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    Curse of the Mistwraith (The Wars of Light and Shadow, Book 1)
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    Curse of the Mistwraith (The Wars of Light and Shadow, Book 1)
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    Curse of the Mistwraith (The Wars of Light and Shadow, Book 1)
    Ebook897 pages13 hours

    Curse of the Mistwraith (The Wars of Light and Shadow, Book 1)

    By Janny Wurts

    3.5/5

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    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateJun 24, 2010
    ISBN9780007346905
    Author

    Janny Wurts

    Janny Wurts is the author of the ‘Cycle of Fire’ series, co-author of the Empire series and is currently working through the Wars of Light and Shadow series. She paints all her own covers and is also an expert horsewoman, sailor, musician and archer.

    Read more from Janny Wurts

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    Reviews for Curse of the Mistwraith (The Wars of Light and Shadow, Book 1)

    3.5/5

    231 ratings23 reviews

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    • 4/5
      This book was like a solid dose of nostalgia for me. An old-style epic-high magical world with magic left and right, mages and high mages, legendary creatures - so Tolkienesque and yet not Tolkienesque. In fact there is quite a bit of stuff that can act as a critical commentary of Tolkien

      If this book has one fault, it is that its a bit too slow. But that is understandable. I felt like 70% of this book was setup for the future series. Meanwhile there is some meticulous worldbuilding and painstaking character arc construction. I often got the feeling that the primary importance of the things I was reading was to create a juxtaposition to showcase future changes and developments.

      Overall the feeling I got from this book was awe as I gradually understood the scope of the series and the world. I am eager to get into the later books
    • 3/5
      I really like the ideas behind this book. The exploration of both sides of a feud acting sympathetically, and looking at how history is coloured towards the winners is an interesting one.However, it is a very long fantasy book in a very long series that is not yet finished, and I am clearly too much a product of modern life - I would happily have invested half a day in the story, but I did find the pacing slow, and I am not sure I fancy ploughing through eight more books.Also, a lot of the characters' motivations come from prophecy. Which is totally fair game in a magical world, but 'he had to do this terrible thing, because he Knew TM it was the only way to achieve Important Thing' is a bit simplistic. And it did leave me thinking 'if you Know TM, could you not just tell people a bit more?!?!' The wise all powerful wizards who don't trust the common man enough are a bit frustrating as a common man. (I'd love to know if the rest of the series plays with that, or if the wizards are just Right.)It's also very Divine Right of Kings - the heroes are descended from the Kings Of Old, and the current democratic rulers are portrayed as stupid and short sighted. Still, poor Arithon, wanting to be a simple musician, but knowing destiny means he must rule, even though he doesn't want to.
    • 5/5
      Repeatedly the Rauven mages had stressed that assumptions were the weakness of the learned.Two half-brothers at war. Thus begins a tale that travels from one world through a portal to another world where mages hope the brothers working together can heal the plague of the mistwraith. Misunderstandings, assumptions, wrong choices, overlooked opportunities, prophesies and hatreds abound. Sorcerers, it seems, are just as prone to error as everybody else.The characters are well drawn and perverse and with minds of their own. The world is complex and the magic strange and confusing. The plot, though it seems fairly simple, confounds with consequences that aren't foreseen and complicate matters horribly.I'll definitely be continuing with this series.
    • 4/5
      The world of Athera is a land covered in mists. The sun has been banished by the malovent Mistwraith. Two half-brothers, divided by a blood feud, have been prophesied as the bane of the Mistwraith. Lysaer, a crown prince, is bearer of the gift of light while Arithon, raised by mages and son of a pirate, is Master of Shadows. The brothers must some how put enmity aside if they hope to succeed. Yet as the sorcerers of the Fellowship of Seven know well, there is more at stake than one battle with the Mistwraith: between them the half-brothers hold the balance of the world, its harmony and its future, in their hands.Curse of the Mistwraith is volume one of the Wars of Light and Shadow. The world building is absolutely amazing. The descriptions of places and events add to the immersion factor of this book. When Arithon has his communion with the forest I found I could almost smell the earth and hear the bird song. The language used is not typical of modern writers and can take a little getting used to. The book has a slow build and there is depth that makes the reader think. Not everything gets explained immediately. Some things are left deliberately ambiguous and I believe will be addressed later in the series.The structure of the book is unique. You have your main chapter which is broken down into sections. At the end of each there is a short summary of things that are going on elsewhere in the world as well as a set up to what is coming next. I quite liked this.The only odd thing for me is I found I didn't end up liking either of the main characters. I can't say that happens often for me in a book. The side characters, especially the Fellowship Mages and the Deshan clansmen, were what made it for me.This book is not for everyone. If you're looking for a light, quick read, this book is not for you. If you're looking for an immersive and different fantasy read, you should give it a try.
    • 4/5
      The first book in a series, this story illuminates the characters and the world of two brothers, Arithon and Lysaer. One is the Master of Shadow, the other has a gift with Light. They are propelled into a world which seems to pull them in directions of its need without considering who they are. Can they meet the needs of this sadly cursed world?I had mixed feelings about this book's tale. The writing is fine. The world-building is complex and elegant, as well as very detailed. It is easy to envision it. The characters are so well drawn, that I became angry with one of them when he was possessed and behaved in my eyes inexcusably. Only a character who has captured my heart can make me angry like that. This is not a "happily ever after" tale, nor is it an easily dismissed and forgotten story. It is deep and complex and not finished at the end. It leaves one moody.
    • 4/5
      I loved this first book in the Wars of Light and Shadow series. I will definitely re-read the entire series once I'm done with it, and I can imagine that it'll turn into a five star read. There's much between the lines to be discovered, and there are definitely things I missed.This isn't an easy book. It's not a quick read. The prose is dense, beautiful, descriptive, and the author, Janny Wurts, asks the reader to pay attention and to be patient. No word is wasted, no paragraph can be skimmed. It's all there from the very start, and I found it extremely rewarding to put in the time and immerse myself in the world and the characters.The Curse of the Mistwraith offers a richly detailed world, filled with lore and history. It feels like every word is hand picked, and I must admit I fell in love with Arithon, Master of Shadow, who just wants to play his music and instead gets pulled into an epic conflict.I recommend this to everyone who enjoys high fantasy, is looking for an epic series, maybe even for a bit of a challenge, and who doesn't mind reading slowly, absorbing the prose and putting in some work.
    • 4/5
      Janny Wurtz's strength here is in her lush description and worldbuilding. When you read her books you feel truly ensconced in her world. The trouble with this volume is that Wurtz doesn't set up a believable antipathy between the two major characters at the beginning, and so the later interplay between the princes rings false.
    • 3/5
      Trigger warning for sexual assault near the endCurse of the Mistwraith is the first book in a long epic fantasy series. While it’s been quite a while since I’ve read Wheel of Time, Curse of the Mistwraith had a similar feel.There were definitely things I liked about The Curse of the Mistwraith, but there were also things I didn’t like. I feel like some of the problems I had with it though were problems fairly common to the epic fantasy genre, and other readers may have more tolerance for them.The Curse of the Mistwraith is about a cursed world covered in mist (FYI this was written way before Sanderson’s Mistborn). A prophecy foretells that a prince of the right lineage with the right powers will be able to lift the curse. Unfortunately, the powers are divided between two princes – half brothers, separated by a generations long blood feud.The brothers, Arithon and Lysaer, have powers over shadows and light respectively. At the beginning at least, they were both fairly likable and interesting, although Arithon is prone to aghast. I mean, he wasn’t as bad as Fitz from Robin Hobb’s books, but he was still very much into bemoaning his fate and looking tragic.From the beginning, it is obvious that there is going to be major conflict between the two brothers. However… I don’t think this was carried out well. Spoiler warning, it hinged largely on a case of magical possession.World building wise, there was some interesting ideas going on. After the world was first cursed, there was a rebellion and the royalty was toppled. Now, five hundred years later, there is a divide between the townspeople and the clansmen, who are descendants of the nobility which fled into the hills to escape the rebellion. I found this idea and conflict fascinating, and it’s definitely one of the better points of the novel.However, the return of the monarchy after five hundred years is bound to be an issue. The sorcerers who arrange this seem to expect people to welcome the heirs with open arms? And strangely enough, most of them do. The only exception is the merchant class who’d taken up the reins of power in the absence of the royalty. Unfortunately the merchants mainly fell into the “fat, greedy merchant” trope and so the book missed an excellent topic to explore.I would not suggest The Curse of the Mistwraith for someone looking for female characters. There’s a few – one major (Elaria, an enchantress) and a handful of minor, but in general there just aren’t many.Speaking of this, there’s a spoiler at the end that I want to talk about. So there’s a big battle, and one side finds the other’s women and girls and rapes them before killing them. Okay, I hear you say, this is “realistic” for a battle scene. But in light of all the recent discussion spurred by that Game of Thrones episode, I think I need to talk about it, especially how the scene felt like it was included primarily for the characterization of the men. One of the characters on the side doing the killing eventually orders that his troops stop raping the women and just kill them, which I guess is supposed to make him more sympathetic? Because while he’ll have babies killed, he draws the line at rape. Also there’s a boy who sort of mystically “sees” as it happens his mother and young sisters being killed (and one of the girls – twelve at oldest – being raped before hand). I sincerely hope this was not to provide a motivation for his revenge or some such.I’d recommend The Curse of the Mistwraith for someone looking for a fairly classical epic fantasy series.Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
    • 4/5
      I liked this book so much that I got the next two books in the volume.
    • 5/5
      Very intense and emotional epic fantasy of mature scope and depth, a book that can be experienced as a self-contained story yet it's the stage setter of a longer series, which I'm currently reading and enjoying immensely.I loved the richly detailed and researched descriptions and the harmonic world-building, full of lore and history. Athera is a world of ancient mysteries, guarded by sorcerers and enchantresses, sundered by internal strife and molded by the fears and hopes of his inhabitants. Both the plot and the relationships between characters are deep and layered, granting unexpected twists and unpredictable turns of events, all presented with the striking vibrancy of Janny Wurts' boundless imagination and lyric style.The story opens with a grave prologue and shows the long-lasting all-consuming hate between two kingdoms in the world of Dascen Elur, and the dictates of a five-century-old prophecy which promises restoration and disruption in another world. Two princes, apparently the embodiment of good and evil, unwittingly are entangled by the coils of fate and thrown (literally) into an epic journey of unknown consequences.Arithon, a small, lithe man who struggles between an emphatic core that craves harmony and the expectations of others that want him to be a hero.Lysaer, a stalwart, handsome and charming man born and breed to the crown, driven by an innate hunger for justice and looking for a purpose to cope with the loss of his birthright.They are the only hope to free the world of Athera from the vices of the unnatural mist which covers the sun and corrupts the life on the land, but nurtured in misunderstandings and mutual hurt, the elusive balance between them is soon to tip the scale against all auguries.My first foray into the series was with Child of Prophecy, a short story set on the world of Athera centuries earlier than Mistwraith's opening, and some names and facts sounded familiar, it was more immediate to gain reading momentum and go past the first pages where the massive context-shaping leaves the reader a little disoriented, but soon follows the first unveiling of Arithon's demeanor and Lysaer's resolve as the Sorcerers give insight of the princes duty to Athera's plight.I'm very glad I've discovered this fantasy gem of deepest complexity and stylistic brilliance, featuring unforgettable adult protagonists, a well-rounded cast of characters and a compelling, thought-provoking tale that engaged me at every level, and had me run for the following book, The Ships of Merior.
    • 4/5
      Beautifully written traditional fantasy epic with a tragic arc. Slow and dense, this is rewarding for the careful reader and sets up a world richly detailed for exploration in future volumes. My main beef with the novel was that I didn't really like anyone in it (and the rare exceptions got little page time), so I didn't get emotionally engaged (beyond occasional outbursts of irritation). One I appreciated rather than enjoyed on this reading (with the caveat that I read it while fairly seriously ill, and I'm conscious this has been affecting my reading pleasure).
    • 3/5
      The book has all the right ingredients, but somehow they do not produce an entirely satisfactory meal.
    • 1/5
      The Curse of the Mistwraith completely failed to engage my imagination. It presents a very detached view of a world that might have been interesting if only it had been more accessible. It's a series that I definitely won't be picking up again. (Despite this, I have enjoyed other books by this author eg. Sorcerer’s Legacy.)
    • 1/5
      This has got to be the single worst book I have ever read. I can't think of a single redeemable thing about this book. And I really loved the Empire series that Wurts wrote with Feist. What a disappointment.The writing of the book is probably my least favorite part. Janny Wurts's writing is beyond convoluted and well past purple. I frequently found myself completely lost in her sentences, most often because the subject was unclear or didn't come into the sentence until I was already lost. On another note, Wurts very carefully ping pongs between two possible descriptors for each character, which I found terribly irritating. The main character is either Arithon or "The Master of Shadows," with Wurts alternating evenly between the two. The titles given to the characters were obscure and completely meaningless, at least in this first installment in the series. How ~did~ Arithon get labelled The Master of Shadows anyway? Not that I am terribly interested, I just tire of the empty moniker.Which brings me into the characters themselves. There may or may not have been likable qualities about each of the two main characters for the first 400 pages of the book. I found myself much more interested in Lysaer, personally. It didn't matter, however, because as Wurts got into the meat of her climax, both characters lost their free will. Someone explain to me why I should be the least bit interested in what happens to two automatons? I certainly don't care about what effect they have on their world.Which brings me to the world building. It may have been that I couldn't see through Wurts's purple prose to get a feel for the place, but I still don't have a sense of Etarra other than who its factions are and the fact that it is just recovering from inconceivable periods of stunted existence. Warring factions abound, with clear good guys and bad guys. The noble barbarians versus the corrupt townspeople, nevermind that each is a result of their circumstances after hundreds of years. The quirky meddling male sorcerers, which are somehow better than the meddling female sorcerers. Nor is the magic terribly interesting. Wurts goes to great effort to describe her magic system, but skips some basics, like what exactly is a "lane." It felt like too much and too little at the same time, which is really an apt description of the entire book.I have thought of one redeemable aspect of the novel: Elaira, the only character in the entire novel who makes conscious decisions. It's unfortunate that I liked her so much, as I certainly will not be reading anymore of this series.
    • 5/5
      The first book in a sweeping epic, it sets up a complex set of worlds & yet also has a ton of action. If you're looking for something that rivals the Lord of the Rings, I think this is it. If you're looking for a quick easy read, something you can skim through - don't read this book. You'll only get confused. Every word is hand picked & polished to wring out the full meaning.While the book is a setup to a series, it doesn't end on a cliff hanger, something I appreciate. Actually, it could easily be two books & was in at least one edition (German, I think). The action rises to a peak in about the middle & that would make a fine novel, all on its own. Then, very logically & smoothly, the adventure continues until another shattering climax at the end. The players are all still there & it's obvious life goes on, so I'm ready to read the next in the series. (The complete series this time - they're all coming now!!!)This is a book I'll keep & re-read, something I don't do lightly any more. There are too many good books out there to re-read any but the best.
    • 4/5
      While the start of this book was a bit slow and confusing, I really enjoyed it by the time it was halfway through. The characters are interesting and complex, and the plot and action are almost as good.
    • 5/5
      How to review a book this vast in scope and detail? It is truly one of the most engaging epic fantasies you are likely to read.In ages past, high kings ruled Atherea with magically enhanced Justice and Compassion, guided where necessary by the united Fellowship of Seven sorcerers. Unicorns pranced in sunlit glades and all was well in the world. 500 years ago the sorcerer Devine broke fellowship and led a revolution throwing down the high kings and blocking the sun in the coils of a Mistwraith, only at utmost cost could the remaining sorcerers save the heirs to the throne who grew up in an exiled world ignorant of their past. The unicorns fled the mist shrouded land.Two princes bastard half brothers grow up as heirs to different rulers antagonized through generations of mistrust. A pirate community tries it's best to survive, the mage trained prince allows a final raid only to be captured and brought to face justice from his brother's father. The result is both are exiled out of their world and they land in Althera to be greeted by a sorcerer as the prophecied united savior to the land. But can they act together? Have the generations of strife ruined any hope for Athera? Can the dying kingdom's consent to rule by outlander princes? What is the fate of kingdom of compassion without justice, or justice without compassion? Will the mistwraith be defeated? It is is not without it's minor niggles. Plotwise the Princes adapt to a completely foreign world in remarkable short order, without any dis-orientation. And of course we have The Journey, common to so many fantasy novels our heros make their way on some epic trek across the countryside as a contrivance for them to meet people. And fo course this requires a map, and a glossary of names. More standard fantasy tropes that I dislike, particularly when I have to break the reading flow to go and check who so and so is and where abouts this town could be, however this is much better than not having them as without you will be truly lost. Fotunately most of the other major fantasy cliches are avoided!The writing style is mostly superb, with very vivid imagery, particularly when you've been imersed in the world for a while, however just occasionaly long dscriptive sentaces break the flow, requiring a backtrack to grasp the narrative. This is a multiple POV story, a style that I generally don't like. The two main princes carry most of the burden but we switch for odd chapters to other characters, the importance of whom we wait to see, the witch in particular seems to break the flow, but may be vital to later books. The other oddity is a series of glimpses around the world, characters briefly interacted with get a later paragraph at the end of some chapters. Although this sounds disruptive it actually works very well at keeping in touch with those who may prove to be inportant later on. The characters are great, the world detailed practical and well described and the plot twists and turns its way to the intricate conclusion, paving the way for what will be a great series.Rich, deep, vivid and vast this is one of the most enthralling epic fantasies I've ever read. Make sure you have plenty of uninterupted time, find somewhere comfortable and let the Curse of the Mistwraith swallow you for hours.
    • 5/5
      Princely royalty, half-brothers bred from childhood to rule - and to hate one another - pirate king's son, Master of Shadow Arithon, and s'Illessid prince and royal heir Lysaer are thrown through a world gate together. Banished into a cursed world which they are fated to save, the pair fulfill a prophecy spelling the end of the Mistwraith, a fell miasma which has held the land of Athera hostage for centuries. Forced to work together, the two come to share grudging respect, and almost affection for one another. Sunlight prevails, but it would be a boring story that ended there, right?Unfortunately for Athera, the Mistwraith shrouding the countryside is not only evil beyond reckoning, but it's clever as well. Banished, bound and warded by the combined efforts of the princes and the Fellowship of Sorcerers, before it goes a piece of it wraps tendrils around the princes' gifts, warping them beyond reckoning. Will the lifted curse spell ultimate doom for the princes, the world of Athera, and the mysterious Paravian creatures (elves, centaurs, and unicorns) that the Fellowship risks all to save? You'll have to read the sequels to find out.Stretching to 590 pages, not including the extensive glossary, Wurts opens her series with a tome to be respected (if for no other reason than that dropping it on your toes will hurt!). The story is finely crafted and the characters are sympathetic. It should be easy to forget that this is a story viewed through the eyes of a seer far, far in the future; that from the first pages, history has already tarred Arithon a villain and Lysaer a savior. But with plenty of foreshadowed and foreseen gloom and doom (seers, prophecies... no one ever seems to have good dreams to forecast) and lots of blood, rain, warped gifts and helpless wizards, the story a grim one. Still, I was glad I had the second installment close to hand, as not much gets resolved at the "end" of book one.
    • 5/5
      Music and swords and magic. What drew me to this book when I first picked it up in the mid 90’s was, frankly, the cover illustration, but it was the idea of a quest and a world where vanquishing the villain requires a collaboration between the elements of dark and light that prompted me to read it. The world is paradoxical and complex, the plot is (simplistically) a twist on the usual idea that what is light is good and what is dark is bad. I fell in love with the world of Athera and her cast of characters. The richness of the writing makes it all come alive. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves an epic adventure with intelligence and creativity. The writing is spiced up with these lovely and wrenching moments of crystal clear description – an existential style snapshot of time… for me, the writing is visually evocative and emotionally captivating.The story focuses on two young men, Princes each, pitted against each other by the wars of their fathers. They are half-brothers born of a magical mother who has gifted them with elemental powers, one of light, one of shadow. They grew up very differently, were trained for different pursuits and have very different personalities, looks and ambitions. They are opposites in many ways. But through an arduous and wrenching twist of fate, they must work together to save a world not their own from an insidious, mysterious wraith that has swallowed the sunlight in mist. It’s a complex tale that hints at much, much more to come. The cast of characters and creatures is fascinatingly rich and the writing of Janny Wurts brings it all alive vividly. The tale is set against a backdrop of recent civil uprising, making the political landscape as treacherous as the magical one. An outcast society of clansmen, a complicated network of meddling witches, pirates, musicians, and the “not so typical” band of bearded sorcerers (one of which appears to have defected) are some of the people introduced along with the world of Athera. I really enjoyed the book on many levels. It is an epic story of flawed relationships, of the struggle to break free of imposed fate or identity, of great and small portents, and the horror of war. And magic, of course! Magic as a living force of nature. My personal favorite, the unicorns dancing… a dream of beauty so pure it can crack open the human soul.Read it.
    • 5/5
      Arithon and Lysaer are half brothers cursed to destroy one another plunging a world where they do not belong in to chaos. Arithon is a trained mage and Lysaer is a prince of Amroth. This is a fantastic book. The writing is stunning and the author takes you on a wonderful detailed journey . Might need a dictionary for this book but def does not spoil it for me I just love it.
    • 5/5
      This is an absolutely wonderful book. Ms. Wurts has a great command of language; the characters have depth; and the plot is both intricate and interesting, with the set-up for many more books to follow. It is thought-provoking and turns assumed expectations on their head. Definitely highly suggested.
    • 5/5
      This first volume in the Wars of Light and Shadow had me hooked from the start. It tells a powerful story, where all the characters, even the relatively minor ones, develop as people. It is not a "light read." Rather, this is a book for people who enjoy thinking about what they read. It's amazing in that it shows a conflict from all perspectives, so that you can actually see where all the figures are coming from. As the series progresses, I find that I can return time and time again to the earlier books, and find new points of interest, clues, and ideas each time.
    • 1/5
      Meh. I read this in middle school and remember really enjoying the character of Arithon, but never having finished the series; I got a copy used a few months ago, and couldn't even finish it. The prose is too purple and uses a lot of random italics; the plot is convoluted. It's also too pessimistic for my tastes, since we know from the get-go that it's going to be the Saga of How Arithon's Life Sucks.