Posted in
|
Raymond E. Feist
|
|
||
|
Genre
|
|||
|
Media
|
Book
|
||
Publisher | Harper Voyager | ||
ISBN | 978-000734258 | ||
|
Reviewer
|
Steve
|
Synopsis
The first book in a brand new series by the master of epic fantasy, Raymond E. Feist. Ten years after the cataclysmic events of Wrath of a Mad God took place, Midkemia now faces a new danger thought buried in myth and antiquity. A lost race of elves, the taredhel or 'people of the stars', have found a way across the universe to reach Midkemia. On their current home world, these elves are hard pressed by a ravaging demon horde, and what was once a huge empire has been reduced to a handful of survivors. The cornerstone of taredhel lore is the tale of their lost origins in the world they call simply 'Home', a place lost in the mists of time. Now they are convinced that Midkemia is that place, and they are coming to reclaim it. Ruthless and arrogant, the taredhel intend to let nothing stand in their way; but before long, Pug and the Conclave realise that it's not necessarily the elves, but the demon horde pursuing them where the true danger lies. And hanging over Pug always is the prophecy that he will be doomed to watch everyone he loves die before him!
Review
This is the first book in new series by Raymond E. Feist set in his Midkemia world. A new danger is emerges as a lost race of elves, the taredhel, have found a way to reach Midkemia (thought to be their ancestral ‘Home'. They need a refuge from the demons that have reduced their former empire to part of one world. But are they, or the demon horde pursuing them the greater threat to Midkemia?
I read magician, Feist's first book set in Midkemia, years ago and it seems a little strange to revisit the series without reading the intervening stories. Pug was a young apprentice then, while now he is an elder statesman and the power behind multiple thrones. However, there were several occasions where older characters explained recent history to new arrivals (and also to new readers like me). I found that useful, but I imagine that dedicated readers who have read many of the earlier volumes would find it distracting.
It is subtitled ‘Demonwar Saga 1' and does feel like the first part of a larger story rather than a stand-alone novel. Its only towards the end that all the threads of the story were coming together and a larger picture emerging.
While Pug is the major character I knew, other newer characters have their own threads that carry most of the book.
I found the blend of science fiction (star gates, interplanetary travel) and fantasy (elves, dwarves, magic) a refreshing slant on the more typical versions of either genre I have read before.
If you enjoy what we provide, please consider making a donation.
