Tad and Zane grew up as brothers, both had lived through a harsh loss of losing at least one parent. When it came to their coming of age, the time to choose what they wanted to do for the rest of their lives, Caleb steps in to help out their mother. From that point on, their lives take a dramatic turn that leads them down a road that no one ever dreamed of them going down.This is another great novel, the first in Raymond E. Feist’s The Darkwar Saga, that starts off in his usual manner and keeps making you want to read further. The way he spins his tales might be somewhat predictable, but he still leaves you second guessing enough to keep reading. I have yet to read a book of his that does not seem like something straight out of a Dungeons & Dragons campaign done right. To make it even better, he brought back characters from previous books.It is hard to choose a favorite character for me due to the depth that he puts into all of them. After this book, it is a tie between Pug and his son, Caleb. If you have read any of his other books set in Midkemia, then you would understand why I like Pug. Caleb seems to get even more fleshed out in this novel, and he becomes familiar to me, almost like I am him in some ways. It also really made me want to read some of the earlier books to see how Caleb got to his place in this one.This is another hit by Mr. Feist. Not only did he make me want to read the next one in the saga, but he also made me want to get a hold of all the other ones that I haven’t read that came before it. I started reading his books with Talon of the Silver Hawk and he got me hooked. His universe of Midkemia is rich in believable, human characters, history and also in sheer scope of imagination. He has made me not only want to read the next book in the saga, but read every book set in his universe. This book is also great just as a stand alone, without reading anything else. I give it a big 5 out of 5 stars.Final Review: 5 Stars (out of 5)Book Source: Personal Copy (bought from a used bookstore)This review is also posted on Amazon and http://www.frugalbookcollectors.com
Certainly not his best work, but not bad either. First the bad: One reader already mentioned he had too many modern phrases and references, which was true, but not in the extreme. What was extreme was the number of references to past characters and books, that it seemed like reading a "clip show" in book form. Although some background is needed, this was done in excess and even references that had nothing to do with the current plot were used. Obviously he was relying too heavily on past successes. The editing was poor, and although this is never 100% there were more than the average amount of errors to include a misspelling of one of the main characters names on one page (no this wasn't intentional). No decent content editor should have ever let that one get by. Now the good: It was still Feist. The writing style kept you reading even if this one was slow to get going and lacked the action of most of his books. He actually has a plot, although this plot was not as detailed as most. It was not much of a surprise ending either. As usual, the character development was very good. Some of the plot seemed disconnected, but as it is book one of a trilogy, those plot twists may still come into play. I suppose that authors that have made a name for themselves begin to get a little sloppy late in their careers. It is also a problem, I suppose, to try and out-do any excellent work you have done in the past. I think that is why some authors quit while they are ahead. I am not suggesting that Feist quit, but rather pay a little more attention. This book is still worth reading, and I will finish the series. Perhaps they get better, and I will reserve final judgment until I finish. I just expected better than merely good from Feist.
Do You like book Flight Of The Nighthawks (2006)?
This book seemed somewhat pointless. It seems to follow the same pattern as many, many other Midkemia books. I won't get into it, since it would involve spoilers, but I believe this entire book could have been a few paragraphs in a description of previous events in the life of the Conclave of Shadows. One of the weakest books in the series. I finished the previous trilogy and quite enjoyed it, but this one was low on interesting content and nothing surprising or innovative happens, just more of the same.That's too bad, because I am absolutely in love with the world and the characters, so it was more than a bit disappointing.
—Travis Cottreau
A ho-hum story without a real hook to itBottom Line: Try before you buyNever read any of Feist's book before this one. The cover looked really good, and the it had gotten some pretty decent reviews.So, the first part of the book, with Pug waking from a dream was weird...it didn't make any sense. And then we from that to the two boys, and the guy their mom likes. I had no idea who Pug was, and why did the book start with him?Fast forward a ways, to the explanation of the all Gods..the Lesser Gods, and then there's Greater Gods and we mustn't forget the Controllers. All of that explanation made zero sense, in fact, it gave me a headache trying to track everything they were saying about all the different Gods.I got to about 1/3 of the way through the book, before I finally stopped, and realized that the book never really hooked me. It was ho-hum the whole way (or at least to the point I stopped).Overall, the story needed some major work, and frankly so did the characters. I should pick up the book, get hooked and be sent on some sort of 'journey' or 'adventure', become immersed in this new world I'm being exposed to. This just didn't cut the mustard for me.I'd recommend Robert Jordan, Lorna Freeman, Winterbirth, or even The Blade Itself.
—Chris
An inauspicious start to this trilogy... Feist has this down to a formula, with strict ingredients and instructions. A standard trilogy starter, with cardboard characters and a generic plot. Pug, Miranda, Nakor and Tomas take their usual turns in this fantasy, without much reminding us of why we liked them to begin with. Leso Varen, the mad mage from the previous trilogy, is back and madder than ever. This is a guy who can't die! Some cheap theatrics and poorly written intrigue with the court of Kesh lead us to giant plot holes and inconsistencies that will take us through the rest of this muddled mess.Unlike some of his earlier novels, this one is a fast paced and fast moving tale, with plenty of excitement. But where is our love for the characters? It is simply not there. How many times can Nakor grin after every sentence? How many times can characters shrug nonchalantly? It gets irritating.Pug is completely lost and confused in this book. For being the leader of the Conclave, and manifestly the most important, most knowledgeable and most powerful magician in the universe, Feist doesn't give him much to do, and certainly makes him an idiot compared to the Pug of the Riftwar. It is a travesty to see major fantasy figure like Pug reduced to this. Magnus, Jommy and the rest of the "kids" are poor imitations of Jimmy the Hand and others. Pity that Erik von Darkmoor of the Serpentwar Saga actually seems like a complex and interesting figure compared to these people.However, the story moves along quite rapidly and Leso Varen is entertaining in a silly kind of way. As the most powerful necromancer in the world, all he could produce was some black flame and a scary voice. Sheesh. The Dasati are appropriately frightening but they don't measure up to the dread we felt at the entrance of the Tsuaranni so long ago. More's the pity.Two stars for the story and a decent start to what can be an interesting saga.
—Shivesh
