The Curse of the Mistwraith

The Wars of Light and Shadow, Book 1

By: Janny Wurts

Narrated by: Colin Mace

The stunning first volume in Janny Wurts’s epic tale of two half-brothers cursed to life-long enmity, now re-released.

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.

©2010 Janny Wurts (P)2024 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

'Give it a go. This is a very rich, detailed, immersive…there’s a hell of a ride ahead!' MARK LAWRENCE

‘Janny Wurts builds beautiful castles in the air…where every detail is richly imagined and vividly rendered.’ DIANA GABALDON

‘Astonishingly original and compelling.’ RAYMOND E. FEIST

Great story!

I've read this book many times, the first time being back in th mid 90's. As a whole, I really enjoy it and was super excited to be able to enjoy it in audio format. I must say, I wasn't disappointed. The narration was well done and as a whole, I enjoyed listening. I hope that the rest of the series finds it's way to audio format.

Amazing storytelling

I’ve been waiting for this book to come out on audio for a long time and it was worth the wait! Highly recommend for any lover of epic fantasy

Must read

I’ve loved this series for decades and to experience it in an audio format is a true joy. The narrator does a wonderful job of bringing this story to life. I can’t wait to listen to the rest of the series.

Excellent story and world building

A world I'm excited to spend more time in. I hope the record the follow up books soon.

Reader pauses so much

Only on chapter 3 but I'll update if I finish the book.
Trying to push on bc I've heard good things about the series but the reader is really difficult to listen to. Reminds me of the AI reader on MS Word and ridiculously long at each comma. sped it up because it boring at reg speed, but then it's just words really fast with constant pausing. Maybe the wording cumbersome and he's slowing down to annunciate? the writer does seem to be overly words describing unimportant details, but rushes through the back story in chapters 1 and 2.

Excellent book

We need the rest of the series recorded. It is a travesty that we cannot experience this narration for every book

Narrator speaks slowly.

Better listening experience at 1.1 speed
Love the story. Hope all of the books become audio books.

Long awaited

A marvelous and fluid reading, excellent audio quality. I hope every book in the series gets an audio book version like this.

The start of a masterpiece

Janny Wurst has created something I have seen very few authors do in the fantasy genre and I am in awe of the brilliance and creativity. In the first volume of this 11 book epic fantasy series, Janny builds up an elaborate world, stacked up the history with layers of lore and magic, and laid the ground work for the rest of the series to come. I have also been told by the author that everything I just read has the potential to be turned on its head in many different ways. Not since I have read Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson have I had this much excitement for the novels and revelations to come!

Before I get into all the positives of the novel I will need to touch on some of the shortcomings. This book is challenging and not an easy read to get through. Much in the same way as Malazan, you will need to pay close attention to the characters and the history as they will be important down the road. You must also have faith that the author will deliver on the promises laid out in this series. Although I have only read the first book, I have been told by lifelong fans that Janny Wurst delivers on the buildup and promises but she will make you work for it. You will not be spoon fed the answers like a warm piece of apple pie! Please also note that the middle section of this book is very slow at times and plot mainly focuses on travel, political, and the building up of the threats to the land. Slow burns don’t bother me at all but some readers will find this a major deterrent. I want everyone to be prepared of what to expect.

Now on to all of the positives with The Curse of the Mistwraith. The story revolves around a prophecy that the land of Athera, which currently exist in a state of eternal fog for the past 500 years, will be vanquished by a prince who wields the powers of light and shadow. The prophecy was half right in that the powers are split into 2 half brothers: Arithon is the Master of Shadow and Lysaer is the Lord of Light. The two brothers are accompanied by the Sorcerer Asandir and his apprentice Dakar sometimes refereed to as the Mad Prophet as it is his prophecy which all hope the brothers will fulfill. Asandir takes on the Gandalf type role of the story as the history, lore, factions, and traditions of Athera are told from his perspective. The plot slowly builds to the last 200 pages where the fireworks start and the plot kicks into hyperdrive. I won’t get into spoilers but I’m just letting it be known that the investment has a great payoff at the end.

Janny Wurst writes Curse of the Mistwraith as a high fantasy novel with beautiful and descriptive pros. There will not be info dumps as the tale and histories will be told organically and slowly over the course of the story. Janny also does something very interesting when it comes to switching the character narrative during a chapter. Each chapter is divided into several sections with a new character taking over, but the fun part comes at the end of each chapter. Janny will write 3 short paragraphs detailing an important event taking place in other parts of the world. I found myself referring back to these again and again as you normal expand on that short paragraph in the next chapter. This is a writing technique I have never seen used in this way and it was welcoming to learn something new. Not everything will be answered in this book and the rug will be pulled out from up you (or so I have been told).

I had a great time reading the first book in this epic series. Although The Curse of the Mistwraith asks a lot from the reader and I did struggled at times getting through the middle section, the groundwork has been built and I can see great things coming in future novels. I don’t know when, but I will be continuing with this series and I know Janny Wurst will knock this out of the park! Fans of Malazan will enjoy this series and it is one Under the Radar series I am happy to have started.

Cheers!

Such a joy to listen to

One of my favorite books of all time! I can only hope there are enough purchasers to insure the recording of the rest of this magnificent series. I long now to listen to The Ships of Merior! First rate among fantasies, this series deserves a large audience.