Customer Reviews

Cycle of Fire Trilogy

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This book captures you in its intriguing story line. There is much sorcery and is very imaginative. I won't get into the story line but I will mention a couple of things. The ending did not satisfy me I wanted more of a resolution in the ending and did not get it. The ending was written in such a way that there could have been another series after the Cycle of Fire Trilogy. The characters work hard with every ounce of their being and overcome incredibly difficult obstacles but once again I did not feel the release or the easing of their work or feel that the characters really gained anything from it except for saving their world. I alone wanted to feel the reward of the extreme hard work of the characters after reading such a long book, I did not feel that I experienced it.The book being so long I wonder if it was really worth reading with the kind of ending it had. If you don't mind the type of ending or resolution that this book has then read it, if not then the book will be a waste of time.

The first book in this trilogy is good - perhaps very good. But it's all downhill from there, sadly. The prose gets more and more involuted; the dialogue migrates from 'wooden' through 'strained' all the way to 'frankly preposterous'; and the descriptions (especially of the 'magic') strain analogies well past breaking point. The final few chapters are a strain to read :-(

Conclusion - if you enjoyed Daughter of the Empire et al, read them again and leave this one alone.

This book was wonderfuly vivid. it is a high action fantasy book.
a (Just cant put down)of witch there are all too few. she just pints a picture in your mind. as soon as you think you know whats going to happen she turns it 180 degrees. but it is just as good on the other side.

Janny Wurts, form the first word sweeps you up and toltaly shocks you in this unique and wonderful book. This book always has you on your toes. In my opinon its terrible that some people don't know that this book exsists.

Ms. Wurts translates an eloquent tapestry of emotions and images into words of such charged description that the weaving of the story unfolds in your own mind. Her excellent use of simile and metaphore, with her uncanny ability to enthral the reader, allows the mind to form pictures of every character and situation. While she is not Tolkien or C.S. Lewis her style and compelling story will enchant you. The mix of grand Fantasy with an explained and understandable use of science, a new realm of "Sci-Fantasy" has been achieved. The original fantasy books, back in the day, all had to start with a scientific, sci-fi, explanation; time-warp, experiment gone wrong, alien worlds... This epic tale advances that genre into a more subtle and better meshed world of marvelous adventure. There is no science vs scorcery, or any such blatant or cliche misdirection of fantasy. Janny Wurts triumphs brilliantly with this three-in-one saga of virtue vs emptiness, valour against vileness, and the power of love. This would make a fabulous movie trilogy or t.v. series.

When I originally read this series, I found I couldn't put the books down. A couple of days, and much lack of sleep, later, I had found a new favourite fantasy author. The plot keeps moving, there are enough twists so that you keep guessing, while also providing enough foreshadowing so that you don't feel left out of the story. I have since reread the series a number of times, and I still enjoy it just as much as the first time. A lot of people consider it sacrilege to mix the sci-fi and fantasy genres, this is possibly because it is generally done in a pretty tacky way, but I felt that this series had exactly the right mix, none of this sword versus lasergun stuff, just a subtle merging of technology into a world that has forgotten it's previous glory. I heartily recommend this book to anyone who likes stories that don't follow the traditional way of doing things. If you like your fantasy completely Tolkienesque, and your Sci-Fi to be hard SF, then you probably won't like this book, but if you enjoy Sci-Fantasy, then this is the book for you.

The Cycle of Fire series was fantastic. I enjoyed the characterisation, their developments, their triumphs and defeats. If you have a problem with a blend of SF and fantasy, then you're missing out on a great series. Ms Wurts has the ability to draw you deeply into the storyline with evocative and descriptive writing. The tortured soul is something that JW does very well, and it makes for a great plot. Some resolutions are a bit too pat, but on the whole, this is an enjoyable series.

I thought the book very good at first with strong characters and plots but by the second book I just had to put it down. For all you peopole who like me like high fantasy with Elves,Dwarves etc this book will be a total letdown. All right its got demons, but the Veare turns out to be a computer that came from a crashed spaceship thousands of years ago, now call me old fashiond but that in my opinion is not fantasy and I considered the books a waste of money due to the fact that towards the end it became more sci-fi than fantasy. I would recommend that anyone who wants a pure fantasy book not buy this

I don't understand the other reviewers. This book was painfully bad. The plot is slow, the characterization is abysmal (they're poorly motivated and at the same time ridiculously, nonsensically complex), and finally the writing was so bad I had to put the book DOWN--something I rarely do. It sounds like it was written by an adolescent depressive: baggy sentences, fuzzy ideas, and poor, inappropriate metaphors. If you thrive on the sharp writing of (early) Robert Jordan or Tolkein, or even MZ Bradley, STEER CLEAR OF THIS WASTE OF TIME.

Mrs Wurts has successfully created a world where one can merge in ,forgetting the day to day worries of life.If your into Mind Play and Instrospection then this book is a must read,the image it leaves is very comforting. AK