Song of the Mysteries by Janny Wurts: Live Reaction (Part I)
This article was originally posted as a Twitter thread as a live-tweeted readalong/reaction thread to the release of Song of the Mysteries by Janny Wurts.
As of 2025, I permanently moved over to Bluesky and effective from 17 January 2026, I have deleted all of my Twitter posts due to the changed terms of service.
Some of my most popular threads, such as this one, I have preserved on my website (with minor edits, for accessibility and ease of reading) for posterity.
I will be forever proud of the fact that Janny Wurts herself enjoyed my posting so much that she had this reaction:
—Delilah.
IT IS HERE IT IS ON MY KINDLE AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
I have just done the school pick up. I have just under an hour before the next thing on my calendar.
I’M DIVING IN.
Just reading the chapter titles is making me 👀
So many good ones but of course I have to shout out the one titled “Accounting”.
Reading over the timeline (a.k.a. the “Previously in the series” recap) is jaw dropping on its own. Each individual bullet represents so much story.
Other authors do epic by adding scope. More characters, more subplots, more factions, more species, more more more.
Janny Wurts does epic by making everything deep and deeper.
Case in point: there’s a character that most other authors would write as the protagonist of a 3-5 book series. In The Wars of Light and Shadow, this character is just a footnote. Their whole life basically happens during a time skip between books.
Yes, the scale is that epic.
Omgggggg it’s taken me like 30 mins to just read and digest the timeline, reliving all the previous books in my mind, and I both want to stop and go back to do a reread of the whole series RIGHT NOW so I can appreciate the final book more but also I WANT TO READ THE FINAL BOOK.
It’s a brand new Janny Wurts book on my Kindle so I have zero impulse control over this.
I have been waiting for this book for what feels like my entire adult life.
Longer, even. I started reading this series when I started high school.
Am I ready?
🫣🫣🫣🫣🫣
I am not ready.
Since this is a totally brand new book and this is a series that’s finding a lot of new readers, I don’t wanna spoil anything for anyone so here’s how I’m gonna do this live tweet of my read.
All spoilers will be marked in images.
Real time reactions & non spoiler in text/gifs.
Oh my god oh my god oh my god, I’m only at 2% / page 11 and WHAT IS HAPPENING AHHHHHHHHH ARITHON NOOOOOOOO
I mean, it was going to happen. There was no other way it could’ve gone down.
BUT STILL
2 pages later on from that devastation, I’m giggling at an absurd, but totally fitting visual.
2 pages after that, I’m fist pumping because I did NOT think about things going in that direction but it makes SO MUCH SENSE.
Ath please make it so.
Page 22 / 3%: I love Janny Wurts’s prose.
Page 24 / 4%: am reading about a sight so beautiful it chills and literally feeling chills.
Maybe it’s because winter is coming to Australia.
Or maybe it’s just how reading a Janny Wurts book goes.
Page 26 / 4%: HOW DID I FORGET ABOUT THIS?
Hot damn absolute GOAT payoffs, YES.
Things I love about Janny Wurts books number 513: promises always get fulfilled. ALWAYS.
Page 35 / 5%: Is what I think is about to happen about to happen?
AAAAAAAAAAAAAA—
—oh sweet Ath it didn’t; it didn’t and I’m SO glad but wow that was close.
…that means something even more terrible is coming.
Further down: OH NO
😨
😱
😭
WAIT WHAT
…is this what I think it is?
🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔
IT IS.
At least, I’m pretty sure it is.
Page 40 / 6%: all I’m gonna say is, Lysaer better finally catch a break.
Pages 47 / 6%: I will never cease to be stunned by how seamlessly Janny Wurts transitions her scenes.
Page 52 / 7%: the Fellowship of the Seven (henceforth the F7) sure do go to some low, low, low lengths.
But you gotta do what you gotta do. Their purpose is not aligned to what you’d expect it to be from what you normally expect it to be in heroic fantasy and it’s 👌
Page 52 / 7%: oh my god this is ice cold coming from THIS particular F7 member (lol that makes them sound like a K-pop boy group, sorry not sorry)
Still page 52 / 7%, hot damn:
Ahahahahhahahahahahhahaha no one is
NO ONE
Page 53 / 7%: OMFG STOPPPPPPPPP
Of course that’s what the F7 wants
Page 54 / 7%: that exact moment when a character has the realization that the back up back up back up back up super ultimate failsafe backup they thought was gonna be there is not gonna be there
Alright this is where I’m stopping for the night, b/c I’m no longer in my teens or 20s & thus have to be a responsible adult & NOT pull an all nighter reading this book, which I want you all to know is incredibly tempting b/c it is totally possible for me to finish it in 1 day:
WE’RE BACK with the Song of the Mysteries live tweet first read!
Let’s see far I can get tonight.
Page 62 / 8%: Ooooooooookaaaaaaaayyyyy here we go. This is happening. This is really happening.
I have no idea how this is going to happen.
Me, to Arithon:
Page 68 / 9%: methinks I would be having a very different emotional reaction to this scene if I had read it back when I started this series.
Me, 20 years ago: HOW DARE HE!!!
Me, now: oh my god, you kids are going to get yourselves and everybody else killed
Page 72 / 8%:
Lirenda, right now:
Me, right now:
Page 77 / 10%: we are only 10% into the book and I am already speechless.
So far it’s all been set up but it’s set up with 10 tomes of set up behind it.
We’re about to go on this ride:
Page 81 / 10%: and ain’t this the truth
Page 85 / 11%: I am feeling my age reading this.
This sums up how I’m reading these guys exactly.
(Or is it the other way around?)
Page 87 / 11%: if this doesn’t happen I will cry.
Page 95 / 11%:
Page 96 / 11%:
OH MY GOD
WHAT
TARENS!!!
Page 98 / 13%: oh no, please tell me that is not Arithon’s plan.
I mean…it would work, but—
…that is his plan, isn’t it?
Page 103 / 13%: 😮😮😮😮😮
Uh oh
All the ancient debts are being called in
That is COLD Sethvir!
Just…wow. And the way he’s worded it too.
Yowzers.
Page 104 / 13%: 😭😭😭😭😭
Page 107 / 14%: oooooooof. That’s a lot of enemy troops.
Page 112 / 14%: wwwwwhhhhaaaaaaaaaat
Me, trying to remember which F7 member is where doing what
I’ve never been an audiobook listener but I think I would like to hear all of the Paravian:
Page 115 / 15%: Aww HELL YES!!!!!
Page 117 / 15%: this fallout is delightful
Annnnnd that’s it for tonight! Perfect place to pause.
Dear heavens, there’s still SO MUCH BOOK left:
Late night here in Aus and I really should be going straight to bed but how can I when there is more Song of the Mysteries to be read?
Obviously, I cannot.
At least, not without reading just one chapter.
Here we go!
![Kindle screenshot. Text reads:
Summer 5926
[image of chapter icon]
IV. Tinder and Spark](https://www.delilahwaan.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/songotm_react_0012-1024x937.jpg)
I’m very hopeful that we’re gonna get a certain reunion in this chapter!
Tarens, except this is, in fact, the master plan:
(I feel so bad for him, I would not have the nerve for this)
Dun dun dun!
Oh WHAT that’s the end of the section?
There’s no way I’m stopping here for the night. I must know what happens.
Onwards!
😂😂😂
Bet you weren’t expecting that answer, were you, Tarens?
I’ve been to the Hooverdam a few times and I’m getting much, much bigger vibes here.
(Wait, is it two words? It’s two words, isn’t it? Sorry, Americans, I always roll them together in my head.)
Oh boy, I’m scared for you guys.
😱😱😱
This is terrifying.
Annnnnnnnnnd SURPRISE!
Now we’re doing this, but because it’s not high enough difficulty level, we need to also add an unconscious body.
Arrrrrrgh I was supposed to stop after this chapter, but HOW CAN I STOP RIGHT NOW??
Why, Janny, whhhhhhhhy.
*turns the page *
Omg, it’s a POV switch.
Ok I better stop.
We’re at page 146 / 18% and the ramping up is ceaseless.
(this is where I realise that I’ve left off location references for all my reactions tonight SORRY GUYS I’ll remember tomorrow)
Alright guys, it’s Sunday morning, I’ve made HK-style French toast, I have my tea and I WOKE UP TO THIS FROM JANNY WURTS HERSELF
so we’re forging on!!
Right, so it turns out that I underestimated the amount of French toast required 😅 which means there was a feeding frenzy at brunch and I got zero reading done.
We’re now at the “we want seconds” stage so guess I’m reading while I’m waiting for the pan of hot oil to heat up.
Page 147 / 18%: For the record, Dace is the MFing MVP. Dace be doing the equivalent of going 1 v 1 with bare fists against Zeus instead of Goliath while Zeus is in battle rage mode.
Like I mean Sulfin Evend is great & all but he was not working with a certain disadvantage iykwim
Page 149 / 18%: aaagggghh noooooo! You idiot!!!
(I know it wasn’t going to be 😭 but a reader can dream right???)
Page 150 / 19%: I am, however, gleefully looking forward to these horrible leeches on society get their just comeuppance as a byproduct though.
Page 151 / 19%: omg lol he’s STILL going. Like how does he think this is gonna go down?
Page 152 / 19%: 🫣🫣🫣🫣🫣
This is going to be awful.
Page 154 / 19%: this exact moment happens over and over and over throughout the series but I don’t think it ever gets any less heart wrenching.
Also this is very 👀🤨🤔
Page 156 / 19%: I gotta say, in all honesty, Arithon’s quest is very heroic and wondrous, but I really, really, really, really, really personally find Lysaer’s tragedy the more compelling. I wish we had more page time with it and he wasn’t so penned in by Desh-thiere’s curse.
Page 158 / 19%: Uh oh, what’s this???
Page 162 / 20%: oh god.
I’m dreading when this finally kicks off.
iykyk
Page 166 / 20%: This is totally not what’s happening in this moment but I can’t help being reminded of a certain scene in Garth Nix’s Sabriel.
Page 170 / 21%: lol at the F7 who are gathered, watching this go down.
F7: He’s being far too secretive, this is not cool!
F7, also, whenever somebody wants to know what’s going on:
Page 172 / 21: and the next chase is on.
Also, I know a lot of people are aboard the Kadolin broship is the best broship bandwagon but I reckon that’s because most of you haven’t yet read enough of The Wars of Light and Shadow because THIS is clearly the best broship in all epic fantasy:
Page 174 / 21%: every time Kharadmon gets upset during one of these meetings, I’m picturing everybody else doing this:
Page 175 / 21%: it’s moments like these that you’re reminded—very forcibly—that the F7’s agenda is their own.
They are not on your side.
I love it.
Page 178 / 22%: Man, if I were Arithon, I’d be pissed too.
(Also if you like this kind of “grand plans being thwarted by small things geniuses overlooked despite their genius” vibe you should check out some K.J. Parker, though be forewarned those can be some real downers.)
A few paras down and we have the first title drop!!!
Page 179 / 22%: WE’RE ENDING THE CHAPTER HERE?!??!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!??!?!?!
ON THAT NOTE??!??!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!?
Well, then, since Janny left me to hang here, this is also where I’m leaving you all to hang.
(For now.)
Delilah Waan first discovered Janny Wurts through a bargain bin copy of The Empire Trilogy (co-authored with Raymond E. Feist), then fell head first into The Curse of the Mistwraith and it forever changed her life.
Follow @delilahwaan.bsky.social for more of her thoughts on books and publishing.