(This was first posted on r/fantasy, but I thought I would throw it up here as well.)
This is a story I tell often, face to face with folks asking my about my favorite books, and I think it’s time for more people to hear it.
The process of falling in love is unique to each of us. What makes it happen? The order of the words on the page? The path of the story? The emotion generated inside us as we read? Some combination of all these things?
One year, at DragonCon, I approached an author at her table and asked where I should start with her books. She handed me three books, all over 400 pages long (happy day!) She looked me dead in the eyes and told me these were the start of a much longer series. She said, “They may seem to start slow, but if you trust me, I promise, they will deliver.” I had heard her speak on several panels, and I trusted her integrity in making this statement. Her honest directness was the reason I sought her out in the first place.
I purchased the books and took them home. Fast forward a few months to January, when I finally got some free time, and had made enough headway on the to-be-read pile to start Book 1. I went in with no expectations of what I would find. I read voraciously, across many genres, and I am open to many writing styles, as long as language is used well, and the story is interesting. But I am rarely surprised by a book, and I hardly ever find books where the world created is a living thing, books I want to read over and over.
The world I stepped into with this series seemed familiar – a classic high fantasy with nobles and warring kingdoms. But the use of language was like nothing I had ever encountered, rich and complex and demanding attention of me as the reader. Sentences unfolded with gorgeous complexity, and I was quickly thrilled to have found a writer who did not ‘talk down’ to her audience.
The story unfolded slowly, layering nuance and history and foibles of character. This might have been tedious but for the fact that every time I thought I knew where the story was going, I was wrong. Then, absolutely everything I thought I understood went straight out the window in a rush of action and emotional payout that I would never have dreamed was coming. I was hooked. Less than 24 hours after starting Book 1, I picked up Book 2, devoured it in similar fashion. I finished Book 3 in the wee hours, just over 55 hours after I started the first novel. (My poor husband was certain I had lost my mind.) I went down a rabbit hole that lead me from laughter to tears, and around twists and turns I never managed to anticipate. And never once did the gorgeous language falter, or was my brain allowed to coast and drift. I was enthralled by a writer who demanded attention and intelligence from her reader, one writing for thinking adults.
I slept a few hours, then got up, called in sick to work, and drove 80 miles to the nearest bookstore with the series in stock (I live in a very rural area, far from booky culture.) The store had the next three books in the series, and I snatched them up. When I arrived home, I ordered the next two books online, made dinner, and dove back in. By the time I came up for air, I was completely hooked, and waiting on pins and needled for the last 3 books to be released. Book 9 came out a couple years back. Book 10 releases in September 2017 (I have preorders in place in multiple formats.) Book 11, I hope, hope, hope, is being written.
But the story – the ongoing, multi-generational, cross-genre, nothing-is-what-it seems story – that is what has held my attention through the years of waiting. The series is never far from my mind. And when I feel the need for emotional inspiration, these are the books I reach for. The characters are part of me now, and I am constantly returning to them, and looking forward to seeing where their lives and adventures take them. And the language is stunning. I study it for its elegance and precision and creative beauty. I read sentences over and over, for pleasure, and to examine how they were created. The story is so multifaceted and intelligent, that I know I only grasp half of what is there for me to find. But that’s part of the beauty for me – that every time I read them, I discover something new.
The author was right. It did start slowly, but I have never been disappointed. Are these books for everyone? Perhaps not. But they are the perfect books for me and I hope there are more people out there who love them as much as I do: The Wars of Light and Shadow Series by Janny Wurts.
This is the story of how I fell in love with a series of books. I would love to hear your stories about this series, or about any series you adore and how you found it.