The Curse of the Mistwraith (Paperback, New edition)

Wurts, coauthor (with Raymond E. Feist) of Mistress of the Empire (1992), etc., embarks on a massively ambitious five-book sword-and-sorcery epic involving good and evil, light and dark, and two warring half-brothers. On the "splinter" world Dascen Elur, the half-brothers Arithon and Lysaer grow up as deadly enemies, victims of a family feud; at last both are banished through a magical Gate; along the way they acquire 500-year lifespans, and eventually arrive on the world Athera, where both brothers are heir to mighty kingdoms. Athera, however, is afflicted with the Mistwraith, a sentient fog that hides the sun and causes climatic deterioration. Both bothers' magical powers - Arithon, Master of Shadows, was tutored in sorcery at Fauven; Lysaer, the self-taught Lord of Light, projects laser beams - are needed to defeat and confine the Mistwraith. But inbred into Lysaer is the need to seek justice, whatever the cost; into Arithon, forgiveness; and the banished Mistwraith has left behind a powerful curse, urging the brothers to their mutual destruction. After 300 pages of battles and musings, Lysaer retires to train new armies, while Arithon becomes apprentice to a master musician. A tremendous amount of hard work but no signs of genuine talent, composed of gnarled writing, a farrago of plot elements, and ideas no better than mediocre retreads. (Kirkus Reviews)

The stunning first volume in Janny Wurts's epic tale of two half-brothers cursed to life-long enmity, now re-released with a striking new cover. Let each who reads determine the good and the evil for himself Athera is besieged by the Mistwraith, which blights the land and dims the mysteries guarded by the last fugitives of the old bloodlines. But from a prophecy springs hope: the gifts of two brothers - one dark, one fair, raised on opposite sides of a relentless war - when paired may challenge the Mistwraith's invasion, though at brutal cost... Arithon, Master of Shadow, musician and mage, commands the power of illusion and darkness. Taken prisoner in battle, his fate falls to his half-brother, Prince Lysaer - a man endowed with the gift of light through the mother they share. Lysaer is the legitimate son of a king who was betrayed by his queen's choice to father Arithon by his mortal enemy but that does not save him: Vengeful fury drives the king to banish both Lysaer and Arithon from the world they know to the troubled realms of Athera beyond the Worldsend Gate. The two exiles are thrown together by hatred and spilled blood - then bound by destiny to champion Athera's sundered heritage. The highest stakes ride the backlash of their conflict - they must reforge their adverse ideals into balance, or destroy the etheric grace of a culture all but lost to antiquity. A subtle and intricate tale of morality and difference, justice versus compassion, told with epic scope and real magic, Curse of the Mistwraith remains a modern classic of the fantasy genre.

General

Imprint:	Voyager
Country of origin:	United Kingdom
Series:	The Wars of Light and Shadow, Book 1
Release date:	August 1994
First published:	November 2004
Authors:	Janny Wurts
Dimensions:	176 x 110 x 37mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Paperback - Mass Market
Pages:	830
Edition:	New edition
ISBN-13:	978-0-586-21069-7
Categories:	Books > Fiction > Genre fiction > Fantasy
LSN:	0-586-21069-5
Barcode:	9780586210697

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