Review - Warhost of Vastmark (Wars of Light and Shadow #3) by Janny Wurts

Warhost of Vastmark [US] [UK] is the third book in the Wars of Light and Shadow series, but it was originally intended as the second half of book two. Either way, with all of the set up that happened in The Ships of Merior (review), book two, Warhost was a blast to read from page one.

There will be spoilers from this point in the review on, but I'll try to keep them to the first two books.

Warhost starts right of the bat with one of the biggest mysteries from the last books. What happened to Kharadmon, one of the disembodied sorcerers of the Fellowship? His was the task to find out more about the mistwraith and bring back more information from the universe. 

In each book, I keep thinking that the world and the story is already complicated and intricate and beautiful and unending, and yet each book expands the world and story in unimaginable ways. This book was filled with tiny bits of information that I had to reread a couple times just to stop my head from spinning. This world is so well though-out, so amazingly intricate, and yet I'm still missing so many things and learning plenty more. I just have to stand back in awe at what an amazing talent Wurts is.

Warhost also continues the story of Arithon, the fugitive prince of Rathain, and Dakar, the Mad Prophet. Dakar is attached to Arithon whether he likes it or not, and he definitely does not. Their relationship continues to grow in new and profound ways and I'll stop there because it's such a subtle relationship that I don't want to spoil.

Arithon is still running away from his half-brother, Lysaer, who insists on tracking him throughout the continent. Lysayer continues to convince everyone around him that it's necessary to expend so many troops and moneys on hunting Arithon because ... because he has to! 

Lysaer's a brilliant character in both his motivations and how he is drawn. You want to root against him, but he's so compelling and you know it's not his fault. He will stop at nothing to see his half-brother stopped and you will see what that phrase actually means in this book. The body count is probably the most I've ever read in any fantasy book.

And yet that's not at all the intent of Arithon. Arithon is the scapegoat for every catastrophe, but he is the most compassionate character you will ever read. I've spoken of this before, but it is demonstrated even moreso in Warhost how Arithon will do anything he can to prevent war. I have never seen a character do this much to stop it in all my years reading fantasy. Usually, characters drag their feet going to war or fight knowing it is wrong, but Arithon goes out of his way to stop it and it is the most captivating reading experience I have had.

The characters that Wurts writes are second to none. They will have you crying one moment and cheering the next. They're so powerful and set in the backdrop that is the world of Athera (and all the other worlds), this is a series not to be missed. It only gets better and that really doesn't compute because how do you get better from absolutely stunning?

5 out of 5 Stars (epic emotion-filled fantasy)

The Wars of Light and Shadow by Janny Wurts (read in red)
Arc I 
1) The Curse of the Mistwraith (review)
Arc II: The Ships of Merior 
2) The Ships of Merior (review)
3) The Warhost of Vastmark 
Arc III: Alliance of Light 
4) Fugitive Prince 
5) Grand Conspiracy 
6) Peril's Gate 
7) Traitor's Knot 
8) Stormed Fortress 
Arc IV: Sword of the Canon 
9) Initiate's Trial 
10) Destiny's Conflict (forthcoming) 
Arc V 
11) Song of the Mysteries (forthcoming)

Note: Janny Wurts is running a giveaway at the moment through reddit.com/r/fantasy if you want a chance (out of 5) to win the first book in the series, The Curse of the Mistwraith. She will also be doing an AMA (Ask Me Anything) on r/fantasy on October 15, so get your questions ready.

Review - The Ships of Merior (The Wars of Light and Shadow #2) by Janny Wurts

There are a number of rather large fantasy series' which started in the 90's and continued through the last few years. They all started slowly, but have gone on to great popularity. They each defy the logic of the trilogy by doubling and tripling (and almost quintupling in one case) that tried and true number. 

The Wheel of Time, A Song of Ice and Fire, The Malazan Book of the Fallen. These are some of the biggest names of the fantasy genre. These are commonly grouped together as favorites, especially in my book. Mention one and the others are not too far behind. Each layered in complexity and characters, epic in world-building, and all are included in NPR's top 100 science fiction and fantasy books.

The more I read this series, the more I can't understand why The Wars of Light and Shadow series is not a name synonymous with those others I've mentioned. How can it be that a series this rich in characters and complex in plot is passed over by so many people that obviously have shown to love a challenging series?

With only two books left of a planned 11 books (really 10 as I'll explain below), I certainly hope this picks up and more people are exposed to such a wonderful series.

And while I ponder such things, I do realize how different this series is. While the current trend seems to be that it's not fantasy if women aren't getting raped, this series does lack men having their way with the fairer sex. While new fantasy is cynical and hopeless, The Wars of Light and Shadow is a hopeful series that displays the good in humanity as well as many of the gray areas which inherently follow a complex fantasy series.

But it's not all serious. Just like the aforementioned series, tWoLaS has plenty of humor mixed in:

"The Mad Prophet informed the man sent down to fetch him that he had never stayed sober for more than a fortnight, even as a babe at his mother's knee. Three months was a lifetime record, Dakar insisted, as if astounded to still be alive.

And another situation, also involving The Mad Prophet, Dakar, who's a terrible person, but also one of my favorites in the series:

"The carter purpled and swung. The suet-round face of his target vanished as Dakar ducked and fled beneath the saddle girth. Bunched knuckles smacked against he barrel-sprung ribs of the horse, who responded from both ends with a grunt and a fart like an explosion.

'Oh my,' cried Dakar, stifling a chortle. 'Your wife's nose must look like a pudding if that's your reaction to her kisses.'"

Arithon s'Ffalenn, one of the main characters of the series and one of two brothers whose in whose hands hold the fate of the world of Athera, is a tragic character filled with subtelty and emotion. Arithon s'Ffalenn is a character not unlike Batman at the end of The Dark Knight. We all know the iconic line:

He has done some terrible things, which I'll discuss after the spoiler warning, and yet must continue to go forward with plans set in motion. Here follow some spoilers, unless you want me to keep writing in vague references that are oh so informative, so I'll give proper warning...

Spoilers ahead for book 1:

Arithon s'Ffalenn is a ruling prince who came to Athera from a splinter world and who with his brother's help defeated the Mistwraith that blinded the continent of Athera from the sun. In doing so, both were afflicted with the Mistwraith's final retribution - a geas set upon both which would cause them each to seek out the other's downfall.

Due to this geas, both have committed terrible things. But, blind to this geas, though not unaffected, Lysaer (Arithon's brother) convinces almost the entire continent to rise up against Arithon. This is part of the genius of this, because you still root for Lysaer even though you don't root for what he is doing.

Arithon, on the other hand, has a mission to undertake despite the fact that he not only feels the complete blame for the atrocities committed in the first book (which were terrible, but provoked by the Mistwraith's geas). His compassion is second to none and even though he is reviled throughout the continent, he is the hero they need to defeat those forces who wish to destroy.

End Spoilers

I could keep going on and on, but I will stop for now. I could keep talking about the characters, ones you're rooting against, who broke your heart when they were killed. I could keep going about the subtlety of character, especially of the two brothers but including all of them, and emotions displayed through their interactions that are at times tragic and others light-hearted. 

I could keep going about how this series was robbed of NPR's list of the top 100 Science Fiction and Fantasy books, The Wars of Light and Shadow continue to get robbed of its rightful place at the top of the fantasy genre. Evoking emotions you may have never felt before and filled with the perfect combination of humor and despair, this series is not to be missed.

The Ships of Merior [US - $1.99 Kindle] [UK], while initially planned to be one book was split into two books by the publishers comprising this book and Warhost of Vastmark. Even though it is only essentially half a book, the quality is top notch and the ending is one heck of a ride. 

5 out of 5 Stars (brilliant, complex fantasy)

The Wars of Light and Shadow by Janny Wurts (read in red)
Arc I 
1) The Curse of the Mistwraith (review)
Arc II: The Ships of Merior 
2) The Ships of Merior 
3) The Warhost of Vastmark 
Arc III: Alliance of Light 
4) Fugitive Prince 
5) Grand Conspiracy 
6) Peril's Gate 
7) Traitor's Knot 
8) Stormed Fortress 
Arc IV: Sword of the Canon 
9) Initiate's Trial 
10) Destiny's Conflict (forthcoming) 
Arc V 
11) Song of the Mysteries (forthcoming)

Link: Guest Post by Janny Wurts on The Wars of Light and Shadow

Guest Post - Janny Wurts Introduces The Wars of Light and Shadow

Earlier this week, I reviewed The Curse of the Mistwraith by Janny Wurts (review here). This is the first book in the epic series, The Wars of Light and Shadow. As you may have noticed, I heartily enjoyed this first book and that means I'm very much looking forward to reading the rest.

This series is unique in many ways - the writing, the story, and even the structure, so I thought it would be good to hear from the author herself to find out what we can expect. She was kind enough to oblige.

Thanks to Janny for visiting our humble blog and for this great introduction.

----

A few notes on the series from Janny

Bryce, your take on the style as 'immersive' is bang on. I aimed to deliver an experience, as though the reader had been present, living the events with edges and full sensory impact. This requires full focus and no skimming, and not much room for inattention or the fluffy fuzz of ambiguity. I am not writing pablum, or aiming for middle ground, or striking to engage everyone. Sorry: No Elves. No Orcs. No Darklords. For those fond of 'simple' or 'short,' I suggest picking something else from another phase of my career.

Each book is built for a slam finish. The finale makes the story, and many things that look maverick, or even, present first as ordinary tropes will only fall into place and explode into sense in the latter half. I've always preferred a careful build that converges into hard action and an unforgettable ending, instead of the front loaded beginning that peters out and delivers predictability. Every volume also has a 'two punch' climax - a half-point shift that rips into a gutsy finale. That is part of the series' signature, except for volume two and three, which became a 'split book' - Ships of Merior and Warhost of Vastmark were designed to be a single title, but due to length, the publisher divided the story at the half point shift...the two books are more powerful taken together. Left intact, the spine of the paperback was going to rip in two, anyway. The decision was made to keep the book classy, and the binding intact for posterity, or, if you like, for a more satisfactory bang for the book-tossers who pitch fits, when a story ticks off their personal taste.

In addition to the creative formatting, there is an arc format to this series - it may help if new readers are prepared - the arcs are not self standing, but mark distinct phases of the story. Each arc moves the markers - everything read earlier will shift meaning. The story won't tell a reader what to think, the reader must constantly discern and restage their previous opinions for themselves. And new insights will flip pat assumptions, left and right, so best ditch your rose colored glasses and prejudice, because sympathies are going to flip sides.

Arc I, Curse of the Mistwraith - sets the stage, introduces the series and opens the conflict.
Arc II, Ships of Merior/Warhost of Vastmark - deepens the characters and intensifies the conflict to another level entirely.

Arc III, Alliance of Light
Fugitive Prince, Grand Conspiracy, Peril's Gate, Traitor's Knot, Stormed Fortress - takes the conflict to 'world view.' Things you assumed in the earlier arcs will NOT be what you thought. This is anything BUT 'medieval' Europe!

Arc IV, Sword of the Canon
Initiate's Trial (now released), Destiny's Conflict (in progress)
stages for the Mysteries

Arc V, Song of the Mysteries - last vol, finishes the series entire, brings the story threads to closure.

Each ARC, taken as a whole, also has a build, and a tipping point, and a roller-coaster rush to a grand finale. So the pacing of the books in each sequence will reflect this. Each arc start 'gears down' a little, then builds pace again, with the readers' former assumptions graphically rearranged - so that in the middle arc (five volumes/one story), the middle book frames its own tipping point, and the last TWO volumes converge at a gallop.

Due to 'nothing being what it seems at the outset,' expect every volume will deepen and unveil new angles of view, rather than sprawl into 'additional territory'. As epics go, the cast of characters stays tightly focused, it is the intensity and scope that shift the value and perception of what is happening. Characters will change, and as their viewpoints shift, everything they stood for may turn upside down. The story also shifts contour, depending where the reader stands in life. This book is not for a YA audience, I get notes all the time from folks who tried it too young, and crashed out, only to 'rediscover' the thrust of it several years later - that it is both an extroverted story, and an introspective one, all rolled into one.

When the entire series is finished, the whole plan will be apparent. Meantime - I DO NOT CHEAT THE SYSTEM BY WRITING CLIFFHANGERS. Each volume has a satisfactory stopping point. The books play best if read in order. The arcs were not meant, or written, stand alone! For the impatient: I have seen some dauntless spirits plunge in at Traitor's Knot (where arc III converges) and just get sucked into the action straight away. But if you take the daredevil leap this way, be warned: you'll hit pay dirt for spoilers!