Stormwarden [Hardcover]

Janny Wurts (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 23, 1989

In the land of Vaere, the Stormwarden Anskiere, wizard of wind and water, must draw on the assistance of three young people, all possessing extraordinary talents as well as flaws, in his struggle to defeat the demons that once again threaten total conquest. Reprint.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

'THIS IS ONE OF THOSE DO-NOT-PUT-DOWN-UNTIL-FINISHED BOOKS, OF WHICH THERE ARE TOO FEW' - Andre Norton

'A GIFTED CREATOR OF WONDER' - Raymond E. Feist

'JANNY WURTS IS A GREAT NATURAL STORYTELLER' - L. Sprague de Camp

'THE WORLD JANNY WURTS WRITES ABOUT IS WONDERFULLY VIVID' - Stephen R. Donaldson --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

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. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers (March 23, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0246134143
• ISBN-13: 978-0246134141
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,699,666 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

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not as good as I expected, June 22, 2000

By 

Phome "phome" (NY, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Stormwarden (Cycle of Fire 1) (Mass Market Paperback)

The problem, I think, lies in the fact that read the Wars of Light and Shadow before I read Stormwarden. Although there is no doubt that Ms Wurts is an excellent writer, I found this book somewhat unoriginal. Both Taen and Jaric are represented as handicapped children who overcome their problems and find strength when confronted with their fates, which sounds like a typical children's fairy tale. For some reason, I find myself unable to relate to these characters. The rapid development of Emien, Taen's brother, becoming an "evil" character is also unrealistic. A further, rather disappointing surprise, is the fact that the Vaere is a computer, mixing fantasy with unimaginative science fiction (and I'm afraid I'm a fantasy fan). Compared to the Wars of Light and Shadow, Stormwarden remains in the shadow.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I read the audio, December 17, 2010

By 

Kat at Fantasy Literature - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Stormwarden (Cycle of Fire 1) (Mass Market Paperback)

This is a great time to be an audiobook reader! I've said often recently that I'm so pleased with Audible Frontiers for bringing us some older fantasy literature on audio, and this month their UK production team released Stormwarden, the first novel of Janny Wurts' The Cycle of Fire trilogy which was first published in 1984.

Having greatly enjoyed Wurts' stand-alone novel To Ride Hell's Chasm, and knowing how several of my fellow FanLit reviewers feel about her The Wars of Light and Shadow saga, I've been waiting and hoping to find one of her epics on audio. So when Audible Frontiers UK released Stormwarden, I snapped it up within a few hours.

Stormwarden is a coming-of-age story that focuses on three youth (Jaric, Emien, and Taen) who get caught up in a battle between kingdoms, sorcerers, demons, and aliens. There are some now-classic fantasy characters here -- scrawny orphan boy who gets a sword, white-bearded sorcerer who controls the weather, a beautiful enchantress with white hair and violet eyes, and a beautiful dreamweaver with black hair. (Someday I want to read about a middle-aged, overweight, brown-eyed sorceress with thin mousy hair... or maybe I don't.) But these characters are treated with respect by both author and audiobook reader (David Thorpe) who pack them full of vigor, drive, and both admirable and reprehensible character traits and emotions.

There's plenty of the unexpected, too. For example, much of the story takes place at sea. Also, an alien endows humans with supernatural powers by injecting them with crystallized demons. For a coming-of-age story, the plot is refreshingly unpredictable and Stormwarden ends with an exciting action-packed climax -- a trademark Janny Wurts feature. The reader also gets a sense of Wurts' expertise in sailing, horsemanship, and other outdoor pursuits -- all of these elements feel real and this is something that sets this fantasy novel apart from most of its peers.

The narrative style is more expository than is my preference, and sometimes it's wordy (for example, "cognizant of the fact that..." instead of "knowing..."), but it's full of passion and David Thorpe's perfect performance lends enthusiasm and verve, allowing Wurts' characters to live and to capture our hearts. I look forward to continuing their adventure in Keeper of the Keys, the next novel in The Cycle of Fire, soon to be released by Audible.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Masterfully written!, June 8, 2009

By 

Rachel Dean "Rachel Dean- nightbookworm" (Poway, California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Stormwarden (The Cycle of Fire, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)

I liked this A LOT, which is saying a lot for me reading any type of Sci-FI! A mesmerizing coming-of-age story with great atmoshpere and absorbing characters. I agree with the other reviewers that the plot moves along really well- not slow and staggering like so many other Sci-FI books I've tried but cannot finish. The I look forward to reading all of the Cycle Of Fire series now!