Peril's Gate (Wars of Light & Shadow #6; Arc 3 - Alliance of Light, #3) in Beyond Reality

May 24, 2010 Sandra rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy, ebook, favorites

A brilliant scintillating climax of a book as each battle Arithon must face, whether with his half brother, or with the Koriani, or with the myriad of characters and forces along the way stops my heart in fear that he will be killed or destroyed. His beloved Elaira is with him in spirit as he faces the most grueling trial ever - Kewar's Maze. Here he faces the most fearsome enemy ever -- himself -- and finally comes face to face with a mighty centaur. All others have died in this maze, unable to ...more

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Jan 20, 2010 Stefan rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

Peril’s Gate picks up right where Grand Conspiracy left off: Arithon is once again on the run, pursued by an Alliance of Light army led by its Lord Commander, Sulfin Evend, and his half-brother Lysaer. The Koriani enchantresses are also still trying to capture Arithon, with Elaira forced to walk a precarious line between betraying her order and helping her beloved. In Arithon’s desperate bid to stay ahead and stay alive, he receives help from Earl Jieret’s war band, an elite force but one surely Peril’s Gate picks up right where Grand Conspiracy left off: Arithon is once again on the run, pursued by an Alliance of Light army led by its Lord Commander, Sulfin Evend, and his half-brother Lysaer. The Koriani enchantresses are also still trying to capture Arithon, with Elaira forced to walk a precarious line between betraying her order and helping her beloved. In Arithon’s desperate bid to stay ahead and stay alive, he receives help from Earl Jieret’s war band, an elite force but one surely not strong enough to prevail against the vast forces of the Alliance of Light. The Fellowship of Seven is unable to lend much assistance, as they are scrambling to keep Athera from falling apart... but help may still reach Arithon from an unexpected — and maybe unwelcome — direction...

Parts of Peril’s Gate have the same level of suspense as the second half of To Ride Hell’s Chasm, which is one of my favorite standalone fantasies. In one sense, this book is one big chase scene similar to the end of Hell’s Chasm, but because these characters and this world have by now, after five previous novels in the WARS OF LIGHT AND SHADOW series, acquired so much depth and so many layers, the wild chase in Peril’s Gate has much more impact than you’d expect and may just be the most dramatic chase scene I’ve ever encountered in any medium.

Still, while the chase takes center stage, there are several sub-chapters offering glimpses of other events taking place on Athera, so the story continues to deepen even as you’re pulled along in the whirlwind of Arithon’s desperation. Most significantly, Janny Wurts describes the Fellowship’s desperate efforts to protect the planet after Morriel’s misguided actions at the end of Grand Conspiracy, but you’ll also read about the actions of Prince Kevor, Dakar and Fionn Areth, the machinations of the Koriani enchantresses, and several others.

The final quarter of the book contains one of the most grueling scenes in the series so far, as Arithon is forced to relive the most traumatizing events in his past, this time experiencing them from more than just his own perspective. Janny Wurts doesn’t pull any punches describing this truly harrowing experience, which at times is so intense it may give readers a visceral reaction. At the same time, this unforgettable finale shows Arithon growing and transcending his suffering in an almost mystical way, giving Peril’s Gate a spiritual dimension that’s quite unlike anything I’ve encountered in fantasy before.

There are other chapters and scenes in this book that are simply unforgettable, making Peril’s Gate one of the strongest installments in the series so far. You’ll find true heroism and heartbreaking sacrifice in the chapters focusing on the Companions as they try to protect their liege Arithon. You’ll also learn much more about Athera and its history. Finally, even though you won’t find an “Ars Arcanum” section at the back of these books, there are several highly intricate magic systems displayed in these novels, and Peril’s Gate begins to show their differences as well the real depth behind them for the first time.

While the first two novels in the Alliance of Light arc of this series contained a bit more set-up, all the pieces are now firmly in place in Peril’s Gate, resulting in a more rewarding novel that doesn’t let up in pace or intensity until you’ve turned the final page. Not only is this one of the strongest books in the series so far, it’s also one of the most memorable fantasy novels I’ve ever read. Highly recommended.

(This review was also published on 9/23/2010 on the Fantasy Literature website - www.fantasyliterature.com) ...more

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Jan 17, 2011 Mawgojzeta rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-own, fantasy-and-horror, 2015-reading-list

I have held off on reviewing any of the books in this series because I wanted to make sure it maintains quality (with Janny Wurts as the author, I was not all that worried). I have come across several longer series over the years that hit book 5, or 6, or whatever, and just fell flat. Sometimes I have even caught discrepancies because the author could not (or did not) keep track of something mentioned in, for example, book #1. Not the case here at all.

This series is top notch. All the comments t ...more

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May 30, 2023 Duffy Pratt rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

My love/hate relationship continues, only this time it was teetering slightly towards hate/love. For the most part, the things that I hate about these books remains remarkably consistent. It's her writing, which elsewhere gets so much praise. She overuses adjectives, and very often her adjectives are redundant. Other times they are unnecessary. She has a penchant for trying to describe things which she asserts at the same time are indescribable. That's just one aspect of the way in which her wri My love/hate relationship continues, only this time it was teetering slightly towards hate/love. For the most part, the things that I hate about these books remains remarkably consistent. It's her writing, which elsewhere gets so much praise. She overuses adjectives, and very often her adjectives are redundant. Other times they are unnecessary. She has a penchant for trying to describe things which she asserts at the same time are indescribable. That's just one aspect of the way in which her writing appears to me to be self-contradictory on occasion. She has pet words that grow annoying with overuse. And sometimes she simply misuses those words - "rank" and "rime" immediately jump to mind. Thus, even when the book should be most engaging, it often instead feels like trudging through a sludge of verbiage.

On the love side, I thought the basic story and the characters here were remarkably good. The book is basically an extended coda to Grand Conspiracy. Having rescued the farm boy made to look like him, Arithon now needs somehow to escape the various groups that are trying to kill or enslave him. This gives us some excellent situations for set pieces, and a great look at some of the supporting characters who are trying to aid him. At the same time, the world itself has been placed in peril by Merriel's betrayal, and the Fellowship is trying restore the balance. Because of how it sits, this book is very much a middle, but as middle books go, it's quite good.

Spoilers follow:

I found everything having to do with Jeiret's sacrifice and his insistence on his choice and his dignity to be excellent. Easily the best part of the book, and probably the most moving part of the series so far.

I also greatly enjoyed how this book seemed to take a step back and make it seem as though Arithon and Lysaer are simply pawns being used in the games played by higher powers - most notably the Fellowship and the Korianthi. In this regard, I thought it was a nice choice to bring Davien, the Betrayer, in as a kind of wild card.

I thought it was perverse to take up well over 100 pages to have Arithon re-experience the first five books. At a certain point, I wasn't entirely clear whether the refrain "Cry Mercy" was meant for Arithon or for the reader. Instead of crying mercy, there were points when I was about to cry "uncle." The idea of this sort of re-enactment as a test of Arithon strikes me as being a pretty good one. But that did not mean she had to go through all the past books in such excruciating, repetitive detail At some point, I think she should have the confidence that her reader is capable of getting what she is saying without repeating it. Moreover, since Arithon was reliving everything he had gone through in the first books, up to and including this book, I was dreading the idea that he would again re-enter this space and start reliving what he was reliving in a kind of infinite loop, as when two mirrors are facing each other. It was the logical continuation, but for some reason Wurts didn't see it.

A subplot in this book involves Lysaer's son. We are constantly reminded that he is Lysaer's heir, as if that is a tremendously important thing. Indeed, Lysaer has ceased having sex with his wife now that she has done her queenly duty. None of this makes sense to me. Of course, in our world, the royal heir was a remarkably big deal. And it would be in this world as well, if Lysaer was expected to live a normal life. But he's not. His son would be expected to live the normal lifespan of 70-80 years. Lysaer, however, will live to be 500 years old. We already know this. So his heir would matter if he died an unnatural death, but otherwise would be totally unimportant. Imagine Charles as a normal person in a world where Elizabeth was fully expected to live until 2400. Wurts has given her Princes extended lifespans, but it seems to me that she has not taken into account what that would mean for the succession, and for Lysaer's behavior. While it's sad that Lysaer's sone died, its hard to believe that anyone expected that he would ever rise to the throne.

I'm on the fence about whether to continue with this series. It's clear that I know what I will be getting in terms of a writing style that, putting it lightly, does not agree with me. On the other hand, there is much to like about these books, and with the introduction of Davien, I think there is a good possibility that the books will get even better in their other aspects. But then, this is only book 6 and there are five more to go. While that may be over the peak in absolute terms, it feels somewhat like there's several thousand more pages of trudging ahead and I'm not positive that I'm up for it.

...more

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Oct 21, 2020 jess rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: book-club-reads

Ch 9 really tried me. It was written confusingly, but on purpose.

This author. This writing. It is so beautiful!

This series now in the top 5 of favorites!

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Jan 09, 2011 Bill rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Apr 29, 2011 Kathi rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

I probably say this every time I finish a book in this series, but this may be my favorite so far. So many characters must pass through their own gates of peril, sometimes with surprising results, sometimes with sorrowful results. The contrasts between Lysaer and Arithon have never been starker. And I am enjoying getting to know more about Ath's Brotherhood, Kevor, and Davien. ...more

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Nov 30, 2010 Kerry rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, ebooks, 10-out-of-10, 2011

Whoo-hoo! I did it! I'm finished.

It took me a long time, but what a fantastic book. And wow, so much changed by the end. I can't wait to find out what is going to happen now.

I don't know quite what to say. I need to let it all settle in my brain now. ...more

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