Product Description

Where there is light, there must always be shadow! The fourth volume in Janny Wurts's spectacular epic fantasy, now re-released with a striking new cover design along with the rest of the series. The schism began with two half-brothers empowered to subdue a Mistwraith. In revenge it cursed them to a life of perpetual conflict. Each believes absolutely in his cause, and loathes the other for opposing it! Lysaer, Prince of the Light -- a charismatic leader sworn to set humanity free from sorcerous oppression. He claims divine power to safeguard his people from an enemy he is convinced will destroy them. Arithon, Master of Shadow -- a trained mage who wishes for nothing but to defuse war, and search out the vanished old races who hold the key to restore the world's shattered peace. When Koriani enchantresses join forces with Lysaer, new intrigues upset Arithon's hard-won autonomy. Faction is set against faction, heart against heart, and the scene is set for an explosive recurrence of war. The curse of the Mistwraith echoes eternal!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #116992 in Books
• Published on: 1998-04-06
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 576 pages

Review
Praise for the Wars of Light and Shadow: 'Astonishingly original and compelling! A gifted creator of wonder' Raymond E Feist 'Janny Wurts builds beautiful castles in the air ! where every detail is richly imagined and vividly rendered' Diana Gabaldon 'It ought to be illegal for one person to have so much talent' Stephen Donaldson

About the Author
Janny Wurts is the author of the Cycle of Fire series, co-author of the worldwide bestselling Empire series with Raymond E. Feist, and is currently working on the Wars of Light and Shadow series. She often paints her own covers and is also an expert horsewoman, sailor, musician and archer.

Customer Reviews

4 stars or 5???
Having found Fugitive Prince a thoroughly enjoyable read I find myself hovering between a 4 or 5 star rating. Whilst the plot has been masterfully developed and the characters brought to life superbly my one comment would be that it is all beginning to get a little bit too heavy. I realise that Janny has to cater to the occasional reader who has not read the previous three books but for those of us who have, the wars of Lysaer and Arithon - the princes of 'light and dark'- would be far more enjoyable without going over ground that has already been covered.
As such my only negative comment would be that while I understand the need for them, it would be nice to see slightly less time devoted to reading the character descriptions and traits which are well known to those of us who have read all of the set.
Having said that I still believe this is a wonderful development of a plot which has been beautifully crafted through a series of fantastic novels and I can't wait to see what happens and how it ends.
I would have no compunction in recommending this book to anyone with a liking for a fantasy world where nothing is as predictable as it may first appear. Throughout the book the story comes to life and the reader is lead into a position where it is hard to make any judgements or take sides in any way. Unlike many fantasy books there is no clear 'Good' or 'Evil' but merely a number of groups all of whom believe entirely in their own causes. To the reader they may at first come across as being somewhat blinkered in their outlooks but as this book demonstrates it is simply viewing things from a different angle.
An enjoyable read which has great depth and a number of layers of understanding.

Great installment
After hugely enjoying the first books in this series i was worried the quality would dip but i was worried for nothing. Fugitive Prince is an excellent book furthering the development of the plot and broadening its scope. The ongoing conflict is compelling and the differing obsessions of the main characters makes for a fascinating tale. A fun read.

A great book that leads the story on
I had to reply here in response to some of the comments.

First, I would agree that it is a slower book in the series. Janny herself has admitted that this book contains a lot of 'set up' information. Having read the next 2 books, I can see the need for this information.

Each time I reread it, I pick up new things - I am still trying to tie information and clues together which, for me, keeps a series alive.

The characters are rounded out more fully in this book - we begin to truely feel the conflict that each character feels. Arithon is not rude, as suggested above, but can at times, only protect his dignity and hide the depths of his grief by being abrasive. His problem is that he feels too much not too little. Lysaer truely believes in his task. He also feels grief but we begin to see the way the curse is leading him and influencing those around him. Elaira becomes more torn between the love she bears and the edicts her order holds her to.

This is an excellent series and the slower books must be taken with a bit of grace. It is well worth the time it takes. My problem is always the wait between - Hurry up with the next one Janny...!