Song of the Mysteries

The Wars of Light and Shadow, Book 11

By: Janny Wurts

Narrated by: Colin Mace

The hugely anticipated final volume of The Wars of Light and Shadow brings this widely acclaimed, masterful epic fantasy series to its powerful, earth-shattering close.

‘It ought to be illegal for one person to have so much talent’ STEPHEN DONALDSON

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

‘Astonishingly original and compelling … A gifted creator of wonder’ RAYMOND E. FEIST

IN THE FINAL BATTLE OF LIGHT AGAINST SHADOW, warring factions prepare to meet the bare fist of Arithon’s fury, sparked by the execution of the innocent murdered by divine decree.

As the Fellowship Sorcerers clash with rebellious dragons bent on catastrophic annihilation, those faithful to the True Sect raise armies to extinguish the clans and fight a last, bloody conquest of the free wilds. All while the Prime Matriarch courts reckless power to seize charge of Mankind’s destiny.

As contention threatens to snap the final restraint of old Charter Law, bitter strife and vicious ambition threaten to revoke humanity’s right to inhabit the world. The only hope of survival for all lies in the recovery of the Paravians, those who last called Athera home before Mankind.

The true hearts of heroes will be challenged in the savage fires of conflict; Elaira and Daliana’s steadfast loyalties must rise against the odds or fall as Lysaer’s reckoning collides with the Mistwraith’s secretive machinations. But not before Elder Powers arise to claim their debt for a grievance spanning millennia …

THE EPIC FINAL VOLUME OF THE WARS OF LIGHT AND SHADOW SERIES

Enjoy this groundbreaking epic fantasy series in order:

CURSE OF THE MISTWRAITH (volume one)

THE SHIPS OF MERIOR (volume two)

WARHOST OF VASTMARK (volume three)

FUGITIVE PRINCE (volume four)

GRAND CONSPIRACY (volume five)

PERIL'S GATE (volume six)

TRAITOR'S KNOT (volume seven)

STORMED FORTRESS (volume eight)

INITIATE'S TRIAL (volume nine)

DESTINY'S CONFLICT (volume ten)

SONG OF THE MYSTERIES (volume eleven)

©2024 Janny Wurts (P)2024 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

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

Love the story; uneven performance

First, really satisfied with the conclusion to this series. I’ve been reading it since the first book came out and it’s probably been the most influential fantasy series in my life.

Sadly, I found the narrator very erratic. He (mostly) did a great job with dialogue and managed the unique proper nouns well, but often the prose sections were stilted with weird pauses and little nuance. Every now and then he’d get it right, but that just made the other places even more lackluster and frustrating. I’m not sure if he was rushed or just not comfortable with the prose (if you know Wurts’s work, you know she loves complex vocabulary and elaborate sentence structure.) For example, why in the world when describing a window, do you need an excessive pause between “latched” and “open”?

Oh my goodness!

A fitting end to an absolutely astounding series. Or wrapped up things I didn’t even realize needed wrapping lol. I’m awfully glad Elaira got equal billing in the end and Daliana finally realized her own worth! I was somewhat confused by the dragon business but that’s probably my aging mind lol. Bottom line I loved it and am so happy with the whole series. Now if there’s enough interest for audible to offer the whole series in audio I’ll die happy!

The Ending of an Epic

At long last we have arrived at the finale for The Wars of Light and Shadow series by Janny Wurts. A series thirty years in the making since book one The Curse of The Mistwraith was first published in 1993 and according to Janny, fifty years since the idea first came to her brilliant mind. Through my friendship with Janny and relentless support for this series in the blogging sphere, I was gracious enough to be put on Janny’s beta team to read this epic conclusion. The time has finally come for me to talk about it as Song of The Mysteries will be released in May 2024. When this is all said and done The Wars of Light and Shadow will stand as a pillar of the fantasy genre for years to come. This will be a spoiler free review but I will be touching on events from the previous books in the series.

Broken and shattered from the barbaric execution of an innocent child under Arithon’s protection by the True Sect, he recovers in the confines of Althain Tower under the watchful eyes of the Fellowship. Now whole once again with the return of Ciladis The Lost, the seven will have to disperse and tackle the growing threat looming beyond the borders of The North Gate. Elaira sits by the Prince of Shadows bedside knowing the sacrifice he has made for better part of two hundred and fifty years to keep her safe from the prying glare of the Koriani now under the rule of a new Prime. History from the past has been discovered and Lirenda has her eye set on the one person who has caused her so much pain and suffering. 

The True Sect marches on the clans and the free wilds under the disguise of religion cleansing but what was once a beacon of hope has turned into corruption and rage. Lysaer sits with his servant Dace (Daliana in disguise thanks to Davian’s spell) imprisoned by the True Sect with no hope or way to know how to change the tides of fate. The only hope rests in the Paravians returning to the land of Athera before it is too late. Meanwhile the Elder powers of the Biedar have a trump card to play in story ahead and it will send shockwaves to all.

I realize that I’m being vague with these plot points but there is no other way for me to talk about this concluding volume without going into spoilers and I do not wish to ruin anything for readers. Janny’s writing absolutely shines here as it did with all her books in this series but even more so due to several different plot threads converging in a way I did not see coming and long time fans will love every second of it. 

One thing special about Songs is the breakneck speed Janny goes into the story from the first page. Normally with Janny’s books and especially in this series she will ease you in slowly and meticulously before the pace picks up, but not here. After the first chapter we are racing in a nonstop plot similar to how Janny wrote Traitors Knot and she will not let you up for air for one second. Each chapter will end with a bang leading up to the ultimate final chapters. I will say this now, Song of The Mysteries is Janny’s best written book to date. It has the painful and emotional moments of Perils Gate with the epic scope and battles of Stormed Fortress all wrapped up in one. This is a triumph not only for Janny but fantasy lovers all over the world.

The Wars of Light and Shadow series will forever stand as my favorite Epic fantasy series of all time and this finale volume is the final nail in the coffin for me. From beginning to end the amount of emotional gut punches, foreshadowing, themes of free will, war, love, power, and so much more will always stay with me until my last breath. Thank you Janny for delivering us your Magnum Opus in a time when we all need it. 

Cheers!