I just finished reading the first trilogy in "The War of Light and Shadow" by Janny Wurts.
Despite being warned that the forces of light versus forces of shadow do not equal good versus evil (and that was one of the reasons I wanted to read this series despite the title), I still had hope that one of the characters could redeem themselves, since both of the brothers were maneuvred into their positions.
The author favors one side, of course, since despite the atrocities and genocide, our Arethon has the gift of empathy. Throughout book two I still extended my sympathy to Lysaer and rooted for the half brothers to get right, because the gift of justice that Lysaer demonstrated in the first chapters was still imprinted in my mind as his strong trait, but book three broke any expectations and now I just keep reading to see the day Lysaer dies a painful death. But who knows, there are still six books to go!
Another character grew a lot, which I already expected, but it was still delightful to read. The Arithon-Dakar pair is central to the whole story and their relationship is the most interesting and hilarious to follow.
The Fellowship Sorcerers and their neutrality piss me off, there's a bloody war going on and they still don't get involved.
The intricate world of Athera, full of political conflicts, mysteries, old traditions and its landscapes are impeccably described, the daily struggles of the common people seem authentic and realistic, this all interspersed with the action scenes and the introspection of Lysaer and Arithon takes the plot step developed very slowly, but at no point (except in the Lysaer's delusions of grandeur) did it bother me.
4 out of 5 stars was my average for the 3 books.
★★★★☆
