Product Description

Chapter One The fate of all realms hangs on the resolution of the brutal conflict born of brother versus brother, of prince against prince.For years Lysaer, Prince of Light, has single-mindedly sought the destruction of Arithon, his mage-trained half-brother. Now having narrowly escaped a conspiracy that sought his execution, Arithon must flee into the merciless winter wilds. Sentenced to die by the Alliance of Light and hunted by Koriani enchantresses who hotly desire his capture, the Master of Shadow must brave alone the brutal mountain storms -- and a more subtle yet equally damning danger: the violation of ground once held sacred by the powerful Paravians. Though grievously wounded, he cannot rest, for the vengeful guardsmen who hound his trail are spell-turned to destroy him. Even the sanctuary of Ithamon has become a trap, cordoned by Lysaer's armies.But Arithon's plight has brought a dangerous "ally" out of seclusion and silence. The renegade Fellowship Sorcerer, Davien the Betrayer, has emerged to take a hand in the Shadow Master's fate. Yet is this outlawed mage whose works once destroyed Arithon's royal ancestors a savior or an opportunist? As the Betrayer's obscure motives spin an irresistible web, survival forces Arithon to face a deadly choice: die by the swords of fanatical enemies who claim he's a minion of evil...or cast his lot with a mighty enchanter whose reputation he dares not trust.And there is another drawn to share Arithon's peril. Elaira, the Koriani enchantress who shares his love, would sacrifice all to aid him, yet her life vows to her order have made her a double-edged weapon. For she alone holds the power to intercede but at an unthinkable cost: The total subjugation of the Master of Shadow.A story of powerful complexity and breathtaking scope, Peril's Gate is a monumental work that only solidifies the standing of Janny Wurts as one of the strongest, most creative and important fantasists writing today.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1391626 in Books
• Published on: 2002-01-10
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 736 pages

From Publishers Weekly
The latest installment in the Wars of Light and Shadow series, also the third movement of an inner story arc called the Alliance of Light, well represents the vast and tangled plot lines readers have come to expect from this prolific and popular author. In the first book in the series, Curse of the Mistwraith (1993), the half-brothers dark Arithon s'Ffalenn and blond Lysaer s'Ilessid were set against each other by the eponymous enemy, and now, 30-some years later, they're still going after each other. This book's action begins in mid-flight during a winter gale, with Arithon fleeing the walled city Jaelot, where he's been imprisoned. With him he drags the unwilling peasant Fionn Areth Caid'an, magically raised as his double to trap him. Soon they join forces with Dakar the Mad Prophet (whose prophecies have an erratic track record, though some have been important), assigned by the Fellowship of Sorcerers to defend our protagonist. Dakar has supplies and horses ready. Much geography is traversed with many turgid pages spent attempting to describe the indescribable effects of magic. Occasionally the focus moves to Lysaer, with his large retinue of soldiers and fanatic priests, who in private practice rituals as sorcerous as the techniques of which they accuse Arithon. While fans have compared this series to Robert Jordan's extended Wheel of Time series, newcomers may be put off by the stilted language ("The guard captain's baleful stillness held threat") and the mishmash of plot.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Sustaining the considerable momentum of previous volumes, the third in Wurts' Alliance of the Light series opens at a dead run with Arithon, Master of Shadow, just barely escaping the clutches of evil. Though wounded, desperately sick, and on the run in the depths of winter, Arithon realizes that if his world is to have any future at all, he must stay alive at any cost. Already, the cost in the lives of his countrymen has been high and weighs heavily on his soul. Meanwhile, the sorcerers of the Fellowship of Seven are spread thin attempting to hold together the wards and other magics that keep the world of Athera whole and spinning, and other factions are hotly pursuing their own ambitions. The building pressures and responsibilities fall directly on Arithon's weakened shoulders. Yet, despite many real and potential external threats, Arithon's final undoing may lie within the depths of his heart. Wurts is in fine form here, providing endless twists and turns of plot and an artful complexity that is marvelous to behold. Paula Luedtke
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Sarasota Herald-Tribune
"A novel in the Tolkien tradition-full of shamanism, both evil and good."