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 The Wars of Light and Shadow is an epic high fantasy series by Janny Wurts. The books follow two talented half-brothers, Arithon and Lysaer, who are both destined for kingship. Each is blessed with mastery of a specific elemental power (you can probably guess which) that they use in concert to save the world. However, their heroics have a price: the brothers are inflicted with a curse that forces them into irrational conflict with one another. This geas-bound enmity sets the ball rolling on the titular wars. It has everything you'd want from a big, fat, fantasy epic: political scheming, swords fighting, incredibly powerful sorcery, magical swords, armies waging war, morally complex wizards, centuries-old petty grudges, drunken prophets, and at least three nearly extinct fantastical races. It's a big series. Check out this 4200px tall image for proof:  There's ten completed novels, six novellas / short stories, and a final 11th novel that's releasing (probably?) in the next year. It's not often that an epic decades in the making actually gets finished, so with the end is in sight there's been a lot of new and renewed interest in the series. The books are long and the prose dense (though very well written), so if you want to read or reread the series in time for the final book you should probably get started now. As such, please properly mark all spoilers! I know some of the books are decades old, but I bet many people in this topic are going to be starting them for the first time. It's certainly true for me.  You may have heard of Janny Wurts in other contexts, such as the Empire trilogy which she coauthored with Raymond Feist. She is also an award-winning painter and illustrator, and was apparently victim of an art heist in the 90s. There's a $5,000 reward waiting for you if you crack the case. Cool Links
WarpDogs fucked around with this message at 18:38 on Apr 21, 2023 |
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Apr 19, 2023 23:19
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I finished Curse of the Mistwraith a couple days ago. I wanted to type my thoughts out as soon as I'd finished, but I had to deal with something of a curse myself (the 5yo brought a stomach bug home from school) Around the 90% mark I was despairing that there was no possible way the book could end with anything but grimdark misery. That, or it'd be cliffhanger non-ending. I'm very happy to have been wrong I'm still reeling at how expansive it was, especially as the first book of a series. There were at least 4 story arcs that each could have served as the main plot of its own novel. The book was long and felt long, but somehow never bloated More spoilery thoughts Going into the series I had no idea how it'd be structured, so it was kinda funny being like "oh, she were being literal!" to both the title of the book and the series I like the curse; it's an interesting idea to drive conflict, especially when one character is painfully aware of it and the other isn't. Wurts is not exactly subtle that she is treating Arithon as the main protagonist, which is a bit of shame because I think he's kind of a dweeb and I like Lysaer's conflict a lot more. Arithon is good at literally everything he touches but just wants to be an artist, while Lysaer is a charismatic failson who hates his own inadequacies, yet is trying (or at least was) to be better. Like Arithon he was manipulated, but he lacked the abilities needed to recognize it and fight for his own autonomy, and he paid a huge price for it. He's the ultimate tragic figure. I really liked the Fellowship as this group of incredibly powerful grandpas whose goals are so huge and longterm they come across as cold and calculating, though they clearly aren't and are just trying to Make The Tough Decisions, even if it looks uncaring or even monstrous to mere mortals. I'll be interested to see how the Koriathain contrast with them throughout Hard to guess how book two will go. Arithon becomes a travelling bard, I suppose, while Lysaer continues building armies. Will Lysaer mosey on over to Tysar and claim his birthright in the name of murking Arithon? Will Arithon play a song so beautiful everyone in the world simultaneously weeps? Will Sethvir ever clean his dirty tea mugs?
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Apr 21, 2023 18:36
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StrixNebulosa posted:He fits all the standards for the classic fantasy novel hero, even down to the way where he has a fiance... but never mentions her name. I can't be sure, but I have a theory that him never mentioning her name, even in his inner thoughts, is commentary from Wurts on how disposable women can be in the older model of fantasy pulp novels. lmao I had the exact same thoughts. It has to be deliberate. It's not like she's shy about giving names to side characters, and Lysaer's betrothed is referenced at least 4 or 5 times. She doesn't get so much as a last name despite being a noble's daughter. Also feels like she's trying to say something about women in fantasy with the Koriathain, though I'm not quite sure what the message will end up being. They're being painted as the bad, spying, in-fighting, shrewish, shortsighted all-female mages vs. the good, powerful, self-sacrificing, wise all-male mages. But I'm sure there's going to be more than that, especially with the glimpses of Morriel we get in the latter chapters
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Apr 22, 2023 02:30
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yeah not to pile on but comparing that to a database relationship is really depressing. The whole idea of "names" and being able to tie them to a nature or history has been a common thread in human myth and story for many millennia. If you're seeing it reflected in computer science that's because humans created computer science and we infused it with our own understanding of language, syntax, patterns, organization, etc. But more specific to that, the Fellowship has a sort of an "academia" bent, where magic is a tool for research and purpose and protection, so it makes sense than magic from their context has a dryer and more pragmatic bent to it. Contrast that to the brothers where their magic is elemental and relies more on instinct and the attributes of their element. Then there's the Koriathain who are somewhat like the Fellowship but whose powers are much more focused on the mind, things you'd associate with telepathy and farsight and mind reading. and then there's the Parthians whose entire thing is that they are beautiful and mysterious and are so magical they end up leaving an impression on the earth itself ah, Wurts is just too drat cool! And the best part about all of this is that she changes up how she writes magic depending on both who the subject is and also who is witnessing it, which was especially evident to me in the final battle scenes of the 1st book. The way the proses changes when the geas is in control, seeing Arithon's powers from the eyes of his allies vs. Lysaer's group, etc. It's great worldbuilding
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May 4, 2023 02:38
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