Rating: 
Summary: B-O-R-I-N-G
Review: I got so bored of this book that I had to put it down many times. I had to force myself to finish it. I then gave it to my friend who liked it and went on to buy the other volumes to this series so at least my copy did not go to waste. It seems as if most people enjoyed this book, I for one did not.
Rating: 
Summary: Complex And At Times Dense Fantasy
Review: I had held off reading Janny Wurts in part because of her past association with Raymond Feist: I assumed this would be more lightweight and, if at times engaging, conventional fare similar to that author's writing (Apologies in advance to Feist fans; his books, though found simple, can be fun). However, Wurt's efforts here are far more ambitious---some might say overly so. After a rather awkward, sketchily limned and shifting start in the first fifty pages---additionally marred by the shadows of Mearth that bear too close a resemblance to Jordan's Shadar Logoth to be entirely comfortable---upon arrival in Athera the story begins to quickly settle in to an expansive and largely inventive plot. While many traditional conventions abound, Wurts has broadly recontextualized many, while creating a tale as tangled in subplots as say Jordan's, but that forges ahead at a far more brisk pace.Densely descriptive and extravagantly detailed, the writing at times wearies, as would a constant diet of richly seasoned food, yet never entirely disengages interest. Rarely will one find anything said simply or directly. As another reviewer implies, this may lead some to conclude that the style of writing at times verges on being over-written, and I myself would have welcomed a more judicious use of language. Nonetheless, one is forced to admire the breadth of the author's use of words, as well as the energy behind its application, a descriptive rhythm that punctuates the entire narrative and is nothing if not varied and elaborately realized. Whether or not it becomes too much I'll leave for the individual reader to decide; one person's stylistic extravagance may become another's aesthetic valuable. This is a book brimming with energy and a desire to tell a much multi-faceted tale. There is enough lore and magic here to fill several volumes of some other authors' works. While without further expansion this compression might prove a fault, I suspect in the volumes to follow that the author will elaborate upon the many themes and plot threads she has initially sown, and look forward to their maturation. Since I've already gone out and purchased the next installment, that should say it all.
Rating: 
Summary: Not good. Not good at all.
Review: I had high hopes about this book, and sadly, those hopes were dispatched literally 100 pages into the book. The exaggerated writing style didn't bother me as much as the plodding narrative. In my view, everything seemed contrived. There's a story in here to tell, a damn fine one at that, but it just wasn't done in this book. A prequel would have been helpful, or at least a few chapters as a historical backdrop.
Rating:
Summary: Not good. Not good at all.
Review: I had high hopes about this book, and sadly, those hopes were dispatched literally 100 pages into the book. The exaggerated writing style didn't bother me as much as the plodding narrative. In my view, everything seemed contrived. There's a story in here to tell, a damn fine one at that, but it just wasn't done in this book. A prequel would have been helpful, or at least a few chapters as a historical backdrop.
Rating:
Summary: I'm a patient woman, but not THAT patient . . .
Review: I know with some epic fantasies there is a lot of exposition before you get into the real story. So I waited, and I read, and I waited, and I read on . . . and on, and on, and on, but the book never went anywhere. I'm a fanatic reader of fantasy books and am pretty darn easily amused, but I couldn't even finish this book. Maybe the real action started in that second 700 page book, I'll never know.
Rating: 
Summary: Thrilling....you find yourself caught up in the story.
Review: I loved this book. It leaves you breathless just waiting to find out what will happen to Lysaer and Arithon and those that they have affected. Janny Wurts has come up with a novel where you don't know what is going to happen next. You just can't put the book down.
Rating:
Summary: Boring, Boring, Boring
Review: I read about half way through this book before I decided it was a waste of time. The characters are all interesting, the plot is interesting, but it draaaaaaaaaaags. I give two stars for the potential of the story, if she would just get on with it! I totally lost interest. The only other thing I've read by Janny Wurts is the Empire series and I loved it. I was disapointed in Mistwraith.
Rating:
Summary: great fantasy!
Review: I stopped being indiscrimanate about the fantasy I read long ago...I found I hated rehashed sword and sorcery, quests, all that...but when I read this story, I was amazed at how the author got me involved in the lives of her characters. I by the time I finshed this book, I really cared about what happened to these princes, particularly Arithon, the agnst ridden prince of shadow. Just the idea of two people who can't control their own destiny and he chaos that ensues is heart breaking. I can't wit to finish this series out. If only she would write a little faster!
Rating: 
Summary: a good but slightly confusing read
Review: I thought that this was a good book. I enjoyed the challenge of the language. I felt like it was written at a higher level than other books with the word choice, sentence structure, etc. I also like how the characters were developed--both corporeal and noncorporeal ones. There were many times when I just laughed aloud at the dialogue and actions of certain characters. The only thing that I did not like about the book is that I felt "dropped" into the world. With other series, the author usually provides a map and introduces the kind of magic and how it is used. After reading book 1, I still do not feel like I totally understand the world that she is having us inhabit. Hopefully, book 2 will make it clearer. This book is definitely one that needs to be read in long sittings--10 to 15 minutes a sitting will just leave you more confused and lost than if you can devote 30 minutes to an hour. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: You MUST read this series!
Review: In the many years that I have been reading fantasy novels, as well as classics from other genres, there have been few novels that have so captured my attention and my enthusiasm as this series. There is something so compelling in the way that the various characters interact that is sadly lacking in the common novels I find on bookstore shelves. She revives the long dead art of character development and cleverly writes plot lines that inspire thought and involvement, instead of dull, overworked ideas that have been rewritten a hundred times over. Her plot lines also allow the main characters the opportunity to be themselves, yet still interact, rather than merely fill parts of a fantasy story "formula". Indeed, it is refreshing to read of main characters, such as Arithon and Dakar, who REALLY don't like each other, yet are forced to work with each other. I am fascinated by the intracacies of the plot lines and how the tragedy of the fight between the two brothers is written so well that the reader cannot imagine another way that the plot can be written other than that provided by the author. BRAVO!!!! I would gladly welcome anyone who would like to discuss this series or the author to write me at any time.
|
