Peril's Gate (Wars of Light and Shadow, Book 6)

For the uninitiated, I would recommend reading the first in the series, Curse of the Mistwraith, and continue on through the set. The tragedy, however, is that most of the series is out of print. Further, the latest one, Traitor's Knot, had to be ordered through Amazon, as my local bookstore never seems to have any books by Janny Wurts. I'd recommend buying just the first one, or check your local library first, rather than buying the entire set at once. For many, Janny Wurts is incredibly wordy. True, her books are long (my hardcover copy of this book runs to about 700 pages), yet in truth she challenges the reader to understand and visualize her well-crafted fantasy world, empathize with her complex characters, and follow the twists of her far-reaching plots.Peril's Gate continues the tale of two half-brothers, Lysaer and Arithon, having drunk from a fountain which sustains life for 500 years, then held in thrall of a curse which binds them to enmity, as heirs to two royal lines they plunge the world of Athera into war. As a backdrop, the lands have been split for centuries - the ancient royal lines had been ousted from power, persecuted and hunted like wild animals by the narrow-minded townborn people, they become clans living in the wilds, forests and mountains. Through deceptive statesmanship, wholly in thrall by the curse, Lysaer rallies the townborn to destroy Arithon, who is supported by the clan lines. Worse, each brother has an inherent gift - Lysaer has the gift to summon light, Arithon that of darkness...and as people naturally associate light with good, dark with evil, it takes little persuasion to convince others that Arithon is demonspawn, dubbed the Spinner of Darkness. Never mind that Arithon is Athera's Masterbard, trained to mastery of magic, and sanctioned by the mysterious group of Sorcerers dedicated to the protection of Athera known as the Fellowship of Seven.In this latest installment, we see Arithon hounded on all sides by Lysaer and his allies, through harsh mountains in winter, until he finally seeks sanctuary in Kewar Tunnel, known as Davien's Maze. This Maze is the gate to peril which the title refers to. It was created by a rogue member of the Fellowship of Seven, a Sorcerer of brilliant artistry, who had instigated the rebellion which overthrew the royal lines. For that act, he gained the title of Davien the Betrayer. The Maze is a complex series of tests, not the least of which is to examine the traveler's guilty past and conscience. Each death caused by a person's hand is experienced through the eyes of the victim, their widow, their children. No memory, no matter how far back in a person's past, is exempt from blistering reexamination. Those who have trod the Maze before have been rendered mad with guilt, trapped in their minds by unending rings of compassion for their victims. This is the danger into which Arithon treads, fully aware that his ancestor died as a result of entering the Maze, and that upon his gifts as Masterbard, master of magic and shadow, and last heir of the High Kings, rests the possibility of healing the division between the townborn and clans, the return of the Paravians (centaurs, unicorns and elves) and the safety of all Athera against the wraiths which are crossing space to invade the world.I cannot speak highly enough of Janny Wurts - her works put most authors to shame. Rather than clothing her characters in drab descriptions, she understands them, highlights their flaws and strengths. This Maze that she devised lets the reader truly understand the character of Arithon to dizzying depths. This then, is her strength, while she deftly weaves disparate plot threads with seeming ease, and brings the reader to understand the mythical fundamentals of spellcraft.I highly recommend this book.

As always, Ms. Wurts weaves a take of hope and despair, light and darkness, life and death, such that the reader loses track of time and reality... Her style is not for everyone, and it seems to me that most either love it or hate it, but I happen to be one of those who love it and feel richer for having found this epic story and it becoming part of my life.In this sixth book in the series, the curse is triggered by the witches, using an unsuspecting young man as the bait for Arithon, who knowingly throws himself into the trap, following his principles and ready to give his life for that of an innocent person. His return to the continent aroused the network of fanatics around the Prince of Light and with the help of the witches they set on the heels of the trapped Spinner of Darkness. Beloved characters are imperiled and as always, danger surrounds not only Arithon and his friends, but the faith of the world and possibly the universe itself. The ones who are capable of protecting the fragile human existence and the continuation of the planet as is, are stretched to their limits and the arisen crisis could be the final straw... Ignorance of the dept of the problem is a major problem, because those who also wheeled power keep compounding the problem instead of assisting in its solution. The circumstances are dire... Enters a player whose motives are very questionable and whose history is less than reliable, but he might be the extra boost the Fellowship and Arithon need in order to survive...I was mesmerized by this difficult and painful chapter of the saga, often overwhelmed by despair and full of empathy for all involved. I feel such angst towards the curse which twists even the best intentions of our leading characters, and the seeming futility of their struggles to overcome it. I really hope that by the end of the series we could see this curse toppled and our heroes able to at least temper the harm they have created while under its influence... We will have to wait and see 👀Now I wish you all Happy reading and may you always find what you need in the pages of a good book! 😃

I loved the first 3 books I was enthralled by the main character Arithon. These books are rich in fantasy and imagery .Perils Gate is a continutation and Arithon is on the run. He is forced to chance the trial of Davien Maze. Davien is a delightfull charcter.The reason I rated this at 3 stars is the ridicous amount of emotional angst. 'Cry Mercy" was use every other paragrah by Elaira which started to make me dislike her for cowardicee. She was so brave, so this disonnace is jarring. This book needed to be edited to reduce the tiresome self pity and sorrow and destructive guilt. Plus the language to awe gets overdone.. I hope that the next book gets better. The world is consistent and very well explained. I enjoyed Sulin and his expansion of character. Donot read this book before the first . The books build on each other.

A brilliant scintillating climax of a book as each battle Arithon must face, whether with his half brother, or with the Koriani, or with the myriad of characters and forces along the way stops my heart in fear that he will be killed or destroyed. His beloved Elaira is with him in spirit as he faces the most grueling trial ever - Kewar's Maze. Here he faces the most his fearsome enemy -- himself and his deeds -- and finally comes face to face with a mighty centaur. All others have died in this maze.I repeat - Mistwraith is an incredibly compelling, action filled, gut wrenching, heart stopping adventure with one of the most incredible love stories I've read in a long time.

This is a wonderful and epic series!Wurts isn't an easy author to read, especially not for a non native speaker. She demands attention to detail. It's not a 'bus book,' and not a 'just before you fall asleep book' either. Wurts' prose is dense, complex, and her plot and her characters' motivations reveal themselves slowly, and sometimes I feel like every single word in this series has a specific purpose.The world building is spectacular, and there's centuries of history, dozens of races, and so much to discover...This is epic fantasy at its best, and I highly recommend that any fan of the genre pick it up and stick with it. It's worth it and incredibly compelling.

The saga continues as you would expect as the series approaches its final book. The two characters of light and darkness struggle on as before and I wonder which if any of the two will dominate the final outcome. The style of writing has been consistent right through from book one. This is a good story to curl up on at night. I started reading this Janny Wurts saga twenty years ago. Enjoy it at your leisure.

So gripping I've read nothing else since I read the first in the series last October. If you want your head taken over by an incredibly familiar but alien world with the most amazing characters, creatures and plots then this is the series for you. Do start with the first Curse of the Mistraith.

ANOTHER GOOD BOOK FROM JANNY WURTS. COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN. IT IS WELL WRITTEN AND YOU FEEL THAT YOU ARE THERE WITH THE CHARACTERS, SEEING AND HEARING WHAT THEY ARE.

I love this series of books. The characters are engrossing the story well written. I have recommended the whole series to fellow Sci Fi fans