Traitor's Knot: Alliance of Light: Volume Four (The Wars of Light and Shadow series) (Bk. 4) [Paperback]

Janny Wurts (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2010 | Series: The Wars of Light and Shadow series (Book 7)

 Having conquered the maze and acheived self-redemption, Arithon, Master of Shadow, is now the guest of the formidable sorcerer, Davien the Betrayor. No one knows how his influence will affect Arithon's recovered mage power, or his newly awakened rogue talent for prescience. Meanwhile Arithon's relentless enemies will stop at nothing to acheive his downfall. The Koriani enchantresses are determined to make him their captive and their pawn. And as the Alliance of Light fanatics regroup after their defeat, the core of their priesthood now stands corrupted by a dark cabal who plot to enslave their leader, Lysaer, and use the Mistwraith's curse as their own private weapon to break the world's order. The sorcerers of the Fellowship compact are sorely beset and the clans are counting their ruinous losses. Arithon, who holds their last hope of survival, chooses the most dangerous course: heart and mind he dedicates himself to avoiding killing, though allies and enemies muster for war, single-mindedly blind to the consequences.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Fantasy writing of a high level . . . Wurts is an accomplished builder of worlds, scenes and characters through well-chosen detail, with an ear for dialogue and an eye for realism."  —Publishers Weekly

"The author's attention to detail and her skill for creating memorable heroes and villains lend a sense of immediacy to a tale of epic battles and great betrayals."  —Library Journal

"Sustaining the considerable momentum of previous volumes . . . Wurts is in fine form here, providing endless twists and turns of plot and an artful complexity that is marvelous to behold."  —Booklist

"...Traitor’s Knot is almost flawless: it advances the story significantly, reveals meaningful new details and hidden layers, contains a few unforgettable scenes, and has an ending that will have you screaming for the next book."—FantasyLiterature.net

About the Author

Janny Wurts is the author of the Cycle of Fire series and coauthor of the worldwide bestselling Empire series with Raymond E. Feist.

Product Details

• Paperback: 656 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins UK (April 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0007101147
• ISBN-13: 978-0007101146
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.4 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #398,912 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

36 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Doesn't disappoint, June 29, 2005

By 

Brian Uri "!" (Northern Virginia, USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Traitor's Knot (War of Light and Shadow): Alliance of Light Book Four (Hardcover)

Yes, this series has lots of words in it.

Yes, the prose has its own style and structure which appears stilted if you aren't immersed in it.

Yes, the prose occasionally goes over the top and borders on unbearably overdone (especially in Peril's Gate).

None of these issues diminishes the fact that this is my favourite fantasy series of all time. Several years ago, I read Arc I, muddled through it, sort of liked it, and didn't really understand a lot of it. For some reason, I gave it another shot and loved it. This series is not only enjoyable to read, it is also a rewarding read.

Traitor's Knot is a section of Arc 3: Alliance of the Light, split into a standalone book because of physical limitations on the size of a hardbound book. It's a true turning point in the characters -- Arithon is no longer riddled with self-guilt, and Lysaer is no longer at the top of his food chain. Fairly early in the book, the plot concerning necromancers is revealed. While this plot seems to be extraneous to the main plot of the series, it does a good job at tying everything together for the finale of this Arc.

Honestly, this book cannot be fairly judged as a standalone novel, since it is part 4 of 5 in a story arc. Trying to apply a review to the action in the book is akin to reviewing a movie by skipping the first hour and then turning off the climax. As a standalone book I was disappointed in its lack of resolution. I give this book 4 stars because, having read everything to date, I can begin to see how everything will come together in the next segment.

If you are a patient fan of solid writing, interesting characters, and settings that simply ooze with backstory and history, this is the series for you.

For Reference:

Arc I: Curse of the Mistwraith (1 binding)

Arc II: Ships of Merior (paperback split into: Ships of Merior / Warhost of Vastmark)

Arc III: Alliance of the Light (split into: Fugitive Prince / Grand Conspiracy / Peril's Gate / Traitor's Knot / Stormed Fortress, unreleased)

Arc IV: ?

Arc V: ?

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Janny does it again, February 9, 2005

By 

Annette Van Koevering - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Traitor's Knot (War of Light and Shadow): Alliance of Light Book Four (Hardcover)

Traitor's Knot continues from where Peril's Gate left off. Arithon is enjoying Davien's hospitality but that can't and doesn't last long. Arithon's resulting adventures include a heartrending reunion with his beloved that doesn't turn out at all as planned. Then there is the clash with the necromancers....

Janny also provides more information about Lysaer and the curse, and there are so many layers to this book that everyone should be able to find something to interest them. And then there is the ending.....

You definitely do not want to start the series with this book. There has been too much happening in the series to start reading these books at this point since it would probably cause a lot of misunderstanding with regards to the characters. If these reviews interest you I highly suggest that you start with the first book in the series The Curse of the Mistwraith. Enjoy.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Entry, March 9, 2005

By 

L. Ferguson "SciFi / Romance Fan" (Australia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Traitor's Knot (War of Light and Shadow): Alliance of Light Book Four (Hardcover)

This latest book in the War of Light and Shadow wraps up several plot points from previous books, and of course, creates a few more. More history of the Fellowship is revealed, especially pertaining to Davien. I was fairly impressed that this book actually made me pity Lysaer, slightly, usually I am just filled with rage at how misguided he is.

Anyway, if you've read the previous books in this series, this is a great continuation of the story. I am certainly looking forward to the next one, Stormed Fortress.

If you haven't read any of the previous books, you really do need to start with the first one, Curse of the Mistwraith. Don't be put off by the length of the books, the story really rockets along, you get captured by the characters before you know it.