Customer Reviews

Alliance of Light (Wars of Light & Shadow 8) (Bk. 5)

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1 star:		(1)

 

 

Stormed Fortress is book 5 in the second arc of the War of Light and Shadows. For long time fans of Ms. Wurts this represents a significant closure of many different facets of a series that has been many years in the crafting. This is not a starting point in the series despite a good summation of the previous books at the beginning.

Ms. Wurts has been developing a running conflict between the two half-brothers Arithon and Lysaer. This conflict has been exacerbated by a magical curse placed on the brothers to ensure their enmity and assure that their cooperation doesn't allow for a complete solution to much of the world's problems. This conflict finds a significant culmination as allies of Arithon are exposed for the role they have played in undermining Lysaer's interests. The results of this major engagement and the events leading up to it are the meat of the story.

The more important undercurrent of Stormed Fortress is a continuation of Wurts' discussion of how faults and character weaknesses can be exploited. This has been an on-going issue throughout the story, but it rises as a major subplot when characters are repeatedly twisted into actions not of their choosing because of their own flaws. This leads to some really interesting examination of how our purest motivations can be twisted entirely out of the scope of our intent.

For those who are looking for the final chapter, I am sorry to see you denied. Stormed Fortress represents a very acceptable resting place in the story, but it is far from the end. If you have enjoyed the series thus far, then that's not a bad thing. Many important, seemingly underdeveloped storylines are brought to a successful conclusion and there are also sweeping changes effected on many of the persistent supporting characters. Some of this is saddening, but other changes and the comeuppance that certain factions endure are gloriously satisfying.

What I enjoyed most in the story has been the evolution of Sulfin Evend. A central figure to the forces of the opposition to the protagonist, his evolution from blinded, fanatic, to enlightened, knowing catalyst in support of the good in his twisted master, has been very well done. This is not a simple wave of the wand from bad guy to good guy, but a knowing, painful transition between ignorance and knowledge. Great stuff.

The writing is very vocabulary intensive. Don't expect weak descriptive terms that are used over and over again. Ms. Wurts doesn't skimp in trying to give description to experience and events that would normally defy the attempt. How do you describe the breath-taking harmony of a musically based magical event that affects and entire battlefield? Well, she does.

Stormed Fortress has been worth the wait and seeds a happy anticipation of what is still to come. Buy this book, even if you have to get it from Amazon.uk because it's that good.

Simply put, Stormed Fortress sets a new standard for the difficulty of putting a book down. Though it is the fifth volume of the third story arc of The Wars of Light and Shadow, Stormed Fortress is as exciting or more than the first installment. The giddy laughter and heart-felt tears that you're likely to experience while reading are indicative of the rare fantasy series that Ms. Wurts has created--though I impatiently await the remaining three books, I can hardly bear the thought of it ending. As a lifetime enthusiast I confidently proclaim that this is truly fantasy at its best.

Stormed Fortress is the conclusion to the five book, third arc of the Wars of Light and Shadow and does so brilliantly. The characters of Arithon and Lysaer continue to evolve and we see aspects of each that cause one to reflect on their actions in the previous volumes. We also get to see more of their internal motivations and struggles. For those who have expressed the opinion that Lysaer is one-dimensional this volume reveals a side of him that must evoke a sympathetic response. In addition we get to see more of the forces at work on Athera.

Janny is the best fantasy author of this century and possibly of all time. Most fantasy falls from the Tolkien tree with elves and dwarves, but Janny's works are unique. Her stories are far more akin to Frank Herbert's deep novels that combined politics, religion, morality, and human conflict than Tolkien and yet they are distinctly fantasy novels. The physics of Athera are logical and provide plenty of room for conflict, surprise, and ingenious plot-twists.

Stormed Fortress is simply a fantastic book in a series of great books. You may struggle at times to work through each book, but it is worth the pay off.

I have read Stormed Fortress three times now. I rate it in the top ten greatest sci-fi/fantasy books of all time.

I just wish all of the books were available in hardcover.

Stormed Fortress is the eighth novel in the WARS OF LIGHT AND SHADOW series by Janny Wurts, and the fifth and final novel in the Alliance of Light sub-arc. I've reviewed every novel in the series so far, and all of those reviews have been extremely positive, so by now it's probably no secret that I'm a huge fan of these books and their author. That being said, Stormed Fortress is an outstanding novel even by the incredibly high standards of this series.

The conflict between the half-brothers Lysaer and Arithon continues unabated. The fortress mentioned in the book's title is Alestron, home of the s'Brydion family which has played such a large and complex role in the conflict between Lysaer, the false avatar of the Light, and Arithon, the Master of Shadow. Lysaer leads the forces of his Alliance of Light to the s'Brydions' doorstep, and through no fault of his own Arithon is drawn there too, which sets up the confrontation between the two half-brothers that's been brewing throughout this arc.

Plot threads that were introduced four books ago at the start of the Alliance of Light arc come to fruition in Stormed Fortress. All the setup that took place in the earlier books pays off here, from Arithon's involuntary doppelganger Fionn Areth to Lysaer's complex and fascinating henchman Sulfin Evend. The Koriathain continue to plot, with Arithon's love interest Elaira caught in the middle, and the Fellowship of Seven balances its long-term duties and goals with the immediate danger posed to the key players in this story.

As you'd expect from the title, a siege plays an important part in the plot of Stormed Fortress. And as people who are familiar with Janny Wurts would probably expect, the author describes this siege in a way that's second to none. Just like the previous book in the series contained a description of a necromantic ritual that simply blew every other instance of necromancy in fantasy out of the water in terms of depth and attention to detail, what we get in Stormed Fortress is almost the platonic ideal of the description of a siege. The tension is practically unbearable, not in the least because the author manages to maintain it for hundreds of pages and describes it from various points of view, from the common soldier on up:

"Let us do what we can for your people." Hard-set, dedicated to practical mercy, Talvish shouldered his captaincy. He was no sorcerer, no musician, no blood-born seer stung by the vista of far-sighted consequence. He accepted that he had naught else to give but the conviction of human resolve.

The amazing thing about this series is that it's incredibly complex, but in a completely different way than you'd expect based on its size. Writing even a basic summary of the state of affairs at the end of this eighth novel would take up several pages. Janny Wurts achieves this level of complexity with a relatively small cast of characters, as opposed to series like Steven Erikson's MALAZAN BOOK OF THE FALLEN, which features huge numbers of characters and races. With Janny Wurts, the complexity lies instead in the web of motivations that drives each of her characters, both as individuals and as part of whatever group or faction they belong to. Before I started reading this series, I was told that "it doesn't sprawl, it deepens" -- and now, after having read everything but the newest novel Initiate's Trial, I understand completely what was meant by this: the story that's being told here is essentially the same as the one we started out with at the beginning of The Curse of the Mistwraith, but throughout the series the author continues to reveal additional layers, reposition the markers, and explore the characters' relationships and Athera's deepest mysteries in ever-increasing depth. It's no wonder that this is one of those series people end up reading and re-reading over and over.

I'm starting to get to the point where I will buy extra copies of The Curse of the Mistwraith, the first book in the WARS OF LIGHT AND SHADOW, to hand out to fantasy fans who haven't discovered the series yet. It's simply incomprehensible to me that more people aren't reading these books. The entire series is back in print in the U.S., and the latest book in the series, Initiate's Trial, is coming out today, so if you are looking for an intellectually challenging but incredibly rewarding fantasy series to read, this is a great time to get started.

Once again, Janny has spun her web of magic and word-smithing. Stormed Fortress was a wonderfully sublime way to cap off Arc III: The Alliance of Light. So many questions answered and yet you still want MORE! I can't wait for Arc IV and Initiate's Trial!

I have been a fan of Janny Wurts for many years, and rank her right up there with Raymond E. Feist and R.A. Salvatore. My initial introduction to her work was the amazing collaborative work on the Empire trilogy with Feist. Later I read "Curse of the Mistwraith" and became hooked on her in her own right.

Stormed Fortress is the next in the Mistwraith series, which centers around two half brother Princes - Lysaer who wields the power of Light, and Arithon who wields the power of Shadow. In many respects, Wurts' books are an analysis of how people have a preconceived notion that things of light are good and things of darkness are bad, as we find ourselves rooting for Arithon, who has been dubbed the "evil" Spinner of Darkness.

In this installment, Lysaer is bringing his war host of the Alliance of Light to bear on the ancestral home of the s'Brydion clan, Alestron - the fortress to which the title aludes. He does this as punishment for their actions, having worked as spies in Arithon's interests in prior books. Whilst Arithon had vowed to stay clear of the conflict, he finds himself dragged in to Alestron by his own cathdein - the steward of his realm. So the siege is set for a rather protracted siege.

Is it slow? Some might say so, but personally I see Wurts as giving us greater insights into the characters, weaving in political machinations, assassination attempts, devastating sabotage and incredible magic. Yes, the book pretty much begins and ends with the siege of Alestron, yet so few of us understand the drawn-out conflict of a siege, the demoralization, the hunger, the frustration. Wurts captures all this and more so very well, while continuing to weave the complex threads of her plot and set the stage for the next book in the series.

There are those who complain about the language she uses, stating that it is unnecessarily heady and verbose. It is true that she likes to use the fullness of the English language, however she uses words which exactly express and flesh out her vision. To those who complain, I would say simply to get a dictionary. Trust me, there are far worse authors - Tolkien's work tended to describe every blade of grass, while some others I recently read appear to have taken a dictionary with the express intent of finding impossible words while spattering language structure with an assortment of linguistic peculiarities of different nations (I won't mention names, but feel free to peruse my previous reviews if you're really curious).

In all, it is a very good read and I highly recommend it. However, I urge the reader to go back to the beginning of the series or you'll be impossibly lost if you try jumping in with this book!

Of all the superlatives I've used in reviewing these books, I have to say this one tops them all. The story comes to a thrilling pause on its way to the next Arc, which Janny says will be out in the Fall. "Initiate's Trial." I can hardly wait! Even though there is no cliff hanger here, the story must continue. I felt such sadness to come to the end (temporary, to be sure) of my time spent in the world of Athera. Sigh. You've got to read these books. In order, please.

Make no mistake. I have loved Janny Wurts' work from the time I picked up Mistress of the Empire forward. I've read everything she has sloooowwwly written over the years (the first book of this series was published in 1993 after all!) So to begin, I want to be clear that I appreciate Ms. Wurts's work. At the same time, as I read, I find myself becoming frustrated and worn down by the slow-moving plot, repetitive and turgid phrasing, overblown descriptions, and the introduction of too many characters for whom I'm supposed to care but who are tossed aside (ok, killed)with ease only for another one to be introduced. This is definitely not a light summer read.

In Stormed Fortress, the plot continues with yet another opportunity for the half-brothers to battle (or at least for one to attack and the other to avoid attack or at least minimize the damage to innocents around him.) Arithon continues as the agonizingly empathetic hero while Lysaer seems to have become rather one-dimenional and limited. In fact, it seems that as the series has gone on, the original and central conflict of the two half-brothers and the curse that binds them has been lost except as a plot device to allow Lysaer to blast some poor unfortunate group of souls with light or Arithon to rescue them with shadow. Stormed Fortress does serve to move the plot forward (albeit at a snail's pace. The book is enjoyable if you're already a fan (if you're not, it's best not to pick this up because you won't have a clue as to what's happening).

This isn't actually a review but, rather, a warning to anyone who would try to read any of these overblown books. The only other writer I can think of that compares to Wurts is Robert Jordan. The only difference between them is Jordan wrote for teenage girls and Wurts writes for herself. These novels are impossible to follow what with her dense and confusing language. It takes her 100 pages to describe a simple scene because she is simply so in love with herself and her use of what she thinks is beautiful prose. Not to mention she also draws her own covers that resemble harlequin romance bodice rippers. It was no accident that she was dropped by her publisher several years ago due to lack of sales. Wurts spent years trying to get distributed in the U. S. and only recently has been able to get her books published again in America. There are much better authors out there. You have been warned.