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It is my pleasure to be joined once again by the incredible Janny Wurts to discuss her series finale to The Wars of Light and Shadow series. We discuss the 6 years it took to write it, when the final volume will be published, and a special reading from Song of the Mysteries (Warning if you have not read the series up to book 10 and do not wish to be spoiled). I hope you all enjoy this one! https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/k32RS4FG5zb

It is with great pleasure that I get to share with everyone the history of Athera and can serve as an introduction to The Wars of Light and Shadow series by Janny Wurts. This has been a labor of love for me as Janny and I spent many hours discussing the history of this world and how to apply it for the listening audience. If you are a fan of Janny Wurts, this episode is for you. If you heard of Janny's series and you are curious then this is for you. The main series will not be spoiled in this episode but some world building aspects and history of the world which would be seen in the main series over time are talked about so fair warning if you wish to turn away. I hope you all enjoy it! https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/BEhKinCZxyb

Here is A.P. Canavan's Inital thoughts on Curse of the Mistwraith. PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS VIDEO DOES CONTAIN SPOILERS!!!!!!. He nailed all the points that you need to look out for. I hope you all enjoy it! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SA68ijp5nk

Looking back on Curse in retrospect, all the hints for where the series ends up are there all along. From the big climax to the end of chapter short paragraphs, they were all needed for the finale. This is a masterpiece of a series we rarely see in literature and I'm so glad to be a part of it!

For those of you who missed this Livestream, I'm sharing it here for all the enjoy. There is a spoiler section but we give proper warnings on the Livestream. Enjoy!

Prince Lysaer, having been made a fool of at Merior, is out for revenge against his half-brother and the shadow prince Arithon. Lysaer and his warhost of allies will have to travel through the mountains of Vastmark for his revenge while still being under the gaes of the Mistwraith. Arithon has plans of his own to stop the invading forces and not every encounter will end at the tip of a sword. The stage is set for the ultimate battle of wits, might, alliances, and betrayals. The investments you put into this series are starting to be paid back in spades with plenty more to come. I have been told this by Janny on several different occasions and I am going full speed ahead until the end. This will be a spoiler free review, but I will be speaking on certain scenes from the first two novels. Let me state from the beginning that Ships of Merior (book 2) and Warhost of Vastmark were originally published as one complete novel, but eventually split in two at a great stopping point. It would be better for you as the reader to jump straight to Warhost upon the completion of Ships of Merior. It is almost impossible to discuss this series without going into spoilers as perceptions and theories you might have made when completing the first two works will be changed drastically by the end of this book. Characters both primary and secondary will shift their motives, desires, and will only grow on you throughout the story. Small details will come to the forefront in a big way while never feeling too overwhelming. The bigger scope of the Fellowship as well as the Koriani will come into focus and their presence will be felt on both sides of the conflict. I can’t speak enough about how much I enjoyed the writing of this series. Janny is a magician with the pen as the layers of this world are being woven together seamlessly and with the utmost care. You don’t come across works of this magnitude often but when you do, they are a sight to behold! Character development is where Janny’s words really shine and Warhost is a prime example of this. Multiple times through the course of this novel, my emotions and theories about certain characters were tossed out the window with my heart on my sleeve. I won’t go into everyone, but I would like to talk about two characters who really jumped off the page. The first one is Talith, brother to commander Diegan and wife of Prince Lysaer. Talith was not a character that moved the needle in any direction when I first read about her, but by the end she will be a forever on my radar. This was not done in one big scene but slowly and methodically over the entire novel. The gears in my head will continue to turn until I revisit this world again. The other character I wish to discuss is Tharrick. Once a guard at the s’Brydon Armory, Tharrick was flogged and beaten by the s’Brydon brothers after Arithon set fire to the place killing seven people. Tharrick vowed revenge on the shadow prince and that is where his story begins in Warhost. Tharrick starts as a character driven by vengeance to one of the most complex and determined characters I have come across in a fantasy novel. There is so much more beneath the gruff exterior if you can just peel back the layers. No one will be able to guess his story arc and where he will end up but Janny will not steer you wrong. Lysaer is driven by the compulsion of the Mistwraith to rid the world of magic influence and he is not afraid to accomplish his task with death and destruction. Arithon is driven by a desire to avoid bloodshed and to bring peace to the lands by other means. These two opposing forces will meet at center stage and it is interesting to see how some tactics may need to be changed before the end. You will experience some of the most shocking and emotionally driven moments in any fantasy book with this series. With seven books left on my plate to be all caught up with the War of Light and Shadow, I have a lot of catching up to do. With Janny as my guide, this will be a series for the ages and one I will revisit for ages to come! Cheers!

The closest series on the market today to WOLAS is Malazan with several key differences. Malazan is a gamer campaign world build for gamers while WOLAS is completely original. Malazan will only show you the grim and dark moments of a story while WOLAS will give you the highs and lows. Nothing is like this series on the market in terms of depth, charactization, emotional gut punches, etc. Very excited to see other readers discover this masterpiece for the first time. I'm doing my first reread of the series and I'm on Book 4. Janny is almost at the end of turning the finale into the editor and I can personally say that the finale is her best work yet. You are all in for a treat!

We return to the land of Athera with our two princes Arithon and Lysaer as bitter enemies. 5 years have past following the end of The Curse of the Mistwraith with all of Athera on its edge. The tension is so thin you could cut it with a butter knife as Lysaer, under geas of the Mistwraith is determined to destroy his half brother. Arithon has given up his princely aspirations for the life as a bard apprentice to Halliron. These two princes are destined to confront each other on the battlefield, but the journey is the masterpiece behind this amazing sequel, this will be a spoiler free review, but I will be touching upon events that took place in book 1. The lands of Athera have been cleansed of the mist with the high cost of turning the to princes into enemies. Arithon has decided to go into hiding and take up the life of a bard instead of subjecting his people to war and pain. For 5 long years Lysaer has been on the hunt and bidding his time for the opportunity to strike at the heart of Athera. Gathering allies, kingdoms, and a fiancé in Lady Talith the light haired prince is driven by madness for the death and destruction of Arithon. With a massive army at his back, Lysaer has driven the shadow prince out of hiding and Arithon must take to the seas to avoid an all out war, but he has a few tricks up his sleeve and allies of his own hiding in plain sight. It is impossible for me to describe all the mysteries and secrets this book has to offer, not mention the every progressing character arcs in a single review. What I can do is gush about the ingenious creativity and monumental achievement of what I consider to be a classic epic of the genre. What makes this series such a joy to read can also be perceived as its biggest hurdle for new readers. Janny will throw you head first into the storm with little to no point of reference in book 1. You are asked as a reader to not only absorb this tremendous volume with dozens of characters, but to be hit with wave after wave of lore, myths, magic, factions, and rivalries all while moving at a slower than normal pace. This is done on purpose with the intention of slowing your mind to achieve maximum understanding of the nuances the story has to offer. You can not skim this series due to the complexities and important hints that will are bound to come up in a later chapter or even volume. The Ships of Merior not only builds on the positives of book 1, but is also a much better paced and more direct plot than its predecessor. With a climax you will not see coming the series is ripe for an epic volume 3 and the end of the second ARC in the War of Shadow and Light. The Ships of Merior has dozens of humorous moments and most of them revolving around our notorious mad prophet. He is almost always getting into trouble and the laughs just kept on coming. The Fellowship of the Seven is scattered throughout the land trying to discover the workings of the curse surrounding the two princes and how best to destroy it. The Koraithain sisterhood is on the hunt for the shadow prince and the Prime has no inclinations of using Elaira’s love for Arithon to her advantage. Janny starts to weave her web surrounding the histories of these two powers with plenty more to come in book 3. War is coming to Merior and Arithon will pull every trick in the book to avoid death and destruction by his hands once again. This sequel has many surprises coming your way and plenty you will not see coming. The complexities, history, and everchanging dynamic of this series will keep even the most experienced reader guessing by the end. This series has so much to offer to the modern fantasy reader that it would be a travesty to not dip your toes into the deep end. Whether complex characters, magic, twists, or epic worldbuilding this series has it all. My only disappointment with this book is the fact that it was split in two. Books 2 and 3 were written as one novel and split for publication reasons. You can guess what I will be reading next! I’m in this until the end and I have one more question to ask you, will you join me? Cheers!

Thank you so much! It was a blast talking to Janny. @Paromita Mukherjee

https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/BGJkDzkZZvb It's my honor and privilege to welcome Janny Wurts to my podcast. Janny is the international best seller author of over 20 books and offers her insight on the industry, science, and the creation of her 11 book epic. This has been a long time coming and I hope you enjoy our conversation!

Hey! I have finished the whole series. Including a beta read of the finale. Top 3 series all time for me and can't wait for other readers to marvel at this epic @Steve

Janny Wurts has created something I have seen very few authors do in the fantasy genre and I am in awe of the brilliance and creativity. In the first volume of this 11 book epic fantasy series, Janny builds up an elaborate world, stacked up the history with layers of lore and magic, and laid the ground work for the rest of the series to come. I have also been told by the author that everything I just read has the potential to be turned on its head in many different ways. Not since I have read Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson have I had this much excitement for the novels and revelations to come! Before I get into all the positives of the novel I will need to touch on some of the shortcomings. This book is challenging and not an easy read to get through. Much in the same way as Malazan, you will need to pay close attention to the characters and the history as they will be important down the road. You must also have faith that the author will deliver on the promises laid out in this series. Although I have only read the first book, I have been told by lifelong fans that Janny Wurts delivers on the buildup and promises but she will make you work for it. You will not be spoon fed the answers like a warm piece of apple pie! Please also note that the middle section of this book is very slow at times and plot mainly focuses on travel, political, and the building up of the threats to the land. Slow burns don’t bother me at all but some readers will find this a major deterrent. I want everyone to be prepared of what to expect. Now on to all of the positives with The Curse of the Mistwraith. The story revolves around a prophecy that the land of Athera, which currently exist in a state of eternal fog for the past 500 years, will be vanquished by a prince who wields the powers of light and shadow. The prophecy was half right in that the powers are split into 2 half brothers: Arithon is the Master of Shadow and Lysaer is the Lord of Light. The two brothers are accompanied by the Sorcerer Asandir and his apprentice Dakar sometimes refereed to as the Mad Prophet as it is his prophecy which all hope the brothers will fulfill. Asandir takes on the Gandalf type role of the story as the history, lore, factions, and traditions of Athera are told from his perspective. The plot slowly builds to the last 200 pages where the fireworks start and the plot kicks into hyperdrive. I won’t get into spoilers but I’m just letting it be known that the investment has a great payoff at the end. Janny Wurts writes Curse of the Mistwraith as a high fantasy novel with beautiful and descriptive prose. There will not be info dumps as the tale and histories will be told organically and slowly over the course of the story. Janny also does something very interesting when it comes to switching the character narrative during a chapter. Each chapter is divided into several sections with a new character taking over, but the fun part comes at the end of each chapter. Janny will write 3 short paragraphs detailing an important event taking place in other parts of the world. I found myself referring back to these again and again as you normal expand on that short paragraph in the next chapter. This is a writing technique I have never seen used in this way and it was welcoming to learn something new. Not everything will be answered in this book and the rug will be pulled out from under you (or so I have been told). I had a great time reading the first book in this epic series. Although The Curse of the Mistwraith asks a lot from the reader and I did struggled at times getting through the middle section, the groundwork has been built and I can see great things coming in future novels. I don’t know when, but I will be continuing with this series and I know Janny Wurts will knock this out of the park! Fans of Malazan will enjoy this series and it is one Under the Radar series I am happy to have started. Cheers! 51xh2nkv6NL._SY346_.webp