Janny Wurts (born December 10, 1953) is an American

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...

novelist and illustrator. She has written several standalone novels and series, including the '' Wars of Light and Shadow'', ''The Cycle of Fire'' trilogy and the internationally best-selling ''Empire'' trilogy that she co-authored with

Raymond E. Feist Raymond Elias Feist (; born Raymond Elias Gonzales III; December 21, 1945) is an American fantasy fiction author who wrote ''The Riftwar Cycle'', a series of novels and short stories. His books have been translated into multiple languages and ha ...

. Her short story collection ''That Way Lies Camelot'' was nominated for the

British Fantasy Award The British Fantasy Awards (BFA) are awarded annually by the British Fantasy Society (BFS), first in 1976. Prior to that they were known as The August Derleth Fantasy Awards (see August Derleth Award). First awarded in 1972 (to ''The Knight of S ...

in 1995. She often illustrates her own books, and has won

Chesley Awards The Chesley Awards were established in 1985 by the Association of Science Fiction and Fantasy Artists to recognize individual artistic works and achievements during a given year. The Chesleys were initially called the ASFA Awards, but were later r ...

for her artwork.

Biography

Janny Wurts was born in

Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania Bryn Mawr, pronounced , from Welsh for big hill, is a census-designated place (CDP) located across three townships: Radnor Township and Haverford Township in Delaware County, and Lower Merion Township in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. It i ...

. In the 1980s, she worked as an illustrator for role-playing game supplements for

Mayfair Games Mayfair Games was an American publisher of board, card, and roleplaying games that also licensed Euro-style board games to publish them in English. The company licensed worldwide English-language publishing rights to ''The Settlers of Catan'' ser ...

. Wurts has written numerous novels (20 as of 2021). Her fantasy debut ''Sorcerer's Legacy'' (1982) has been described as a political thriller; it features a female protagonist and court intrigue. Similar elements feature in the ''Empire'' trilogy, written in collaboration with

. ''Empire'' is set in a non-European culture that has drawn comparisons to feudal Japan and the Byzantine empire. Wurts has also written

science fantasy Science fantasy is a hybrid genre within speculative fiction that simultaneously draws upon or combines tropes and elements from both science fiction and fantasy. In a conventional science fiction story, the world is presented as being scientif ...

: her ''Cycle of Fire'' trilogy mixes magic with

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

. Her ongoing series, '' Wars of Light and Shadow'', is a 11-volume epic fantasy (10 books published) with a storyline that spans multiple millennia and planets. Beyond writing, Wurts' award-winning paintings have been showcased in exhibitions of imaginative artwork, among them a commemorative exhibition for NASA's 25th Anniversary; the Art of the Cosmos at

Hayden Planetarium The Rose Center for Earth and Space is a part of the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. The Center's complete name is The Frederick Phineas and Sandra Priest Rose Center for Earth and Space. The main entrance is located on the n ...

in New York; and two exhibits of fantasy art, at both the Delaware Art Museum and Canton Art Museum. Wurts was a guest of honor at the 1996

World Horror Convention The World Horror Convention was an annual professional gathering of the World Horror Society and other interested parties that ran annually for 26 years, from 1991 through 2016, before being discontinued. Site selection The annual World Horror ...

and the 2004

World Fantasy Convention The World Fantasy Convention is an annual convention of professionals, collectors, and others interested in the field of fantasy. The World Fantasy Awards are presented at the event. Other features include an art show, a dealer's room, and an ...

. She resides in

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

with her husband, artist

Don Maitz Don Maitz (born June 10, 1953) is an American science fiction, fantasy, and commercial artist. He has twice won the Hugo Award for Best Professional Artist, science fiction's highest honor for an artist. His peers in the Association of Science ...

Bibliography

The Cycle of Fire Trilogy

*''Stormwarden'' (1984) *''Keeper of the Keys'' (1988) *''Shadowfane'' (1988) **''The Cycle of Fire'' (1999) collects the trilogy into one volume

Empire Trilogy

*''

Daughter of the Empire ''Daughter of the Empire'' is a political fantasy novel by American writers Raymond E. Feist and Janny Wurts Janny Wurts (born December 10, 1953) is an American fantasy novelist and illustrator. She has written several standalone novels and s ...

'' (1987) with

*''

Servant of the Empire ''Servant of the Empire'' is a fantasy novel by American writers Raymond E. Feist and Janny Wurts. Published in 1990, it is the second book in the ''Empire'' Trilogy, preceded by 1987's ''Daughter of the Empire'' and followed by '' Mistress o ...

'' (1990) with Raymond E. Feist *''

Mistress of the Empire ''Mistress of the Empire'' is a fantasy novel by American writers Raymond E. Feist and Janny Wurts. It is the third and final book in the ''Empire Trilogy'' and was published in 1992. It was preceded by ''Servant of the Empire'', which was publi ...

'' (1992) with Raymond E. Feist

The Wars of Light and Shadow

*Arc I **''

Curse of the Mistwraith ''Curse of the Mistwraith'' is volume one of the Wars of Light and Shadow by Janny Wurts. Plot summary Born on a splinter world, Lysaer and Arithon are half-brothers raised apart in enmity. Cast through a Worldsend Gate, they arrive in Athera, ...

'' (1993) *Arc II **''

Ships of Merior ''Ships of Merior'' is volume two of The Wars of Light and Shadow by Janny Wurts. Arc II of The Wars of Light and Shadow was released in several different formats. The US hard cover edition of The Ships of Merior contained the entirety of Arc ...

'' (1994) **''

Warhost of Vastmark ''Warhost of Vastmark'' is volume three of The Wars of Light and Shadow by Janny Wurts Janny Wurts (born December 10, 1953) is an American fantasy novelist and illustrator. She has written several standalone novels and series, including the ...

'' (1995) *Arc III: Alliance of Light **''

Fugitive Prince ''Fugitive Prince'' is volume four of the Wars of Light and Shadow by Janny Wurts Janny Wurts (born December 10, 1953) is an American fantasy novelist and illustrator. She has written several standalone novels and series, including the '' W ...

'' (1997) **''

Grand Conspiracy ''Grand Conspiracy'' is volume five of the Wars of Light and Shadow by Janny Wurts Janny Wurts (born December 10, 1953) is an American fantasy novelist and illustrator. She has written several standalone novels and series, including the '' ...

'' (1999) **''

Peril's Gate ''Peril's Gate'' is volume six of the Wars of Light and Shadow by Janny Wurts Janny Wurts (born December 10, 1953) is an American fantasy novelist and illustrator. She has written several standalone novels and series, including the '' Wars o ...

'' (2001) **''

Traitor's Knot ''Traitor's Knot'' is volume seven of the Wars of Light and Shadow by Janny Wurts. It is also volume Volume is a measure of occupied three-dimensional space. It is often quantified numerically using SI derived units (such as the cubic metr ...

'' (2004) **''

Stormed Fortress ''Stormed Fortress'' is volume eight of the Wars of Light and Shadow by Janny Wurts Janny Wurts (born December 10, 1953) is an American fantasy novelist and illustrator. She has written several standalone novels and series, including the '' ...

'' (2007) *Arc IV: Sword of the Canon **''

Initiate's Trial ''Initiate's Trial'' is volume nine of the Wars of Light and Shadow by Janny Wurts Janny Wurts (born December 10, 1953) is an American fantasy novelist and illustrator. She has written several standalone novels and series, including the '' ...

'' (2011) **'' Destiny's Conflict'' (September 7, 2017) *Arc V: Song of the Mysteries **'' Song of the Mysteries'' (TBA)

Stand-alone novels

*''Sorcerer's Legacy'' (1982) *'' Master of Whitestorm'' (1992) *'' To Ride Hell's Chasm'' (2002)

Collections

*''That Way Lies Camelot'' (1994)

Short stories

*"Silverdown's Gold" (1991) appeared in" Horse Fantastic" *"Blood, Oak, Iron" (2004) appeared in '' Flights: Extreme Visions of Fantasy'' *"Child of Prophecy" (2004) appeared in '' Masters of Fantasy'' (A Wars of Light and Shadow Short Story) *"Watchfire" (2004) with Raymond E. Feist, appeared in '' Flights: Extreme Visions of Fantasy'' *"Last of Her Kind" (2005) appeared in '' Fantastic Companions'' *"Finder's Keeper" (2006) appeared in '' Fantasy Gone Wrong'' *"Moebius Trip" (2006) appeared in '' Elemental: The Tsunami Relief Anthology: Stories of Science Fiction and Fantasy'' *"Sundering Star" (2006) appeared in ''

Under Cover of Darkness "Under Cover of Darkness" is a song by American Rock music, rock band The Strokes. The single served as the lead single for their fourth studio album, ''Angles (The Strokes album), Angles'', and was released online on February 9, 2011 as a free m ...

'' (A Wars of Light and Shadow Short Story) *"Reins of Destiny" (2007) appeared in '' The Solaris Book of New Fantasy'' (A Wars of Light and Shadow Short Story) *"The Decoy" (2016) appeared in '' Unfettered II'' (A Wars of Light and Shadow Short Story)

Novellas

*"The Gallant" (2018) appeared in '' Secrets & Spells: 6 Fantasy Novels'' (A Wars of Light and Shadow prequel)

Illustration work

*Cover art and map art for '' The Company War'', a 1983

board game Board games are tabletop games that typically use . These pieces are moved or placed on a pre-marked board (playing surface) and often include elements of table, card, role-playing, and miniatures games as well. Many board games feature a comp ...

from

based on the novel '' Downbelow Station'' by

C. J. Cherryh Carolyn Janice Cherry (born September 1, 1942), better known by the pen name C. J. Cherryh, is an American writer of speculative fiction. She has written more than 80 books since the mid-1970s, including the Hugo Award-winning novels '' Downbelo ...

Janny Wurts also painted the cover art for her US and international books. Her paintings have been showcased in numerous exhibitions and have won several Chesley awards.

References

External links

* *

Interviews

Off the Shelf Podcast interviewInterview by Travis Heermann of Blogging the MuseFantasyLiterature.com chats with Janny at Capricon 2008FanLit.com interviewLeisure Talk Radio NetworkWotmaniaRenderosityCrescent Blues
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wurts, Janny 1953 births Living people 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American novelists American fantasy writers American women illustrators American illustrators American science fiction writers American women short story writers American women novelists People from Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania Role-playing game artists Women science fiction and fantasy writers Novelists from Florida Novelists from Pennsylvania 20th-century American women writers 21st-century American women writers 20th-century American short story writers 21st-century American short story writers