Customer Reviews
So Disappointing - By: Penny, 16 Jul 2008 
Have I been reading the same book as the other reviewers? I've followed this series from book one & up until Traitors Knot thought it was by far the best fantasy series I had ever read.Then the rot setin with TN, the characters became more improbable & stopped behaving as they hadin the past for no apparent reason, & I began not to enjoy. I had hoped for an improvementin what was supposed to be the "final" book but I have been sadly disappointed. The bizzare behaviour of some of the characters was tiresome & did not fit with their past personalities. The whole book seemed mainly descriptive padding & there was no real conclusion to anything. Somehow I have stopped caring about the people any more, they have become unpleasant & the way every scene or action is always filled with "extreme" emotions means everything loses impact.I had hoped eventually to read the real "final" book to find out what happens to the main characters but clearly this series is going to be spun out as long as possible. As the main protagonists have at least a 500 year life expectancy & the books only cover the first 30 - 40 years it looks as though there are several dozen more to come. Sorry, I have lost my patience with the series & I won't be bothering with any more.
Overwrought and overlong - By: A. Parish, 22 Jun 2008 
This series started so well, but somewhere along the way it turned into a soap-opera. I kept up with each installment, but my enthusiasm began to wane as the longwinded flowery prose dragged on & on & on....
It got to the point that I felt that I had to keep reading, as I have already invested so much time into the books. Was Stormed Fortress really going to be the end of the marathon? I thought so, but as I read though the final pages I realised that no - the show must still go on.
Unfortunately, as each book comes out & time goes on, the writing becomes even more self indulgent & it gets harder to stomach - much like the previous fawning 'reviews' for this book.
This book ended up getting thrown across the roomin disgust. My journey with Janny ends here.
A plea to Amazon.co.uk - By: Iain Bright, 04 Mar 2008 
This was a fantastic ending to Arc III, & was well worth the long wait! I can't wait for the next Arc to be published.
To the un-initiated, you don't know what you are missing! Janny Wurts is a brilliant author.
To finish, this is a plea to Amazon to keep publishing her books. You will break our hearts if you stop, & leave usin agonising suspense as to the fate of Arithon et al. So, please, please keep up the good work!
WELL WORTH THE WAIT!!! - By: Angus F. Bickerton, 07 Feb 2008 Wow -- This book has it all: intrigue, suspense, epic battles, romance, tragedy, bravery, evil, & incredible strength. The trouble is that I can hardly talk about the contents without creating spoilers.
This is the last bookin The Alliance of Light, which is the third story arcin The Wars of Light & Shadow, & as a result a lot of sub-plots are wound up, &in a way that makes the faithful reader of this series almost explode with each turn of the page. This is easily the strongest book of The Alliance of Light arc. So many loose threads are wrapped up & woven into the tapestry of this series that the reader feels somewhat sated at the end, yet enough is left undone that leaves the reader eagerly awaiting the beginning of Arc IV (as yet untitled). The Wars of Light & Shadow is an epic series with five story arcs. Arc IV & V remain, & will likely total three books (by the author's estimation), to add to the eight already releasedin this series.
What I find most thrilling about Stormed Fortress, & the series as a whole, is that it isin no way predictable. The villainsin this series are multi-dimensional, believe themselves to be on the side of right, & at times are sympathetic. Also, the so-called good guys are not necessarily good all the time. The conflict is a very human one, & is therefore very honest. There is no Dark Lord here, but rather the much more ordinary & everyday human evil, which is perhaps much harder to face. As a result, this read is not escapism, but it is a book (and a series) that makes you better for having read it.
Wurts uses the siege of the s'Brydion fortress of Alestron to focus the conflict between the half-brothers Arithon & Lysaerin such a manner that the conflict really becomes a battle inside all of the individual characters, not just the brothers. This is Wurts' main strength. Her characters are all distinct, & do not remain static from book to bookin this long a series, which is a complaint that I have about much epic fantasy. Also, her writing is a rich weaving of words that create a tapestry that is evocative of a time when the reading world was not dumbed-down by text-messaging, e-language & reality television. Her prose is beautiful & multi-layered, her command of the written word is inspiring, & her world-building is unparalleled.
Do not read this book as a stand alone. If you have not read anyin the series yet, start with The Curse of the Mistwraith, as The Wars of Light & Shadow is now at eight novels, & it is complex & full of sub-plots & developments that require the series to be read as a whole. It is truly epic fantasy that tackles issues of personal & societal morality, & it is not light sword-and-sorcery fluff. There is even an obvious & yet unintentional parallel with current eventsin our world, which shows how history so easily repeats itself. To the reader who has not started this series, I am envious of the great first-time reading that you will enjoy. A fabulous book, well worth the overseas shipping .
Exponentially better - By: Jeffrey L. Watson, 06 Feb 2008 Each volumein the Wars of Light & Shadow gets exponentially better than the one before because the layers upon layers of carefully laid & woven storyline, back history, & 'science' of this world become more & more clear. This volume, the culmination of Arc 3 of the entire series & the last bookin the Alliance of Light, leaps forward & proves that this series is not like any other currently being written. Many of the carefully presented & crafted details laid outin the previous volumes come togetherin a crescendo that will not disappoint. Yet, I'm sure there are still details waiting to be uncoveredin the future two arcs.
In this book, the characters undergo changes & events that will leave no doubt that the author knows where the story has gone before & where it is heading next. If you got waylaid somewhere along the line with this series I recommend you pick it up again, it is well worth both the read & the ride.
