Review Day: Song of the Mysteries by Janny Wurts

There are no explicit plot spoilers, although I describe aspects of character development and the flow of the book in broad generalities.

The Wars of Light and Shadow series is a massive geoglyph, painstakingly shaped by hand across miles and years. We may not have had the authorial bird's-eye view to see what it would become, but this final volume perfectly completes the image and vindicates the author's efforts. Song of the Mysteries works as a culmination and callback to the entire 11-book series, resolving and reshaping everything that I've fervently read and reread over the past 30 years. It weaves the vast, abstract planetary perspective back together with the intimate, introspective character moments I love.

The plot continues to move in unpredictable directions while painting new layers onto events from earlier books (especially Curse of the Mistwraith and Fugitive Prince). This volume isn't just about tying up loose ends though -- it raises new moral conundrums and contextualizes current events in the weighty Paravian lore of the First and Second Ages. Any one of these historical asides is intriguing enough to be the germ for another novella in this universe, like The Gallant.

Be ready to take time off work for your first readthrough because good stopping points are rare (Chapter XIV is a decent saddle ridge to catch your breath before tackling the summit). The pacing forgoes any sort of slow burn and rarely lets up in intensity, with climactic events happening in almost every chapter. Every time I thought the book's language had reached a plateau in its ability to convey the tension, danger, and beauty of different scenes, the next chapter would prove to be even stronger. The tired joke about volume controls that go to 11 doesn't quite apply here because Song of the Mysteries starts at 11 and peaks around 16.

More than plot, pace, or prose, the character development is what I appreciate most about this volume. The characters I met as a teenager have matured through the lens of my own adulthood, and they all reap their earned conclusions -- some tragic, some triumphant, and often a mix of both. Most rewarding for me was Tarens, the loyal crofter whose involvement in the plot didn't satisfy me when I first read Initiate's Trial. His development here completely dispels my indifference and he has become one of my favourite characters in the series.

Song of the Mysteries is the ending that the series deserves. It should simultaneously satisfy long-time fans while elevating the now-complete series to "classic" status for future readers to discover and appreciate. This series is absolutely worth trying if you're a patient fan of rewarding, intricate complexity.

Final Grade: A+

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