Remarkable installment of the Wars of Light and Shadow series, this one sets the markers even further as the conflict around the half-brothers widens and ramifies in devastating chains of cause and effect, deepening and widening the range of tensions and schemes, counterploys, twists of fortune, intrigues and quests for survival.The Koriani enchantresses, resolute in their “charge to restore civilization to lost grace” and descendants of an Order ancient beyond the boundaries of Athera, take position in a decisive manner and through manipulation and complex spells want to shape the future to achieve their goals and eliminate any threat in their path, regardless of the consequences that their drastic measures inevitably bring into the world.Lysaer, meanwhile, shows not only his political brilliance and unparalleled charisma, but carefully lays the foundation for creating a cult around him, which answers the need for security of the frightened masses after the events in Vastmark and wins the support of town leaders ready to seize the advantage his campaign against the Sorcerers and the Clans provides. As a presence increasingly perceived as “beyond mere flesh and blood”, a savior sent to guide the people of Athera towards the prosperity of Light, he raises “the inspiration to fire men to offer themselves in sacrifice” and offers the clan bloodlines as prime target on his war, guilty of sheltering Arithon and last upholders of the Paravian law of unity, thus symbol of a burdensome past. Love and devotion now coupled with fear and blind faith, political incentives and manipulation of old feuds, for whatever interlocutor the prince seems able to find the right leverage, and strengthens his Alliance of Light: now wiser and thinking with “long-range purpose”, he begins to gather the town Factions of four kingdoms under his sunwheel banner. The maternal gift of farsight empowers a prince turned cold, able to reshape setbacks in “deliberate calculation to steer later events to his purpose”. Through the book, it emerges in all its gravitas Lysaer’s personal conviction that he must fight for Athera’s cause destroying not only his half-brother, but all that shackles the free development of the people and therefore, the Paravian rules.I personally loved to read about his resolve, about a prince deprived of his place, poisoned by the curse of the Mistwraith, who decides to overcome any weakness and bury all his passion, to devote himself entirely to the cause of justice and mercy, even willing self-sacrifice for the Light to prevail over Shadow. Yet the seed of doubt remains, even under the spinning moral compass that guides his belief.The Fellowship of Seven is hard pressed to handle the events. The Law of the Major Balance is painfully clear, they can help, advise and guide, but the Sorcerers cannot “use direct force to intervene without unseating the course of the world’s destiny” and without suffering retaliation, a truth they have bitterly learned in a “past outside of Athera’s historical records”. Yet the temptation lingers, as they are burdened by the pain of having to reckon with one of the princes, essential to counter the Mistwraith (whose threat is more real than ever and against which the Sorcerers have devised a star ward protection, probably piecemeal solution in the long-run), and of having asked the other one to stay alive at any cost, not only because his powers of Shadow are indispensable against the Mistwraith, but because he is pivotal to the Black Rose Prophecy and he is the last heir of a legacy they are sworn to preserve. Their adherence to the rules and their oath to uphold the compact with the Paravians are not without immediate consequences.Arithon, now renamed Spinner of Darkness by his nemesis, perseveres in trying to escape the curse of the Mistwraith, which is growing stronger by the hour, while struggling to counter the Alliance of Light campaign of clan eradication. Mage-trained but still blind to his original powers, torn between guilt for ruining “uncounted others” and the need to keep his oath to the Sorcerers, he reluctantly keeps company with Dakar and Caolle. Through a “volatile mix of unlawful conniving and a devilish bent for playing unconscionable stakes”, he throws himself body and soul in plans to survive and save his allies, but the forces closing on him show clever and deadly intent, and unexpected strategies. A little reprieve from enemies and inner insanity is the music, and his gifts as Masterbard will soon prove to be a force to safeguard not only the difficult legacy of two royal bloodlines’ inheritance, but the very people who freely share loyalty and respect with the Teir’s’Ffalenn. As the story unfolds, his suffering borders to despair and there is only so much one can sustain on his own before succumbing...This book offers deepening knowledge about the origins of the Fellowship and the Koriani and especially about the rules of balance that govern the world, the Fellowship’s sworn compact with the Paravians and the charter law signed by the High Kings when humanity had come seeking refuge on Athera. The reasons behind the blessed races’ disappearance also start to unveil themselves. Another intriguing lore thread, after Asandir’s revelations in The Ships of Merior, evolves around the great drakes of the Second Era and the war-stricken past of the Sorcerers. Enough to whet the appetite, but I am looking forward to continuing with Grand Conspiracy to understand how these elements will weigh in the balance of the tale (also at this point, reading the short stories Reins of Destiny and The Sundering Star is a bonus).I liked this part of the series because it follows the princes and other characters, too, particularly Lirenda, Caolle and Mearn play a vital role in the evolution of the situation, each spurred by different motivations and faction backgrounds, but all guided by their personal feelings and free will, for the good or to the detriment of their own causes. Along with them, the complex character of Dakar provides moments of reflection and fun, as well as one cannot fail to notice the personal story of Morriel, Prime Senior of the Koriani and last keeper of the knowledge of her Order, now nearing the end of her prolonged lifespan. Princess Talith, pleasure and pain of Prince Lysaer; Maenol and Jieret, the young stewards of Tysan’s and Rathain’s kingdoms, forced to lead their people against the blind fury of the Alliance of Light. Eldir, the High King of Halvish, neutral in the conflict but enforcing the Paravian charter law, whose temperance will be sorely tested; Fiark and Feylind, now adults and resolved to play a part in the bigger scheme. Elaria, the ostracized Koriani, sole possessor of a deep and pure bond with Arithon, currently entangled in the web of another tragic prophecy concerning the fate of a green-eyed child... And, of course, the two princes, both cursed, but while Lysaer s’Llessid "became driven to self-sacrifice for morality, ennobling his losses through a public campaign of justification, Arithon s'Ffallenn more quietly bled in compassion until his solitary resilience ran dry". Amid this calm chaos, for fugitive Arithon there seems to be only one reprieve, to find the Paravians, mysteriously disappeared in the wake of the Mistwraith five hundred years before.Again, another round of applause for Janny Wurts, who not only delivers great entertainment and weaves a story of relentless complexity with skilled narrative power, but also manages to balance all the subplots with suave control, and keeps offering well-rounded, developing characters, all set in an intriguing and multilayered universe. Just considering the first four books, the monumental work of planning in this series and the intense study and research that permeates even the smallest detail clearly shows, and enchants. I particularly relished the many insights about human nature and about the strength of the internal feelings and external loyalties that motivates the characters to live and act, fail and succeed: the ambition of Lirenda, the pride of Lysaer, the sensitivity of Arithon, the love of Talith, the hatred fostered by ignorance of the common people, the greed of the trade guilds, the need to feel protected of the masses. Reflection on politics, religion, the core beliefs of a human being, how not to empathize?Fugitive Prince is certainly considerable, like The Curse of the Mistwraith, a stage setter of the story: it begins with a shocking scene, soon after the first part recalls the past events through clever interactions of the various characters in order to show the present situation from new points of view, then prepares and widens the stage, adding new elements and defining the various situations, just to pick up speed and peak in an intense denouement, as usual self-contained but which begs for the next book. I’ve duly obliged.
After rereading this book recently, I'm revising my rating to 5 stars. It does slow down from the pace of the first three, but now that I have the full story of the 3rd Arc, I have to give it 5 stars as every element in this book is essential to the completion of the whole story.4.5 stars. I'm not really happy with any of my reviews of this series, so I'm putting this in every one: Mistwraith is an incredibly compelling, action filled, gut wrenching, heart stopping adventure with one of the most incredible love stories I've read in a long time. As in the previous books, the plot is intricate and compelling. The battle continues with Lysaer wanting to wage war and Arithon fleeing to try and avoid more killing, which tears him to pieces. Each book adds more layers to the overall picture of the world of Athera, the ancient Paravians who have disappeared, the mystery of where they went and why humans are on this world at all. It reminds me of one of those pictures with many layers of sheer paper with the objects colored in that keep building complexity upon complexity until the image is very rich and powerful.An intense and emotional scene consists of the sorcerers confronting Lysaer and giving him alternate choices of action.One of the important things that emerges more completely in this book is that since their empathic connection while healing the fisherman in Merior, Elaira and Arithon are able to maintain an empathic connection with one another and are able to be aware of how the other one is feeling by reaching out empathetically. The love that develops in this way is quite powerful, even though they are not able to be together because of Elaira's oath to the Koriani for celibacy and obedience.I only gave this one four and a half stars originally because it did not seem quite as compelling as the previous three in that the action sequences are spinning what is to emerge in later books, which I found as I continued to read.ETA: 1/25/13 On this reread I see so many layers that were invisible before. In my haste to see what happened next, I missed a lot. Also my hatred for Lysaer was carved into stone in this book. I can scarcely see how he can possibly be redeemed. His arrogance has no bounds, even though I can see his attitudes and actions are so twisted by the curse, it also seems as though the traits of his personality lend themselves to be twisted.
Do You like book Fugitive Prince (2009)?
I think this book was the hardest in the series to read to date. It was bleak in places...a lot of places. So, I'm clinging to hope as hard as I can. I definitely think I discovered more of the layers in the book this time around, but then I'm a different person to that young girl who first picked this series up.For those who love a complicated - in plot and writing style - fantasy I would definitely recommend this series, but I firmly suggest starting at the beginning. The author's style is not for everyone, but...it works for me.
—orannia
Janny Wurts is as far as I know unique among contemporary fantasy writers in so far as she deviates from the standard High Fantasy model in the opposite direction from the authors of the “New Grit” – while Martin, Abercrombie et al. do their best to make their protagonists appear less heroic and cut them down to a more human size, Janny Wurts, in her massive series The War of Light and Shadow, makes her characters even more Epic, painting them larger than life.[return][return]Which is not to say that her characters are in any way one-dimensional, quite to the contrary – all of her primary and many of her secondary characters are nuanced and multi-faceted and are capable of surprising the reader, occasionally even providing moments of genuine psychological insight (when for example one character does not show the expected gratitude when he is saved by another, but instead resents his saviour – a reaction that is very much true to life, given this particular character in his particular situation). But Janny Wurts paints things on a very large canvas, and often her characters appear as more than human – in their strengths as well their weaknesses, their vices as well as their virtues.[return][return]Fugitive Prince (which could almost be the title of the whole series, seeing how Arithon, the prince referred to, seems to be on the run through all of it) is the fourth novel in the series, and kicks off the Alliance of Light arc which runs over five substantial volumes. In consequence, there is a lot of set-up here, and things move rather slowly at first, gathering some momentum only in the second half. But then, one does not read Epic Fantasy for breakneck action (well, I don’t, in any case) but for inventive world building, deep characters and compelling language, all of which Janny Wurts provides here (as in the rest of the series) in ample measure.
—Larou
I am less than half way through The War of Light and Shadow by Janny Wurts, have not reviewed the prior books, but feel a need to say something on finishing Fugitive Prince The War of Light and Shadow has been the second best epic fantasy I have ever read. (For more on what I mean by that, see Spider Robinson's introduction to The Middle of Nowhere by David Gerrold.)Fugitive Prince is the 3rd or 4th book in this series depending on whether you are reading hardcovers or paperbacks. I strongly recommend you get the OOP hardcovers, because you will want to read this series multiple times. I would also get an eBook edition to help pay Janny for her creative effort and so that you can search the text for reminders which you will need.I can think of many adjectives to apply to the series but the one's foremost in my mind are musical, complex and gray—also fun. The prose often reads symphonically and creates moods and emotion in the reader, like favorite music. The world and character and plot building are multilayered and complex. I'd compare it to Dune in this sense in genre literature or (I really don't want to say this as it has become cliché) to LOTR which has taken me over 26 reads to become comfortable with all of Middle Earth. I hope I have enough life left to become as comfortable with WoLaS. And by gray, I mean not black and white, not dualistic. My favorite description of this sense was said by Delenn in Babylon 5, ""I am Grey. I stand between the candle and the star. We are Grey. We stand between the darkness and the light."The really fun part of reading this series, has been discussing the books, while reading with other readers and with the author, one I long to be a real-world friend. I have never experienced this before. Thanks to Goodreads.If nothing else, I hope my words will encourage others to read this incomparable epic fantasy.
—Kernos
