Talon of the Silver Hawk

Talon of the Silver Hawk (Conclave of Shadows #1)

3.92 of 5 stars 3.92  ·  rating details  ·  6,295 ratings  ·  97 reviews
Evil has come to a distant land high among the snow-capped mountains of Midkemia, as anexterminating army wearing the colors of theDuke of Olasko razes village after village, slaughtering men, women, and children without mercy. And when the carnage is done, only one survivor remains: a young boy named Kieli. A youth no longer, there is now but one road for him to travel: t...more
ebook, 400 pages
Published March 17th 2009 by HarperCollins e-books (first published 2002)
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Steve
Note - First book in Conclave of Shadows, a 3 book series.[return][return]Talon returns to his home after completing his manhood ritual, to find his family and all of the Orosini mountain tribe, the only people he� s ever known, being attacked by ruthless mercenaries. He tries to help them, but is knocked unconscious and left for dead. He is saved by a mysterious man named Robert and put to work in a tavern that Robert is staying at. This however is just a test, and once he is considered worthy,...more
Matthew Green
It's pulp fantasy, but it's reasonably well done pulp fantasy.

Where Feist's Serpentwar Saga became somewhat convoluted in the latter books, Talon of the Silver Hawk is a much more straightforward tale of the life of one particular individual who finds himself thrust into a new world that is replete with unknowns and struggling to figure out how to adjust to it and still live up to the demands of his people, of which he is the last. While the unknowns could become frustrating with Talon never kno...more
Amanda
Really 2 1/2 stars. Granted, I read this way too soon after the Kingkiller books which set a crazy high standard...but this book really under delivered.

It started off promising. None of the poetry of Rothfuss, but definitely some interesting concepts. Talon's culture, a pretty obvious analogue to Native American culture, sets up an interesting character and premise. A revenge story? I'm in. Even when Talon starts to become "trained" with logic games etc. etc., I was still pretty interested. I li...more
Nina Schmitt

Evil has come to a distant land high among the snow-capped mountains of Midkemia, as an exterminating army wearing the colors of the Duke of Olasko razes village after village, slaughtering men, women, and children without mercy. And when the carnage is done, only one survivor remains: a young boy named Kieli. A youth no longer, there is now but one road for him to travel: the path of vengeance. And he will not be alone. Under the tutelage of the rescuers who discovered him, Kieli will be molded

...more
Laura
As an establishing book for a trilogy I couldn't help but feel a little short changed by the end.
For those who enjoy reading fantasy novels, you may become a little irritated by the protagonist's long list of convenient talents:
- Fluent in six (or more?) languages
- Amazing eyesight
- Philosophical mind
- Painter
- Wine appreciator
- Military strategist
- Lean, fit body
- Culinary chef
- Super swordsman
- Impeccable manners (yes, in my world this is a super power)
- Sexy-as lady-killer
- Fashionable

Not too...more
Mithrendiel
So I was a bit disappointed in this book. It was VERY slow starting. Now, this is somewhat to be expected with the first book in a trilogy, but by VERY slow… I mean a good 85% of the book was all character development. Not even exciting character development. Nope, the protagonist was getting trained, getting laid, and having pretty much no adventures along the way. And in all of that character development, the author never managed to make me identify with or really like his protagonist. I don’t...more
Sam
I was a fan of 'Magician' in my teens and subsequently read the remainder of 'The Riftwar Saga', but I eventually lost interest somewhere near the end of 'The Serpent War Saga' and thus ended my Feist frenzy. I don't recall exactly why I stopped reading these fantasy novels, but I think it was a combination of Fantasy fatigue combined with the ever-evolving complexity of the series, especially the political aspects which generally bore me. It simply all got too elaborate and complicated for my t...more
Amy VanGundy
I wish they would let you do half-stars on here. I would give this 3 and 1/2.

I've never read Raymond Feist before. I picked this up for 2 lari off the used books shelf at the English-language bookstore in Tbilis. For 2 lari I will read almost anything.

This book follows the only survivor of a brutal massacre by an evil duke of an entire people group. He gets taken in by some mysterious, but kindly folk. These kindly folk begin to train young Talon though the purpose of this training in never re...more
Ben
I'm a Feist fan. I have been for a long time. Not because I think he is a brilliant writer, or because his stories are particularly original. He isn't and they aren't. I'm a fan because he has a laundry list of publications, all in the same world, all interconnected. I've only had to deal with completely unfamiliar territory once or twice in what - fifteen books? And there is something to be said for familiarity. Sometimes I just want to read a generic fantasy novel, and Feist scratches that itc...more
Matt
This was the first Raymond Feist book I had read and even though I wasn't entirely familiar with the world of Midkemia and some of the secondary characters that were in this novel that were originally in previous series I was very pleased with this novel.

Talon of the Silver Hawk is the first book in the Convlave of Shadows trilogy which fits into the mystical world of Midkemia. The main character, Tal is all that remains of his village after it was razed during his spiritual coming of age. Orpha...more
Jay Glasgow
This was a good start to an amazing series. This introduction was just long enough for the reader to get connected and comfortable with he setting and character, and then promptly smashed the whole little world and destroyed the main character's life and dreams. This story is one of growth and maturation for the main character, and his quest to attain all of the skills necessary to gain revenge for the destruction of his family. The guiding hand of the Feist's other main characters was a nice to...more
Michael
This is my first experience with a Raymond Feist novel. I had not read any of the books that take place in the world of Midkemia and therefore knew nothing of the Riftwars or Serpentwars. This did not in any way take away from the enjoyment I had in reading this novel. It took me very little time to read through this book. It is and easy ready with a fairly good pace.
It is a typical fantasy book, where the hero comes from troubled beginnings and sets out to redeem himself by a quest. In this c...more
Craig
Talon of Silver Hawk highlights the qualities that are needed in every fantasy novel where the character grows throughout. A daft yet brilliant boy with a foreign look on every day items this perspective brings out an absolute connection with whoever bends to find this in their bookstore. Most likely its hidden by those children who think to come back later because the chapter they read in the store caught their eye. Shock and awe, the only emotions brought out by the book. Normally I look for...more
Marci Christensen
I do not like this book. It is terrible. I got it for a $1.00 at DI and I feel like that might have been too much. The characters are totally cliche and flat, the story line is slow, boring, and predictable, and the writing is young adult, but with adult morals. Usually I'm pretty forgiving in my reviews, but I have yet to find something to redeem this book. I feel like I have already read this book many times, but the other times I read it it was good. Like when I read it and it was called Harr...more
Lisa (Harmonybites)
May 26, 2010 Lisa (Harmonybites) rated it 3 of 5 stars  ·  review of another edition Recommends it for: High Fantasy Lovers
Recommended to Lisa (Harmonybites) by: Complete Idiot's Ultimate Reading Guide
I found this enjoyable enough I could see looking up the two other books in this trilogy, although I'm not moved to rush to the bookstore to pick them up, and in that my reaction is reminiscent to the other Feist book I've read, Magician: Apprentice also set in this universe. I believe that other book was among the first Feist ever wrote, and I do find Talon a better, smoother read than I remember that book being. The setting is fairly routine in fantasy--reminiscent of medieval/renaissance Euro...more
David
I read all of Feist's original Magician series when I was a high school student. At the time I considered them some of the best fantasy I had ever read. My ratings for those books were given with that first reading of mine in mind. Feist always has good character development and interesting details of his imagined locations. However, I give this particular book 3 stars because at 33 years of age I have read more extensively of the fantasy genre and I know there is better stuff out there. That be...more
Oladipo
I just finished Talon of the Silver Hawk.
It was an enjoyable read. Despite being the typical fish out of water story. Talon's journey is so engaging that it elevates the story above the typical fish out of water trope.The story's ending gives us enough bang for our buck to satisfy most readers and leaves us enough story to look forward for the rest of the trilogy. The fight was very well done and fun to read although its not quite of the level of R.A Salvatore. Despite the fact that the book ca...more
Joe Aguiar
Talon Of The Silver Hawk is not just the name of the first book in Raymond E. Feist's "Conclave Of Shadows" series but, the tribal name of the book's main character. Talon is the sole survivor or the Orosini tribe, butchered by a group of soldiers and mercenaries in their mountain village without any warning. Young Talon, who has just come of age, is left for dead but, is rescued and healed by the mysterious Robert. In debt to Robert, Talon becomes his student and is trained in everything from s...more
Victoria
This new series had a strong opening and focuses on a new and quite likable character. The geographic focus has shifted as well - and since I am reading this on the Kindle, I do wish that the maps from previous books showed this area in a bit more detail. And though series staple characters like Pug, Nakor and Miranda made cameo appearances (and Rupert Avery even has a book written about him... though the exact timing of this seems a little skewed...).
Still, this was an interesting continuation...more
Andrea Tullio Canobbio
Mollato a p. 175, non solo perché è troppo lento, ma perché di un realismo inopportuno.

Inizia con il massacro di una tribù di buoni selvaggi, gli orosini, che non sono esattamente indiani, ma indiani fantasy. Muoiono tutti tranne uno, che esplicitamente si autodefinisce “l’ultimo degli orosini” (p. 42); James Fenimore Cooper si sarà rivoltato nella tomba. Perché non scrivere direttamente un romanzo western? Prendere di peso ambienti, popoli ed eventi realmente esistititi e voltarli al fantasy mi...more
Harold Ogle
Feist is always good for a solid fantasy novel, and this one confirms it. However, there's little sorcery in this tale of cold revenge. Talon is interesting as a contrast to his best-known Riftwar series, in that all the plot focuses on one character. In addition, I've noticed that Feist's writing as he gets older has become more pessimistic in world-view and blood-thirsty in action description. Much as with the Serpentwar books, the Conclave of Shadows series starts off with this first book as...more
Richard
8/10

This was my first Feist book and an entertaining read throughout and a solid start to the trilogy. I’m completely new to this world and these characters but by the sounds of it from some of the other reviews I’ve read this isn’t an issue as it is set in a different part of the world with mainly new characters.

The story revolves around Talon who is the last man standing after his tribe are brutally murdered whilst he’s away on his vision quest. After this there is the training and the learni...more
SSirppi
I have always regarded Raymond E. Feist with kinda mixed feelings. I have read his whole Serpentwar Saga in Finnish and I went beck and forth between loving it and praying for it to end. Talon of the Silver Hawk, a book one of Conclave of Shadows, suffers from exactly the same problems. I constantly find myself much more interested in other characters and subplots than the actual plot and main character. The fact that it took me almost two months to finish this realtively short book is also due...more
Trayana
От доста време не бях подхващала книга на Фийст, заради разочарованието ми от „Войната на студенокръвните” и нежеланието ми да развалям впечатлението си от „Сагата за войната на Разлома”. Отскоро на българския пазар е и първата книга от трилогията „Конклав на сенки” – „Нокът на сребърния ястреб”, а втората се очаква в най-скоро време, така че реших все пак да дам още един шанс на Фийст.

Малък и примитивно живеещ планински народ е почти заличен от набези на наемници, а единственият оцелял е току щ...more
David
The first book of the Conclave of Shadows trilogy is a quick and simple read. There's not much to recommend except to fans of Feist or those who've already read the rest of Midkemia-Kelewan series of books. There's been a steady decline in the quality of these follow-up books such that I didn't really expect much out of this one.

This book sort of picks up on the pieces left at the end of the Serpentwar, when Pug established the Conclave of Shadows. Pug, Miranda, and Nakor make cameo appearances...more
Shivesh
Oct 22, 2008 Shivesh rated it 2 of 5 stars  ·  review of another edition Recommends it for: hardcore feist fans only
Shelves: fantastical
An uneven book by most measures, 'Talon of the Silver Hawk' is still a guilty pleasure of a read. The irony of Feist's success is that he can't keep up the pace. It's like a marathoner who runs 4 minute miles for the first third of the race but limps in at the end: he simply started out too strong. This is odd praise, no doubt; but it is finally clear that in the three books of the Riftwar Saga, Feist has prematurely shot his literary load. 'The Serpentwar Saga' as a whole was a bitter disappoin...more
Allen Garvin
Recommended to me Dave as "possibly the best Feist ever". Starts out with a tribal kid out on his day of naming, basically where he becomes a man. He thinks about all his loving family members, great life growing up, and he's up on a mountain all alone. By page 3, I knew his village was going to be wiped out by murdering, cruel thugs of some kind, and hey! page 8 he sees smoke and circling carrion birds in the distance. Of course, you don't read Feist if you want an original Fantasy story, and h...more
Julie
Really enjoyed this. I will definitely read the next in the series, and perhaps the few that come before. I liked that I was able to pick up from her without knowing anything about all the books that come before and I wasn't lost. I didn't initially know there were so many books before this one. I'm curious to see what becomes of Tal. I want at least some portion of his original purity and innocence preserved and not see it lost to the cause.
Jane
An undemanding reread for a train journey. The lack of character depth is rather frustating, Talon is a character who seems to be constantly waiting for other people. If you haven't read the books in the earlier series it would be a rather unsatisfing read.
It was only the fact that I have read the early books that gave the book any depth, but at times this book does feel more like an outline.
Skip
Best of the Feist books since the Empire trilogy, in my opinion. Talon makes an engaging main character, and it's nice to go to (mostly) new places in the world instead of revisiting all the same locations from the previous books. The background story definitely ties in with all the prior Riftwar books, but the primary thrust of this book is all new.
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Talon of the Silver Hawk (Conclave of Shadows, #1)
Talon Of The Silver Hawk (Conclave of Shadows, #1)
Talon Of The Silver Hawk: Conclave Of Shadows
Talon of the Silver Hawk (Conclave of Shadows, #1)
Talon Of The Silver Hawk

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Raymond E. Feist was born Raymond E. Gonzales III, but took his adoptive step-fathers surname when his mother remarried Felix E. Feist. He graduated with a B.A. in Communication Arts with Honors in 1977 from the University of California at San Diego. During that year Feist had some ideas for a novel about a boy who would be a magician. He wrote the novel two years later, and it was published in 19...more
More about Raymond E. Feist...
Magician: Master (The Riftwar Saga, #2) Magician: Apprentice (The Riftwar Saga, #1) A Darkness At Sethanon (The Riftwar Saga, #4) Magician (The Riftwar Saga, #1-2) Silverthorn (The Riftwar Saga, #3)

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