Book List
I've actually read five books so far this year; I've just been lax about recording them.
1. Initiate's Trial by Janny Wurts
Depending on how you count, this is either the ninth volume of Wurts's Wars of Light and Shadow, or the first volume of her Sword of the Canon, which forms the fourth arc of the larger series. Hence, just as the previous volume felt like an ending (because it was the end of the Alliance of Light arc), this one feels like a new beginning for the long-running series.
We've jumped forward a couple of centuries, and much has changed. Arithon, Master of Shadow, has been held prisoner by the Koriathain witches, trapped in enchanted forgetfulness. His half-brother Lysaer, still cursed with the desire to destroy Arithon at any cost but now actively resisting it, has rejected the false title of demigod he once claimed, and tries to rule with justice. Yet when Arithon, still amnesiac, escapes, this fragile peace will shatter as both the Koriathain and the sunwheel priests seek to use him to trigger Lysaer's curse and create a new War of Light and Shadow.
Wurts seems unclear whether this book is intended for new readers, existing ones, or both. The scenes surrounding Arithon seem written for new readers; they move slowly and reintroduce characters and concepts that have been seen before. Yet they're interleaved with chapters from Elaira, Dakar, and Daliana's POVs, which all assume prior knowledge to make sense. I found the Arithon chapters occasionally tedious, but loved the other plots, particularly Daliana's relationship with Lysaer and the growth that Lysaer's finally making. Yet I can't help but think that a new reader would find the plots that I liked confusing.
In the end, I think the only way to start the series is to begin at the beginning, with Curse of the Mistwraith. (This is a shame, as it's the weakest of the series--Wurts's wonderful layered complexity isn't yet fully developed, and it looks like a Standard 90s Epic Fantasy. The book, like many by Wurts, is not meant to be read, but reread, and it rewards close attention.)
For those who have already read the previous volumes, we have here a fine new beginning, though one with some rough edges. Only two more volumes remain until the projected end of the story; I'll be excited to see it at last.
1. Initiate's Trial by Janny Wurts
Depending on how you count, this is either the ninth volume of Wurts's Wars of Light and Shadow, or the first volume of her Sword of the Canon, which forms the fourth arc of the larger series. Hence, just as the previous volume felt like an ending (because it was the end of the Alliance of Light arc), this one feels like a new beginning for the long-running series.
We've jumped forward a couple of centuries, and much has changed. Arithon, Master of Shadow, has been held prisoner by the Koriathain witches, trapped in enchanted forgetfulness. His half-brother Lysaer, still cursed with the desire to destroy Arithon at any cost but now actively resisting it, has rejected the false title of demigod he once claimed, and tries to rule with justice. Yet when Arithon, still amnesiac, escapes, this fragile peace will shatter as both the Koriathain and the sunwheel priests seek to use him to trigger Lysaer's curse and create a new War of Light and Shadow.
Wurts seems unclear whether this book is intended for new readers, existing ones, or both. The scenes surrounding Arithon seem written for new readers; they move slowly and reintroduce characters and concepts that have been seen before. Yet they're interleaved with chapters from Elaira, Dakar, and Daliana's POVs, which all assume prior knowledge to make sense. I found the Arithon chapters occasionally tedious, but loved the other plots, particularly Daliana's relationship with Lysaer and the growth that Lysaer's finally making. Yet I can't help but think that a new reader would find the plots that I liked confusing.
In the end, I think the only way to start the series is to begin at the beginning, with Curse of the Mistwraith. (This is a shame, as it's the weakest of the series--Wurts's wonderful layered complexity isn't yet fully developed, and it looks like a Standard 90s Epic Fantasy. The book, like many by Wurts, is not meant to be read, but reread, and it rewards close attention.)
For those who have already read the previous volumes, we have here a fine new beginning, though one with some rough edges. Only two more volumes remain until the projected end of the story; I'll be excited to see it at last.