Didn't really like TRHC -- Will I like her other books?

[ioet]

Hi all, I'm wondering if I should give Wurts' series starting with The Curse of the Mistwraith a go...

I just finished To Ride Hell's Chasm, and I have to say I wasn't particularly impressed. BUT I really enjoyed the beginning with the set-up of court intrigue and characters clashing with each other. I got bored however at the halfway point when he finally found the princess, and I honestly felt like the writing was being wayyy too redundant (constantly reminding us how much field experience Mykkael had, harping on all the pain he has been through in his life, etc) and... I just got bored.

I finished it and I have to say that while I like the IDEA of the ending (since I really didn't see any chemistry between Anja and him anyway!), I just did not like the way it was executed. And I also disliked the depictions of stark evil given to the sorcerers, with no blurred lines.

So my question is: is it worth it to give Mistwraith a try? I'm asking because it seems like most people really liked the second half of TRHC but I preferred the first half.

Any comments appreciated!

And if anyone knows any other authors who do the court intrigue thing well, feel free to suggest those too.

 

[Bunami]

For myself, Mistwraith is one of the best if not the best fantasy series I have ever read.

I have read all of Janny's other novels and I loved the 3 books she did with Feist, top notch writing with great political intrigue.

Having said all of the above, I found her other writings pretty average to be honest. I only tried the Mistwraith series because I loved those 3 Empire books that she co-wrote but boy am I glad that I did, it truly is epic in scope, up there with Eriksons Malazan series (which still holds the No1 all time spot for me at this stage) and a lot more character depth then you get with Martin's ASoIaF.

Thats my 2 cents =P

 

[biodroid]

My wife read the first 3 in the series which started with the Mistwraith and she said it was one of the most gripping stories she has ever read. She has not read any GRRM yet but compared to Robert Jordan, which she has read the first 6 she says Wurts is way better. I am going to get the first 3 on my Kindle someday as I read the sample chapter and it hooked me straight away. I think a lot of the chrons would say that this trilogy is one of her best and they really rate her up there with GRRM and the high calibre writers out there. I say give it a go. If you don't like it well then at least you tried.

 

[Chaoticheart]

The Wurts series is very good early on, but I found it slowed down horribly in the third arc (as bad if not worse than in Jordans later books). The first two arcs (Mistwraith through to Vastmark) are spectacular though, and I highly recommend them to anyone.

edit: My personal favourites of hers are The Cycle of Fire trilogy and Master of Whitestorm.

 

[Clansman]

TRHC is a very different book than are the eight books (ninth being released October 27, 2011) of The Wars of Light and Shadow. Stylistically, the structure of TRHC is very similar to most of what Wurts does (i.e. an unveiling intrigue and build up during the first half of the book, with a tipping point about 1/2 or 2/3 through, with a blistering pace to the end of the book (when I get a new Wurts book, I typically am reading the last half well into the wee hours of the morning)). However, I for one feel that her style leaves her best suited to the big epic, because her vision is so broad, and what she is trying to do with the big series is so much more than merely entertain.

I will respectfully disagree with Chaoticheart. While Jordan goes wandering for five books and the characters keep doing the same, stupid things, I found arc three (The Alliance of Light storyline) did some very deliberate things (developing Arithon, Dakar, Elaira, and Sulfin Evend, plus unveiling the true nature of the Koriathain, stripping the layers of illusion from Lysaer, plus a bunch of other things). Wurts does not waste a word, and never writes filler. If you feel like a passage is filler, then re-read it and remember it. It will come back at you later on, and you skim at your peril. Stuff from Ships of Merior and Fugitive Prince was being resolved five books later in Stormed Fortress, stuff that on first read seemed superfluous.

I would add that the big series is a slow read. Don't try to gobble these books down, as you will miss important details. They are a fine feast, that requires careful chewing and slow digestion, and sips of fine wine, to truly appreciate it.

As for blurred lines, there are lots. The Sorcerers in TRHC were necessarily evil, because they sought alliance with soul-eating demons in order to achieve power, and which led to the enslavement of millions, thus example of human corruption. In TWoLaS, people are acting because they believe their cause is just (not so in TRHC, as the demon-possessed are simply seeking to consume everything). It is very real, very human, and very blurred. However, you can see the right of the situation, while understanding the motives of a so-called "wrongdoer".

 

[Clansman]

This was a post from "Annette" on Janny Wurts' home page. It eloquently explains what I was trying to say:

I like lots of authors and their books but would never consider signing up for a forum or chat area for any of the others. While I like most of Janny's books, I was never inspired to collect all of them till I had read the WoLaS series, the only other book of Janny's where I grew as attached to the characters was Ride to Hells Chasm. It is the way Janny has brought her characters to life in the series that makes me want to read more about them. They are not just characters, they are people she brings to vivid life for us, each one no matter their part in the story is interesting. The other reason I love reading the series is the complex and multi layered story, as we get further into the story, re-reading the books will change what we see in them and how we interpret what is happening. I am always a sucker for a good mystery and have never encountered another series where the author has tempted us so much to delve into a world that changes in complexity depending on how we look at it, how many books we have read and how much time we have invested in re-reading the books. Janny has obviously put a lot of love, time and thought into the series, and planned it all out before she started. Other series are often just books that got too big for one, or just further adventures of the characters, but WoLaS is a story that evolves and and grows with each book, and each book affects how we interpret the previous ones. The books are not seperate (sic) but each a well polished gem part of one setting, as each is discovered the whole piece becomes more complex and stunning.