Peril's Gate (Wars of Light and Shadow) (Hardcover)

Arithon is once again hunted by the Alliance of light, led by his halfbrother, who have allied themselves with the Koriathain. The Fellowship is troubled by loose Khadrim, an invasion of Wraiths from Marek, and the Mistwraith nearly having acomplished freeing itself.

We get to meet Davien and see a Paravien or two. It makes it very hard to await Stormed Fortress

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No-one who embarks upon this series can ever fail to fall in love with (or at least strongly identify with) Janny’s main character. The trials she puts him through are enough to make anyone pity, and then burn, bleed and sweat for this character. It’s compelling.

But you should not discount the other characters in this series. I don’t mean Lysaer – he pales into insignificance, as he has so little knowledge of the true meaning of events. No, look at Sethvir and Asandir. You really believe Janny when she shows you how these men have survived and fought centuries of conflict and loss in her world.

I also have a soft spot for Morriel; she’s just so deliciously determined that she is right. Though, I do hope that Elaria takes a big stick and clobbers the rest of her order about the head.

It is hard to hate anyone. Janny does a wonderful job of asking you to judge evil for yourself. As the reader, you know more about the significance of events than anyone save perhaps Sethvir and the Paravians. The character’s don’t have our omnipotence, and the motives of each are shown to be molded by their ignorance. Even Arithon is shown to be wrong on occasion, and he torments himself with it.

As he torments himself with everything.

If I have a gripe about the series, it is that reading it can seem like you are being repeatedly whacked around the head with the same despairs. The main action of Ships of Merior and Warhost of Vastmark seems to me to be the same disaster in different settings. Arithon endlessly tortures himself with regrets about past events. And if he isn’t doing it, someone else is.

Peril’s Gate, for example, includes what amounts to a long recap of everything that has already happened to him, and he worries about the whole thing afresh. Although there are indications that in the next book, we might be able to move forward.

This series inspires strong emotion. Mostly longing that the author will hurry up and write the next installment.

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Another example of the bad pace are the multiple times in the story where we are told some character must make a split-second decision; upon which we are then treated with 2-3 pages of the character intensely contemplating what s/he should do in the next second. Doh!

Secondly (and perhaps I am a minority here), I am finding it increasingly difficult to emphatize with the characters in these books. The reason is that every one of them is painted as either black or white; every character in the book can be considered either divinely good (Arithon and his bunch), diabolically evil with no redeeming attributes (Lysaer, the Witches and a few of his henchmen), or good but fighting in an evil cause (most of Lysaer's henchmen). Also, every character in the books are described as being brave, unbowed, giving their all for their cause though harried to the end of their endurance, etc. No ordinary humans on Athera, that's for sure (the only one, Dakar, has now converted to join the divinely good fraternity).

Finally, the flowery prose. This is the reason I love Wurt's writing, but unfortunately also the reason why I am beginning to dislike it. After 100 pages describing how beat up, worn out, on the edge of endurance, unwashed, etc. Arithon is, I'm sure we know how he looks. This book could be half its current size and it would be much better.

IMO, this book should never have been written (it was, incidentally not in the original publishing plans either). All it does is blow up the size of a series which is looking increasingly unmanageable, and though a few important plot developments occur, I fail to see why they should require 700 pages!! As a long time fan of the series, I plan on buying the next (and hopefully the final in the Alliance of Light cycle) book, but if there are no significant improvements in this story, I doubt that I will continue reading it.

So why 2 stars? Well, there are a few wonderfully evocative passages in the book. There is no doubt that Wurts knows her stuff, and can write like few others. Just a pity she overdoes it.

If you're a new reader, my suggestion is that you try some of her other work. If you're an old reader of her work and getting tired of it; stay away from this one (unless you're really wanting to punish yourself).

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