Fugitive Prince - Verdict
Mar. 24th, 2024 11:46 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kalinara posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
i_read_whatOkay, so. I've finished another part of the very long "Wars of Light and Shadow" series. And well, it's probably of no surprise that I give it a passing grade. I love this series unironically. It's both fun and fun to mock.
The last book is coming out this May by the way. I am quite excited.
So let's talk about it. We'll start with Plot.
--
The thing to understand about this series is that it's made up of arcs. These arcs are all of different lengths, because Ms. Wurts is sometimes confusing that way.
Curse of the Mistwraith is essentially its own arc, standalone. It's where everything starts. We have Lysaer as an actual person, pre curse. We have Arithon when he was young and only moderately angsty. No one's been crowned and no one's been cursed. It's an innocent time.
Ships of Merior and Warhost of Vastmark is the second arc. They were originally meant to be one book (and are, in hardcover. I still regret not buying it from the used book store. It was big enough to kill a rodent). This is where we have Lysaer the statesman and general pursuing Arithon the pirate and guerilla leader. A lot of back and forth moves and schemes, and character flaws brought home to roost.
By this point in the series, Ms. Wurts knew that this next arc (the Alliance of Light) wasn't going to fit into one book. Apparently, she'd planned two or three. It ended up being five books long. (The series is interestingly palindromic, though. As the following series, Sword of the Canon, is two books. And the last book, Song of the Mysteries, is once more on its own.)
I mention this because, more than anything, Fugitive Prince is really set up. There's movement and direction, but not much by way of climax or resolution. That's going to be a while.
That said, I do think she found a reasonably satisfying point to end things for now. The clans are still in peril and slavery is still a pretty big issue, but they've got some hope for sanctuary and the means of getting there. I particularly liked that the triumph came, not from our heroes, but from the minor characters: Caolle primarily, but also Maenol, Mearn, Eldir and those nameless clan prisoners all were the real reason things turned around.
When it comes to Arithon and Lysaer, well, neither of them had a particularly great time. But Arithon does get something of an emotional resolution with Jieret, and Lysaer, for all his setbacks, comes out of it with a new loyal follower and eventual right hand man. I hadn't thought about it until now, but that's a really interesting parallel. It'll be worth looking at that again, especially if I end up recapping book 6 (Peril's Gate).
Just for perspective, we're on book 4 right now.
I also liked that this book gave us a glimpse at some of the darker aspects of the story that until then had only been discussed. The part of the story where Arithon actually succumbs to the curse is really effective. It really does make us appreciate exactly what he's been trying to fight all these years, while also maybe giving Lysaer a bit of something back too. Lysaer's own level of culpability in his actions is always going to be an open question, but this book reminds us that the curse is something real and horrifying.
We also get to see the downside of the Koriani. We get to see how the lives of younger initiates are basically used and spent by those more powerful then them. We get to see the effects of a broken vow, and are reminded, yet again, that these women are recruited and sworn to oath as children. They get power and youth and a long lifespan, if they survive. But it's definitely not without cost.
--
So let's talk about the Characters.
Arithon is having a rough time in this book. Even before things go to Hell with the curse. He's dealing with the terrible decisions he'd made in Vastmark and is still getting dicked around by the Fellowship. He's trying his best to curtail Lysaer's actions and, in his well-meaning arrogance, becomes the perfect victim for Koriani schemes. He seems to end the book in a better place than he started, at least, but the poor guy could use a break.
Lysaer has embraced religion all out, and in the process, seems to be losing even more of himself. Mortal justice and divine justice isn't the same thing, after all. Slavery is okay. Dissent from one's subordinates is not. And the Alliance keeps growing in power.
Dakar and Jieret have smaller roles this time around, but they do well with what they've got. It was good to see characters like Felirin and Jinesse again briefly too.
Mearn and Lirenda had larger roles this time around, and both essentially act as plot wildcards, moving things around in unexpected ways. I particularly enjoyed Mearn's dynamic with Talith and Maenol. Lirenda's with Lysaer was pretty interesting too, if also a little frustrating.
And then there's Caolle, who ended up MVP in so many ways. He's had so much growth and development since his first appearance in Mistwraith, and I found myself quite satisfied with where his story ended up.
So yes, the book gets a passing grade. And I am looking forward to the next one. After a long break, of course.
The last book is coming out this May by the way. I am quite excited.
So let's talk about it. We'll start with Plot.
--
The thing to understand about this series is that it's made up of arcs. These arcs are all of different lengths, because Ms. Wurts is sometimes confusing that way.
Curse of the Mistwraith is essentially its own arc, standalone. It's where everything starts. We have Lysaer as an actual person, pre curse. We have Arithon when he was young and only moderately angsty. No one's been crowned and no one's been cursed. It's an innocent time.
Ships of Merior and Warhost of Vastmark is the second arc. They were originally meant to be one book (and are, in hardcover. I still regret not buying it from the used book store. It was big enough to kill a rodent). This is where we have Lysaer the statesman and general pursuing Arithon the pirate and guerilla leader. A lot of back and forth moves and schemes, and character flaws brought home to roost.
By this point in the series, Ms. Wurts knew that this next arc (the Alliance of Light) wasn't going to fit into one book. Apparently, she'd planned two or three. It ended up being five books long. (The series is interestingly palindromic, though. As the following series, Sword of the Canon, is two books. And the last book, Song of the Mysteries, is once more on its own.)
I mention this because, more than anything, Fugitive Prince is really set up. There's movement and direction, but not much by way of climax or resolution. That's going to be a while.
That said, I do think she found a reasonably satisfying point to end things for now. The clans are still in peril and slavery is still a pretty big issue, but they've got some hope for sanctuary and the means of getting there. I particularly liked that the triumph came, not from our heroes, but from the minor characters: Caolle primarily, but also Maenol, Mearn, Eldir and those nameless clan prisoners all were the real reason things turned around.
When it comes to Arithon and Lysaer, well, neither of them had a particularly great time. But Arithon does get something of an emotional resolution with Jieret, and Lysaer, for all his setbacks, comes out of it with a new loyal follower and eventual right hand man. I hadn't thought about it until now, but that's a really interesting parallel. It'll be worth looking at that again, especially if I end up recapping book 6 (Peril's Gate).
Just for perspective, we're on book 4 right now.
I also liked that this book gave us a glimpse at some of the darker aspects of the story that until then had only been discussed. The part of the story where Arithon actually succumbs to the curse is really effective. It really does make us appreciate exactly what he's been trying to fight all these years, while also maybe giving Lysaer a bit of something back too. Lysaer's own level of culpability in his actions is always going to be an open question, but this book reminds us that the curse is something real and horrifying.
We also get to see the downside of the Koriani. We get to see how the lives of younger initiates are basically used and spent by those more powerful then them. We get to see the effects of a broken vow, and are reminded, yet again, that these women are recruited and sworn to oath as children. They get power and youth and a long lifespan, if they survive. But it's definitely not without cost.
--
So let's talk about the Characters.
Arithon is having a rough time in this book. Even before things go to Hell with the curse. He's dealing with the terrible decisions he'd made in Vastmark and is still getting dicked around by the Fellowship. He's trying his best to curtail Lysaer's actions and, in his well-meaning arrogance, becomes the perfect victim for Koriani schemes. He seems to end the book in a better place than he started, at least, but the poor guy could use a break.
Lysaer has embraced religion all out, and in the process, seems to be losing even more of himself. Mortal justice and divine justice isn't the same thing, after all. Slavery is okay. Dissent from one's subordinates is not. And the Alliance keeps growing in power.
Dakar and Jieret have smaller roles this time around, but they do well with what they've got. It was good to see characters like Felirin and Jinesse again briefly too.
Mearn and Lirenda had larger roles this time around, and both essentially act as plot wildcards, moving things around in unexpected ways. I particularly enjoyed Mearn's dynamic with Talith and Maenol. Lirenda's with Lysaer was pretty interesting too, if also a little frustrating.
And then there's Caolle, who ended up MVP in so many ways. He's had so much growth and development since his first appearance in Mistwraith, and I found myself quite satisfied with where his story ended up.
So yes, the book gets a passing grade. And I am looking forward to the next one. After a long break, of course.