The Curse of the Mistwraith / Janny Wurts

The Curse of the Mistwraith

category: fantasy, author:

Janny Wurts

book 1 of The Wars of Light and Shadow
original copyright 1993,
read in April 2011

Agamedes' opinion: 5 out of 10

In this long-winded and episodic book, Wurts has missed Vonnegut's second rule for writing a good story: "Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for."

The book begins with a clear indication that there will be a war of good versus evil. With "evil" being, in fact, a good guy. Then we meet the half-brothers who will represent good and evil. And neither of them is particularly sympathetic.

Okay, I can generate some sympathy for evil-half-brother. Clearly, he's good. Except that he's such a moody, self-centred, trouble-making creep that... who cares. And why waste sympathy on someone who is going to be loathed for an unknown number of very thick books?

Good-half-brother in even worse. He's shiny, clean, pure -- and clearly slated for jealous rages and abuse of power. Super-magician uses his powers for manipulation and deceit. Humourous side-kick has apparently spent 500 years as an apprentice; it's no use hoping that he'll even be anything other than a drunken fool.

There is one girl who appears occasionally. She may turn out to be the designated love interest. Maybe the two half-brothers will fight over her? Who knows. Who cares...

Are we meant to cheer for the gangs of murderous thieves who have spent 500 years raping, pillaging and keeping alive their loyalty to the long-departed royal family? Is there some logic to the instant acceptance of a new king simply because he is a member of the long-lost royal family? Okay, super-magician says that good-half-brother will make a good ruler... but we already know that super-magician is a manipulative control freak with a sadistic streak and bad judgement.

I had a thought, while reading: What has happened to the original races who managed the land? They are painted as mystical, caring, all-powerful -- and living quite well, until humans attempted to kill everyone. One of the characters actually asked about them. Has anyone asked them to return, he says. Oh yes, he is told, One person went looking but didn't come back... so we never tried again. Good grief.

Then there's the "plot".

I wish I could remember David Astle's salad phrase from a recent episode of Letters and Numbers... Let's call it "rotten salad": A construction where the main aim is to include as many "features" as possible, regardless of their value to the overall structure. Wurts has provided a "rotten salad" of a book: Throw in as many monsters, characters and complexities as possible -- and hope that it all adds up to a story.

Sorry. It doesn't.

Worse yet, this is just volume one. Of how many? Who knows... as many as possible while Wurts milks the theme without bothering to reach a conclusion, I guess.

I failed to reach half way. Then read the last couple of chapters.

Characters I had not yet met have just been slaughtered. The two half brothers hate each other. Super-magician and his side-kick seem to off on their own adventure.

What a waste of paper.

Don't bother to even start.

..o0o..

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