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The Curse of the Mistwraith

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The Curse of the Mistwraith

By: Janny Wurts
Narrated by: Colin Mace
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About this listen

The stunning first volume in Janny Wurts’s epic tale of two half-brothers cursed to life-long enmity, now re-released with a striking new cover.

Let each who reads determine the good and the evil for himself
Athera is besieged by the Mistwraith, which blights the land and dims the mysteries guarded by the last fugitives of the old bloodlines.
But from a prophecy springs hope: the gifts of two brothers – one dark, one fair, raised on opposite sides of a relentless war – when paired may challenge the Mistwraith’s invasion, though at brutal cost…
Arithon, Master of Shadow, musician and mage, commands the power of illusion and darkness. Taken prisoner in battle, his fate falls to his half-brother, Prince Lysaer – a man endowed with the gift of light through the mother they share. Lysaer is the legitimate son of a king who was betrayed by his queen’s choice to father Arithon by his mortal enemy but that does not save him:
Vengeful fury drives the king to banish both Lysaer and Arithon from the world they know to the troubled realms of Athera beyond the Worldsend Gate.
The two exiles are thrown together by hatred and spilled blood – then bound by destiny to champion Athera’s sundered heritage. The highest stakes ride the backlash of their conflict – they must reforge their adverse ideals into balance, or destroy the etheric grace of a culture all but lost to antiquity.
A subtle and intricate tale of morality and difference, justice versus compassion, told with epic scope and real magic, Curse of the Mistwraith remains a modern classic of the fantasy genre.

(P)2024 HarperCollins Publishers
Epic Fantasy Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Military Royalty War & Military Magic Destiny Fiction Scary Magic Users Rage

Critic reviews

‘Janny Wurts writes with astonishing energy; she aims high. Just when you think she’s gone as far as anyone can go, she raises the stakes… It ought to be illegal for one person to have so much talent’
STEPHEN DONALDSON
Give it a go. This is a very rich, detailed, immersive … there’s a hell of a ride ahead!
MARK LAWRENCE
‘Janny Wurts builds beautiful castles in the air… where every detail is richly imagined and vividly rendered’
DIANA GABALDON
‘With each new book it becomes more and more obvious how important Janny Wurts is to contemporary fantasy’
GUY GAVRIEL KAY
‘Astonishingly original and compelling’
RAYMOND E FEIST

All stars
Most relevant
The story is excellent, it's well performed and hopefully will result in the rest of the series being published.

Finally released.

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Liked everything!
Because I read fast and too long I often miss nuances that I hear on audible. The book is poetry when read.

Beautiful performance, stunning book

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Been waiting for audiobooks of this series forever. Great narration brilliant story. Just have to wait for next one now.

What took so long?

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I pre-ordered this as soon as I knew it was being released as an audiobook and I wasn't disappointed.
I have loved this book for some time. I love the twists and turns that the well told story takes and the realistic characterisation of the two main characters. They have good aspects and faults, as each of us do, and it was easy to empathise with them (or not as the case may be!). I love Arithon, always have, and often find Lysaer grating and frustrating in the extreme. But to me, those emotions are a sign that the author has drawn me into their world and succesfully helped me to get to know these people.
The world building is fantastic and, although the prose can be a little long winded, it is beautifully written.
The narrator is very good, offering slight variations on different characters voices and reading the story well with emotion and inflections in his voice in appropriate places.
I very much hope audible record the second book with this narrator and will be keeping an eye out to preorder it if/when they do!

Fantastic world building and characterisation

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brought the story to life in a wonderfully graceful manner

can't wait for the next installment

fantastic adaptation

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