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kalinaraSo here we are. EIGHT HUNDRED AND THIRTY PAGES done. And you know what? It actually wasn't a slog.
I remember reading a review where someone said that the only part of the book that mattered was the last third. But I disagree with that. The last third of the book is definitely the best part, but it wouldn't work without what came before.
We needed the first two parts of the book to appreciate what's lost. We had to meet the brothers. We had to appreciate the slowburn growth of the relationship from enemies to cautious allies, to brothers in spirit as well as blood. We needed to know Lysaer, to appreciate his strengths and his weaknesses, so we truly understand the scope of the tragedy.
Because Curse of the Mistwraith is a tragedy. And it's also a massive fucking prologue to an even more massive book series. Ten books so far, with an eleventh on the way. Though, unlike some other doorstop series, there is an ending in sight. That eleventh is reputed to be the last.
I have NO idea what to expect for that. But we should be talking about Mistwraith, not its massive sequels.
The funny thing about this book is that everything's spoiled in advance. We knew, from the prologue set in the far future, that the brothers were going to fight. We knew, from the Fellowship's visions that everything was going to go straight to hell.
But even with that, a part of me still hoped, still BELIEVED that they'd find a way out of this. That they'd fix Lysaer. That they'd protect Arithon. That this could all be avoided.
And of course, it couldn't. But man, what a ride.
The prose style takes getting used to, and sometimes the over the top descriptions of Arithon's angst or Lysaer's beauty get to be too much even for me. But I have to admit that it serves to lend a mythic quality to all of this.
The pacing is a little uneven. I appreciate the first two thirds of the book, but I might have liked to see more of Athera before the brothers' fall. (...though I suppose that runs the risk of Lysaer becoming more aware of the true state of the world before his perspective is skewed by the curse).
I also think the book didn't do a spectacular job of conveying exactly how long the Mistwraith fight was actually supposed to be. It felt very quick, though we're told later it was months.
But those are minor quibbles. I enjoyed the ride.
So with plot out of the way, let's talk about characters.
We'll start with Arithon s'Ffalenn, he of the ridiculous sobriquet and even more ridiculous angst. He's one of those characters, like Drizzt Do'Urden, who basically determines the enjoyment level of the series. If you like Arithon, you'll like the books. If you don't, you probably will hate it completely. Fortunately, I think Arithon's great.
The angst is over the top sometimes. I will never stop making fun of "Oh no, my sword is just too awesome. Woe is me!", or "scarred by severe conscience" and those other spectacular turns of phrases. But a lot of the over the top angst is mitigated by the reactions of the other characters. The levels of exasperation never stop being hilarious to me. Or the fact that Arithon was so angsty that Morriel decided to side with Lysaer instead.
It also helps that the guy is a total asshole, incapable of taking a step that isn't inherently self-sabotaging. He's a messy, complicated and very amusing guy.
It's probably easier to like Lysaer s'Ilessid. Which is kind of the point, really. Certainly, it's the tragedy of all this. But at the same time, there were seeds of the monster he became even at the beginning. For all that Lysaer could be kind and was certainly courteous, he's never shown much inclination to empathy. He's never shown any interest in putting himself in another person's shoes or seeing things from their perspective. Even as he became fond of his brother, for example, he never really sought to understand him. He just filed him away as an exception to his general aversion. This doesn't make Lysaer a bad person.
But it does give the curse something to latch onto.
And there are a lot of interesting and uncomfortable questions about accountability here. It's not Lysaer's fault that he was cursed. And I think the book shows us that, without the curse, Lysaer would never have done what he's done. But how much of Lysaer's actions can be blamed on the curse, and how much of it comes from Lysaer himself? The curse drives him after Arithon, but what about the collateral damage? The lack of empathy for the people caught in between? Lysaer was hit harder than Arithon and doesn't fully comprehend what is happening, but there are points where he seems aware enough to pull himself back. And yet, he doesn't pull himself back when it counts.
I'm not sure how a character can come back from what he's done. And I'm not really sure I want him to.
We also have a collection of really interesting minor characters: Elaira, Dakar, Felirin, Halliron, Steivan, Maenelle, even Diegan. And some utterly vile people that we hope get what's coming for them.
And then there's the Fellowship.
I can appreciate that the Fellowship members are flawed and that the fact that they made mistakes is part of the plot. But at the same time, I don't really think I'm supposed to hate them as much as I do. Would it have killed you guys to treat the lynchpins of your plans with some basic human decency?
It particularly didn't help that after months of scheming manipulation, forcing Arithon onto his throne, fucking Lysaer over in the process, they up and skip town as soon as everything goes to hell!
Their chosen heir, the one whose supposed to restore the full strength of their number, is fleeing into the woods. Do they bother to go after him and help? Nope, they're just busy reclaiming the fucking crown jewels after Arithon hocked them.
Meanwhile, the man who wants to kill Arithon is raising armies to wipe him and everyone else out.
The clans of Deshir died and the Fellowship did nothing.
Fuck the Fellowship.
--
So anyway, as to the verdict: The Curse of the Mistwraith gets a passing grade. I enjoyed it very much, and I'm looking forward to maybe starting the next one.
...after a long break.
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