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Wars of Light and Shadow
The Sundering Star
Long before Mankind sought refugee settlement on the world of Athera, Koriathain served as a secret society, sworn to humanitarian intervention. In a short story from these ancient roots, a young woman bound between two clandestine identities faces a terrible choice, while caught in the teeth of a pivotal encounter that must alter her fate, and the course of history.
Sundering Star is best read before Arc IV - Sword of the Canon, as bits in it come into play as Arc IV opens up.
Originally printed in Under Cover of Darkness anthology, also available as standalone in both Kindle and ebook formats on the Author's website.
Sundering Star is best read before Arc IV - Sword of the Canon, as bits in it come into play as Arc IV opens up.
Originally printed in Under Cover of Darkness anthology, also available as standalone in both Kindle and ebook formats on the Author's website.
- GenresFantasyScience Fiction
23 pages, ebook
First published February 6, 2007
1 person is currently reading
355 people want to read
About the author
Janny Wurts
106 books1,934 followersJanny Wurts is the author of War of Light and Shadow series, and To Ride Hell's Chasm. Her eighteen published titles include a trilogy in audio, a short story collection, as well as the internationally best selling Empire trilogy, co authored with Raymond E. Feist, with works translated into fifteen languages worldwide. Her latest title in the Wars of Light and Shadow series, Destiny's Conflict, culminates more than thirty years of carefully evolved ideas. The cover images on the books, both in the US and abroad, are her own paintings, depicting her vision of characters and setting.
Through her combined talents as a writer/illustrator, Janny has immersed herself in a lifelong ambition: to create a seamless interface between words and pictures that will lead reader and viewer into the imagination. Her lavish use of language invites the mind into a crafted realm of experience, with characters and events woven into a complex tapestry, and drawn with an intensity to inspire active fuel for thought. Her research includes a range of direct experience, lending her fantasy a gritty realism, and her scenes involving magic crafted with intricate continuity. A self-taught painter, she draws directly from the imagination, creating scenes in a representational style that blurs the edges between dream and reality. She makes few preliminary sketches, but envisions her characters and the scenes that contain them, then executes the final directly from the initial pencil drawing.
The seed idea for the Wars of Light and Shadow series occurred, when, in the course of researching tactic and weapons, she viewed a documentary film on the Battle of Culloden Moor. This was the first time she had encountered that historical context of that brutal event, with the embroidery of romance stripped from it. The experience gave rise to an awakening, which became anger, that so often, our education, literature and entertainment slant history in a manner that equates winners and losers with moral right and wrong, and the prevalent attitude, that killing wars can be seen as justifiable solutions when only one side of the picture is presented.
Her series takes the stance that there are two sides to every question, and follows two characters who are half brothers. One a bard trained as a master of magecraft, and the other a born ruler with a charismatic passion for justice, have become cursed to lifelong enmity. As one sibling raises a devoted mass following, the other tries desperately to stave off defeat through solitary discipline and cleverness. The conflict sweeps across an imaginary world, dividing land and people through an intricate play of politics and the inborn prejudices of polarized factions already set at odds. Readers are led on a journey that embraces both viewpoints. The story explores the ironies of morality which often confound our own human condition - that what appears right and just, by one side, becomes reprehensible when seen from the opposite angle. What is apparently good for the many, too often causes devastating suffering to the nonconformist minority. Through the interactions between the characters themselves, the reader is left to their own discretion to interpret the moral impact of events.
Says Janny of her work, "I chose to frame this story against a backdrop of fantasy because I could handle even the most sensitive issues with the gloves off - explore the myriad angles of our troubled times with the least risk of offending anyone's personal sensibilities. The result, I can hope, is an expanding journey of the spirit that explores the grand depths, and rises to the challenge of mapping the ethereal potential of an evolving planetary consciousness... explore free thought and compassionate understanding."
Beyond writing, Janny's award winning paintings have been showcased in exhibitions of imaginative artwork, among them a commemorative exhibition for NASA's 25th Anniversary; the Art of the Cosmos at Hayden Planet
Through her combined talents as a writer/illustrator, Janny has immersed herself in a lifelong ambition: to create a seamless interface between words and pictures that will lead reader and viewer into the imagination. Her lavish use of language invites the mind into a crafted realm of experience, with characters and events woven into a complex tapestry, and drawn with an intensity to inspire active fuel for thought. Her research includes a range of direct experience, lending her fantasy a gritty realism, and her scenes involving magic crafted with intricate continuity. A self-taught painter, she draws directly from the imagination, creating scenes in a representational style that blurs the edges between dream and reality. She makes few preliminary sketches, but envisions her characters and the scenes that contain them, then executes the final directly from the initial pencil drawing.
The seed idea for the Wars of Light and Shadow series occurred, when, in the course of researching tactic and weapons, she viewed a documentary film on the Battle of Culloden Moor. This was the first time she had encountered that historical context of that brutal event, with the embroidery of romance stripped from it. The experience gave rise to an awakening, which became anger, that so often, our education, literature and entertainment slant history in a manner that equates winners and losers with moral right and wrong, and the prevalent attitude, that killing wars can be seen as justifiable solutions when only one side of the picture is presented.
Her series takes the stance that there are two sides to every question, and follows two characters who are half brothers. One a bard trained as a master of magecraft, and the other a born ruler with a charismatic passion for justice, have become cursed to lifelong enmity. As one sibling raises a devoted mass following, the other tries desperately to stave off defeat through solitary discipline and cleverness. The conflict sweeps across an imaginary world, dividing land and people through an intricate play of politics and the inborn prejudices of polarized factions already set at odds. Readers are led on a journey that embraces both viewpoints. The story explores the ironies of morality which often confound our own human condition - that what appears right and just, by one side, becomes reprehensible when seen from the opposite angle. What is apparently good for the many, too often causes devastating suffering to the nonconformist minority. Through the interactions between the characters themselves, the reader is left to their own discretion to interpret the moral impact of events.
Says Janny of her work, "I chose to frame this story against a backdrop of fantasy because I could handle even the most sensitive issues with the gloves off - explore the myriad angles of our troubled times with the least risk of offending anyone's personal sensibilities. The result, I can hope, is an expanding journey of the spirit that explores the grand depths, and rises to the challenge of mapping the ethereal potential of an evolving planetary consciousness... explore free thought and compassionate understanding."
Beyond writing, Janny's award winning paintings have been showcased in exhibitions of imaginative artwork, among them a commemorative exhibition for NASA's 25th Anniversary; the Art of the Cosmos at Hayden Planet
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
March 29, 2023
Opening note, this novella can only be purchased directly from the author's website https://www.paravia.com/JannyWurts/bo...
One might be forgiven, reading the first few paragraphs of "The Sundering Star", that you had mistakenly picked up some sci-fi novella reminiscent of "Star Trek", rather and a book that is intricately related to author Janny Wurts' seminal "Wars of Light and Shadow" Series.
But rest assured, dear readers, if you were looking for that sort of book - one that formed part of the "Wars of Light and Shadow" universe, you were not in the wrong place.
Jaw proceeding to swiftly hit the floor moment when I learned that "The Sundering Star" is set approximately 20,000 YEARS PRIOR TO the events of "Wars of Light and Shadow"!!!
In the novella, Wurts whisks us off to a place where Scathac, a world separate from that of Athera in the main series, exists. The planet of Scathac itself is painted by the author as a very bleak place, almost uninhabitable, deathly blazing hot in the day and frigid at night, where malnourished animals roam amongst volcanic ridges and flowing lava.
But one thing this seemingly barren and inimical environment has is precious minerals. The minerals are utilized in building ships capable of light speed. Thus Scathac becomes a highly strategically important location.
These minerals are of course, being extremely valuable, subject to those who want to exploit them. A mysterious and reclusive tribe native to Scathac, who inhabits the planet, are, at first, thought to be primitive, and merely a speed bump for mega trade organizations such as PanTac. PanTac is the group who capitalizes and exploits the minerals from Scathac.
PanTac has been created via the amalgamation of two other governments outside Scathac. PamTac has been involved in a long conflict with two competing governments.
The space military and intelligence entity Worldfleet, enforces PanTac's mandate of mining anything useful from Scathac. A small mining outpost staffed mostly by miners, is maintained by Worldfleet on Scathac.
Susan Amanda McTavish is a young high-flyer in Worldfleet, who has passed all their rigorous background checks and biometric assessments. At odds perhaps with much of their mandate, Worldfleet claims to value integrity and honesty above all else (the reader must suppose that only applies WITHIN the organization, and not necessarily to outsiders).
So that vaunted high moral standard, somehow doesn't preclude Worldfleet from being PanTac's henchmen, and also from conducting numerous clandestine operations, that appear decidedly in the purpose of self-interest.
McTavish's capabilities soon get the attention of the upper echelon of Worldfleet, for a specific purpose.
"The surgical mind unveiled by her psych tests brought a specialist's assignment to Cultural Liaison. There, her alert manner and linguistic fluency drew the acquisitive notice of Cover Intelligence."
But McTavish is a spy within a spy, and when Worldfleet dispatches her on a secret mission to seek terms with the native tribe on Scathac, and relocate them off-planet due to the threat of impending disaster, she discovers there is more to the mission than meets the eye. Worldfleet believes the tribal people of Scathac have magic, which of course Worldfleet also wants at their disposal.
Yet, McTavish's real name is actually Jessain, and she is a Koriani sorceress, sent by her superiors, who desire access to the tribal magic too.
Looming large, and ominous, is a newly created, diabolical weapon that can destroy worlds, trained on Scathac.
And Jessain, and the tribes on that planet, are squarely in its sights.
In just 25 pages, which for many sci-fi or fantasy books is merely a chapter, Wurts, once more, accomplishes the seemingly impossible, and makes us care deeply about a character's fate. And it's not an easy character, in my opinion, to care about, at first glance.
Of course, my viewpoint is slightly tainted because of what I have learned thus far of the Koriani in the main series, and from other novellas relating to the main series that I have read. Even though, at this point in the history of the enchantresses, Jessain makes them sound much more benevolent than my other reading of them.
Nevertheless, even though Jessain's mission from the Koriani seems mostly one of mercy, even humanitarian, there is the underlying usury that seeps through to cloud the reader's insight into Jessain's motives. The very implication of being a 'spy' normally can imply something potentially sinister.
But we soon learn that Jessain has in fact far exceeded the Worldfleet standards for integrity. She is much more than just an ambitious Worldfleet officer. She is much more than a scheming Koriani.
She is a wonderful, complicated, fascinating character, torn between multiple objectives, who is faced with an earth-shattering, convoluted decision, and impossible moral dilemma, that puts much more than her very life at stake. Wurts's makes us care about Jessain personally, as much as the decision in front of her, because of the author's fantastic characterization.
I won't say more about the tribal characters that appear in the book, but rest assured, they too are extremely well drawn.
If you read enough of Wurts' books in the "Wars of Light and Shadow", certain themes, like empathy and justice will be extremely prevalent, and overarching. Another theme one may find in Wurts' books are those of choice, and free will.
In Sundered Star, the protagonist Jessain is confronted with choice on an immeasurable scale. That is the main theme of the book: making the choice that does the greatest good, or perhaps - though it can appear as the same thing - merely the least harm.
Wurts' writing continues to be transcendent, and truly I go to some other place in my mind whenever I get to lose myself in her prose again.
"The stars blazed down, pinprick cold, on a hostile landscape, veiled under darkness....gusts rolled down off the volcanic heights, bitter and burning with chill...At each step she felt Scathac itself rejected her trespassing presence."
The uniqueness of the worldbuilding in this novella is that we plainly read a sci-fi novel that is directly connected to what seems to be, at first blush, a high fantasy series.
We are provided a brief look into Worldfleet, what its mission is, and its structure. We are treated to things such as compass with satellite tracking, space rockets, starships, mechanized all-terrain vehicles, and more that squarely placed "The Sundered Star" as in the sci-fi genre.
In an alternate world, with characteristic beautiful, evocative, uniquely lush and lyrical prose, incredible characterization, intrigue, advanced technology, moments of poignancy, danger, despair, tragedy, and ultimately hope, Wurts takes readers of her main series far, far back into time and space. Long before humans came to Athera, and the Mistwraith's geas settled, and two opponents, one representing Light, the other Shadow, grappled, with the fate of humankind in the balance.
Readers of this book who have read the "Wars of Light and Shadow" MAY discover some absolutely startling reveals that will be highly relevant for the main series.
Reading this book is a watershed moment for me, as I truly begin to slowly understand, in reading this novella, a sci-fi book, just how massive, daunting, and wondrously staggering the worldbuilding is that Janny Wurts has created for the "Wars of Light and Shadow".
I absolutely can't wait to read and understand even more.
One might be forgiven, reading the first few paragraphs of "The Sundering Star", that you had mistakenly picked up some sci-fi novella reminiscent of "Star Trek", rather and a book that is intricately related to author Janny Wurts' seminal "Wars of Light and Shadow" Series.
But rest assured, dear readers, if you were looking for that sort of book - one that formed part of the "Wars of Light and Shadow" universe, you were not in the wrong place.
Jaw proceeding to swiftly hit the floor moment when I learned that "The Sundering Star" is set approximately 20,000 YEARS PRIOR TO the events of "Wars of Light and Shadow"!!!
In the novella, Wurts whisks us off to a place where Scathac, a world separate from that of Athera in the main series, exists. The planet of Scathac itself is painted by the author as a very bleak place, almost uninhabitable, deathly blazing hot in the day and frigid at night, where malnourished animals roam amongst volcanic ridges and flowing lava.
But one thing this seemingly barren and inimical environment has is precious minerals. The minerals are utilized in building ships capable of light speed. Thus Scathac becomes a highly strategically important location.
These minerals are of course, being extremely valuable, subject to those who want to exploit them. A mysterious and reclusive tribe native to Scathac, who inhabits the planet, are, at first, thought to be primitive, and merely a speed bump for mega trade organizations such as PanTac. PanTac is the group who capitalizes and exploits the minerals from Scathac.
PanTac has been created via the amalgamation of two other governments outside Scathac. PamTac has been involved in a long conflict with two competing governments.
The space military and intelligence entity Worldfleet, enforces PanTac's mandate of mining anything useful from Scathac. A small mining outpost staffed mostly by miners, is maintained by Worldfleet on Scathac.
Susan Amanda McTavish is a young high-flyer in Worldfleet, who has passed all their rigorous background checks and biometric assessments. At odds perhaps with much of their mandate, Worldfleet claims to value integrity and honesty above all else (the reader must suppose that only applies WITHIN the organization, and not necessarily to outsiders).
So that vaunted high moral standard, somehow doesn't preclude Worldfleet from being PanTac's henchmen, and also from conducting numerous clandestine operations, that appear decidedly in the purpose of self-interest.
McTavish's capabilities soon get the attention of the upper echelon of Worldfleet, for a specific purpose.
"The surgical mind unveiled by her psych tests brought a specialist's assignment to Cultural Liaison. There, her alert manner and linguistic fluency drew the acquisitive notice of Cover Intelligence."
But McTavish is a spy within a spy, and when Worldfleet dispatches her on a secret mission to seek terms with the native tribe on Scathac, and relocate them off-planet due to the threat of impending disaster, she discovers there is more to the mission than meets the eye. Worldfleet believes the tribal people of Scathac have magic, which of course Worldfleet also wants at their disposal.
Yet, McTavish's real name is actually Jessain, and she is a Koriani sorceress, sent by her superiors, who desire access to the tribal magic too.
Looming large, and ominous, is a newly created, diabolical weapon that can destroy worlds, trained on Scathac.
And Jessain, and the tribes on that planet, are squarely in its sights.
In just 25 pages, which for many sci-fi or fantasy books is merely a chapter, Wurts, once more, accomplishes the seemingly impossible, and makes us care deeply about a character's fate. And it's not an easy character, in my opinion, to care about, at first glance.
Of course, my viewpoint is slightly tainted because of what I have learned thus far of the Koriani in the main series, and from other novellas relating to the main series that I have read. Even though, at this point in the history of the enchantresses, Jessain makes them sound much more benevolent than my other reading of them.
Nevertheless, even though Jessain's mission from the Koriani seems mostly one of mercy, even humanitarian, there is the underlying usury that seeps through to cloud the reader's insight into Jessain's motives. The very implication of being a 'spy' normally can imply something potentially sinister.
But we soon learn that Jessain has in fact far exceeded the Worldfleet standards for integrity. She is much more than just an ambitious Worldfleet officer. She is much more than a scheming Koriani.
She is a wonderful, complicated, fascinating character, torn between multiple objectives, who is faced with an earth-shattering, convoluted decision, and impossible moral dilemma, that puts much more than her very life at stake. Wurts's makes us care about Jessain personally, as much as the decision in front of her, because of the author's fantastic characterization.
I won't say more about the tribal characters that appear in the book, but rest assured, they too are extremely well drawn.
If you read enough of Wurts' books in the "Wars of Light and Shadow", certain themes, like empathy and justice will be extremely prevalent, and overarching. Another theme one may find in Wurts' books are those of choice, and free will.
In Sundered Star, the protagonist Jessain is confronted with choice on an immeasurable scale. That is the main theme of the book: making the choice that does the greatest good, or perhaps - though it can appear as the same thing - merely the least harm.
Wurts' writing continues to be transcendent, and truly I go to some other place in my mind whenever I get to lose myself in her prose again.
"The stars blazed down, pinprick cold, on a hostile landscape, veiled under darkness....gusts rolled down off the volcanic heights, bitter and burning with chill...At each step she felt Scathac itself rejected her trespassing presence."
The uniqueness of the worldbuilding in this novella is that we plainly read a sci-fi novel that is directly connected to what seems to be, at first blush, a high fantasy series.
We are provided a brief look into Worldfleet, what its mission is, and its structure. We are treated to things such as compass with satellite tracking, space rockets, starships, mechanized all-terrain vehicles, and more that squarely placed "The Sundered Star" as in the sci-fi genre.
In an alternate world, with characteristic beautiful, evocative, uniquely lush and lyrical prose, incredible characterization, intrigue, advanced technology, moments of poignancy, danger, despair, tragedy, and ultimately hope, Wurts takes readers of her main series far, far back into time and space. Long before humans came to Athera, and the Mistwraith's geas settled, and two opponents, one representing Light, the other Shadow, grappled, with the fate of humankind in the balance.
Readers of this book who have read the "Wars of Light and Shadow" MAY discover some absolutely startling reveals that will be highly relevant for the main series.
Reading this book is a watershed moment for me, as I truly begin to slowly understand, in reading this novella, a sci-fi book, just how massive, daunting, and wondrously staggering the worldbuilding is that Janny Wurts has created for the "Wars of Light and Shadow".
I absolutely can't wait to read and understand even more.
November 5, 2018
Excellent background short story for the Wars of Light and Shadow. And it's more sci-fi then fantasy, fact which did take me by surprise.
There is a sci-fi background to the series, though only hinted at, so this little story delivered yet another piece of the puzzle surrounding the civilisations of Athera in an absolutely refreshing manner and the same beautiful and elegant style I have come to associate with this brilliant author.
There is a sci-fi background to the series, though only hinted at, so this little story delivered yet another piece of the puzzle surrounding the civilisations of Athera in an absolutely refreshing manner and the same beautiful and elegant style I have come to associate with this brilliant author.
November 25, 2025
⭐⭐⭐ ║ A sharp hit of backstory for The Wars of Light and Shadow. This 25-page detour blew my mind with wild sci-fi elements and expanded a level of cosmic scope I had no clue was a part of this epic series until book 3. The Sundering Star mostly flew over my head because Janny transports us to the distant past and uses the lens of an unfamiliar character to drop concepts without holding anyone's hand. Hardly any exposition. No training wheels. I’m trusting the process and fully expect these pieces to click when I start arc three soon. I'm not a huge sci-fi reader, so this aspect of the series isn't entirely clicking with me yet. But I'm eager to give it a chance!
The Wars of Light and Shadow by Janny Wurts
Book 1: The Curse of the Mistwraith 5/5
Book 2: The Ships of Merior 5/5
Book 3: Warhost of Vastmark 5/5
Extras:
Prequel Novella (read any time): The Gallant 4/5
Prequel Short Story (read after book 1): The Decoy 4/5
Prequel Short Story (read after book 1): Reins of Destiny 3/5
Prequel Short Story (read after book 1): Child of Prophecy 4/5
Prequel Short Story (read after book 3): The Sundering Star 3/5
The Wars of Light and Shadow by Janny Wurts
Book 1: The Curse of the Mistwraith 5/5
Book 2: The Ships of Merior 5/5
Book 3: Warhost of Vastmark 5/5
Extras:
Prequel Novella (read any time): The Gallant 4/5
Prequel Short Story (read after book 1): The Decoy 4/5
Prequel Short Story (read after book 1): Reins of Destiny 3/5
Prequel Short Story (read after book 1): Child of Prophecy 4/5
Prequel Short Story (read after book 3): The Sundering Star 3/5
October 31, 2023
This was a very good short story in the Wars of Light and Shadow series. This time the story revolves around Jessian, a legendary almost mythological figure from the main series. Jessian is an unusual Koriani sorceress because she has a core of decency in her character. The Koriani aren't exactly known for their positive attributes! This tale fleshed out the Biedar tribe a bit more, and gave insight into Jessian's notorious legend.
January 11, 2025
The Sundering Star (Wars of Light & Shadow) sends the reader on an intriguing journey and is a fantastic read. I am addicted to this authors work.
Jannys’ work invites readers to unravel its intricacies layer by layer. It challenges them to confront the darkness within the narrative, suggesting that those who venture into this world will want to remain amongst the pages. She masterfully weaves together a tapestry of suspenseful storytelling. The narrative unfolds through edge-of-your-seat plots and chilling enigmas that ensnare readers from the very first page.
This story seamlessly blends supernatural and paranormal elements. I am addicted! This series is gripping and exciting. It is a tangled web that leaves you breathless and craving more. It is filled with loss and hope, magic and danger, suspense and tension, humour and action within a world where nothing is what it seems.
Jannys’ work invites readers to unravel its intricacies layer by layer. It challenges them to confront the darkness within the narrative, suggesting that those who venture into this world will want to remain amongst the pages. She masterfully weaves together a tapestry of suspenseful storytelling. The narrative unfolds through edge-of-your-seat plots and chilling enigmas that ensnare readers from the very first page.
This story seamlessly blends supernatural and paranormal elements. I am addicted! This series is gripping and exciting. It is a tangled web that leaves you breathless and craving more. It is filled with loss and hope, magic and danger, suspense and tension, humour and action within a world where nothing is what it seems.
December 5, 2013
Of the three Wars of Light and Shadow short stories, I found The Sundering Star to be the most fascinating, mainly because it's, surprisingly, more sci-fi than fantasy. At the same time, though the main series of books is fantasy, it does hint at this more sci-fi background, so the story worked well. I enjoyed these short stories (the others are Child of Prophecy and Reins of Destiny) because they enrich the main series, which I look forward to getting deeper into (I'm currently reading the second book, The Ships of Merior).
July 6, 2024
This made me want to chuck my kindle out the van in protestation at the layers of shockwaves this short story sent through me!!!
I read this short story after Peril's Gate and I found this to be a very good time to fit this one in, knowing enough of the background to have this story enrich the experience of reading the ongoing WOLAS main series.
Set in the far past, it explores the history of several characters prior to their appearance on Athera, amidst a secret daring mission to save the native inhabitants of a planet under imminent threat of complete and total annihilation.
I was gripped the entire time in awe filled fury at how blind I'd been at certain points in WOLAS where here the history and consequences were spelled out.
My favourite short story yet of the few I've read.
MUST READ if you are ongoing with the WOLAS series, recommended from after Fugitive Prince
I read this short story after Peril's Gate and I found this to be a very good time to fit this one in, knowing enough of the background to have this story enrich the experience of reading the ongoing WOLAS main series.
Set in the far past, it explores the history of several characters prior to their appearance on Athera, amidst a secret daring mission to save the native inhabitants of a planet under imminent threat of complete and total annihilation.
I was gripped the entire time in awe filled fury at how blind I'd been at certain points in WOLAS where here the history and consequences were spelled out.
My favourite short story yet of the few I've read.
MUST READ if you are ongoing with the WOLAS series, recommended from after Fugitive Prince
June 10, 2023
Short and sweet but perhaps too short, it's fun to see bits of history that are merely hinted at by the end of the 3rd book/second act of The Wars of Light and Shadow (where it says it is best enjoyed after per the website). There was hardly time to let its themes really sink in - it's perhaps TOO dense.
February 11, 2020
Not thrilled with this. As a short story, it seems to be trying to do too much for the space it holds. Perhaps it would be more satisfying if I'd read some of the things for which it is meant to be a prequil, but considered on its own, it would have benefited from more focus.
January 16, 2022
Working my way through the shorts now; blink-and-you'll-miss-it, I think this one might best be saved until after Stormed Fortress. More interesting for its pre-Atheran setting than anything, though I think anyone would find it hard to create something that resonates in this pint-size.
January 17, 2019
Mostly sci-fi with just a tad of fantasy. Good story.
September 5, 2022
Interesting but also had a bit of a weird feel. I don't know why though
June 13, 2024
OK, so there's some SF stuff going on behind the overtly fantasy series. Let's see how this pans out but I was pretty OK with it being just a fantasy realm.
February 2, 2015
Very very interesting short story connected to the Wars of Light and Shadow series. More science-fiction than fantasy backdrop, the story follows a double agent sister initiate of the Koriani order, facing a crucial choice. Featuring the right combination of angst and intensity, I liked to read this WoLaS story set in another world and which cast light from a different angle on the motivations of the Koriani gotha in the series, at least up to where I am now, Grand Conspiracy.
Though self-contained, this tale about the Koriani order before the arrival of humankind on Athera has a lot of intriguing information, and as I've seen connections with the events of the series starting with Fugitive Prince, I'm pretty sure more will come around in the following books.
Though self-contained, this tale about the Koriani order before the arrival of humankind on Athera has a lot of intriguing information, and as I've seen connections with the events of the series starting with Fugitive Prince, I'm pretty sure more will come around in the following books.
January 18, 2023
Very short story by Janny Wurts about the history around the War of Light and Shadow series. This is a Sci-fi story which is hinted at in the main series but not fully revealed. This story blew my mind and was a fantastic edition to the world. This should be read after Fugitive Prince in my opinion but the revelations and secrets that are revealed are game changing! I will now read the series in a different light. Job well Done Janny!
August 13, 2016
I had read this story before in "Under Cover of Darkness", a short story collection, but recently I was able to hear it read aloud by Janny Wurts at Minicon 49 in Minnesota. That was a treat! This is an interesting tale that can be taken on its own, but is particularly interesting if one is reading the Wars of Light and Shadows series.
September 7, 2012
Excellent background short story for the Wars of Light and Shadow.
November 30, 2013
I was immediately stunned as I started this short - sci fi, whatever next? Excellent little story. More please.
August 9, 2014
Very interesting to see hints of the more sci-fi aspects of this universe, which have been hinted at but not addressed as openly as in, say, Janny's Cycle of Fire trilogy.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews