Feist's new trilogy - review of first book

bonkey

Just read Talon of the Silver Hawk, the new book by Mr. Feist, which marks the beginning of yet another series set on the good ol' world of Midkemia.

Having finished it, I'm in two minds as to how much to recommend this.

On one hand, it reads a bit better than a lot of his more recent work. Whilst not as promising as Daughter of the Empire or Magician was (for me), it easily matches the first book in the Serpenwar Saga, and is far better than the Krondor series, or any of the non-series-based books he's written about the world.

But here's the problem. Already I can see it following similar lines to SerpentWar, which was effectively the same lines as the original Riftwar series. Start with small characters who are interesting enough and a story which hints at something larger. However, I can already see that by the end of it there will most likely be another multiverse-ending threat which the major magicians have to go and fight....which was fine the first time around, but do we have to have it in every series he writes?

The book is set a good few generations after the Serpentwar, which gives Feist the freedom to have some nice references - an inn called the Admiral Trask for example - without getting tied down in the old characters and their descendants.

Overall, its good stuff, but I'm woried about where its going. Having said that, of course, I'll keep reading Feist cause its light and entertaining stuff.

Its no worse than anything he's written before, so if you like his stuff, you'll like this. On the other hand, if you're getting fed up of the same world and the same style, then this probably isnt really radically different enough for you.

jc

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

cool, i might check this one out if it's going to be another serie.s. i didn't really like any of his newer books.. they just didn't seem to me, to be as good as Magician and anything else from the riftwar/serpentwar.