Books - Janny Wurts - Wars of Light and Shadow

Wiki for Janny Wurts
Wiki for Wars of Light and Shadow
Janny Wurts publisher Page
Janny Wurts Amazon Hub

I first stumbled across Wurts when I was reading through "The Magician" series. She co-wrote the Empire Trilogy. And, to this day, it's the only part of the series I ever go back and read. And her influence is stamped all over the work. The complexity that is in play in that trilogy far out strips the rest of The Magician series.

Which got me interested in reading her other stuff. Being a sucker for long fantasy series I started on the Wars of Light and Shadow. I've finished the first 9 books. There are 11 planned (last two aren't out yet).

The series is so very good. The quote from wiki is a good detail of why

The idea for the Wars of Light and Shadow originated while researching tactics and weapons. A documentary film on the brutal Battle of Culloden Moor gave her the historical sense of the fighting stripped of any romantic patina. It also helped her realize that education, written history and entertainment serve to justify the actions of the winners and portray the losers as morally wrong and evil. The series attempts to portray the fictional conflict of Lysaer and Arithon in sympathetic terms, illustrating each side with equal pathos

This quote from Tor helps clarify the transition of the series which is very different to most series.

One of the most remarkable things about this series is that it doesn’t sprawl—it deepens. It doesn’t keep adding plot threads and characters. Instead, it continually adds layers of meaning and complexity to everything, from the history of the world to the background of the major players and factions. Wurts moves the markers from book to book, challenging the reader to reconsider previous assumptions at every turn.

The portrayal of both sides, the brutal details, the unspoken, the spoken, the flawed personalities and the cruelty that comes with honesty. The relationships between characters is really amazingly well done. The personal details of each person is engrossing and moving.

The first few books can be tough to get started on, because her writing style was not very fluent. But it's really worth sticking with, she gets much better later.

Anyways, if you like fantasy stuff, give it a go.