Customer Reviews

Warhost of Vastmark

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

After perusing sales rankings and reviews, it would appear that this series has not garnered the audience of some of its peers, such as Jordan's "Wheel of Time," Martin's "Song of Ice and Fire," Hobb's "Liveship Traders," Kerr's "Deverry and Westlands Cycle," Goodkind's "Sword of Truth," or even Feist's "Riftwar Saga." While popularity is not necessary evidence of worth, I suspect, as previous reviewers have noted, both for this work, as well as the preceding volumes, that the author's at times over-exuberant use of language in her writing has contributed as much as anything else to keeping a larger audience at a distance. This is unfortunate, as this ongoing tale, particularly as witnessed by the stirring and tautly rendered battle scenes in this book, has much to offer.

Wurt's strengths are evocative characterizations, complex and multi-layered plotlines and magical realms, and, when not engaged in over-embellishment, vivid and energetic descriptive detail. Unfortunately it is true that the tale at times gets bogged down or muddied by a profuse use of language, and this becomes variously a strength as well as the series' greatest detriment. Nonetheless, I believe there is far more of value going on here than should be dismissed simply because of a difficulty with language.

Perhaps it is because I have become inured to Wurt's tendency to overwork her prose, but it seemed as if in this book she had lightened the flourish of her pen. In any event, for those that have become engaged in the world of Athera, there is much that takes place in this volume, and in a more compressed fashion than in the previous two books. A major revelation occurs, and several of the main characters face trials that will permanently alter their lives. The events build to tension that should keep you reading, and the suspense is handled deftly, keeping the imaginary nerves taut. In many ways I feel this is the best book yet of the series. Highly recommended if you can work past the densely worded use of narrative.

The tale of the two half-brothers continues in volume 2A 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 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.

This is the third installment of a broad epic involving the plight of two half-brothers, Arithon and Lysaer, princes by birth, who are twisted by curse to fight each other.

The prior two books were a little ponderous, the first in particular due to its 700-800 page length. While this one weighed in at 520 pages, the pages seemed to fly. Perhaps this is in part due to the fact that Wurts has already explained their pasts and can focus purely on the plot at hand.

This book brings Lysaer, twisted by the curse of the mistwraith in to false belief that his is a just cause, to summon an army of three kingdoms, 40,000 strong, to defeat his half-brother, Arithon. While that is the main focus of the book (and the final scenes when the armies draw close is truly gripping), in the background plays the development of friendship, trust and understanding between Arithon and Dakar The Mad Prophet. At times, Dakar's emnity of Arithon has almost cost the prince his life, so it's both intriguing and brilliant to watch the erosion of this hatred transform into tepid acceptance to, ultimately, a freely given friendship.

Seeded further still in the background is the laced danger posed by the entities which comprised of the Mistwraith, residing on another world and seeking access to Athera, the world on which these novels take place. It will be interesting to see how Wurts evolves this threat in future installments.

This is the best so far of the three books, and I thoroughly recommend it (although I'd advise reading the first two, as it would make more sense).

This book begins with action at the very start. The Fellowship find themselves underpowered, but still have to meet the initial onslaught of an investigation by the same source that invaded all those years prior - another faction of the mistwraith.

But this is just a side battle in the preparation for something much grander as Arithon finds he cannot run from his half-brother forever.

This book ends a series of wars between the Light (Lysaer) and Shadow (Arithon), but the story continues. At this point the plots are still thick and alliances are constantly changing as truth and knowledge become available to those participating on the various sides.

Janny does not come out and say that this side is good and this side is evil. Instead, she paints a picture defining the characteristics of all involved and leaves that up to you.

The depth of this book continues with the others, but is not as able to stand alone as the others, simply because it was originally to be part of Ships of Merior. When that book became too large, Warhost of Vastmark took a life of its own. This is not to say it is wanting because it continues in the grand tradition that Janny set forth in her previous books in this series.

I thought my review of The Ships of Merior would be inadequate, but I feel even more that way now, after finishing the direct sequel. While the division between the two books was done in such a way that they individually satisfy, Warhost really brought the whole 1100 page sequence to a grand conclusion.

The two books together serve as Arc II of Janny's huge epic, The Wars of Light and Shadow. Originally intended as a single volume, the work was split into two. The division gives a reader a chance to pause between the books, though I for one found myself diving right into Warhost. What it did do was eliminate the trademark double climax of other Wurts novels, unless we put them back together and consider the two books with the climaxes at the end of each volume. As such, it works, delivering with a bang after lots of buildup.

I gave this one 5 stars while the first part I gave 4. I'm adding a star here because of the way it brings the whole of Arc II nicely together. Without spoiling anything, I will say that the end of Warhost of Vastmark satisfies. What's more, it sets the stage for Arc III and leaves at least this reader salivating for more of the world of Athera.

Warhost of Vastmark by Janny Wurts takes up directly where The Ships of Merior left off. The two books are definitely meant to be read back to back - together they comprise Arc 2 of the author's THE WARS OF LIGHT AND SHADOW series, and some editions actually combine both of them in one cover.

It's hard to give many details of the story without throwing in spoilers for The Ships of Merior, so I'll just say that the ongoing conflict between Arithon and Lysaer, which reached a seeming climax at the end of "Merior", actually balloons to even larger proportions and reaches a stunning high point at the end of the novel. The book contains a hilarious moment of hijinx (the "triple theft") that's so carefully set up and brilliantly executed you'll want to re-read the chapter. Some characters show some (to me at least) unexpected changes, and some previously minor characters develop into very fascinating pieces of the puzzle.

While the story progresses, we also learn more about the world of Athera, its past, and the various groups and factions that make this such a complex and intriguing fantasy universe. The odd side-effect of this slow revelation of world-building details is that you simply want to read and learn more, even as the picture gradually resolves and the story progresses. These novels all have a solid and very satisfying ending, but at the same time they definitely leave the reader hungry for more.

Janny Wurts' novels are generally complex and challenging, and as such they require the reader's full attention. I'm sure people looking for light reading might be turned off by their rich prose and long-term plotting. However, if you're willing to give them the time they deserve, I doubt you'll be disappointed. I've rated the previous two books in this series 5 stars, and astonishingly, Warhost of Vastmark is at least as good as The Curse of the Mistwraith and The Ships of Merior. This is quickly becoming one of my favorite epic fantasies.

The Mistswraith's curse has taken hold of Prince Lysaer's inherited mistrusts and blinded him into the belief that his step-brother, Arithon the Master of Shadow, can be anything other than evil and must, at all costs, be exterminated. Lysaer's warhost relentlessly pursues Arithon and the clans to the craggy wastes of Vastmark. But Lysaer may soon learn the hard lesson that a wolf is most dangerous when cornered.

The Wars of Light and Shadow saga is one of the most original epic fantasies -- and uniquely written stories -- I've ever read. Janny Wurts is an amazing author who not only writes with an elegant prose that is easily identifiable as her very own, but her themes break new ground. At the heart of this story is a conflict of obsessions: Lysaer's unyielding dedication for justice and Arithon's unreserved compassion -- two ideals which should go hand-and-hand but, when put at fanatical odds, a world can be devastated.

If you've read the first two books, The Curse of the Mistwraith and Ships of Merior, I'm sure you're already hooked just like I am. Warhost of Vastmark will only further fuel your enthusiasm.

Since my own personal taste in fantasy usually leans toward darker and grittier stories (and probably because I've gotten a little cynical in my middle-age), I've become rather callous about the characters in most books I read. Cheers to Ms. Wurts! She has managed to stir up in me a compassion for fictional characters that I have not felt in quite some time.

I really can see how this book is the second half of "Ships of Merior"--it flows perfectly and sets up the stage for what will hopefully be a terrific final showdown in the next few books. I came to understand a little bit more about both prince's characters, although I still believe that Arithon is the hero and Lysaer is an over-zealous prig. But that's just me. Read this one RIGHT after "ships".

And I thought "Wheel of Time" was good! This book obviously isn't complete in itself, and you need to have read Ships of Merior to really understand it. However, unlike with many hefty epics, I actually felt the emotions of the characters instead of just yawning and waiting for the story to get interesting. The characters are endearing and it breaks my heart that Arithon and Elaira can't be together! (I'm a hopeless romantic). I can't wait to read the next novel!

** spoiler alert ** Mistwraith is an incredibly compelling, action filled, gut wrenching, heart stopping adventure with one of the most incredible love stories I've read in a long time. This book picks up right where Ships of Merior left off; in fact they were originally written as one book. Once again, I would give the book six stars if it were possible. In fact, as I look through the books I have given five stars before, I am tempted to rate some of them down to four.

After the burning of Lysaer's ships, the tension builds as he regroups and continues his attempts to kill/wage war on his half brother, who is trying with all his might to avoid fighting and death. Dakar continues to haunt Arithon's every move, in between bouts of drinking. Arithon takes Lysaer's wife Talith hostage in a brilliant coup and attempt to get financing for his inevitable battle. The accomplishment of this and the subsequent theft of the ransom, the raising of another ransom, Talith's escape from Arithon's clutch ...more Mistwraith is an incredibly compelling, action filled, gut wrenching, heart stopping adventure with one of the most incredible love stories I've read in a long time. This book picks up right where Ships of Merior left off; in fact they were originally written as one book. Once again, I would give the book six stars if it were possible. In fact, as I look through the books I have given five stars before, I am tempted to rate some of them down to four.

After the burning of Lysaer's ships, the tension builds as he regroups and continues his attempts to kill/wage war on his half brother, who is trying with all his might to avoid fighting and death. Dakar continues to haunt Arithon's every move, in between bouts of drinking. Arithon takes Lysaer's wife Talith hostage in a brilliant coup and attempt to get financing for his inevitable battle. The accomplishment of this and the subsequent theft of the ransom, the raising of another ransom, Talith's escape from Arithon's clutches, his brilliant 'discovery' of her right where his men had left her, raises the tension and suspense.

Talith's time in the company of Arithon and the men who work for him begins to make her doubt the justice of her husband's fight against him. In the end, when she is returned, their marriage is never the same. She questions Lysaer, and he cannot live with the ambiguity of her thinking and never returns to her bed, poor dumb lout.

Meanwhile, Arithon and Dakar explore the mountains of Vastmark, a rugged and isolated community in the south of Athera and find two wounded children. Arithon tells Dakar they are going to have to weave a spell to heal the girl, and Dakar and Arithon have an experience similar to what Arithon and Elaira went through. While Dakar has a new view of events from Arithon's perspective, he doesn't trust his own senses. He has a vision that Arithon will be killed in the mountains.

Once again, the plotting is superb, the writing beautiful, the characters complex, intriguing, and multi-dimensional. Any attempts by me to summarize it are woefully simplified, and there are so many twists and turns and subtleties that I have left out.

The development of the relationship between Dakar and Arithon was the high point of this book for me. I was in tears at the end when Dakar sacrifices himself to save Arithon from the arrow meant for Arithon and sent by the Prime matriarch of the Koriani order. One of the dukes who sided with Lysaer begins to see through his charisma and announces that his campaign to kill Arithon is sacrificing thousands of men for what is, essentially, a personal vendetta. He decides to side with Arithon.

The ending is very satisfactory. Arithon is in a ship heading off to find some distant islands where he thinks the unicorns and centaurs may be living.