Rating: 
Summary: It gets better
Review: After finishing "Curse of the Mistwraith" I went the next morning to get "The Ships of Merior" and finished it in a day! The tale gets better and better, with plenty of plot twists and turns and an ending that leaves you screaming for the "Warhost of Vastmark"!!
Rating: 
Summary: slow but rewarding, despite overwriting
Review: As is unfortunately typical for me, I read this series out of order; this comes from gaps in bookstores' stock and my own impatience. I first met Arithon and Lysaer in "Warhost of Vastmark," then read "Curse of the Mistwraith" and "Fugitive Prince," and began "Grand Conspiracy" before I finally found a copy of "Ships of Merior." It was a great relief to understand (at last!) the many back references."Ships of Merior" was originally the first part of a huge hardcover, with "Warhost of Vastmark" being the second half. I think this explains the slow pace of the book; it's not meant to stand on its own, even within the series; it's meant to set up "Warhost." We open a few years after the battle that ended "Curse." Arithon has been traveling with the Masterbard, while Lysaer has been living in Etarra. Dakar is sent to Arithon, and is unaware, for quite a long time, that he has found him; Arithon is nothing if not a master of disguise. The story takes Arithon and Dakar (who can become tiresome in his drunkenness and hatred of Arithon) through several seemingly unconnected events, while Lysaer begins to take control of Tysan and gathers an army to destroy Arithon. Eventually, the brothers meet in yet another climactic battle, in which Arithon again uses guile and shadows to drive Lysaer back, at a great cost in lives. A strength of this series is the pain both brothers feel when others die in their personal war; all too often, common soldiers die and it is merely regretable, but Arithon feels each death like his own, and Lysaer (though becoming less likeable) is also tormented. Sadly, the Mistrwraith's curse twists his pain away from the obvious course -- peace -- into renewed determination to capture and kill his brother. Thus do the Wars of Light and Shadow (fortunately for us, unfortunately for the characters) continue. The transitions between events are not always smooth, and some motivations are a bit sketchy. For example, Dakar distrusts Arithon because he misinterpreted Asandir's reasons for memory-blocking the Master of Shadows in "Curse," and because he doesn't know why Arithon used dark sorcery during the battle in Strakewood. This is not clarified well. Also, Wurts continues to overwrite. She rarely seems content with one adjective where she can fit two, or a simple sentence where she can twist it around. Still, "Ships of Merior" does a wonderful job of showing the characters moving through their world. Elaira takes a larger role, Lysaer shoulders the burdens of a kingdom and a cause (at some cost to his original morals), and Arithon's prickly, difficult character is examined in greater depth; he has quickly become my favorite hero/anti-hero.
Rating:
Summary: slow but rewarding, despite overwriting
Review: As is unfortunately typical for me, I read this series out of order; this comes from gaps in bookstores' stock and my own impatience. I first met Arithon and Lysaer in "Warhost of Vastmark," then read "Curse of the Mistwraith" and "Fugitive Prince," and began "Grand Conspiracy" before I finally found a copy of "Ships of Merior." It was a great relief to understand (at last!) the many back references. "Ships of Merior" was originally the first part of a huge hardcover, with "Warhost of Vastmark" being the second half. I think this explains the slow pace of the book; it's not meant to stand on its own, even within the series; it's meant to set up "Warhost." We open a few years after the battle that ended "Curse." Arithon has been traveling with the Masterbard, while Lysaer has been living in Etarra. Dakar is sent to Arithon, and is unaware, for quite a long time, that he has found him; Arithon is nothing if not a master of disguise. The story takes Arithon and Dakar (who can become tiresome in his drunkenness and hatred of Arithon) through several seemingly unconnected events, while Lysaer begins to take control of Tysan and gathers an army to destroy Arithon. Eventually, the brothers meet in yet another climactic battle, in which Arithon again uses guile and shadows to drive Lysaer back, at a great cost in lives. A strength of this series is the pain both brothers feel when others die in their personal war; all too often, common soldiers die and it is merely regretable, but Arithon feels each death like his own, and Lysaer (though becoming less likeable) is also tormented. Sadly, the Mistrwraith's curse twists his pain away from the obvious course -- peace -- into renewed determination to capture and kill his brother. Thus do the Wars of Light and Shadow (fortunately for us, unfortunately for the characters) continue. The transitions between events are not always smooth, and some motivations are a bit sketchy. For example, Dakar distrusts Arithon because he misinterpreted Asandir's reasons for memory-blocking the Master of Shadows in "Curse," and because he doesn't know why Arithon used dark sorcery during the battle in Strakewood. This is not clarified well. Also, Wurts continues to overwrite. She rarely seems content with one adjective where she can fit two, or a simple sentence where she can twist it around. Still, "Ships of Merior" does a wonderful job of showing the characters moving through their world. Elaira takes a larger role, Lysaer shoulders the burdens of a kingdom and a cause (at some cost to his original morals), and Arithon's prickly, difficult character is examined in greater depth; he has quickly become my favorite hero/anti-hero.
Rating:
Summary: slow but rewarding, despite overwriting
Review: As is unfortunately typical for me, I read this series out of order; this comes from gaps in bookstores' stock and my own impatience. I first met Arithon and Lysaer in "Warhost of Vastmark," then read "Curse of the Mistwraith" and "Fugitive Prince," and began "Grand Conspiracy" before I finally found a copy of "Ships of Merior." It was a great relief to understand (at last!) the many back references. "Ships of Merior" was originally the first part of a huge hardcover, with "Warhost of Vastmark" being the second half. I think this explains the slow pace of the book; it's not meant to stand on its own, even within the series; it's meant to set up "Warhost." We open a few years after the battle that ended "Curse." Arithon has been traveling with the Masterbard, while Lysaer has been living in Etarra. Dakar is sent to Arithon, and is unaware, for quite a long time, that he has found him; Arithon is nothing if not a master of disguise. The story takes Arithon and Dakar (who can become tiresome in his drunkenness and hatred of Arithon) through several seemingly unconnected events, while Lysaer begins to take control of Tysan and gathers an army to destroy Arithon. Eventually, the brothers meet in yet another climactic battle, in which Arithon again uses guile and shadows to drive Lysaer back, at a great cost in lives. A strength of this series is the pain both brothers feel when others die in their personal war; all too often, common soldiers die and it is merely regretable, but Arithon feels each death like his own, and Lysaer (though becoming less likeable) is also tormented. Sadly, the Mistrwraith's curse twists his pain away from the obvious course -- peace -- into renewed determination to capture and kill his brother. Thus do the Wars of Light and Shadow (fortunately for us, unfortunately for the characters) continue. The transitions between events are not always smooth, and some motivations are a bit sketchy. For example, Dakar distrusts Arithon because he misinterpreted Asandir's reasons for memory-blocking the Master of Shadows in "Curse," and because he doesn't know why Arithon used dark sorcery during the battle in Strakewood. This is not clarified well. Also, Wurts continues to overwrite. She rarely seems content with one adjective where she can fit two, or a simple sentence where she can twist it around. Still, "Ships of Merior" does a wonderful job of showing the characters moving through their world. Elaira takes a larger role, Lysaer shoulders the burdens of a kingdom and a cause (at some cost to his original morals), and Arithon's prickly, difficult character is examined in greater depth; he has quickly become my favorite hero/anti-hero.
Rating:
Summary: this is great!
Review: How can you choose between night and day? That is the dilemma you will find yourself in when reading Ships of Merior. It's easy to want to sit on the fence and be on both sides, both the light (lysaer) and the shadow (arithon). But you WILL choose sides as much as you love both characters. You will follow their every move as you follow the intricate twists and turns of this amazing book that I still can't believe I hadn't read until now. I couldn't put it down. You can't go wrong with this one!
Rating: 
Summary: Didn't make it through this book...
Review: I am not sure quite how to review this book since I never actually finished it. It took me over a month to come within 150 pages of the end. I am not a slow reader and my interests are very broad. But I just could not bring myself to continue reading this book anymore. What is so frustrating is that I found the first book, Curse of the Mistwraith, so enjoyable; in fact, I read it in two or three days. The concept of pure justice, as embodied in Lysaer, in contest with nearly pure compassion (Arithon) is an interesting plot. This series, The Wars of Light and Shadow, has garnered much praise for Janny Wurts both on this site and elsewhere. And while I agree with much of the praise for Curse of Mistwraith, the first installment, I must disagree for Ships of Merior. This book is very predictable. By itself that isn't necessarily a detriment. But it is also slow. It sort of wanders its way through the plot. Her phrasing is awkward at times. There doesn't seem to be anything new in terms of character development. I was hoping to find out more about Dakar in this book. Maybe that was relagated to the last 150 pages I couldn't make it through. His increasing bitterness and anger toward Arithon is, unless I missed something, inexplicable. And, predicatably, he keeps showing up at the wrong time and place to spoil Arithon's plans. Maybe Dakar is Arithon's albatross. Long books and series are the rage these days. Witness Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series. Well written verse keeps the pages turning and the reader engrossed, no matter the length. But many authors just fill up space with words. Ships of Merior could have been reduced to about half its wordage and still conveyed the basic plot without sacrificing reader enjoyment. Despite this book I think Janny Wurts is a good author. In my opinion, her best work is the Rift War Saga parallel series written in collaboration with Raymond Feist.
Rating:
Summary: Didn't make it through this book...
Review: I am not sure quite how to review this book since I never actually finished it. It took me over a month to come within 150 pages of the end. I am not a slow reader and my interests are very broad. But I just could not bring myself to continue reading this book anymore. What is so frustrating is that I found the first book, Curse of the Mistwraith, so enjoyable; in fact, I read it in two or three days. The concept of pure justice, as embodied in Lysaer, in contest with nearly pure compassion (Arithon) is an interesting plot. This series, The Wars of Light and Shadow, has garnered much praise for Janny Wurts both on this site and elsewhere. And while I agree with much of the praise for Curse of Mistwraith, the first installment, I must disagree for Ships of Merior. This book is very predictable. By itself that isn't necessarily a detriment. But it is also slow. It sort of wanders its way through the plot. Her phrasing is awkward at times. There doesn't seem to be anything new in terms of character development. I was hoping to find out more about Dakar in this book. Maybe that was relagated to the last 150 pages I couldn't make it through. His increasing bitterness and anger toward Arithon is, unless I missed something, inexplicable. And, predicatably, he keeps showing up at the wrong time and place to spoil Arithon's plans. Maybe Dakar is Arithon's albatross. Long books and series are the rage these days. Witness Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series. Well written verse keeps the pages turning and the reader engrossed, no matter the length. But many authors just fill up space with words. Ships of Merior could have been reduced to about half its wordage and still conveyed the basic plot without sacrificing reader enjoyment. Despite this book I think Janny Wurts is a good author. In my opinion, her best work is the Rift War Saga parallel series written in collaboration with Raymond Feist.
Rating:
Summary: An extremely enjoyable story
Review: I have rarely ever read a book in which I enjoyed the main character and his struggles as much as I did in this book. Very vivid and very emotional plotline. As with any epic series, the story does move very slow at times, but by the end you are still wishing to read the next book to find out what happens. I will be very eager to read the newest edition in the series when it goes on sale this fall.
Rating:
Summary: Building up on "Mistwraith"
Review: I loved this book. I think that Arithon is much more interesting than Lysaer, who has become a pompous arse. Arithon's struggle to accommodate his loss of Mage sight is courageous, along with his determine to follow the MasterBard's wishes to go to his family and tell his story. The Fellowship of Seven, although sneaky, are a lot of fun to read about. The way they are written about makes me able to see them while I read. This is a great series--and although it did take me a while to get started--it is truly worth the effort, because the majority of the book moves very quickly.
Rating:
Summary: Great book--
Review: I loved this book. I think that Arithon is much more interesting than Lysaer, who has become a pompous arse. Arithon's struggle to accommodate his loss of Mage sight is courageous, along with his determine to follow the MasterBard's wishes to go to his family and tell his story. The Fellowship of Seven, although sneaky, are a lot of fun to read about. The way they are written about makes me able to see them while I read. This is a great series--and although it did take me a while to get started--it is truly worth the effort, because the majority of the book moves very quickly.
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