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A Darkness at Sethanon (The Riftwar Saga #4)
An evil wind blows through Midkemia. Dark legions have risen up to crush the Kingdom of the Isles and enslave it to dire magics. The final battle between Order and Chaos is abotu to begin in the ruins of the city called Sethanon.
Now Pug, the master magician sometimes known as Milamber, must undertake an awesome and perilous quest to the dawn of time to grapple with an an...more
Now Pug, the master magician sometimes known as Milamber, must undertake an awesome and perilous quest to the dawn of time to grapple with an an...more
Mass Market Paperback, 430 pages
Published
January 1st 1987
by Bantam
(first published 1986)
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I personally felt that A Darkness at Sethanon is a very good book and a fitting end to a very good fantasy series. The author stepped up the action quite a bit and the battle of Armengar is just amazing. If there is one thing about The Riftwar Saga that I will always remember, it is the battle of Armengar. The rest of the action is very well written and the author's use of the character Guy was superbly done. While I really enjoyed the battle scenes in the novel, I was really confused by some of...more
Heather
rated it
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review of another edition
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review of another edition
Recommends it for:
series fantasy addicts
Recommended to Heather by:
Chip
Shelves:
audiobooks,
sci-fi-fantasy
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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Feist at his very best: A Darkness At Sethanon is the concluding book in the Riftwar trilogy and brings the saga, kicked off by Magician and continued by Silverthorn to a brilliant and stunning conclusion. This book is from an author at the height of his storytelling powers, and once started, simply cannot be put down. The plot is stunning in its execution and is totally gripping and fast moving. Add superb characterisation to this and you have a mix that is an out and out winner.
The story see...more
The story see...more
The last in the initial Riftwar Saga (though it still continues today), this one was wonderful again, though at the same time my least favourite. Whilst the first (Magician which in the version I read contains both Master and Apprentice) was very character driven, and the second was a quest novel, and both of them contained plenty of fighting, this one is much more pre-occupied with the techniques, strategy and equipment of war with the truly frightening Murmandamus.
It would be unfair, i...more
It would be unfair, i...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
In this book, Raymond E. Feist (the author) concluded the Riftwar Saga (the name of the series). As a continuation to a series, the novel was a fantastic read from start to the end while following Arutha and company throughout the storyline. The initial build-up to the story is slow before the pace picks up after Arutha (main protagonist) and company leaves Krondor.
The most compelling battle of the Riftwar Saga was the battle of Armengar and this was proven again when the same battle w...more
The most compelling battle of the Riftwar Saga was the battle of Armengar and this was proven again when the same battle w...more
This book completes the saga (though it's been revisited in other books since) in a very satisfying way - the big final blowout is nicely staged and multilayered and i was pleased overall. I might have given these books more than 3 stars, but for the last thing that really bothered me - the sexism. It isn't blatant, but i was terribly disappointed to find no strong females in this world. All of the heroic figures are men. Ok - in the last book there is a strong female warrior-type who comes from...more
Mostly, I liked this book and thought it was a pretty good conclusion to the series. I did have a small problem with the pacing. The action was relentless, and I think this took away somewhat from having a real feel for the characters and their relationships. Overall, I enjoyed this series and will come back to Feist at some point. But I didn't rush out and pick up another book right away. So I can't say I have the big enthusiasm that I've had for some other authors.
The main ...more
The main ...more
The last 2 books of Feist's Riftwar Saga. Now that I've read them while a little older, I'm seeing them a little less rosily. The stories are still very compelling and exciting, and I still love the characters, but knowing what I know now about writing, I see how clunky he is. Feist writes in a loose 3rd person omniscient POV, and switches back and forth between POV characters willy nilly, even within the same paragraph. I still love the series. A Darkness at Sethanon - the siege of Armengar spe...more
This is the kind of series that you can carry around in your bag with you for weeks and only crack it open when you find yourself waiting at the doctor's office. This being the last of the saga, I found it very predictable, almost formulaic... legions of big bad guys vs. small band of good guys with a rescue of sorts coming right at the last possible moment. Take a breath, rinse, and repeat. I even found myself reading the same turn of phrase repeatedly. It was probably less annoying to me since...more
This has always been my favourite Riftwar Saga novel. It has an exciting plot with some fantastic twists. The battle for Armengar is innovative and still exciting even though I know what happens.
Feist's characterisation has improved immensely in this novel compared to Magician, and it's wonderful to return to the company of Amos Trask and his inventive insults ("his high bastardness" has been in regular use for a couple of weeks since this rereading!)
I still...more
Feist's characterisation has improved immensely in this novel compared to Magician, and it's wonderful to return to the company of Amos Trask and his inventive insults ("his high bastardness" has been in regular use for a couple of weeks since this rereading!)
I still...more
A fitting end to the action begun in Silverthorn. I still consider the two Magician novels to be more of a separate but related storyline.
There were a few unexpected twists and turns in this novel, especially one near the beginning that I think would take most readers unaware!
I was rather perplexed at the name of this novel, until I hit the last 100 pages or so. What/where is Sethanon?! No mention of it in previous books, and yet it is the title of this novel. This made ...more
There were a few unexpected twists and turns in this novel, especially one near the beginning that I think would take most readers unaware!
I was rather perplexed at the name of this novel, until I hit the last 100 pages or so. What/where is Sethanon?! No mention of it in previous books, and yet it is the title of this novel. This made ...more
A friend described this book to me as "epic". Agree! Great? Don't know.
Again, if you liked the previous books you'll like this one. My main critique about the series as a whole is that I don't think they were planned out well. Eddings, for all his light-fantasy-ness, does a way better job of plotting out what is going to happen when and which parts of the story are going to be revealed at strategic points. Feist threw all his ball up into the air with 'Magician' and not on...more
Again, if you liked the previous books you'll like this one. My main critique about the series as a whole is that I don't think they were planned out well. Eddings, for all his light-fantasy-ness, does a way better job of plotting out what is going to happen when and which parts of the story are going to be revealed at strategic points. Feist threw all his ball up into the air with 'Magician' and not on...more
I loved the first 3 books in the series and was looking forward to see how it all ended. I was not too impressed. This book wasn't a bad book but it wasn't a great book either. Maybe I expected too much from it. The part that bothered me the most was the parts with Pug & Tomas in them. I usually loved reading about these two characters but in this book it seemed too forced. Any time anything serious happened either Pug or Tomas could just magically fix it. There was no explaining and not a lot o...more
I enjoyed this conclusion quite a bit! All of my favorite characters from the series were present and the plot took one exciting turn after another! Truly wonderful! It was a lot of fun to read, but I must admit that there was a plethora of minor editing errors, typos mainly. I was quite shocked. I know that new editions have been released since this 1994 edition of mine, so I do hope that they were corrected! Other than that, a fun read - I hope these wonderful characters continue to appear in ...more
Not sure why I finished this trilogy, and looking back, I'm not sure why I rated the previous books as "favorably" as I did. Not impressed with the writing or the plot...way too predictable, way too focused on long-winded, cliched battles, and way too many plot holes (when the author misspelled one of his own character's names at the end of the book, I almost put the book down for good...two or three pages from the finish). He may be one of the best-selling fantasy authors, but I won't...more
Third in the Riftwar saga after 'Magician' and 'Silverthorn'. Better than Silverthorn, it still can't be read as a standalone novel. It's the final book in the trilogy (sometimes referred to as book 4, as Magician was originally split into 2 parts in the US) although there are other books and other series' set in the same world with some of the same characters which can be read after it.[return][return]Good, fun high fantasy with all the usual cliches but a whole lot more besides, told in a fun ...more
A Darkness at Sethanon is the final book in either a trilogy or a tetralogy, depending on how you count (the first book, Magician, was split into two volumes to make room for previously cut world-building). Magician was so epic, though, and the final two books such a dramatic departure and epic in their own right, that the Riftwar Saga is perhaps best understood as two short epics, with the latter epic a direct sequel to the first.
The immediate predecessor to A Darkness at Sethanon,...more
The immediate predecessor to A Darkness at Sethanon,...more
I'm slightly conflicted about the rating I've given this book. The problem is: any review of this book will inevitably be a review of the entire Riftwar Saga. Perhaps this novel is a better spiritual successor to Magician than Silverthorn was, since it elaborates more closely on the events of the aforementioned. On the other hand, Silverthorn introduced some pivotal characters and bridged the gap between Magician and A Darkness At Sethanon nicely. On its own, A Darkness At Sethanon probably garn...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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Possibly the most epic novel ever written, a triumph of the fantasy genre. The magician Pug and the warrior and Dragon Lord Tomas try to save the world against impossible odds as they travel trough time and space in search of the nature of their mysterious and malevolent Enemy. In the same time, the noble Prince Arutha faces a vast armies of unstoppable evil. Non-stop action, tons of magic and mystery and extremely likable characters make this book one of the best fantasy stories ever. Feist is ...more
This book was awesome, the perfect ending to the Riftwar Saga! I think it was the best out of the three books and it's left me with a huge curiosity about fantasy novels, making me want to go out and buy more. I asked a friend to tell me a good beginner series for someone who had never read fantasy and was told to read this. I'm totally in love with the characters, they all have such real personalities and are so easy to get to know. I'm sad that this is where their story ends.
All in all, it was a good book series, but there is one thing about this last book that drove me mad.
Martin, what the heck! Feist completely changed his character just so he could get married. It was like, he finished the book, then some fan said, “So did Martin and his elf friend end up together?” and Feist freeked out and added a random woman for Martin to fall in love with.
It was just, so rushed feeling and way out of the norm.
Martin, what the heck! Feist completely changed his character just so he could get married. It was like, he finished the book, then some fan said, “So did Martin and his elf friend end up together?” and Feist freeked out and added a random woman for Martin to fall in love with.
It was just, so rushed feeling and way out of the norm.
I found the Riftwar Saga to be a quick and enjoyable read, but concluding in too seismic of a fashion. As in many cases of fantasy series, Feist seems to run out of room for more powerful and epic battles and thus starts to weave unrealistic stories. Anyways, this final book wraps up in a very stereotypical way, not really having any of the detail and power the first two books had. Not a bad ending, but nothing special either in my opinion.
The Riftwar Sage consists of:
Magician: Apprentice
Magician: Master
Silverthorn
A Darkness at Sethanon
This straightforward fantasy saga is very well plotted and written by Dungeons and Dragons aficionado Feist. I am not much into fantasy, but if you want a truly epic tale with kingdoms, magic and so forth, you won’t go wrong with this.
http://www.books.rosboch.net/?p=699
Magician: Apprentice
Magician: Master
Silverthorn
A Darkness at Sethanon
This straightforward fantasy saga is very well plotted and written by Dungeons and Dragons aficionado Feist. I am not much into fantasy, but if you want a truly epic tale with kingdoms, magic and so forth, you won’t go wrong with this.
http://www.books.rosboch.net/?p=699
Parlons franchement, les deux premiers tomes de Krondor étaient tout de même plus intéressants que les deux derniers. On a le droit ici à un final très Tolkien puisque ce dernier tome fait furieusement penser au Retour du Roi. Ne boudons pas notre plaisir, les aventures de nos compères sont jouissives à suivre et on gardera un bon souvenir de ce cycle de fantasy bien classique mais bien charpentée.
The final one of what I think of as the original Magician "trilogy" (mainly because Magician was only one volume in Britain). I enjoyed these original three - after that, the mainline story (rather than the Daughter of Empire set, which I haven't read) seemed to go into a decline, and after Prince of the Blood and the Kings Buccaneer, I couldn't even finish the later ones which I tried to read.
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For me this was the series that got me hooked on reading. I had an English teacher in high school that would let us write 2 book reports per quarter which got you a C over all in the class. So all I did for a year was read in class, write the reports and take the test blind. Got an A ;-)
I tore through this series and have been reading since.
Feist is an amazing story teller and his world of Midkemia sets the stage for some really crazy and beloved characters. Of all the se...more
I tore through this series and have been reading since.
Feist is an amazing story teller and his world of Midkemia sets the stage for some really crazy and beloved characters. Of all the se...more
Knowing how much I had enjoyed reading David Eddings Early work my brother recommended these highly to me so I read them with great expectation. Which may explain why I found them to be such a great disappointment.
Just you usually every day high fantasy. The fact that I remember little about the books tells you everything you need to know.
Just you usually every day high fantasy. The fact that I remember little about the books tells you everything you need to know.
This book was definitely better than the last one, but I'm afraid it wasn't enough to save the series for me. I remember liking this series when I first read it, and I still like the first two books in the series, but in the end they weren't good enough to stay on the shelf. Off to the used book store with you!
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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
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