A solid book to finish off the Riftwar Saga.

Loose ends from the previous books, especially Silverthorn were tied off, and most of the characters received continued development, which was good to see. The set piece battle of Armengar was the highlight for me (as it appears to be for many others), and the reveal of the Enemy was thematically satisfying and made for a good twist. There were definitely moments where it felt like Feist was really coming into his own, and who doesn't love some dragons?

Unfortunately some of my issues from the earlier books continue to affect my judgement of this one. The magic system is still completely obscure, and is further complicated by the different kinds of magics that different characters can wield, none of which are properly elucidated. The addition of a time manipulation sequence, though well written, seemed to extend this fantasy element to a whole new level of surreal. And speaking of time, arbitrary amounts of days and weeks continue to abound in this book, though admittedly they are nowhere near the level of Magician.

I've also noticed Feist's penchant for starting chapters or sections with one liners. Often they do work to create the tone or atmosphere that he's after, but they also lose their effectiveness with overuse. Sadly, now that I've seen it, I cannot unsee.

This concluding book has given me enough incentive to give the other Riftwar novels a chance, which I was honestly expecting not to feel after Magician. However, I'll probably be going to something else first. ( )

So fun. Through the first series already on the re-read. ( )

Dit derde deel heb ik nu ook uit. Een waardige afsluiting van deze deelserie. De plot is duisterder dan in de eerste twee boeken maar wat Feist echt goed maakt zijn toch de karakters. Puc, Robbie, Joolstein en Arutha zijn daarbij wel mijn favorieten. ( )

I have not read the Riftwar Saga books under ideal conditions. I read the different books years apart, and this book I read at bedtime, often while drowsy. I have only a loose grasp of the lore, magic, and gods of this universe, but what little I can penetrate I have to say I am not impressed. The basic problem with Feist is that his characters trip over themselves to make clear they are "good guys" or "bad guys" (and let's be clear here: it's all guys; the female character we spend the most time with is a dragon that two male heroes use to ride through the cosmos). Yes there is a villain-turned-hero here, but even he falls prey to Feist's simplistic characterizations. On top of this issue, there is the problem of narrative pacing; this novel is all lead up to a climatic battle that takes place in one chapter; there is little tension and the stakes and challenges the character face are not that clear. ( )

3 1/2 stars

This is the final book in The Riftwar series. I gave the three other books 4 stars, but this one, 4 stars just did not sit well with me.

Everyone from the last three books is back, and I liked that Feist did not hesitate to wrap up even the smallest detail of his characters. One of my favorites characters Jimmy The Hand-now Squire Jimmy is adapting well to Royal life, and his new sidekick Lockey has potential.

The one thing I disliked was the back story of the Valheru, it was just too over the top for my taste-it seemed more Sci-Fi than Fantasy and that rubbed me the wrong way.

All in all a decent ending to great story-line-But I am rounding down to 3 stars. This book was just not the best of the batch, as it should of been. ( )