Ships of Merior (Wars of Light and Shadow, Vol 2) [Hardcover]

Janny Wurts (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1995 | Series: Wars of Light and Shadow, Vol 2 (Book 2)

And it came to pass as foretold by prophecy, the art of power over light and dark was channeled through two princes: and the fogs that had smothered Athera's skies were dispersed. But in defeat, the Mistwraith set its two royal captors at odds under a powerful curse of vengeance. Locked now in deadly enmity, the princes hold the fates of nations and the balance of the world's mystical powers entangled in the throes of their feud.

LysaerLord of Lighthandsome, princely, charismatic, his heartfelt commitment to justice and fair rule has been turned toward destroying the Master of Shadow, an obsession that drives him to win allies and raise armies to shed blood for the cause of lasting peace.

ArithonMaster of Shadowbastard son of a pirate king and Lysaer's errant mother, trained by mages and gifted with a musical talent unequaled in ten centuries, must choose to use dark arts and cleverness against his half brother in self-defense and attack, or let innocents die in the breach.

After a ruinous battle, recounted in Curse of the Mistwraith, Arithon, forced out of hiding, finds himself hounded by Lysaer and his mighty army. He must take to his natural element, the seas, to evade pursuit and steal the initiative. Maligning his efforts to stay free of entrapment are outside magical factions embroiled in his fate, and a drunken prophet sent to safeguard his life, but determined to wreck his cause by misadventure.

"A great natural storyteller!"
L. Sprague De Camp

"The world Janny Wurts writes about is wonderfully vivid!"
Stephen B. Donaldson

"The gift of Janny Wurts is that of a true artist: intense, driven, passionate. This is powerful, gritty fantasy at its very best."
Jennifer Roberson

"With each new book it becomes more and more obvious how important Janny Wurts is to contemporary fantasy."
Guy Gavriel Kay

"Janny Wurts is a true bard whose voice soars among many wonders...She writes of mages and wizards, yet it is she who casts the words of enchantment in a captivating net of spells."
Dennis L. McKiernan

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"We look forward to the next three books of this epic." --Realms of Fantasy

From Publishers Weekly

A demon's curse pits princely brother against brother and leads a world to war in this mammoth sequel to Curse of the Mistwraith. When half-brothers Lysaer s'Ilessid, Prince of the West, and Arithon s'Falenn, Master of Shadow, overcome and entomb Desh-thiere, the Mistwraith, they are cursed to eternal enmity. The mage-trained Arithon can fight the compulsion to a certain extent, but the powerful Lysaer is consumed by hatred and raises his armies to rid the world of the danger he perceives in the Master of Shadow. Dogged by Dakar, the Mad Prophet, who hates Arithon but has been charged to protect him by another sorcerer, the hunted prince establishes a shipyard in the village of Merior by the Sea to build a fleet that will speed him from his enemies. Wurts (the Empire series, with Raymond Feist) creates a complex, beautiful world while detailing the difficulties and rewards falling to people who remain true to their cause. Issues left unresolved at the conclusion suggest another volume.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 916 pages
• Publisher: Harper Prism; First Edition first Printing edition (February 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061052167
• ISBN-13: 978-0061052163
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 4.7 x 2.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,351,151 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I value direct experience over virtual experience and research alone.
Most of the things I write about, I have done at one point in my life.
I find inspiration in the natural world, travel, insatiable curiosity, and in music.

I paint the covers and do all the interiors artwork and maps for my novels.

Experiences have included horse training and competitive riding, offshore sailing, Outward Bound, music gigs, and extensive amateur bagpiping competition, and a second career in oil painting and illustration.

One of my goals is to bring the vividness of these experiences to the readers on the pages of my stories.

For the past fifteen years, I've been happily married to Don Maitz, the artist of SF/Fantasy book cover and Captain Morgan Spiced rum fame.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars slow but rewarding, despite overwriting, November 29, 2000

By 

Diana Nier (Ithaca, NY, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ships of Merior (Wars of Light & Shadow, Vol. 2) (Mass Market Paperback)

As is unfortunately typical for me, I read this series out of order; this comes from gaps in bookstores' stock and my own impatience. I first met Arithon and Lysaer in "Warhost of Vastmark," then read "Curse of the Mistwraith" and "Fugitive Prince," and began "Grand Conspiracy" before I finally found a copy of "Ships of Merior." It was a great relief to understand (at last!) the many back references.

"Ships of Merior" was originally the first part of a huge hardcover, with "Warhost of Vastmark" being the second half. I think this explains the slow pace of the book; it's not meant to stand on its own, even within the series; it's meant to set up "Warhost." We open a few years after the battle that ended "Curse." Arithon has been traveling with the Masterbard, while Lysaer has been living in Etarra. Dakar is sent to Arithon, and is unaware, for quite a long time, that he has found him; Arithon is nothing if not a master of disguise.

The story takes Arithon and Dakar (who can become tiresome in his drunkenness and hatred of Arithon) through several seemingly unconnected events, while Lysaer begins to take control of Tysan and gathers an army to destroy Arithon. Eventually, the brothers meet in yet another climactic battle, in which Arithon again uses guile and shadows to drive Lysaer back, at a great cost in lives. A strength of this series is the pain both brothers feel when others die in their personal war; all too often, common soldiers die and it is merely regretable, but Arithon feels each death like his own, and Lysaer (though becoming less likeable) is also tormented. Sadly, the Mistrwraith's curse twists his pain away from the obvious course -- peace -- into renewed determination to capture and kill his brother. Thus do the Wars of Light and Shadow (fortunately for us, unfortunately for the characters) continue.

The transitions between events are not always smooth, and some motivations are a bit sketchy. For example, Dakar distrusts Arithon because he misinterpreted Asandir's reasons for memory-blocking the Master of Shadows in "Curse," and because he doesn't know why Arithon used dark sorcery during the battle in Strakewood. This is not clarified well. Also, Wurts continues to overwrite. She rarely seems content with one adjective where she can fit two, or a simple sentence where she can twist it around.

Still, "Ships of Merior" does a wonderful job of showing the characters moving through their world. Elaira takes a larger role, Lysaer shoulders the burdens of a kingdom and a cause (at some cost to his original morals), and Arithon's prickly, difficult character is examined in greater depth; he has quickly become my favorite hero/anti-hero.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best Fantasy I've read since the Lord of the Rings., June 14, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Ships of Merior (Wars of Light and Shadow, Vol 2) (Hardcover)

The tale of the two half-brothers continues in volume two of The Wars of Light and Shadow. A carefully balanced alliance has been shattered by actions not in the control of either brother. Actions that not even the Fellowship of Seven are able to counter. Move and counter move proceed across the continent of Paravia as Lysaer moves town Mayors and armies in his never ending desire to see the destruction of Arithon. Arithon flees back to the ships that served him so well as a pirate on his home world of Dascen Elur. But Lysaer pursues him closely. Into this mix comes a character from Curse of the Mistwraith, Dakar the Mad Prophet, he of the West Gate prophecy. Devoted to his cups and wenching. Desiring nothing so much as to be left to his own devices he is entwined into the fate of the two brothers. Ms. Wurts weaves a deft tale that reveals incredible depths in these characters. You care so much about each of these that it is hard to take sides. But take sides you will. Lesser characters shine in the roles of friends, lovers or opponents. Stroke and counter stroke are described with a delicate nicety that leaves you wanting more. Events of such striking compassion occur that you will be forced to lay the book aside, but not for long, and contemplate the results.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply, the Best!, June 28, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Ships of Merior (Wars of Light & Shadow, Vol. 2) (Mass Market Paperback)

The tale of the two half-brothers continues in volume two of The Wars of Light and Shadow. A carefully balanced alliance has been shattered by actions not in the control of either brother. Actions that not even the Fellowship of Seven are able to counter. Move and counter move proceed across the continent of Athera as Lysaer moves town Mayors and armies in his never ending desire to see the destruction of Arithon. Arithon flees back to the ships that served himself so well as a pirate on his home world of Dascen Elur. But Lysaer pursues him closely. Into this mix comes a character from CURSE OF THE MISTWRAITH, Dakar the Mad Prophet, he of the West Gate prophecy. Devoted to his cups and wenching. Desiring nothing so much as to be left to his own devices he is entwined into the fate of the two brothers. Ms. Wurts weaves a deft tale that reveals incredible depths in these characters. You care so much about each of these that it is hard to take sides. But take sides you will. Lesser characters shine in the roles of friends, lovers or opponents. Stroke and counter stroke are described with a delicate nicety that leaves you wanting more. Events of such striking compassion occur that you will be forced to lay the book aside, but not for long, and contemplate the results.