Raymond E Feist

[Jax]

Ok, I did a search, and the only place this guy is mentioned is in the 5 fave authors thread.
I have just finished Magician, my first Feist book, and have the 3rd from the library - currently waiting for the 2nd one, though I asked for them both at the same time, the lady on the phone said are you sure you don't want to get them one at a time, and I've been this route with this stupid library before, a book I'd asked for in November last year I finally got at the start of March, so I thought it'd be good to get the next 2 books of the series at the same time, that wouldn't be greedy would it?
Anyways, Ma picked up the 3rd book for me and someone there told her to tell me that I couldn't renew the 3rd book (I think they did it a prupose, but perhaps not) and it's been over a week now, and still no second book, so I will have to return the 3rd book soon (and I'm feeling bitchy, I'm sure the librarian who did this to me will be gloating when I have to reask for it!)

Anyways, my whole point here is what does everyone else think of his books? /Please/ try not to put too many spoilers in as I've not read them all, or any except 1 :roll: LOL but tell me what you think!

[-H-]

I think it is an absolute travesty!!! not letting you renew the 3rd book so as to be able to read the 2nd first !!!

Does this Librarian have no numeracy at all ... 3 comes after 2 ! Duh!!!!!

:banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead:

Oh well ... and to think we neglected mister Feist for so long without his own thread .... absolutly appalling ;)

His books are good aren't they ;)

[Jax]

Well, I liked the 1st one so far, but I got irritated with Pug for a while in the middle, he was so dumb and then he didn't /try/ anything after he got powers, and he could have handled to destruction of the games a little better :roll: LOL

[Keita]

:laugh: Threads about him pop up all the time, but nobody wants to discuss it it seemeth me! :laugh:

That said, Feist can write well if he wants to, but since he's more involved in his computed games now, the quality of hios books have taken a nosedive IMHO.

I liked the "Riftwar saga" a lot! The second is better than the third though. The follow ups on the saga is also good - "The King's buccaneer" and "Prince of the blood".

The ones I recommend most highly is the "Empire trilogy" - a glimpse into Tsurani society from the point of view of one of the rulers of the empire who was traumatically affected by the war with Midkemia. The effects of the war on the Empire takes centre stage in the books to a larger or lesser exent. The first book basically introduces you to the empire and the main characters. In the second book, the events of the Riftwar are shown from a Tsurani point of view - how they impact on Mara and her household. The third shows the aftermath of the war and the changes it brought to the Empire, as effected by Mara. Excellent books! They come highly recommended!

[dae]

i love his books but the caracters annoy me at different points right now i'm looking for the third book that started off with talon of the silver hawk then king of foxes i'm looking fot the one after but i don't know the name of it

[Jax]

Dae, I had a list printed off so I know what one's to ask the library for next, the one you're talking about is called Exile's Return, and was printed this year! Hope it's at your library! :D
if you'd like to see the list, you can see it here http://www.raymondfeistbooks.com/booklist.htm (wasn't at the site, copied it off a piece of paper, else I'd've posted the actual list in here :D )

[T'ley]

Great auther (sp?).
I'm just subscribing,,,

[dae]

sighs i wish jaxie i don't have a good library but i will try to get that book now that i know what it is jaxie thanx

[Tabra]

I love Feist's work, although I have some of his on the shelf, waiting to be read. The only thing I don't like is the name Pug. Why did he name him after a breed of dog? ack!

[bisb]

Mara in the Empire Trilogy is a great character--she holds her entire world together. You should enjoy the books.
Don't worry Jax my library is regretting they ever showed me how to order books on line from them---I keep them very, very busy :evil: So don't let that librarian bother you--take the book and ask for it again a couple of days later. It'll keep them on their toys getting the books for you :D

[dae]

mara is a great character imo she does seem to hold the world together after she changes it for the good of the empire (loves that line)
pug does have a funny name doesn't he
the good thing abot his books is that you can write alot of storys about it having two odd worlds with all of there different places

[Elisabetha]

I love Feist. I have read everything he has written so far, though I don´t own all of the books yet (I have a great colleague who has more money than I do and he lets me borrow his books). I like the serpentwar books better than the riftwar books, but that could be because I read them first. I really enjoyed the books on the empire and think Mara is a wonderfull character. I also like some of the books he wrote in between the riftwar and serpentwar series, but not the ones that were written for the computer game. Those stories lack everything a good story needs. They make nice computergames but that's all they do.
His new series starting with Talon of the silver hawk is very interesting especially the third book as it changes perspective (won't say anything more about this in order to prevent spoilers).

Anothe book by Feist I really enjoyed is Faerietale. This book takes place on earth and is about normal human beings coming into contact with the faeries from Irish legend (the not nice ones) I would recommend this to everyone. It is very different from his other books.

:bouncy: :bouncy: :bouncy:

[dae]

i always wondered what Faerietale was about didn't think it was about the same thing so i never read it now that i know what it is about i will go read it :D

[Redstarfalling]

The Riftwar saga is what really got me into fantasy many years ago...I love Feist, although I haven't enjoyed the more recent books as much. The ones based on computer games are a bit tedious. Definitely read all the Rifwars and the Empire books. Enjoy! :wave:

[Keita]

The Riftwar saga is what really got me into fantasy many years ago...I love Feist, although I haven't enjoyed the more recent books as much. The ones based on computer games are a bit tedious. Definitely read all the Rifwars and the Empire books. Enjoy! :wave:

For me, it was the Empire trilogy that got me into fantasy, which convinced me to give Pern a go after The Rowan convinced me that Anne was a great writer! :good:

[selket]

i liked all 4 books in the series, but you do have to read them in order.

[T'ley]

I can't remember wether I have alfrady said this so I'll say it again.

STEVEN ERICSON IS THE BEST AUTHER I HAVE EVER READ HE IS INCREDIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

He gets all the shades of grey like in real life not just black and white like most books.

[selket]

jax,
did you ever get the second book?

[-H-]

I've Finally gotten around to reading the Empire Trilogy co-written with Janny Wurts!

I picked Daughter of the Empire up at Waterstones in between Trains at Birmingham ;) (i needed something new to read :O )

i'm already hooked :eek: :faint: :D ;)

[Jax]

jax,
did you ever get the second book?
:erm: uuuhhhh I have one from the library called A Darkness At Sethanon? is that it?? I've not read it yet.... :blush:

[Jax]

oh would you look at that :roll: when did I post that thread?? More than 2 months ago, time enough for me to have mostly forgotten about stuff, and I still only have the third book and not the second one!! :banghead: that's waaaay too long for a sievehead!! :razz: :crazy: (I had to go look it up on that booklist I posted the link to up there /\ )

[-H-]

I've Finally gotten around to reading the Empire Trilogy co-written with Janny Wurts!

I picked Daughter of the Empire up at Waterstones in between Trains at Birmingham ;) (i needed something new to read :O )

i'm already hooked :eek: :faint: :D ;)

I finished Daughter of the Empire ages ago now (it seems ages anyway ;) ) and picked up the second in the Acoma trilogy .... i bought it the same time i bought Haunted (See Kelley Armstrong Thread in this very Forum), and have only just started to read it :bouncy: whoopee ... a whole 'nother book to go ... should last me another couple of train journeys at least :D

[Keita]

I'm glad you like it! :good:

[thedragoneth]

Yes, I've read all of them. I'm a huge fantasy/sci-fi fan, but I'm very tentative about getting into a new author or series. I have to know that all the books will be available to me (preferably at the library) before I even start, or at least that they will be. I only read series-in-process if they're episodic (like Pern) or there's a defined end to them (like Harry Potter). That's why I refuse to even start reading Wheel of Time. But once I get hooked on an author, I can't stop until I've read everything in the series. So far this includes Anne, Mercedes Lackey, David Eddings, Brian Jacques, Lloyd Alexander, and a few others.

With Raymond E. Feist, I started reading Magician because someone gave it to me. I loved it and I've read all his other books. I think he's one of the best storytellers out there-- and he considers himself a "storyteller", not an author.

I like how in each book we go deeper into the fantasy-- we learn who the Enemy is, why the Chaos Wars happened, what the connection between Midkemia and Kelewan is, why the different types of elves are estranged from each other, what the nature of magic is, etc. We learn the backgrounds of all of these character families and why they do what they do. I like how he obviously thought all this out even before he wrote Magician, because he mentions these things all along but you don't understand them until later. I'm amazed at how well the Riftwar and Empire series fit together. This is definitely not one of those authors who makes mistakes and leaves inconsistencies hanging out all over the place. (sorry Anne!)

I agree that the three Krondor books were less enthralling character-wise and rather video-gameish, but it's still cool to know what happened to those characters in the time between Sethanon and Prince of the Blood. And lots of these events are mentioned in the later books (which were written first), so REF knew what he was doing!

I've gotten rather attached to many of the characters, especially Jimmy, Lauri, Mara, Kevin, Lujan, Nakor, Martin, and Erik.

I agree with Attraio that the Empire trilogy is very good. I'm glad REF collaborated with Janny Wurtz on those books, because I don't think he would have been able to write such a complex female lead without her! None of the others even compare to Mara.

[thedragoneth]

For the benefit of those unfamiliar with Raymond E. Feist, here's the breakdown, in order of publication, with my short summary of each plot (not very good), and the most important characters. I've tried to avoid spoilers and I don't think there are any, except for mentioning that certain characters are still around in the later ones.

The Riftwar Saga:
Magician (written as one book, but later split up into Magician: Apprentice and Magician: Master): the story of the Riftwar, lots of magic and political intrigue, introduction to Empire and hints about the Enemy. Pug, Tomas, Laurie
Silverthorn: rescue quest, lots of icky gore, more about the Enemy. Arutha, Jimmy, Laurie
A Darkness at Sethanon: climax of the Enemy conflict. Pug, Tomas, Arutha, and Jimmy


Empire trilogy:
Daughter of the Empire: takes place during Magician: Apprentice. Lots of intrigue. Mara, Lujan, Keyoke
Servant of the Empire: takes place during Magician: Master/Silverthorn/Sethanon. intrigue, assasins, and war. Mara, Kevin
Mistress of the Empire: takes place after Sethanon. final intrigue, love, dramatic magical triumphs. Mara, Hokanu, Arakasi, Lujan



Prince of the Blood: About twenty years later, lots of political intrigue. James (Jimmy), Borric, Erland, introduction to Nakor!
The King's Buccaneer: Several years after Prince. pirates! Introduction to Novindus, lizards, and demons. Nicholas, Amos, Nakor


The Serpentwar Saga: (takes place about thirty years after Sethanon)
Shadow of a Dark Queen: Introduction to Calis' Crimson Eagles, more about Novindus, snakes, and lizards. Erik, Roo, Calis
Rise of a Merchant Prince: financial intrigue. Roo
Rage of a Demon King: Invasion, lots of fighting lizards and snakes. Erik, Roo, Pug, Miranda
Shards of a Broken Crown: End of the fighting lizards. Sadness and destruction. :( Jimmy Jr, Dash, Pug, Miranda


The Riftwar Legacy (takes place between Sethanon and Prince): Mostly about Jimmy, William, and Jazhara
Krondor: the Betrayal: read a videogame. Make friends with a moredhel. Jimmy, Locky, Owyn, Gorath
Krondor: the Assasins: spies. Jimmy, Arutha
Krondor: Tear of the Gods: strange evil magic. Jimmy, William, Jazhara


Conclave of Shadows (takes place many years after Shards):
Talon of the Silver Hawk: revenge stuff. Talon, Kaspar
King of Foxes: more revenge, disguises. Talon, Kaspar
Exile's Return: intro to some strange stuff in Novindus and yet more strange evil magic. Kaspar
There will be at least one more in this series...

[Kitsch]

I read Magician a while back and have just received the last two in the trilogy from eBay.

It wasn't a stay-up-until-3am-to-finish book, but I did enjoy it (apart from when Pug was on top of the tower. Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay to much description and my brain started to switch off a bit. Apart from that - liked it.

[Keita]

Very good summary, the dragoneth! :good:

I loved The Riftwar Saga but was far less impressed with The Serpentwar Saga. Oh, the first two books were really great but I was disappointed with the last one. I haven't read any of his latest works - I'm not much of a gamer and when I heard they were based on the game I just let them slide. :sad: I KNEW I'd be disappointed. Maybe I'll give his latest series a go...it looks interesting but I REALLY wish he'd return to Kelewan and do some more there. I just love the Tsurani to bits! :good: Not to mention the Thuril! :bouncy:

I agree with you, he made the correct choice in having JW collaborate. Mara is one of the best fantasy characters ever! :heartbeat

[Kitsch]

I just started reading Silverthorn today - Arutha and Anita are a lovely couple *has feeling of impending doom* and Jimmy the Hand is shaping up to be a good character.

[Keita]

:bouncy:

They're all good! :good: Oh I envy you, getting to read it for the first time! :good:

[thedragoneth]

I read Magician a while back and have just received the last two in the trilogy from eBay.

It wasn't a stay-up-until-3am-to-finish book, but I did enjoy it (apart from when Pug was on top of the tower. Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay to much description and my brain started to switch off a bit. Apart from that - liked it.


Have fun reading, Kitser! Yeah, he is very heavy on the description, but if you can make it through the weird parts, the plot and characters are definitely worth it!

[KC.]

Raymond Feist will be in Leeds next week signing copies of his new book:

http://www.voyager-books.co.uk/authors/default.aspx?id=1790

As I don't buy his books in hardback I shall buy Faerie Tale as I don't have it and haven't even read it yet, although I have almost all of the books in the Rift War Sagas. I will hopefully be able to get the Magician and Empire Trilogies signed. I have been reading him for almost as long as I've been reading Anne :D

I have also booked a 3 hour lunch break for that day ;)

[Lessaruatha]

you should know KC that Faerie Tale is not like any of the books you have mentioned

[KC.]

you should know KC that Faerie Tale is not like any of the books you have mentioned


I know - but as I don't already own it I can buy it to get in the queue for signatures without duplicating any ;)

[Lessaruatha]

very true :)

[KC.]

I know - but as I don't already own it I can buy it to get in the queue for signatures without duplicating any ;)

And I did just that - although I didn't have to.

I went to the shelves for Faerie Tale and all the Feist books had been taken off :crazy: So I went and asked and yes they had one copy but they couldn't find it :(


So I just queued, if they had insisted I would have got his latest paperback but I think I must have still been in "Con" mode because I joked about not buying the hardback and wanting to buy Faerie Tale instead but he said it was okay and signed and dedicated the Magician Trilogy - commenting on the spelling of Kathryn (just like Anne did first time I met her :D).

Then the Borders chap said he knew where the Faerie Tale was so I said I would buy it. I had more books I wanted signing and the queue was short enough to go round twice so I bought the Faerie Tale and queued again.

Chatted to a few people in the queue and lo and behold discovered Silvercat was immediately in front of me. Gave her a hug and probably scared her to death :eek: but it was amazing and great to meet another KTer there. She was taking photos and said she would email one to me.

Anyway in total I got 8 old books and 1 new book signed and was very pleased to meet Raymond Feist who was charming and friendly to everyone who came.