Stormwarden

Rating:
Summary: I wonder why she's not more popular than she is!
Review: An excellent novel about the coming of age of 3 children and their destinies. Although the plot is not entirely unique, Ms. Wurts has a knack of vividly portraying her characters that makes us love them. This is even more evident in her more recent series, the Wars of Light and Shadow. In any case, the adventures of Jaric and Taen inspire hope and keep us in suspense, and this remarkably talented author manages to create a world without too much of the dreary detail that encumbers many other epic fantasies. A fresh and vivid tale that inspires the imagination. (Ms. Wurts' apparent fondness of the ocean is rather a distinguishing trait of her works, don't you think?).

Rating:
Summary: Compelling, original Story
Review: Excellent story about the Stormwarden who is falsely accused and arrested due to a plot of an arch rival. Interesting twist in the story. Anxious moments while the Stormwarden has to rely on the help of a almost useless boy and a young semi crippled girl, whilst facing so many enemies. When you reach the end you just have to rush off and find book 2, with out delay to find out what happens next. Very Compelling. Excellent writer.

Rating:
Summary: What kind of magic is that??!?!?
Review: OK, I liked this book as well as the whole trilogy. The plot was solid (even if there was a little too much sailing), the characters were interesting, and the story moved along pretty good. That being said, this has to be THE WORST explanation of magic in any story I've ever read!

Magic coming from a crashed spaceship whose AI implants living crystals into your body is about the lamest idea I have ever read. AWFUL AWFUL AWFUL AWFUL!!!!!!!!!!

Rating:
Summary: A story about children for adults
Review: The Cycle of Fire is the coming of age story of three children, Taen and Emien the children of a fisherman who died at sea and Jaric Ivainson, an orphan and a scribe. These gifted children stand at the nexus of forces beyond their control. It is also the story of Vaere trained sorcerer, Anskiere, a master of wind and wave. Lastly it is the story of power struggles between human and human. Over all of this hangs the very real threat of conquest by the demons. STORMWARDEN begins the tale and deals primarily with Taen. She is lame from an accident and something of an outcast. When Anskiere is arrested for committing a crime against the people through the use of his powers, Emien is happy to see him go, but Taen remains faithful. And so begins the division between the two of them. For Taen it is the first step towards her destiny. For Emien it is the beginning of a long slide towards his. STORMWARDEN is a masterfully crafted tale of the trials and tribulations faced by the three children and the decisions they make. But more importantly it deals with the consequences of those decisions.

Rating:
Summary: Not as good as I expected
Review: The problem, I think, lies in the fact that read the Wars of Light and Shadow before I read Stormwarden. Although there is no doubt that Ms Wurts is an excellent writer, I found this book somewhat unoriginal. Both Taen and Jaric are represented as handicapped children who overcome their problems and find strength when confronted with their fates, which sounds like a typical children's fairy tale. For some reason, I find myself unable to relate to these characters. The rapid development of Emien, Taen's brother, becoming an "evil" character is also unrealistic. A further, rather disappointing surprise, is the fact that the Vaere is a computer, mixing fantasy with unimaginative science fiction (and I'm afraid I'm a fantasy fan). Compared to the Wars of Light and Shadow, Stormwarden remains in the shadow.

Rating:
Summary: Great characters! Fantastic passion!
Review: This is the book that made Janny Wurts one of "my" authors. The suspense and tremendous emotion of the book outpaces anything I have read since Mercedes Lackey's "Last Herald Mage" trilogy. The series gets better and better