The Ultimate Fantasy Series Ranking

Author page

Janny Wurts

2 universes Last reviewed 2026-08-27

Janny Wurts is an American fantasy novelist and illustrator, born December 10, 1953, in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. In the 1980s she worked as an illustrator for role-playing game supplements published by Mayfair Games, and she has continued to illustrate many of her own book covers throughout her career. Her fantasy debut, Sorcerer's Legacy (1982), was described as a political thriller, and she went on to write approximately twenty novels, most notably the eleven-volume epic Wars of Light and Shadow, an expansive series spanning multiple millennia. She also co-authored the Empire trilogy with Raymond E. Feist, set in a distinctly non-European culture, and wrote the science-fantasy Cycle of Fire trilogy blending magical and scientific elements. Wurts received a British Fantasy Award nomination in 1995 for her short story collection That Way Lies Camelot, and her paintings have been exhibited internationally, including at NASA's 25th Anniversary exhibition, the Hayden Planetarium, and various art museums, alongside multiple Chesley Awards for her artwork. She served as guest of honor at the 1996 World Horror Convention and the 2004 World Fantasy Convention. Wurts is married to fellow artist Don Maitz and resides in Florida.

Universe(s)

Riftwar Cycle

  • Core Canon books: 23
  • Current rank: #147 in the official ranking
  • Weighted average: 4.16
  • Award recognitions: 1 won, 6 finalist mention

The Wars of Light and Shadow

  • Core Canon books: 11
  • Current rank: #366 in the official ranking
  • Weighted average: 4.02
  • Award recognitions: None recorded

Books

Aggregate across all universes

These are separate, unrelated universes; the totals below are plain sums of already-published per-universe facts, never a blended or averaged score across them. See each universe's own figures above.

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