Initiate's Trial
core novel 2009 The Wars of Light and Shadow
Record
| First published | 2009 |
|---|---|
| Original language |  EN |
| Work type | novel |
| Canon status | core |
| Reader rating | 4.21 (1,032 ratings, collected 2026-09-13) |
| Page count | 544 |
| First-edition ISBN | 9780007217830 |
Synopsis
The ninth volume of The Wars of Light and Shadow centers on Arithon s'Ffalenn, the last Prince of Rathain, held captive by the Koriathain order even as the Fellowship of Seven sorcerers strike a dangerous bargain to keep him alive, binding his survival to the perilous task of battling wraiths unleashed by the sorcerer Marak. Parallel crises multiply around him: the fanatical True Sect presses its campaign to conquer the realm of Havish and undermine the surviving Paravian races, Lysaer s'Ilessid struggles against the Mistwraith's curse while trying to hold to his own moral principles, and Elaira faces a decision that could either salvage or doom the fragile future taking shape. The renegade sorcerer Davien and an allied dragon introduce further unpredictable forces into a conflict whose many threads all seem to converge on Arithon's fate.
Where it sits
- Universe: The Wars of Light and Shadow
- Series: The Wars of Light and Shadow core; position 9 of 11 in the series' recorded order
- Author: Janny Wurts
Notes
- From the series record (The Wars of Light and Shadow): One continuous 11-volume saga across 5 named story arcs; completed with Song of the Mysteries, per the author's own series page.
Neighbouring works
Publication order and internal chronology are tracked as two separate orderings and are never conflated: a book's place in one says nothing about its place in the other.
- Publication order, within the series The Wars of Light and Shadow: position 9 of 11: previous Stormed Fortress (2008) · next Destiny's Conflict (2017)
Sources
- Janny Wurts official site: Wars of Light and Shadow series page
- FictionDB: The Wars of Light and Shadow
- Janny Wurts (X/Twitter): Destiny's Conflict release date
- Readings: Song of the Mysteries
- https://wiki.paravia.com/wiki/Initiate%27s_Trial
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