Product Description
PB-No shelf wear, no scuffs, tight binding, clean pages, no marks, has crease from storage, spine has 1 line, smoke/pet free home. Ships anywhere 7 days a week ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

What a great story
This books a great start. Like most epic series books, this one takes a little time to get into, but he does a good job and getting you into it after pretty quick. You will love all the characters.

Wow, I have read the 1st 7 books. They are so great. I love the character. Pug is a good character a standard reluctant hero, but boy does his story change after the 2nd book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (77)

Shogun II. This is an incredible series
In his Rift Wars novels, Feist included a world based on medival Japan, right out of Shogun.

In this series, we have a marvellous Shogun-like story of adventure and political intrigue, that's absolutely breath-taking.

If you liked the Original Shogun, then you'll find this series to be just as fascinating a read. That it's placed in a science-fantasy setting is but an insignificant detail. The authors could just as well have set this very same story in 17th century historical Japan!

Better Than I Expected!!
I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. In the Riftwar Saga, the Tsurani sections are not among my favorites, so the thought of a whole trilogy set on Kelewan, making only brief mentions of Midkemia, did not overly excite me. But, I ended up really enjoying this book! Though Feist has strong female characters in the Riftwar Sagam they are not main characters by any stretch of the imagination, so this book with Mara, the Ruling Lady of Acoma, as its focal point was a great addition to the series as a whole!
The digital version that I read, unfortunately, was laden with typos. Since _A Darkness at Sethanon_ was pretty heavily rife with typos as well, I am curious over if the print version suffers from these errors as well. If so, I am very curious about the hiring standards of Bantam editors in the 1980s!
But not even the errors detracted from the excitement of a new book in the land of high politics, honour and warfare that Feist created in Kelewan. An interesting complimentary storyline, I am curious to see what heights Mara will achieve in the remaining two books of the trilogy.

Unbalanced
I have read and enjoyed Feist's novels ever since I was in high school.Though he borrows many elements from Tolkein's high fantasy approach, his Riftwar Saga remains one of my favorite fantasy series. That said, I am disappointed with this first installment of the so-called Kelewan trilogy.Though I do not claim to know for sure, I think that Feist had a minor role in the writing of this novel, for the style and subject is very different from any of the Feist books I have previously read. To be sure this story is exclusively set in Kelewan; the same Kelewan where Pug ends up in midway through Magician. Yet do not let the fact that the story is set in the world of the Tsuranuanni fool you, for there is very little fantasy and magic in this novel, indeed the fantasy elements are few and far between.When fantasy does appear it is presented in an awkward manner, such as the sudden introduction of the Cho-Ja or the deus ex machina role of the Great Ones in solving issues that the writers seem to be unable to resolve through the course of the plot.

Though I can enjoy a good novel regardless of the genre, the problem with Daughter of the Empire (DotE), is that once the original shock of false advertisement has subsided (about 250 pages in, I had figured out that this was not likely to be a fantasy novel) the rest of the story is not all that good. It is basically a survival/revenge story of a young girl in a male dominated society where she is seemingly hounded by enemies on all sides.Despite the fact that this seems like a good starting point, the truth is that Mara is not really all that harassed by her enemies, I mean over the course of 400 pages there may 3 or 4 real action sequences while the rest of the time is spend on describing her life and daily struggles in managing an estate or dealing with a boorish husband.All this told from a single perspective, since Mara is almost exclusively the only character viewpoint, makes for dull reading.

The premise behind the Tsuranuanni world is based on a medieval Japanese-like society, and I must admit that the attention to detail and thoroughness by which the customs and the Acoma estate are described closely matches the historical facts, but since I have already read Clavell's masterpiece Shogun, DotE does not impress as much as it should on this regard. To end on a good note, the story despite its tedious pace, has some very interesting characters, such as Arakasi, Tecuma of the Anasati and Teani, who add some much needed flavor to a mainly prototypical starring cast. All in all, I hope for a better continuation of this series, with hopefully more of an even collaboration between the two writers and theirs styles.

GREAT BOOK
This is probably one of my favorite series of books by the author. I was so wrapped up in the reading, which did pull emotions when read.

Stick out the challenge and be rewarded
I'll just review one aspect of this trilogy.I read Feist's four prior books, including Magician, and found myself strongly preferring the Europe-like Midkemian world over the Japan-like Kelewan world in which the Empire Trilogy is based.I wanted to read Feist's books in order that he wrote them, so I decided to next attempt to bear through the Empire books.

Boy am I glad I did.I now count the final book of the trilogy, Mistress of the Empire, one of my two all-time favorite fantasy novels.The Magician series, as much as I loved them, now seems almost amateurish by comparison.The Empire story is carefully crafted, the characters vary from two-dimensional to fully three-dimensional, and the end of the trilogy is exhilarating.

However, reading the trilogy was not always easy.I developed a love/hate relationship with the main character, Mara.There were times when I thought her a cruel monster and other times when I thought her a saint.There were at least two occasions where I got so angry with her, thinking her ugly, that I considered not bothering to finish the series.

But now I know that this is all by design.Mara is struggling with the culture she lives in.The first book, Daughter of the Empire, shows Mara as a person of that culture with some inclination to question it.The second book, Servant of the Empire, shows Mara coming to understand her culture and finding herself at odds with it.The final book, Mistress of the Empire, shows Mara in a final struggle with her culture, a struggle that starts out intensely personal but which later engulfs the entire Empire.

So don't you put those books down!Keep reading!Love Mara at times, hate her at times.It is as it should be.You won't experience the euphoria of the ending with out it; and because of it, you might just count Mistress of the Empire one of your all-time favorite books. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Competent fantasy illustration
This is a collection of Maitz's work from the late 70s through early 90s. The reasons for each commission vary - cards, book covers, promotions, etc.

There is a lot to enjoy here. Although Maitz has a certain style, the work and topics vary. There are sword and sorcery images, dragons etc., and some science fiction (The Cyteen covers are especially enjoyable.) All of the work meets high standards of workmanship. In the few cases I've checked, it's very well suited to the subject, too.

There are a few oddities, though. His female figures tend towards broad bands of pale eye makeup, a little raccoon-like, perhaps an artifact of the time the paintings were made. Many of the women, and some of the men as well, show a lot of white around the iris in their eyes, like a horse about to bolt. That look serves well in a few places, but becomes distracting.

It's a nice collection, and adds balance to a larger collection of fantasy art. I just can't that that any of the pieces are very memorable.

//wiredweird

Vividly colored realistically painted fantasy
This is the artist who painted the Captain Morgan Spiced Rum ads. Brilliant colors, beautifully done, and fantastic imagination.Inside cover are commendations from Anne McCaffrey, Ray Bradbury, C.J.Cherryh, whose books he has illustrated, also James Gurney, and Michael Whelen.

Great
A+ I loved the thrill and Fantasy of this book it is amazing! ... Read more

Product Description
The Castle Crydee has stood strong against a multitude of enemies over the years, and has kept its people safe. But now, a new enemy from another world threatens to destroy them, and Prince Arutha, Swordmaster Fannon and Squire Roland struggle to keep them at bay. Meanwhile, Pug, apprentice to the magician Kulgan, goes on an offensive with his master and a band of soldiers into the heart of the enemy camp. It's a daring challenge...one that will ultimately prove fatal for one of them...and will change the course of the other's life.3 ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document, covering the life and work of Raymond E(lias) Feist, is an entry from Contemporary Authors, a reference volume published by Thomson Gale. The length of the entry is 1281 words. The page length listed above is based on a typical 300-word page. Although the exact content of each entry from this volume can vary, typical entries include the following information:

• Place and date of birth and death (if deceased)
• Family members
• Education
• Professional associations and honors
• Employment
• Writings, including books and periodicals
• A description of the author's work
• References to further readings about the author

Product Description
The last remnants of an ancient advanced race, the Clan of the Seven Stars, are returning at long last to their lost homeworld, Midkemia-not as friends, but as would-be conquerors. Led by the conjurer Laromendis, they are fleeing the relentless demon hordes that are sweeping through their galaxy and destroying the elves' vast empire planet by planet. Only by escaping to Midkemia and brutally overtaking the war-weary world can the last remnants of a mighty civilization hope to survive . . . if the Dread Legion does not pursue them through the rift. The magician Pug, Midkemia's brave and constant defender, is all too familiar with the Demon King Maarg and his minions and their foul capacity for savagery and horror, and he recognizes the even graver threat that is following on the heels of the elven invasion. The onslaught to come will dwarf every dire catastrophe his imperiled world has previously withstood, and there is no magical champion in all of Midkemia powerful enough to prevent it. Only one path remains for Pug and Midkemia's clandestine protectors, the Conclave of Shadows: forging an alliance of formidable magical talents, from the demon-dealing warlock Amirantha, brother of Pug's hated foe, and the demon-taming cleric Sandreena, to the elven Queen Miranda, to the warrior Tomas. However, uniting enemies and bitter, vengeful former lovers will be no easy task, and even together they may ultimately be unable to turn the death tide. But a failure to do so will most certainly ensure Midkemia's doom.This special free edition includes an excerpt from Raymond E. Feist's newest Demonwar Saga novel, At the Gates of Darkness. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

reads a little lackluster on its own
Okay.. maybe it's not a literal D&D transcript.
But I haven't read the author's previous works and am reviewing it 'standalone'.
Story needs probably 2-3 of the 15+ characters introduced.
A lot of the action seems focused around a balance of power between protagonist characters, which really sucks me into the feeling that I'm reading a transcript from last night's role-playing game adventure.
I'm certain that's not strictly true, but it comes across that way at several points.

But I didn't mind the price!

boring, over written drivel
would work well as a short story. some of the characters had potential but most of them were forgettable...as were most of their names (which I could not remember since they had to be at least 4 syllables) and there was far too much written about cities, countries and other worlds and their political crap that didn't really do anything to add to this story except extend it out hundreds of more pages than it should have been. I don't really like the "tell each diff. character's story in each chapter" because if you are really enjoying one character (the female knight's was good) its aggravating to have to read about others that aren't as good.

Awesome!Feist continues to evolve the wonderful universe of Midkemia
I've been a Raymond Feist fan for a long time, and he doesn't disappoint with this latest series in the world of Midkemia.A masterpiece!

Good Fast Read...Got me interested in his other titles
I haven't read any of Feist's other books.So I can't refer to any of his other writings- on its own very good and for me a very fast read.I like the character Pug, the magic the sword play...well the world which Feist has created.Rides a Dread Legion has sort of inspired me to pick up some of Fiest's other books-I suspect that was the publishers intent by giving it away. Hmmm.I'm such sucker for easy gimmicks, but this isn't affecting me from buying more of Feist.

Solid fantasy novel although slow moving
I've never read Feist before, so this was my introduction to his work. The story was a pleasant read, but not compelling enough for me to feel drawn to reading further installments in the series. From the other reviews I see this is actually part of a larger set of series which are set in the world Midkemia, where we are introduced to a group of characters attempting to stave off a possible demon invasion. The narrative had me skipping through entire pages hoping to find more show, less tell. I suppose there were multiple book's worth of backstory to fill in, but I began to find paragraph upon paragraph of exposition tiring.

As a free download it was a nice time filler, I didn't consider it a waste of time, but am not sure I would purchase any further efforts. ... Read more

Product Description

Jimmy the Hand, boy thief of Krondor, lived in the shadows of the city.

Customer Reviews (8)

Best of the Legends of Riftwar saga
So far this is the best book of the Legends of Riftwar series, though none are tied together and are only snippets from Midkemia during the war (not through reading yet). Stirling does a good job continuing Feist's Jimmy the Hand's character even though story is different as is the writing. Of course, this book is the one most closely tied to the legend because it involves one of the main characters. I'd recommend this book out of the series if you are only considering one and if you want a break from Feist.

Very Weak Work
I enjoyed Feist's first book, Magician. Since then, there has been a steady decline in the quality of his work. These last few novels are really terrible. First, Feist has become a company whose formula is 1) put his name on the cover to lure in readers and 2) then have someone else (probably a high school kid looking for two month's work)hack together a sort of fantasy novel that follows the formula. Second, the decline of these novels makes we go back to the first novel to ask why I liked it. I think a lot of why I liked it was because it was different than other things I had read at the time and because it was heroic in a way so little literature (perhaps for good reasons) is today.

Going back to Magician and rereading it I came away thinking less of it than I did the first time I read it. The cliches are all there, the stock responses of characters, the cliches that seem to pass for character development( icy queen, rough woodsman who is really sensitive, strong king who doubts in private, crazy evil raving gnome/alien/etc ) and repetitious descriptions and interchanges.

This process is kind of the same thing that happens when you read all the Jordan work. You love the first one but by the time you are reading the eighth one you know what is coming and see literally the same phrases reappearing and the same actions and attitudes happening just supposedly farther down the time line(the boy who can not understand women, the woman who tugs at her braid or straightens down her dress front...)Part of what I realize is that the newer works are as bad as I thought and the older works are not as good as I thought. Rereading Feist did not make me love his work more and I did not find greater depths to artistry or philosophy to explore.

So for entertainment, grab Magician and maybe the other two in that first trilogy. AVoid the later works, or at least do not pay to read them.

Jimmy the Hand
Have read all the books from this author and thoroughly enjoy all of them. Bought the book because I really loved this particular character, Great

Best of the three, but...
I have been paying close attention to the ratings for Raymond Feist books, and finally decided to pick up the Legends of the Riftwar trilogy: Honored Enemy, Murder in LaMut, and Jimmy the Hand. I was pretty disappointed. Honored Enemy was a pretty good story, but ended very abruptly and with no real resolution other than a sappy "and they lived happily ever after."Murder in LaMut had its intrigue and amusingly petty nobles, but again -- where did the story take us? Nowhere. Jimmy the Hand had the best story of the three, but with a predictable twist and a worn out rags to riches ending. Bleh. Though the characters were far better developed in this book than the other two, I still found myself shrugging at the end of all three, wondering why I persevered beyond boredom to get to the end.

This sounds harsh, I know. I don't pretend to be a book reviewer, or to know what would make anyone else happy in a book but myself. But I am an avid reader of Robin Hobb, Terry Goodkind, George RR Martin, Brandon Sanderson, Joe Abercrombie and Robert Jordan. THOSE are authors with incredible talent, fresh stories told with flair, and a feeling of sadness at the end -- not because of any tragic ending, but because the *story* has ended. Sorry,Feist...I tried to like you, I gave you three full books to win me over...but in the end I will have to move on to other authors.

Hot Fingers, Fast Hands
The book opens in the docks of Krondor, with a large scale fight going on - the Mockers are providing cover for the escaping Prince Arutha and Princess Anita. (The city's official forces - specifically Radburn's Secret Police - are trying to prevent the escape. Naturally, Arutha and Anita manage to get away). The pair have made a big impression on the heroic young Mocker, Jimmy the Hand - who's been working closely with them in the previous couple of weeks. Arutha made a gift of a rapier to him, and taught how to handle while he has a major crush on the Princess...The Mockers are fighting against Radburn's Secret Police. City's current Viceroy is the Duke of Bas Tyra, who gained the position through crooked means from Anita's father. (He's looking to marry Anita - both to legitimise his position and gain even more power and influence further down the line). The Duke is out of town at the minute, dealing with a skirmish over in the Southern Marches...Jose de Garza as his Acting Governor. De Garza is very keen not to be blamed for Arutha and Anita escaping, and plans on hanging as much of the blame on Radburn as possible. However, he'll also be making things extremely unpleasant for the Mockers are...

The Mockers are basically the city's Guild of Thieves and are `led' by the Upright Man. He doesn't actually appear in the book, but his instructions tend to be delivered by his two chief lieutenants - the Daymaster and the Nightmaster. The live in the Mockers' Rest - practically a large cavern, carved out of the basements of several properties owned by the Upright Man. It's accessed through a secret entrance in a dodgy part of the city. Jimmy, our hero, is an orphan and isn't sure of his exact age - he figures it's somewhere between 13 and 16. He does, however, have a real talent for his chosen profession,

One of the few people Jimmy is apparently close to is Hotfingers Flora - a pretty sixteen year old orphan and a failed pickpocket, who now earns her living lying down. She was one of Jimmy's first and remains his favourite. (Generally, however, their encounters are genuinely affectionate, rather than business. Jimmy's a little concerned about her - ideally, he'd like her out of the trade altogether. Jimmy's mother had worked in the same profession, and she had wound up murdered). When Flora gets caught up in de Garza's reprisals, Jimmy takes it upon himself lead the rescue. Although he succeeds, he has to leave town for a while - and only partly because of De Garza. Flora and he travel to Land's End, where Flora hopes to find her grandfather. Jimmy, naturally, finds further adventure...and the possible means to return to Krondor.

This is the first book of this genre I've read in a long time, and I think I'd have enjoyed more when I was a little younger. Certain parts could've been shortened - Jimmy's first horse-ride, particularly. It's also a little inconsistent in parts - especially with the estimates of Jimmy's age. However, it's certainly not a bad book, and it's an easy read overall.
... Read more