Curse of the Mistwraith

Having read a number of opinions on this series, the first thing to say is: Don't read this just because you liked the Empire series! I have not read it, therefore I can't make a proper comparison. However, I have read some of Feist's work. It's much more along the lines of adventure stories - fast paced, not terribly introspective, fun, possibly engrossing, but not deep. This is a very different thing. The scope of this work is mind-boggling. As I understand it, Janny Wurts had the books planned out very well and worked on the series for twenty years! That care shows. Firstly, the pace of the book is extraordinarily well modulated. If you were looking for quick catharsis, this is not the book for you. Wurts has you stewing in your own juices in anticipation for the length of entire books (and hers are considerable). Resolutions don't come until your feelings have twisted and turned every which way. You go through the phase of burning anticipation, then the phase of enraged screaming, "Why do I have to wait?! Why can't it just come?!" Well, because in real life, fate doesn't jump to obey your frustrated feelings! In this - realism - Janny is a master. And a torturer :). (But I am what I call a literary masochist, you should know.) When the cathartic moment comes, you are well aware of all the ways things could go wrong. Also, of the fact that so much waiting may have dulled the characters' original drive for the goal. Except nothing is ever dulled in Janny's books. To play the devil's advacate - and to offer fair warning, I should mention the very few buts. Janny Wurts is very articulate and possesses an astounding bank of vocabulary (I know I learned a lot from her). On occasion, this ability of hers goes a little berserk :). The sentences get to twisty and complicated, to the point where you might have to re-read each one three times. I needed a dictionary by my side, on occasion, too. But, this improves. Everything in Janny's books improves with each volume - it gets better, far better - not worse. The other small bother is Janny's fondness of lengthy descriptions of magic technique. And I do mean technique. Her magic philosophy is very interesting and very complicated. Since we can't try to follow the directions to weave a spell or ask a rock for its cooperation, we don't really need to know the details of doing that. A few paragraphs sound like a cookbook, a bit. On the whole, though, that is no deterrent. Onto the pleasant stuff, I adore Janny's exploration of a number of realistic points... Love that is unbearably poignant, but does not override every other consideration. Unselfish love, so frustrating and painful. Self-deception. Spell-driven, Lysaer spends a lot of time resetting all events in the world to a point of view that makes a god of him and evil-incarnate of his half-brother, Arithon. Sometimes, his arguements are such a stretch, that you cannot imagine how Lysaer can possible make people

I first read Janny's work when she collaborated with Raymond Fiest for the Daughter of the Empire books.Let me just say if you prefer a simple easy-to-read book do not read this book.I'm reading this for the second time in order to finally read it's sequals and it is rare for me to forget so much of a novel as I did with this book. Not because it was forgetable, but because Janny Wurts is so detailed in her craft that her books simply cannot be read once and understood completely.Janny Wurts truly cares about these characters you can tell by how she depicits them. She shows all their good and bad sides with equal care and skill. No sloppiness or tangents of petty and uninteresting behaviour. Even when a character who was once good, goes bad you can still feel for them and understand why and what led them there. These people are real and yet also not real as they exist in a world where magic is real.If you enjoy the kind of depth that brings tears to your eyes as well as a well crafted world full of characters of good, bad and those torn between the two you will enjoy this book and the ones to follow.

This series is really wonderful! It's great in that it does not follow the typical fantasy formula. Rather, it's hero is unlike any other I've seen (suicidal, something of a recluse) whose life, everytime something starts to go his way, gets even worse. The villain is also unusual, being charming and charismatic and growing ever more evil (I won't tell anymore lest I spoil the plot). Most of the characters are well-rounded and dynamic, and the book has great continuity (you'll find that minor characters mentioned in book one will reappear in book four). Wurts has splendid descriptions, especially of the sea (a major setting throughout the series). She also has managed the fine art of comic relief, allowing humourous pasages to offset the more serious without making the entire book just a recitation of jokes. The rest of the series is even better, creating a wonderfully complex, thought out plot.

CotM is the start of Janny Wurt's incredible, beautiful, moving series "The War of Light and Shadows". Each book builds and builds on the previous books in the series. Rereading CotM reveals hidden nuggets of information that can be pieced with snippets from here and there to build a picture of the overall story, which -- knowing how twisted this story is -- is probably all wrong! But that's part of the joy and magic in this series. Just like Arithon's character there are layers upon layers and twists within twists.CotM, by necessity, has a lot of setup information. And *nothing* is irrelevant information -- the more you read, the more you see this is true. I particularly liked the opening, with the reader thrown right into the midst of what seems to be the story, and I was surprised to discover the motivation behind Arithon's early antagonistic actions. Not your usual fantasy hero. In fact, this series takes many of the usual fantasy notions and stands them on their heads. It is a series tailormade for philosophical debate, though that shouldn't stop anyone from just enjoying it! Janny's words make beautiful pictures, just like her cover paintings.I have generally avoided fantasy, having concluded that most of it is just rip-offs of "The Lord of the Rings" (which I dearly loved). The WoLaS is not a LotR clone; it is, however, the only work I would mention in the same sentence.

With "Curse of the MistWraith", Janny Wurts again redefines the standard for all Sword and Sourcery Fantasy fictions. Unparalled in depth and rich in details, Janny creates an entire world and fills it with plots, characters and a riveting tale. The story tells of how two half brothers of very different background and personalities come together to defeat a Mistwraith, only to have the entity cursed them to enimity. It tells of the natural human instinct to persecute, to rationalize and to strike out without a thought for the innocents that might stand in the way. It tells of responsibilities, compassion, heroism, self sacrifice and a love of life that know no bounds. With "Curse of the Mistwraith", Janny can now proundly claimed to stand among the best of the fantasy authors. The characters are richly developed with enough background to provide for understanding and sympathy. The plot is riveting, as events quickly develops to grip the reader*s attention. The book is without flaw and is certainly the best I have read so far. This series would stand shoulder to shoulder against Raymond E. Feist*s Riftwar and SerpentWar Saga. The only disadvantage so far is the extra long period between each book. The subsequent sequels were released soon enough but the fourth book titled "The Alliance of Light" if released on time would have taken one and half year after the released of the third book titled "Warhost of Vastmark". 18 months is simply too long a wait and Janny would do well with a shorter time interval. Her current popularity does not justify such a long wait and other more popular authors are already releasing their sequels and new series. All in all, a MUST READ!