Gripping and enthralling, detailed as all of Janny's works. The setting is similar to all of her works, but more explicitly so this time. Star faring humans have encountered psionic aliens and crash-landed on a world not meant for them. The ship's AI survives to continue it's mission of nurturing and guiding humanity, and so arranges a liveable territory, preserves the ancient knowledge and seeks possibilities for humans to develop defences against the psionic assaults.

Fast forward and unknown but long period of time when all of the above is forgotten and humans have spread to live wildly and free in classic fantasy modes. A few have the potential for powers, and some of those are nurtured by the AI to their full potential. Not all of the aliens seek dominance, and one race has agreed to lend some aid, although to most humans they are all demons. But the trials to master such power are hard, and one survived with his sanity mostly lost. Aided by a human who'd mastered the power of the weather they defeat the first band of demons, but betrayed at the last the storm warden defence is imperfect and he can do no more. He retreats to a minor fishing village amid a life of simplicity where the story starts in detail.

A very accessible beginning to Janny's epic works, it has all the passion, inventiveness, detail and intricacy that is the hallmark of her writing. The characters have depth and personality, weaknesses and strengths of their own. Their wit sparkles in banter where appropriate which adds the required levity when circumstances are bleak. The world-building is precise, with reason and history but no unnecessary exposition. You can tell the details of sailing have been lovingly researched, but never seem out of place.

I'm not a big fan of cutting away to other characters, especially not to the gloating demon overlord revealing his plans, and removing this would probably have reduced the page count a bit. I struggled to picture the various demon species, but most of their details didn't matter except as evil. It's a bit of stretch for aliens to be this single minded however and easier to think of them as actual demons, who are evil by definition.

Enjoyable and entertaining, I'm very glad ebook copies have finally been made accessible as this has been unobtainable for many years. ( )

Cycle of Fire (Stormwarden; Keeper of the Keys; Shadowfane)
Author: Janny Wurts
Publisher: HarperPrism
Date: Cycle of Fire - 1999
Stormwarden - 1984
Keeper of the Keys - 1988
Shadowfane - 1988
Pgs: 694
Dewey: F WUR
Disposition: Irving Public Library - South Campus - Irving, TX
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REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS

Summary:

The Stormwarden framed. A crippled dreamer girl in a remote fishing village. The brother possessed of cynicism and spite. The scribe’s apprentice heir to a fiery, betrayed, and evil legacy. A pirate king ruling from a castle mount guarding a shipping strait. A crashed starship from which a computer shepherds humanity toward a reawakening. Demon aliens with psionic powers determined to slay the human spawn and clear the way for their return to the stars. Wizards. Magic. Demons. A storm is brewing and only fire can quench it. But will the fire come soon enough.

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Genre:

Science fiction
Fantasy
Epic
Literature
Fiction

Why this book:

I’ve read Stormwarden previously and loved it. Wanted to see how the story ends.
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Favorite Character:

The Kielmark is villain, scoundrel, pirate king, and hero. I like him.

Llondelei are interesting. I picture them as mindlflayers who have turned against the Chthulian overlords of Shadowfane.

Jaric Kerainson is a bereft character, swept along against his will. Similar to Emien, but Jaric isn’t a douche. Of course, then he acts the way the did with the maiden at the well...maybe he is a douche, good reasons for his suspecting that everyone pities him, but with no knowledge of the girl’s intentions or personality, very douche-like. He is very naive throughout, especially in The Keeper of the Keys. He is still young, but he has experienced a lot by that point in the overall story. Maybe he’s just stubborn and fearful. The fire is coming, either from within or from without. And in Jaric’s first foray outside of Anskiere’s geas or the protections of the Kielmark, the young jackass runs off in town without his sword and dagger. For the teachings of Corley and Telemark, he seems to not have grown between the ears as much as he should, playing the role of dumbest smart person a lot.

Corley is a favorite who grows on you. He’s wise. He’s hearty. He’s a pirate. He’s a badass. He’s a good and loyal friend. He’s stalwart. He’s all this and not a Mary Sue. He’s awesome.

Least Favorite Character:

Emien is a dumbass. So quick to believe those who destroyed his family’s boat and hold he and his sister prisoner over the Stormwarden who protected his village and family over the course of his life.

Emien is both an idiot and a fool. Taharges is evil...and a fool. Risk drowning and destroy the boat beneath them only to improve her hold on an already ensorcelled boy who is enamored with and dependent on her.

For most of this Emien saw opportunity and let it slip passed,repeatedly. He is villain-lite. Better he was left as a foil for Tatharges rather than the direction the story went.

Favorite Scene / Quote:

Really wanted the Stormwarden to smoke the two wizard bastards left to guard him on the Kielmark’s island. Love it when the wizard left to guard Anskiere awakens to the storm that had arisen behind him while the night crept to dawn.

Jaric’s awakening on the demon’s lap to his parenting and his destiny is well done.

The Battle of the Kielmark’s Keep is awesome.

Anskiere and Ivain’s battle with the demons made me picture Ghidrah. Well done.

Best scene in Keeper of the Keys may be when the Llondei show the recalcitrant Jaric what is going to happen when he ignores destiny and refuses the Cycle of Fire. The fool can either take the Cycle and face the demons or be forced into the Cycle and serve the demons.

Pacing:

There is a getting on with the show vibe in Shadowfane that was present in Stormwarden and not so much in Keeper of the Keys.

Word Choice / Usage:

I know I nitpick, but what is a torque? And if you were sleeping naked, why would you wear one?

Plot Holes/Out of Character:

As we spun toward the climax of Stormwarden, Tamlin of the Vaere tells Taen that Scholl and Tatharges are aware of her. Uhm, was that a deleted scene to be added back in the Director’s cut?

Not sure how much time passed between Stormwarden and The Keeper of the Keys being written, but they are literally still celebrating their victory over Kisburn’s invaders and haven’t repaired the damage. Yet, the Kielmark is presented as schizophrenic. At the close Stormwarden, the Kielmark was friend to Jaric and Taen, but here, a scant few hours or day later, he’s an explosive quality that could turn on them at any minute. Seems out of character.

Taen trying to save Emien, more properly at this point in the story Dreamweaver and Maelgrim, isn’t smart. He’s already shown himself to be gone and dangerous to her dream sense. It rings foolish making another attempt and another attempt when he is in league with demons and they plot against her using him as a weapon.

Taen not even reacting to the Stormwarden’s presence in the Kielmark’s hall in Book 3 rings false and out of character.

Hmm Moments:

The Frostwargs sound awesome. Not sure why I never dropped them into a DND campaign.

There was some question for a bit whether the old Firelord would return somehow or a new one be born.

I had read Stormwarden long enough ago that I had forgotten the secret of the Vaere. Nice.

Betrayal and onrushing counter-betrayal...good stuff.

The climactic battle at the gates of Elrinfaer didn’t go like I expected. The villain who escaped to fight another day is a cliche, but well done here. Unfortunately, he remains cliche ridden through the rest of the two following novels.

The foreword to Book 3 - Shadowfane makes it sound like there were originally only 2 books. As a duology this might have worked better. I’m harsh on the book, but I like it very much. The flow and the action would be better served if it were a couple hundred pages shorter. We could have done without more Dreamweaver vs Maelgrim with a demon chorus on the astral plane, kinda weak sauce.

In Shadowfane, Corley and the Kielmark’s relationship would instantly be shipped as ships can ship if a movie were made of this. I shipped Taen with both of them at one time. Now I believe they belong together. Their scene together before the Kielmark sets sail in Ladywolf gives that ship vibe and the foreshadowing of ‘the king is dead, long live the king.’

Anskiere is a fool going down among the men in the shadows of Shadowfane, as it were. Men who could at any moment fall under the sway of darkness and demonkind through Maelgrim’s control. He helped create the situation where fear of the new Firelord is made manifest and sweeps across the world.

WTF Moments:

Anskiere’s reaction to Jaric after sending the untrained novice child off on a life and soul threatening odyssey is not cool. Expect better from the wise old Gandalf of the story.

Meh / PFFT Moments:

If the wizards that Tatharges had brought from Mhora were capable of awakening the Frostwargs without Anskiere, why did they need him? Dude in the cavern after Anskiere takes his vengeance on his partner seemed to be doing a pretty good job of it.

Taen seeing what was inside her brother and Tatharges was interesting. But would she resent Anskiere for setting her on this path. She waffled on her brother despite repeated examples of his being gone into the demon’s hold.

Imrill Kand is this story’s Tatooine. It circles back there, a lot.

Taen’s battle with the Sathid crystalline entity for Dreamweaver status takes place too much in the mind of her brother, Emien. Not the best battlefield.

Instead of getting an Odyssey, Illiad, Aeneid feel, I got more a lost and wandering in circles feel of the course of Moonless and Callinde in The Keeper of the Keys.

NO! Not another ‘we shall conquer the Dreamweaver’ sequence in Shadowfane that consumed way too much and came across as filler in Keeper of the Keys.

As we rip toward the climax of Shadowfane and the whole Cycle of Fire, Taen disengages from Jaric’s hold repeatedly...BLAH!

Wisdom:

In her escape from the Kielmark, Tatharges revealed herself responsible for the destruction of Tierl Enneth that the Stormwarden was blamed for. Of course, having the king of pirates as your character witness, who can prove your innocence, wouldn’t do Anskiere any good.

Why isn’t there a screenplay?

Hey HBO, Game of Thrones can’t last forever.

Casting call / Dreamcasting:

Josh Brolin as Telemark.

Charlize Theron as Tatharges.

Tim Curry as the leader of the demons of Shadowfane.

If you took today’s Brad Pitt and gave him an older version of his Legends of the Fall look, he’d be great as Pirate Captain Corley, second in command of Mainstrait and the Kielmark’s forces.

Missed Opportunity:
This would’ve made a helluva RPG module or complete game unto itself.

Were Anskiere and Ivain missing balance? Is that why it went awry between them and for Ivain? Was there supposed to be a Dreamweaver between them to balance them? Is Tatharges that failed Dreamweaver? Unanswered questions.
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Last Page Sound:
I love and continue to love Stormwarden(Book 1).

The Keeper of the Keys(Book 2) is more a move the pieces around story than a stand on its own part of the trilogy. Could have been shorter. Could’ve been part and parcel of the end of Stormwarden and the beginning of Shadowfane. Possibly better as a duology.

Keeper ends on a whimper.

Shadowfane gave a satisfying ending to the whole Cycle of Fire.

Author Assessment:
Despite shortcomings, I enjoyed this and would definitely read more by Janny Wurts.

Editorial Assessment:
Many of my quibbles could have been smoothed over by an editor being more active in the process.

Knee Jerk Reaction:
really good book
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