CURSE OF THE MISTWRAITH: Where the Atheran Journey Begins...

[Grimward]

Hey Soth!

Just a suggestion, and you've probably already figured this out, but if you're actually doing a review, and not just a response to the thread, you should probably post it here instead...

Cheers!

 

[Ross]

I'm sure at some point in the near future I will join you both, Clansman and Grimward, in the love of Janny Wurts

 

[Grimward]

And Dekket, The Procrastinator, and a whole list of others as well, Ross!

Or are you still waiting for some veiled event to occur as catalyst to fandom?

 

[Ross]

And Dekket, The Procrastinator, and a whole list of others as well, Ross!

Or are you still waiting for some veiled event to occur as catalyst to fandom?

Haha. Sounds good to me!

Can't wait

 

[devilsgrin]

ok, well i've recently finished CotMW... have to say, overall brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. There were a few low points tho... and the biggest has to be Dakar, i couldn't stand him. He's supposed to be a sorceror's apprentice, and is centuries old... yet he's so narrow-minded and judgemental. His opinion of Arithon is the best example of a person judging a book by its cover. Have to say i loathe both people and characters like this. throw in Dakar's alcoholism and you've got a character i could never like in a million years.
Asandir and Sethvir, heck all the sorcerors were great.
Lysaer was such a disappointment though. He had such promise, but even before the curse he'd failed it. Handsome, charming and dashing, the Light... yet inside, blacker than the darkest shadow.
I imagine i'm not alone in my near-adoration of Arithon... ???

 

[The Procrastinator]

Ah, Dakar - our beloved idiota. Maybe he'll grow on you...believe it or not, he does end up growing and not just sideways. Kicking and screaming all the way.

I agree with you about Lysaer - the golden apple hiding a worm - which makes Arithon the worm hiding a golden apple? I still hold out hope that Lysaer can find redemption of a kind, and that he can overcome that worm.

Welcome to the Arithon fan club, devilsgrin, he's one of my favourite fictional characters ever.

 

[Grimward]

Dakar does grow on you DG, albeit sometimes like a rash...

And regarding the series, it just gets better. Not only that; the next book (if you're fortunate enough to get your mitts on it in the same way I procured mine) is the thousand page Ships of Merior, although it may have only been published that way in the States (not sure about this), containing also Warhost of Vastmark. If not available that way, Ships of Merior is still next, but you'll have to find Warhost as a separate book. A little confusing how the publishing agreement was handled differently in different countries....

 

[Clansman]

Grimward, you are correct. Ships of Merior, as a hardcover, was published together with Warhost of Vastmark in one volume, only in North America. If you can find a hardcover in decent shape, do it. The UK edition, (UK editions also are distributed for the rest of the English speaking world outside North America), was split between Ships and Warhost, which of course they had to do with the paperback everywhere(or the thing would simply fall apart).

New editions out next year though in North America! Still waiting on the final details.

 

[dekket]

Originally posted by Devilsgrin

ok, well i've recently finished CotMW... have to say, overall brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. There were a few low points tho... and the biggest has to be Dakar, i couldn't stand him. He's supposed to be a sorceror's apprentice, and is centuries old... yet he's so narrow-minded and judgemental. His opinion of Arithon is the best example of a person judging a book by its cover. Have to say i loathe both people and characters like this. throw in Dakar's alcoholism and you've got a character i could never like in a million years.

Actually the evolution of Dakar's character is one of the themes that I quite enjoy, probably because I was awaiting him to gain a bit of maturity and, as Asandir (though it might have been Sethvir) once said "attain the stability of diamond".

Glad you enjoyed Curse, hope you have a copy of Ships to jump right into.

 

[Clansman]

Actually the evolution of Dakar's character is one of the themes that I quite enjoy, probably because I was awaiting him to gain a bit of maturity and, as Asandir (though it might have been Sethvir) once said "attain the stability of diamond".

I couldn't agree more. Dakar is annoying at first, because he is supposed to be. He is a wonderful comic foil, also. Just wait for the scene at the gates of Jaelot in Ships of Merior. It had me in tears with laughter. Devislgrin, watch for Dakar's development. It is a theme that slaps you over the head, so you can't miss it.

Dakar is easily one of my favourite characters now. For an actor to play him, the guy I keep thinking of is the one who played Friar Tuck in that awful Kevin Costner adaption of the Robin Hood story, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. Michael something is the guy's name. If only they had cast a different lead actor...

 

[devilsgrin]

glad to hear the books only get better. i'll have to dive into Ships as soon as possible then. Luckily i know several bookshops nearby that always have the first three books.... and one or two that have the whole series all the time (oh how i love Borders book stores... best ones in Oz).
i'll have to wait and see if Dakar does indeed grow on me. I'll keep an open mind.

 

[Clansman]

I'll keep an open mind.

If you don't, your likely to have it opened for you in reading this series!

 

[Ross]

Well i'm roughly 200pages into this book and I'm very impressed

It's starts off better than To Ride Hell's Chasm I think and i'm hoping it can only get better

 

[Clansman]

Well i'm roughly 200pages into this book and I'm very impressed

It's starts off better than To Ride Hell's Chasm I think and i'm hoping it can only get better

You ain't seen nothin' yet, brother!! Tragedy, strife, enmity, hope and healing, all mixed together, are just around the corner. She's gonna rip your heart out, and stuff it back in in a way that seems upside down. Hopefully you will look at our own world slightly differently as a result.

And you have 7 more big fat books to read for the first of several times. Geez I'm envious of you.

 

[Grimward]

I'm sure this sounds predictable ("Grimward? Big on Janny Wurts? NAAAAAHHHHH!"), but if you liked Janny's world creation chapters (as I like to think of them) that much, Ross, you'd better grab hold of something quickly, or you're liable to shoot thru the roof in a chapter or two.....

 

[Ross]

I'm sure this sounds predictable ("Grimward? Big on Janny Wurts? NAAAAAHHHHH!"), but if you liked Janny's world creation chapters (as I like to think of them) that much, Ross, you'd better grab hold of something quickly, or you're liable to shoot thru the roof in a chapter or two.....

I don't think the chair i'm sat in will keep me down! I think I have some rope somewhere....

 

[Ross]

Just ordered 4 of the 5 books of the next Arc (if that's what you call it).

Fugitive Prince isn't in stock at play.com or amazon where I usually buy my stuff.

So does any of you guys know a good place I can get it from sharpish?

You can get a copy of Stormwarden from Play.com though. The others from the Cycle of Fire series are also out of stock thought. May get them at some point

 

[Clansman]

Ross, with the recent site changes, locations of members are no longer shown on each post, but I think I remember you being in the US (eastern seaboard?). You are stuck with second hand copies in North America until this summer, when each book of the series is being re-released at the rate of one a month (CotMW in May, SoM in June, WoV in July, and then, for a break, TRHC in August. Arc III books will apparently be released in the fall, leading up, I suppose, to the release of Initiate's Trial.

To get FP, order it from this link: Amazon.co.uk: Fugitive Prince
It costs about $15 USD, and your shipping will be a similar amount, so it will cost you about $30 USD all in. Given your obvious addiction, this does not appear to be an obstacle for you!

There are always the 2nd hand copies (some of the hardovers were cheaper than the new paperback), which I found in abundance on amazon.co.uk, but the only problem with them is that the author does not get paid, and let's face it, Janny deserves some coin for this amazing series. I am sure you could find 2nd hand copies at amazon.com, and at ABE books, etc.

Cycle of Fire, Master of Whitestorm, This Way Lies Camelot, and Sorcerer's Legacy are all out of print, so you must get second hand copies.

 

[Ross]

I live in the UK, England to be exact

I'll have a look around. I am seriously addicted. Almost 200pages through the 3rd book. That's a few days reading

 

[Grimward]

He had relatives/friends here on the east coast, Mr. Clansman Sir, is perhaps what you were remembering.

Go Ross Go!

And, as Clanny notes, you should have a slightly easier time of it right now than you would if you lived here. Also, there are book club editions of all the books in hard back over in your neck of the woods, even for Stormed Fortress. Not sure what their arrangement is with Janny as far as royalties go, but they're a pretty decent package (though Janny's full cover prints on the Harper Collins/Meisha Merlin books edge out the new cover theme, in my humble opinion).