Rating: 
Summary: Get to the point!
Review: Like Kathleen Nelson and the reader from Tel Aviv, I was extremely disappointed by this book. I have read all the others in the series and I really liked them - unfortunately, this weightly volume has rather spoiled it. The language is SO over the top - and how many times do we have to be told that Arithon has black hair and green eyes and Lysaer has blue hair and brown eyes? I for one am sick of hearing the same old descriptions trotted out in ever more flowery and hyperbolic ways. Similarly, I'm getting pretty sick of Arithon and his compassion. I'm sure it's all very nice, but frankly, I'm getting really sick of it. He's become extraordinarily irritating. Why do we have to put up with hearing about his endless bouts of emotional agony and self-blame? Someone should really give him a slap and tell him to pull himself together. Lysaer becomes increasingly repulsive - his treatment of his wife is despicable, and hey, how long will it be before little Kevor notices and goes over to Arithon's side? Sorry Janny, I used to love your characters, I used to care about them. Unfortunately, they've become more like caricatures than real people and I've had enough of their misery. The depressing thing is that there is NO HOPE. In the very first book we're told that the Wars of Light and Shadow go on for 500 years. So Arithon's not going to find the Paravians, the whole debacle is not going to be sorted out, instead we're going to get an endless parade of tragedy and misery. Anyway, doesn't the Black Rose prophecy state that the paravians won't be found until Arithon's been crowned King of Rathain? Who knows? At this stage, frankly, who cares?
Rating: 
Summary: Magic with Words
Review: The story of two brothers continues - the Lord of Light and the Master of Shadows - Lysaer and Arithon continue their five century battle with no end in sight. The Grand Conspiracy has a depth of words that can make the reader lose sight of reality. This story in general centers around young Fionn Areth, who's destiny is intertwined with that of Arithon s'Ffalenn, the Spinner of Darkness. The story blends the betrayals of the heart, a love unheard of, and a compassion for innocents. Perhaps it teaches a lesson of sorts. Davien the Betrayer, former Fellowship Sorcerer, begins to take an interest in the comings and Arithon has finished his 17-year voyage in search of Pavarians but with no hope in sight. Lorenda seeks to regain her prime succession, and Morriel's fate may end! Will Arithon survive the greatest betrayal, and escape a conspiracy with a decade in the planning! Oh, read the Caithwood section concerning the trees. It would make any lumberer weep for even touching a tree.
Rating:
Summary: Sadly Disappointed
Review: The Wars of Light and Shadow has been one of my favorite fantasy series since it's inception. After spending more than a year hungrily awaiting this next installment in the series, I am now rather disappointed with the end result.The Grand Conspiracy lacked many of the elements that made all of the other books so wonderful: rich character development, a beautifully sweeping time scale, and gripping action. Many of the characters seem to lack depth, acting more like puppets than the captivating people they were in the first four books. The time scale of the book felt like it was an after the fact addition. At one point the Fellowship Sorrcers cast a spell that shows them 12 years of peace ahead, promptly skipping the reader forward in time those same years. Perhaps most damming of all the faults in the book is the lack of any really gripping action. In sharp contrast with The Fugitive Prince where Arithon avoided grand conjury, saved the clans, and barely managed to stay alive, the action of this book seems to be only a build up for the next one. Lysaer appears rarely and has no affect on the plot other then to set himself even further against the good guys for the final confrontation. The Witches scheme and muck things up but it never really looks like they will capture Arithon. The Fellowship spends all of its time being frantic and Arithon is never really threatened by anyone. When I bought The Ships of Merior in paperback the author's note said that "the concept and plotting for the Wars of Light and Shadow [has] been worked through in full in five volumes." Counting the books in the series I find that the Grand Conspiracy is book five, the one which should have ended the plot entirely. Instead of an end to the series I find a watered down and rather boring installment which was not at all needed. I am very sad that this series has now joined the ranks of "The Wheel of Time" and "Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn" as epic fantasy that extended past the point where an end wolud be an improvement. I sincerely hope that the next book wraps up the series in a manner befitting the mastery of the earlier installments.
Rating:
Summary: Actinic
Review: The Wars of Light and Shadow series continues with, in my opinion, by far the best work so far. This series has captivated me from the beginning: this book was one of the most compelling and intricately crafted works of literature I have ever read. I think Janny Wurts has stopped pandering to the thrill-a-minute faction of her readership and started writing for herself. Her style has blossomed and intensified a thousandfold. This series began with a promising paradox and the cruellest of curses and has gone on to extend and explore the possiblities of those origins in devastating style. The tormented exiled prince, Arithon S'Ffalenn, Master of Shadow, who is so utterly human and so desparately unlucky that you cannot fail to love him, is, as ever, in hiding, maintaining leagues of seawater between himself and the seeresses who hunt him by magical means and seek to bring him to his doom as a convicted sorceror. As soon as he sets foot on dry land they can track him, and should he disembark on the same continent as his brother Lysaer of the Light, curse-induced madness will fall upon him to the extent that he will let no-one and nothing stand in his way until his brother is dead. His entourage of swordsmen, seamen, and the Mad Prophet Dakar, are a motley crew. Dakar is drunk most of the time, but when needed to work a powerful enchantment he usually rises to the occasion. He must save the dark prince from himself as often as he has to guard him from his enemies, and this creates a perverse and abiding tension in the relationship between the unlikely duo. Prince Lysaer of the Light, however, is loved by his people, would never stoop to sorcery and rules with wisdom, humanity and impeccable judgement. Only one problem: he is perpetually insane in his determination to crush Arithon S'Ffalenn at all costs. His abiding hatred of his brother poisons every decision he makes, and his apparent kindness, wisdom, humanity and judgement are all simply means of achieving this one obsessive aim. He needs allies, and he has the gift of winning men's hearts wherever he goes. He is probably the most evil character I have ever had the pleasure to come across in fantasy literature. More men, women and children die in his campaign to defeat his already defeated brother than have ever been threatened by Arithon's occasional fits of madness. And yet he plays those around him to perfection, seducing them with his charismatic glamour and blinding them to the terrifying truth. Arithon just plays music, and this to ease his soul from the plaguings of a deeply troubled conscience and his intellect from the frustration of thwarted magical ability. One of the novel's chief ironies is that he cannot even practise magic: his powers have been blocked and no recent charge of sorcery against him can possibly be true. I love the way Janny Wurts plays with your morals, preconceptions and affections in this novel. I love the grim and violent hopelessness of Arithon's existence and the allure this lends to his already captivating character. I love the evil shining compassion of Lysaer s'Ilessid and the spiralling allegories you can trace through history of men who stood for the Light and committed unthinkable acts of darkness in its name. But most of all I love Janny Wurts's command of the magical. The Fellowship Sorcerers and the Koriani Sisterhood, practising two very distinct forms of magic, the Sisters influencing the course of human events to their own ends and the Fellowship magicians attempting to protect and maintain the balance of the ancient paths of power, do battle on a grand scale, in a power play that is much more than a sideshow to the main action of the novel. I would wish to ask the author a direct question: why are all the bad witches female, and all the good magicians male? With her twisting of accepted norms and examination of every angle of preconception and prejudice I'm surprised at this. But it's just a thought. The novel's wonderful, and you absolutely positively have to read it. Be prepared to read it slowly, savour each phrase and shade of meaning, and use your brain. Nothing worthwhile ever came easy....
Rating:
Summary: In this corner, Lysaer....
Review: This book could have been split in two. The first half, all about Lysaer, meandered and was utterly boring. The second half was better in that we finally get to hear about Arithon. I could have skipped the first 300 pages. Personally, in all the series so far, I found the cover art to be better than the story told.
Rating:
Summary: Eloquent and Glorious
Review: This is one of the best books in the entire series. It was impossible to put down once I started I read for 8 staight hours! Some have termed this one to be boreing but I beg to differ, the series descriptive powers have multiplied greatly and their really needed to be a slight calm in the eye of the storm we needed to see a return in perspective of the overall plot. I now breathlessly await the next one. HAIL THE SHADOWS!
Rating: 
Summary: Just too bad...
Review: Well, Ms. Wurts kept me waiting an awfully long time for this book. For well over a year I have been anticipating this book. It is just too bad that it held my intrest for all of 5 minutes. I love the other books, and I still think that she is a fantastic writer; but this latest installation is hardly necessary to the series--except for the one fact that Arithon manages to escape from Lirenda. The next novel will hopefully be much better. If you read the Mistwraith series, buy this book (if only to assure yourself that you wouldn't have missed much). If you have no idea who Arithon or Lirenda are, don't bother. You will find yourself confused and lost and probably with a bad opinion of an otherwise excellent writer.
Rating: 
Summary: Very nice, but let's get on with it
Review: Well, that was some read. Mrs. Wurts fantasy novel have been a favorite of mine since I first encountered "Curse of the Mistwraith" and this book will not disappoint the fans of the series. Well... almost. Maybe it's the price of paper going down, maybe it's just a trend, but you get a feeling lately that fantasy authors who write series just let themselves go (Wheel of Time, for example). The whole series, and this book in particular, could use a serious tightening. Because, all in all, while all of the old characters do all of the old things in this novel, nothing much happens. The whole book could be summed up in about 3 paragraphs. and it should have been. So if you've got some time to kill, have fun. But I'd recommened speed reading it, and waiting for some more monumental things happening in future volumes. Which I will no doubt buy. have fun
Rating:
Summary: An amazing piece in a saga of mindblowing proportions
Review: Without a doubt the story here belongs to one of the greatest series of all time. Janny Wurts has written with such clarity and love for the craft that the "wars of light and shadow" as well as the prievious books are absolutely amazing. Her works do not sit in the shadow of the pioneer of fantasy, J.R.R Tolkein and his LOTR series, but rather stand next to it and share the praise that is due. Her books are incredibly well thought out and deep, with characters so well developed that they exist as surely as the world of Athera in the minds of adoring readers. I am amazed at the amount of critisizm for this series and book. It seems that people are still looking for elves and orcs constantly at war to fight for the causes of good and evil that characterizes most current fantasy works. Unfortunately, Janny's works can not be judged on the same plain as they hold a completely different type of fantasy. This is a struggle that is vastly complex and of all different proportions. To those who see these books as boring or long-winded, I beg of you, read with the right mindset. You need to read to the details, as everything that is written has a purpose (product of over twenty years of planning so far). The description allows a reader to submerge him or herself within a world and story that is unbelievably complex. As it is, it has taken multiple rereads for me to see close to the full scope of what is happening, and even then I continue to find things I missed (her websight at paravia.com). So before you completely lose interest I would ask that you read for yourself this work of art to formulate your own opinions. Take into account that things happen on many different levels, submerge yourself in the incredible story, and then maybe you will feel the breathless joy at the end as the pages cease to turn and the story waits once more to be continued.
Rating:
Summary: Many levels
Review: Wurts has created a work that transcends Fantasy. Her suberbly crafted writing stretches our vocabulary, weaves a brilliant imagery, and gives deep insight into the human spirit. The intricacy and scope of the plots and sub-plots leaves plenty to the imaginations of those who delight in unravelling mysteries and guessing future developments in the novel. It's rich in character development. I have followed Arithon's development as a character with the same enjoyment as I did Ursula K. Le Guin's character, Ged. She has real skill with major and minor characters, using them to continually reflect new angles and interpretations of the themes and characters of the series. Wurts harkens back to a time when the land was held as something sacred. The Paravians represent lost innocence, and the compact a reminder that we borrow the land from future generations. Her descriptions of magic are multi-sensory journeys that take us towards a more subtle understanding of what world consciousness is and touches on the oneness of everything. What I found most valuable in these books was the portrayal of the causes of conflict, and the machinations of war. She puts war and greed under an unforgiving spotlight, but also refuses to typecast. Lysaer is portrayed both as liberating leader and protector of the people and deluded tyrant. Arithon is at once freedom fighter and terrorist. We are not asked to choose a side and blame the other, but encouraged to have compassion and understanding, and to see the whole picture. We are shown graphically that war leads to further wars, there is never an end to them, unless there is dialogue and an attempt towards mutual understanding. We are not allowed to give into euphoria after 'justice' has been served, but read on and discover the horrific consequences. It makes us question what is true justice, and whether there is a place for human compassion in it. The curse itself is an accurate and menacing metaphor for blind, ignorant prejudice that has the same effect on the leaders and followers of this world, as it does on Athera. She powerfully describes the effects of illusion and delusion that create mobs and narrow-minded communities. She neatly portrays blinkered opinion and assumption and shows how they develop into reasons for wiping out other ethnic groups. When you read her books, suspend judgement. Don't get lost in plot and in trying to interpret the Black Rose Prophecy. Use a dictionary for the more difficult words. Let her writing take hold of your imagination and leave youself open to seeing the parallels of Athera to Earth. Identify with the characters, experience them as aspects of yourself. Make it a journey of discovery. Read each book twice.
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