Janny Wurts calls a story arc, of this particular plot thread. For my own curiosity, I sought out Wurts' website. This site answered many of my questions regarding the series, and even gives some insight into backround history not included in the series at this point. Of course, this information has only set my mind spinning off in a dozen new directions, trying to fathom the next plot thread in the next book (something I should have learned long since not to try, because of my abysmal success rate in the venture). I encourage any and all to visit the site, as it will answer many questions you might have regarding the series, or the author's plan for its future. This series is fantastic, and I would recommend it to any lover of SF/F. However, I do recommend starting with the first book Curse of the Mistwraith. It will save you much frustration, and increase your reading pleasure infinitely.

I have been suprised to see the number of non-positive reviews of this book. I received my copy and devoured it in a day. Janny's characterization and storytelling pulled me into the story like an old friend. For those who missed the relentless action of the first two novels, I would advise them to think again. If these stories contained only action, I would think the characters less appealing and believeable, since they would all have collapsed in complete mental breakdowns as a result of their frenetic life-styles. Yes, the 12 year jump fazed me, but I understood the reasoning behind it. Previously, time passed mostly in between books, so it was a bit jarring, but not unpleasant, since waiting for Kevor and Fionn to grow up would have taken forever! Trust that the author knows what they're doing. As for the "Why hasn't this ended in 5 volumes," she didn't say it would. She said there were 5 story arcs. And she did write to the fans to apologise for the necessary splitting of this arc into three. How many authors do that? She's not trying to spin us out for as much as we'll give, like some . I'm just along for the ride..it's her story, and my distinct honor to watch it develop. ()