Reposted with permission of the original author. Original thread is located here.

The 11th and final volume in Janny Wurts' mega epic Wars of Light and Shadow series gets an ebook and audiobook release tomorrow (at the time of posting), and yet it still seems to me that her work is criminally underread around here. So allow me to be your guide and help you explore her wonderful works.

First off, here's what to expect from every work on this list: If you're coming to any of her works expecting an easy, 'popcorn'/blockbuster style read you're probably going to bounce right off; Janny is not only a beautiful prose writer who is able to put you right into the shoes of her characters in a way that few others can, but she also often tackles pretty hefty themes in her works as well and asks the reader to engage with them on a mental level instead of explicitly spelling everything out. These are often not easy reads, and skimming is highly discouraged, however because of the higher engagement on a mental and emotional level the payoffs are more than worth it, at least in my humble opinion.

On top of that, all of her works pack a 1-2 punch of sorts, where around the halfway point of the story it seems that everything is coming to its climax - only instead, somehow, Janny is able to keep ratcheting the tension up more and more, turning the last half of any novel into an extended climax of sorts that, while thrilling, can also be emotionally exhausting if you're not prepared for or expecting it.

And best of all, none of her novels end with a cliffhanger. All of her works are, if not self-contained, then at least end with a definite sense of some closure by the last page.

Now then, with that out of the way:

If you've read Raymond E. Feist's original Riftwar trilogy: You've probably already read The Empire Trilogy co-written by both Feist and Wurts, but if you have not yet then you really owe it to yourself to do so as it's a fabulous work. Set on Kelewan during the time of Magician, the story follows Mara's rise to power as she deftly maneuvers her way up the the political ladder of the Tsuranuanni. First book is Daughter of the Empire.

If you're a fan of old-school Swords and Sorcery: Master of Whitestorm would be right up your alley. Starting off as a series of relatively stand-alone adventures, by the halfway point it turns into a character study of the character of Korendir and finding out just what, exactly, drives him to risk life and limb over and over again. Also, be prepared to cry.

If you prefer some sci-fi mixed in with your fantasy: You will probably enjoy the Cycle of Fire trilogy, which finds Jaric and his friends as they help an old wizard fight against a demon horde alien invasion. Quite possibly the most YA-esque of Janny's works, this is nonetheless a good read that Janny might plan to revisit some day (she has another work drafted out in the same world under the tentative title of Starhope). Stormwarden is the first novel in this trilogy.

If court politics with more than a little dash of romance sounds appealing to you: Give Sorcerer's Legacy a try. A standalone tale, this tale follows Elienne, the queen of a just-conquered kingdom who we first meet imprisoned as a spoil of war, her husband vanquished during said kingdom conquering when she is visited by a wizard from a far off land and present with a choice: Either stay and face certain death from her kingdom's conqueror's, or be spirited off to the far off Kingdom of Pendaire and become the bride of its Prince, with her husband's unborn child the gambit to save the Prince's fate who has been rendered sterile by the black magic of his political enemies, unable to produce an heir. It's a rip-roaring good tale of court politics, romance, time travel, and magical clashes.

If you enjoy lush prose and want to read about thrilling chases, yet more political intrigue, and the best damn horses I've ever seen in a fantasy novel: Pick up To Ride Hell's Chasm and you won't be disappointed. As the princess Anja of Sessalie goes missing on the day of her wedding to secure an alliance with a neighboring kingdom, the capital city erupts into chaos as the task of finding her falls to two people: Taskin, the stern-but-fair Commander of the Royal Guard who guards the royal family, and Mykkael, the foreign born Commander of the City Garrison, who must also battle bigotry and racist prejudice as he searches for any clue on what happened to the Princess. Courtly intrigue gives way to one of the longest chase scenes I've seen in fantasy as the second half of the novel consists of the titular ride through the rather aptly named Hell's Chasm. Plus: absolutely beautiful prose, heavy themes tackled such as the letter of the law vs the spirit of the law, and the fantasy version of gun-kata in the form of barqui'ino.

If you're not feeling up to the commitment of a full novel just yet: You're in luck, as Janny has a collection of short stories by the name of That Way Lies Camelot. Ranging from fantasy to sci-fi, everyone is sure to find something to love in these 15 tales from Mrs. Wurts.

Finally, if you feel you're ready to dive off the deep end in terms of prose, scope, and complexity: The Wars of Light and Shadow tackles many themes throughout its run, but the seed idea of the series is that history is written by the victor, and so strives to offer us an unbiased look at events and invites us to "determine the good and the evil" for ourselves from the very first page.

In addition, in this series what happens is of equal, if not lesser, importance to why it happens, what drives the characters and the factions, how do they think and what are their goals. Janny often says that WoLaS doesn't sprawl, rather, it deepens, and this is the crux of that statement: Instead of having a cast that expands exponentially with each new volume, spawning more and more sub-plots that need page time of their own and gunking up the works, with each subsequent volume we instead find out more about not only the manageable handful of characters and the various factions that drive the story, but also about the world itself and its history that completely recontextualize prior events. And it's this moving of the markers, over and over and over again as more and more facets are unveiled, that really gives the series its depth.

Moreover, the series is designed to be reread and reread, with the insight from future volumes adding tons of new dimensions with each read as you're able to see more and more between the lines and view what was hidden in plain sight all along. Moreover, it's designed to play with whatever preconceptions that you have going into the story and the assumptions about it that you'll make along the way only to completely flip everything you thought you knew on its head over and over again. This is also where, IMO, Janny's prose shines the brightest, as her word choice is very deliberate and precise, and it's only on a reread that you get to see just exactly how she hid everything in plain sight only for said preconceptions and assumptions to blind you to the details that were there all along.

It's a series that's definitely not for everyone, but if you are willing to engage with it on the level that it asks for then you are going to be in for one hell of a fantastic experience.

I could go on and on about this series, but I'll finish off with an explanation of the series structure: The series is subdivided into 5 story arcs, and each one has its own purpose and function: Arc 1 (Curse of the Mistwraith) sets the stage and introduces everything, Arc 2 (Ships of Merior Warhost of Vastmark) not only deepens the characters but also escalates the main conflict of the series, with Arc 3 (Fugitive Prince through Stormed Fortress) expanding the scope of the series to "world view" and going really in depth with not only the characters but the various factions in play and what drives them, with Arc 4 (Initiate's Trial Destiny's Conflict) giving us a deeper look into the ethereal mysteries of the planet Athera and sets up the pure climax of a finale that will be Arc 5 (the forthcoming Song of the Mysteries). Moreover, not only does each book feature the 1-2 extended climax punch that is characteristic of Janny's work, but each arc as well as the series as a whole has this characteristic as well, with the middle of the series (Peril's Gate) being the tipping point where the rest of the series just breaknecks faster and faster towards conclusion. And if the start of an arc seems to slow down, fear not, it's only gearing back in pace to lay down the necessary foundation needed for the finale of the arc the pack the punch that it needs; there's no sprawl here, and if you've read Janny's other works before this then you'd know to trust that everything she's doing is necessary in service of the story, world, and the characters.

The traditional start of the series is Curse of the Mistwraith, but you might have an easier introduction by reading the short story Child of Prophecy and/or the novella The Gallant beforehand, both can be safely read before starting the series proper and will shed light on what the politics in play are like as the series opens and a character that has a small but important part to play throughout the series, respectively.

There's also a few other short stories as well. The Decoy and Reins of Destiny can be safely read anytime after Curse of the Mistwraith, but hold off on reading The Sundering Star until after Warhost of Vastmark, and don't even think of touching Black Bargain until after you've finished Stormed Fortress. All six WoLaS short works can be purchased in ebook form on Janny Wurts' website.

Finally, she's also on here as a fellow redditor as u/JannyWurts, and always gives excellent book recommendations, with many of my recent favorite and often overlooked gems coming to my attention only because of a plug from her. If you're ever looking for a good rec and you see her chime in, know that it's always going to be a read worth your time if it's coming from her.