A Kingdom Besieged (The Chaoswar Saga #1)

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A Kingdom Besieged (The Chaoswar Saga #1)

3.91 of 5 stars 3.91 · rating details · 2,488 ratings · 116 reviews

Midkemia’s fifth and final Riftwar—the devastating Chaoswar—explodes in the opening volume of Raymond E. Feist’s spectacular new epic fantasy trilogy of magic, conflict, and world-shattering peril. A Kingdom Besieged is a breathtaking adventure that brings back Pug—first introduced in Feist’s classic debut novel, Magician, and now Midkemia’s most powerful sorcerer—who face...more

Hardcover, 368 pages

Published April 12th 2011 by Harper Voyager (first published January 1st 2011)

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Jul 11, 2011 Veronica Morfi rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The darkness is coming…

If you are a fan of epic fantasy novels, knights, battles, kings, queens, magicians, elves and everything related to them this is a fantasy world you’ll love.

The story of Midkemia started 26 books ago and still worth waiting every single book. In this 27th book the Kingdom is threatened by the empire of Great Kesh. Spies from both the Kingdom and Roldem are disappearing or turned to the enemy side. And when Jim Dasher, an agent from both the Conclave of Shadows and the Kin...more

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Apr 09, 2013 Bob Milne rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy-epic

It has been an astounding 30+ years since Raymond E. Feist first introduced us to Pug, Tomas, and the other heroes of Midkemia in Magician (broken into Magician: Apprentice & Magician: Master in North America), the first book of the The Riftwar Saga. I can vividly remember devouring all three books of original trilogy back in high school, and I still count it as one of my favourite series.

I, of course, went on to read the Krondor's Sons duology, along with The Empire Trilogy - which had the...more It has been an astounding 30+ years since Raymond E. Feist first introduced us to Pug, Tomas, and the other heroes of Midkemia in Magician (broken into Magician: Apprentice & Magician: Master in North America), the first book of the The Riftwar Saga. I can vividly remember devouring all three books of original trilogy back in high school, and I still count it as one of my favourite series.

I, of course, went on to read the Krondor's Sons duology, along with The Empire Trilogy - which had the added bonus of introducing me to Janny Wurts. I drifted away from Midkemia after that, however, having found that the opening chapters of The Serpentwar Saga were too sparse, too militaristic, too far removed from the core characters, and somehow lacking in the sense of magical epic-ness that made the first saga so compelling.

When I heard Feist was working on the story of the 'final' Riftwar, I knew it was time to catch up, to re-familiarize myself with the world, and see things through to the ominously titled Magician's End.

That brings us to A Kingdom Besieged, the first book of The Chaoswar Saga. Much to my delight (and relief), reading this opening volume was very much like revisiting old friends. The same 'epic' sense of storytelling that I remembered was back, along with myn old friend Pug at the forefront, once again a major force to be reckoned with. Feist does a superb job of casually recapping the prior sagas, bringing up details in conversation, or reflecting on past events in the character's thoughts. He never info-dumps or delays the story, just slowly and naturally brings the world and the reader back together.

There's a lot to like here, not the least of which is the story of Child, the rather unusual demon who grows in both stature and power, all the while approaching a level of sophistication that's almost human. It's not clear what role she will have to play in things, whether she'll offer salvation from the darkness devouring the land, or prove to be a harbinger of the end-times, but she's a compelling character. In fact, she just may be the most chilling character I've encountered in an epic fantasy, a character with the potential to destroy the world . . . along with the intelligence and cunning to know precisely what she's doing and why.

Similarly, the reintroduction of Pug into world affairs is a welcome addition to the story, acknowledging the tragedies that have come before and gently, politely, respectfully resolving them. His relationship with his sole surviving son is an interesting one, especially given the dark pact he made with the future in the original saga, but you can't help but hope Feist will find away around demanding the ultimate sacrifice. More importantly, Pug seems ready to take a role in world affairs once again, which promises to set up some interesting confrontations, but also ensures the possibility of survival for Midkemia.

What I appreciated most about the story, however, is the novelty of Kesh's plans for conquest. Feist has done conquering armies before, both human and inhuman, and done a solid job of directing battles and armies in ways that make logical sense, but which still manage to surprise. Here he takes things in an entirely new direction, introducing us to armies that are designed solely to make landfall and send the residents scurrying for cover. Rather the press the advantage and invest themselves in siege, however, the armies simply hold their ground while the refugees they've collected are set loose to colonize the land. This is not a conquest by swords, pole-arms, pikes, and magic spells, but one by spades, hoes, shovels, and farming. This is not a war of attrition, but a simple matter of displacement.

It's not year clear how all these events will converge, what role the elves will deign to play, or just how much the Pantathians (surprise!) are responsible for, but it's clear that change is in the air. It's a next-generation Riftwar, with grandsons and great-nephews stepping up to take the place of their heroic forefathers, guided by the continuity of Pug. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and am glad I decided to revisit Feist's world. On to At the Gates of Darkness next.

Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins(less)

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Jun 29, 2011 Ian rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Another page turner, obviously, when is Feist ever not?

Spoiler alert (so don't read on if you haven't read the book yet) : I have to comment on the demon thing... at first I was like "what is going on with Child?", and then later I was still like "what is going on?" I mean I knew it was going to be an important part of the story but come on! This is Feist and I want content with Pug and The Conclave and Thomas! Meanwhile, I did enjoy meeting the new characters from Crydee, gotta love going back...more Another page turner, obviously, when is Feist ever not?

Spoiler alert (so don't read on if you haven't read the book yet) : I have to comment on the demon thing... at first I was like "what is going on with Child?", and then later I was still like "what is going on?" I mean I knew it was going to be an important part of the story but come on! This is Feist and I want content with Pug and The Conclave and Thomas! Meanwhile, I did enjoy meeting the new characters from Crydee, gotta love going back to the roots.

By about the middle of the book I was over it and became interested in Child. I had been short on patience but I should have known! This is what I love about Feist! I know the book is not solely about Child, the demon. There is a lot going on and I am only focusing on the demons because it illustrates that Feist is one of those authors who know what his readers want. When Child and her archivist/buddy/companion become Miranda and Nakar..... what can I say! I wasn't in tears (although I expect the scene in the next book when they reunite with Pug will) but I did feel a smugness (Thank you Feist!) and a warming of the heart. (because Nakar is back and it wasn't the same without him)

So why a 4 star and not a 5 star review? Simple. I want more. Feist has been and will probably always be one of my most favorite authors but I read this book in about 6 hours. I hate to complain but a 30 dollar book? 6 hours? You might say "Slow down then" I would say right back that Feist's books have been less pages in each one and bigger print in each one. Now I might be exaggerating out of frustration but it sure does seem like less and less. I am not a slow reader, and no I don't skim at all, and yes I read a lot of books, and no Feist will not get 5 starts from me until he steps up and presents me with a book (and I hate to say it because I love his work so much) that is something other than an airport read.

That being said I will surely buy the next 30 dollar book, and the next, and the next. I grew up on Feist and will always be a huge fan. Keep then coming, I love you Feist!(less)

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Apr 19, 2011 R Bartel rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: scifi-fantasy

A Kingdom Besieged was my first introduction to Feist’s novels. The author makes a huge assumption – that I have read his previous books. This assumption is revealed in the fact that he spends almost no time introducing his characters. By the middle of the book I had to assume that if I didn’t know who someone was, they must have been brought forward from an earlier series. Since this book is touted as “book one” of a new series, I felt tremendously disappointed. I then researched Feist’s writin...more

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May 05, 2013 Robert Duffy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

It jumps between sequences but each story holds interest. Child at the start was particularly interesting and the continuing story appeared disjointedly throughout the book. Pug the magician also ran a stream of connected stories that could be joined as one. Jim was a connection linking between the sons of Crydee's stories, the magician and various spying groups stories that assists in unraveling mysterious events and warlike behaviours, in the various story threads throughout the book.

Sadly non...more

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Oct 07, 2011 Wiebke rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Mar 15, 2011 Vasya rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy-paranormal

From the Magician: Apprentice to this title that I'm sure Raymond E. Feist made an incredible journey for its readers, but sadly I have only read his Riftwar Saga and Krondor's Sons. I have to say that, after reading this, I am sure that I haven't made a bigger mistake in my reading experience.

I fell in love with Magician: Apprentice on first sight. Ever since that first sentence, ever since that first scene with Pug, I was gripped with the whole world of Midkemia and Televan Feist created. But...more From the Magician: Apprentice to this title that I'm sure Raymond E. Feist made an incredible journey for its readers, but sadly I have only read his Riftwar Saga and Krondor's Sons. I have to say that, after reading this, I am sure that I haven't made a bigger mistake in my reading experience.

I fell in love with Magician: Apprentice on first sight. Ever since that first sentence, ever since that first scene with Pug, I was gripped with the whole world of Midkemia and Televan Feist created. But I had a slight problem that I didn't know how to deal with - coming to the third (or fourth, depends on how it's published) book in that first series, I started disliking his work because it tended to go toward sci-fi fiction of which I am not an admirer. And while that problem was not repeated in the two books in the Krondor's Sons (at least if you try really really hard to imagine that it was all because of magic) the characters of Boris, Pug, Tomas, Arutha and Jimmy could not be so easily duplicated, and I didn't feel as good as when I read Magician.

So I gave up. Not on Feist entirely, but I just kept postponing reading his other works until eventually something totally took my attention away from them, and having this book in my hands (not literally, but you know what I mean) made me realize just how much I missed out.

True, most of those characters I admired so much in the Riftwar Saga are dead, because this happens a few generations after those first steps were made. Pug is there, but he is not a little boy anymore in search of adventure and approval, he is a magician so burdened by his knowledge that I sometimes perceive him as an old man, way beyond Kulgan's age. But my problem with this book was that it relies too much on the information of the previous books.

I am short of knowledge. I figured out why the ending was so dramatic, I remembered what it means, because I've already read something of the history of Midkemia, but there were so many places and so many characters mentioned that I knew nothing about, the I was left very confused. Even though I could make some connections, this is not a recommended first read if you are not familiar with Feist's entire Riftwar Cycle (which means that I'm about nineteen books in the minus). It is first in the smaller series of Midkemia, but I dislike that it couldn't be a stand-alone novel, because to figure out everything (and believe me, Feist did an excellent work by having a hidden meaning behind every word spoken and every action taken) you need to read everything that happened before. I like works that are set in my favorite worlds, but not at the point that they're so interconnected that I can't understand a book before its predecessors.

Aside from it, the storytelling was amazing. I was always left a little awed by the formerly planned details of the plot, by stepping so lightly into the character's skin while he/she's the focus of the attention, and I was not disappointed here. Martin, Hal, Jim, the elves, the Black Caps, Child, the whole political scene which is present but doesn't smuggle the whole adventure of it all, nothing disappointed me.

I loved the way how it all came to be, how the plots for the invasion become unveiled, how the whole adventure began. And even though so much of the whole story is revealed, I know that there is something greater that is going to be revealed in the next book. And then again something greater in the one after that one. It's the way Feist works, and the complexity of everything makes me want to read it over and over again.

The characters are not overbearing. There is a perfect symmetry between the complexity of the story and that of the characters, because they unveil themselves slowly with every page turned. Nothing is crowded as sometimes may be the case in this type of fantasy, and Feist did an excellent job in balancing all the main parts of the story.

And what more do I need to say, except that I am anxiously awaiting the next book, and furiously searching for my library or credit card, to get on with the books that this one reminded me of? I recommend it to all epic fantasy lovers, because it definitely won't disappoint.

This review was based on a digital ARC received via NetGalley.

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Feb 12, 2013 Felix rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

This is another exciting series from Raymond Feist.
I've been a big fan of Raymond Feist since reading
Magician: Apprentice where he introduces Pug,
a squire from Crydee who later on reaches the pinnacle
of Magic and battles all kinds of magical foes and
demons and saving his world from destruction.

I've been reading Raymond Feist's novels and his books
have always been easy to read with lots of riveting
dialogues and action that easily moves the story along.
RF is also fan friendly. I remember even bef...more

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Apr 05, 2012 Noor Jahangir rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

With Kingdom Besieged, we are returned to Midkemia and back to where the saga began; Crydee. Though this is a new trilogy (?) it picks up threads from the previous Midkemian volumes and makes full use of their history and lore. The return to Crydee is a welcome one for those Feist fans that were becoming a bid jaded with all the realm hopping and every twist that was taking us away from the characters we loved into looking to see where the plot was going.
The writing and story-telling is classic...more

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Apr 06, 2011 Marcela (BookaholicCat) rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review is also published at http://thebookaholiccat.com

This was my first book by Raymond E. Feist and big mistake! This book is promoted as the first book in The Chaoswar Saga Trilogy, but when I started to read it I realized that it was not a first book, but a continuation of a very extensive series, that is divided into different sagas; there are almost 20 books prior to this one.
This dampened a little bit my reading experience considering there were many references to previous events th...more This review is also published at http://thebookaholiccat.com

This was my first book by Raymond E. Feist and big mistake! This book is promoted as the first book in The Chaoswar Saga Trilogy, but when I started to read it I realized that it was not a first book, but a continuation of a very extensive series, that is divided into different sagas; there are almost 20 books prior to this one.
This dampened a little bit my reading experience considering there were many references to previous events that I didn’t know and references to many characters that I also didn’t know who they were or what was their roll in the previous books.

Apart for this, I enjoy the book. The characters are complex and interesting. Mr. Feist does a great job with the description of the world, making it vivid and realistic.

My favorite character is Child, a demon we see grow from baby to a complex being. She is transforming herself page by page, developing into something else. She is a very inquisitive being who wants to learn more and more, always with and endless curiosity of the world surrounding her.
There is a twist in the end of the plot regarding this character that have me wondering how Mr. Feist is going to unfold it.

Another character I really liked is Martin. He is the second son of Lord Henry, Duke of Crydee. Martin is a quiet and very studious young man. But unforetold circumstances put him in a difficult situation forcing him to take the reins of the dukedom This situation tests him in a great level, as a second son he was never prepared to do so, but thanks to his strength and capability he is able in the best possible way to carry out this burden.
I liked seeing his transformation and acceptance, not just of this situation in which he is thrown at, but also in a more personal level in regards to his feelings towards Bethany.

Even though there are many events and situations happening at the same time, making it a very complex plot this is not a difficult read, Mr. Feist really pull it off with a very compelling storytelling.
This book is fast paced, especially the last third part of the book, making is a page-turner difficult to put away.
I don’t think I’ll read the previous books (there are too many). But I am sure I will read the next ones in this trilogy, I can’t wait to know what is coming next.

To any fantasy lover this is a series for you. I recommend you to read it in order.(less)

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Jun 07, 2012 Linda Wells rated it 4 of 5 stars

As a longtime Feist reader, I was chagrined to see that he had two recent books that I had missed. These are apparently the culmination of his Riftwar stories, and I finished A Kingdom Besieged today. It's been awhile, so the first few chapters involved a lot of flipping to the inside covers for map references, but eventually everyone started falling into place.

I did briefly consider re-reading the entire series first, but there are a lot of books there and I was too impatient to see what was g...more

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Apr 25, 2013 Cher rated it 4 of 5 stars

While this book was still great it does feel almost 90% rehash of his past books. Luckily his original series were mind blowingly awesome.
The writing is still top notch it's just that the same themes even the exact same character names keep popping up. Even though its supposed to be generations later this new great grandson has the same characteristics as their forebear sometimes I think it's fantasy you can do anything why not bring back someone from the dead other characters are long lived i w...more

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May 20, 2011 Peter rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, fiction

continuing the tradition of buying every new Feist book on the day it drops, usually in March or early April. Didn't get around to reading this one until now. I felt he tok the last book off, it wasn't really strong, his mother was sick, etc... but this one her seems to be back

Midkemia has become so long and storied over his 20 odd books, that he spends an inordinate amount of time explaining who people are, who died where, etc: it's good because even the most diehard reader of his forget (some...more

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Mar 14, 2011 James Whitehead rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I continue to read these books so I can get to the end of the story, but it seems a bit to me like the books just aren't as polished as they used to be. Other reviews here have already pointed out the repetition of the Magician's Tower description, but I've found a few other instances that just didn't quite feel right as I read them. Of course, I've never read a series as extensive as this one (although Jordan's Wheel of Time trumps Feist with page-count, it falls far short of characters and ove...more

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Feb 25, 2011 This Is Not The Michael You're Looking For rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, fantasy, high-fantasy, ebooks

A Kingdom Besieged is the latest book in the long-running Riftwar Cycle by Raymond Feist and the first in what appears may be the final trilogy of the story. Depending a bit on how one chooses to count, this is the 19th book in the primary series (which is subdivided into a variety of sagas), with an additional 9 related books (6 co-authored) retroactively filling in story gaps with alternate tales and points of view. Broadly speaking the primary series has generally declined in quality through...more A Kingdom Besieged is the latest book in the long-running Riftwar Cycle by Raymond Feist and the first in what appears may be the final trilogy of the story. Depending a bit on how one chooses to count, this is the 19th book in the primary series (which is subdivided into a variety of sagas), with an additional 9 related books (6 co-authored) retroactively filling in story gaps with alternate tales and points of view. Broadly speaking the primary series has generally declined in quality through time, with the first books being the best and the later books the worst. Happily, A Kingdom Besieged goes a long way to reversing this trend, as it is easily better than all eight books making up the last three sagas, and at times almost recapturing the magic of the first few tales.

A Kingdom Besieged begins about five years after the end of the previous book, At the Gates of Darkness. It's a broad tale of war and intrigue, although not a dense or difficult read. The story moves at a rapid pace, with a few twists and turns but nothing particularly shocking or surprising (I very early on guessed what was probably meant to be the biggest shock/twist in the story...I don't know whether it was telegraphed or I just got lucky). As with many other books from the series, it contains a mix of new and established characters as the primary drama starts to shift to a new generation. Manyh of these characters harken back a bit to the characters from the earlier stories (sometimes blatantly and deliberately), which is perhaps why they resonate so well. The ending is solid, without a blatant cliffhanger, but still setting up numerous plot threads to be tackled in the next two books.

One of the biggest problems with the last few books in the series (and particularly the previous book) was the lack of what I would call craftsmanship. It was not so much that the story and plot and characters were particularly bad, but rather that the writing and editing fundamentals were sorely lacking. In particular, there were numerous redundancies and gross inconsistencies (such as having the same character in two different places simultaneously) that simply showed sloppy writing, editing, and an insufficient attention to detail that detracted from the story. Thankfully, such inconsistencies appear to be largely absent from this book, allowing the reader to stay more absorbed. One craftsmanship flaw still remains, however, which is a tendancy to redundancy. For example, in chapter 1, Feist writes

It was called the Magician's Tower, for once the Duke's ancestor, Lord Borric, had given it over to a magician and his apprentice.

In chapter 19 he writes

......to the roof of the tower known as the "Magician's Tower" because it was where Pug and his mentor, the magician Kulgan, had resided deacdes before.

The text in chapter 19 is completely extraneous; he already explained where the name of the tower comes from. It's almost as if these chapters were written completely independently with no thought or bearing to how they fit together into a single book (this was not the only case of such repetition).

Overall, I found this book to capture much of the excitement I remember when first reading the earliest stories 25 years ago and for the first time in quite awhile I am actively looking forward to the next book to learn what will happen next.(less)

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Aug 15, 2011 Mandi rated it 5 of 5 stars

another brilliant book from RAYMOND E FEIST, i have read all of his books to date and wait impatiently after every one for the next to become available, i highly recommend to all fantasy readers,to read he's books if you havent already,but you must start at his first book MAGICIAN,as his characters and story lines follow on,(which is another thing i love about him)if you dont you will only become confused and have no idea what the story is about,naturally you loose characters along the way but y...more

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Jan 05, 2013 Mary rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

I haven't enjoyed the few books before this. Everything seemed to be getting too far away from the central theme but I rather enjoyed this again. True, Feist is reusing the say character types but we are several generations on from where we started so similarities are not entirely unreasonable. I'm not sure what the development with the demons means but I'm sure all will be revealed in due course. I missed Thomas & Calis in this book. I assume they will return in the next book in the series...more

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Jun 24, 2011 David Marshall rated it 3 of 5 stars

Once this gets going, it's a well-paced fantasy adventure that continues the Riftwar Cycle. Unfortunately, it’s a bit slow to start as Feist feels the need to explain who everyone is before getting on with the story. So, if you’re a fan, you can skip through the first hundred pages, missing out all the infodumps. If you’re new to Feist, you can learn a lot about what has already happened if you read the first hundred pages carefully and keep notes.

http://opionator.wordpress.com/2011/0...

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Sep 12, 2012 Mathieu rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Mon premier Feist.

Voilà un auteur de fantasy qui propose une œuvre intéressante. Depuis ses débuts comme écrivain en 1982, tous ses romans se situent dans le même univers (Krondor) qu'il a inventé avec quelques amis lorsqu'ils jouaient au jeux de rôles à l'université.

Au sein de cet univers, Feist met en scène ses personnages et, au fil du temps, leurs descendants, donnant à son travail l'aspect d'une vaste saga.

Cependant, Feist est malin et sait mener son histoire de manière à ce que chaque nouv...more

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Aug 08, 2012 Brandon Zarzyczny rated it 3 of 5 stars

First off, I am a huge fan of Feist, and I've read every single one of his books. At this point though, I really feel like he's just calling it in. Some of the new characters are interesting, but none of them are fleshed out enough. This whole book was really an intro to the next one, there really wasn't a climax or much of a story in this one. I enjoyed reading the book, but after I was done, I was just left feeling very underwhelmed. Also, the book is pretty short for Fantasy, only around 300...more

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May 09, 2012 FantasyWereld rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: volwassenen

Ongeveer dertig jaar nadat Raymond E. Feist zijn reeks boeken over Midkemia begon met Magiër, komt het einde nu in zicht met de Saga van de Chaosoorlog-trilogie. Het eerste deel hiervan, Het Bedreigde Koninkrijk, speelt zich vijf jaar na Voor de Poorten van het Duister af. Hierin verloor Puc zijn vrouw en zoon en het verdriet is nog steeds niet verwerkt. Toch kan hij zich niet al te lang afzijdig houden van wat er zich nu afspeelt op Midkemia. Het Keizerrijk Kesh blijkt namelijk een grootschalig...more Ongeveer dertig jaar nadat Raymond E. Feist zijn reeks boeken over Midkemia begon met Magiër, komt het einde nu in zicht met de Saga van de Chaosoorlog-trilogie. Het eerste deel hiervan, Het Bedreigde Koninkrijk, speelt zich vijf jaar na Voor de Poorten van het Duister af. Hierin verloor Puc zijn vrouw en zoon en het verdriet is nog steeds niet verwerkt. Toch kan hij zich niet al te lang afzijdig houden van wat er zich nu afspeelt op Midkemia. Het Keizerrijk Kesh blijkt namelijk een grootschalige invasie voor te bereiden en een nieuwe oorlog kan het Koninkrijk der Eilanden zich niet veroorloven. Alle informanten in Kesh zwijgen echter in alle toonaarden, dus Jim Dasher en Sandrina gaan zelf op onderzoek uit om te achterhalen wat Kesh van plan is.

Maar ook in het demonenrijk is er nog steeds geen rust. Na het verslaan van de demonenkoning Dahun is het gevaar vanuit deze wereld nog niet geweken. En naarmate we steeds meer te weten komen over de demonen lijken zij nog niet eens het grootste gevaar te zijn dat Midkemia te vrezen heeft…

Herkenbaarheid
De stijl die Feist in het boek hanteert is, voor mensen die al eerder zijn boeken hebben gelezen, herkenbaar. Actie, politieke intriges en verrassende onthullingen, ze zijn allemaal aanwezig. De vaart ligt redelijk hoog, maar wordt soms onderbroken door personages die achtergrondinformatie spuien. Het verhaal leest desondanks prettig weg en is zeker vermakelijk genoeg om de lezer tevreden te houden.

Herkenbaar zijn ook de personages die Feist in dit boek introduceert. Wederom is er een ConDoin afstammeling die op de muren van Schreiborg staat om een belegering te doorstaan. Ik denk dat hier ook de crux ligt waarom Feist met zijn laatste verhalen maar niet lijkt te kunnen tippen aan eerdere boeken, zoals die van De Slangenoorlog. Zijn meest gewaardeerde boeken hadden allen personages die zoveel meer te bieden hadden dan de personages die we nu leren kennen. In plaats daarvan werden archetypes van stal gehaald, die allen ontwikkeling missen. Jim Dasher is een nieuwe Robbie de Hand, in Martin en Hal zien we Martin Langboog en Arutha terug. De personages die in de laatste paar boeken zijn geïntroduceerd, zoals Sandrina of Haviks, missen de aantrekkingskracht om echt ondersteunend te zijn.

Wil je de volledige recensie lezen? Klik hier:
http://www.fantasywereld.nl/recensies...(less)

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Feb 06, 2012 Matt rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: feist, read-in-2012, fantasy

Feist has a lot of different things going on in this book. Its the beginning of the end for his series and I know he wants to include just about everything that he can that has happened over the last 25 books or so.

A war is brewing between the Kingdom and Kesh. The Demon Realm is being destroyed and an unique demon, Child is looking to escape. The Nighthawks have vital information for Pug, the Pantathians may or may not be making a guest appearance for the first time since the Serpent War, and...more

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Nov 08, 2011 Melanie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Not his greatest work, but a page turner it was.

I found the constant repetition of the heredity facts more then just a little annoying. If you read this before reading any of the others in the series your wasting time as Raymond E Feist assumes you know the world of Midekemia. So Mr Feist, please don't your waste your devoted readers time reminding us constantly of the Heredity of the characters.

Other then that the actual story line is capturing and I am another avid reader waiting on the next...more

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Nov 17, 2011 Rich Carducci rated it 4 of 5 stars

Excellent read, Feist has come back with a great story. His last two book cycle lacked a bit but he has come back much stronger and the twist at the end was fantastic and has me wanting for the next book. For those criticizing the book because they have not read the others, that is unfair and I recommend reading the other books and you will appreciate the story more. I feel he does just the right amount of retellng to refresh those who have been reading the series for years without delving too f...more

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Nov 28, 2011 Tincangoat rated it 4 of 5 stars

Feist still writes as if he's rehashing the same old story just to make money; which is sad considering how great the Talon books were. Feist knows how to write, and several of his books have shown that he writes well. Unfortunately, this one gets close, but doesn't quite make it until you're nearly done with the book. That's when a couple of events happen that will make you stop and think, "What the frick?"

My thoughts:

1. Quite honestly I'm tired of reading about Pug. Pug was fun to read when he...more

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Apr 07, 2011 Blodeuedd Finland rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

The fifth riftwar is about to start. Pug and the Conclave have been searching for demons for a few years and have not noticed that something is happening. And since I love Pug I am always happy to see him, and I hope there will be a lot of him. But he is also very sad since he lost his wife and son, and because of all the others he has seen die since he has lived so long.

The other characters in this book are Martin and Hal conDoin, sons of the Duke of Crydee, and they will play a big part in thi...more The fifth riftwar is about to start. Pug and the Conclave have been searching for demons for a few years and have not noticed that something is happening. And since I love Pug I am always happy to see him, and I hope there will be a lot of him. But he is also very sad since he lost his wife and son, and because of all the others he has seen die since he has lived so long.

The other characters in this book are Martin and Hal conDoin, sons of the Duke of Crydee, and they will play a big part in things to come. They are young men, ready for adventure, but at the same time not ready for all the responsibilities. We also meet James Dasher, or Jimmythehand as he wanted to be called when younger because of his famous relative. A spy that tries to figure out why Kesh is attacking the kingdom. All these characters just bring me back to the first Riftwar and it's a great feeling.

There is another character, Child, who wanders the demon realm and kills and grows. And then at the end there is such a twist and I never saw it coming. She sure is an interesting character.

This book has the beginning of a war that is going to be devastating for the West. There are also some politics and a lot of spying going on. And the question about how Kesh put it all together without anyone knowing. Then we have the question about why the demons are fleeing their realms and what the Darkness is. Something bad is coming and it will not stop. And at the end of the book something big happens that had me stop reading and smile. It's not something good, actually it's really bad, but it's a great plot, and I can't wait to see what happens.

Conclusion:

Ok, so I have not read all the books. It seems I missed the 4th Riftwar, but did it matter? Not really, I could jump in and was soon up to speed about things going on. It's a new series and sure it builds on the other books but it can stand alone. Though there are all these little things and if you really want to know then you should at least read the first Riftwar saga. Fans will not be disappointed, as always, great fantasy.

Rating:

I had fun :D(less)

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Apr 29, 2011 Eric Leblanc rated it 3 of 5 stars

Feist has been hit and miss the last 5-6 years for me, but I could see something more to my liking in this one. He went back to the roots, i.e. storyline in our beloved Crydee, ConDoin people as guest stars, Crydee under siege, the Kingdom is imperiled etc.

On the other hand, there are many redundancies is this book, particularly when relating events in the past, and it is a little annoying after a while. For exemple, I think I read 3 times the story about how Pug did a stand between Kesh and Ki...more

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Jan 07, 2012 Tyrone rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Midkemia completists

Shelves: fantasy, reviewed

Despite being a huge Raymond E. Feist fan I have to admit approaching this book with some trepidation. Partly because the recent additions have not always been as good quality or held my interest as much a some of the earlier parts of the series. And partly because I know that this is likely to be the last entries in a series of books that have accompanied me through much of my reading life.

I've not always been as gripped by the Conclave of shadows as i was with the fate of the Kingdom. I also h...more Despite being a huge Raymond E. Feist fan I have to admit approaching this book with some trepidation. Partly because the recent additions have not always been as good quality or held my interest as much a some of the earlier parts of the series. And partly because I know that this is likely to be the last entries in a series of books that have accompanied me through much of my reading life.

I've not always been as gripped by the Conclave of shadows as i was with the fate of the Kingdom. I also haven't been convinced by some of the adventures set in the demon realm. Therefore to be confronted by a prologue set in the Demon realm didn't provide me with the auspicious start I had hoped for.

That said the story of 'Child' gripped me all the way through to the final reveal. I also enjoyed getting back to basics with members of the ConDoin family back in the kingdom of the West, more specifically in the Duchy of Crydee. Surprisingly it was the stuff with Pug which fell a little flat. I've felt that Feist has struggled with this character since making him omnipotent. He's had to go to incredible lengths to create enemies that should prove a challenge to the most powerful magician of this or any age and at times those enemies just haven't seemed credible.

I was also surprised at how short this instalment was. I am hoping for a Romper Stomper battle to end all battles ending to my time in Midkemia. The 1st instalment weighs in at only 400 pages, then this final part of the story is not going to be as chunky as I am hoping for, that is unless he follows the cynical recent trend of publishing the final part of the trilogy in one or more books.

On the hugely positive side...Considering how short this one is, Feist does a tremendous job of scene setting, posing the big questions and setting up the key characters and getting across tonnes of information, without ever getting boring, priming this to be a gripping blockbuster end to my time in Midkemia. I for one can't wait to read the next one.

(less)

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Apr 15, 2011 Daisy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: netgalley

If you read fantasy, you've probably at least heard of Feist and his Riftwar series. A Kingdom Besieged is the first book in the fifth series set in this world. I read the Serpentwar Saga (the third series) at the respectable age of I think 11 or 12 and I remember really enjoying them. So, when this one showed up on NetGalley for review, of course I hit the request button!

And while I did like the book, it wasn't as enjoyable for me as I'd expected it to be. I think it's partly because I had such...more

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Mar 15, 2011 Darth Sparhawk rated it 5 of 5 stars

Another excellent epic fantasy by Raymond E. Feist. As he begins the final trilogy in the long-running Riftwar series we see again old friends and villains and meet new heroes. After centuries of peace, the Empire of the Great Kesh attacks the great Kingdom and Crydee, the city from which the great Magician Pug and the mighty Dragon Lord Tomas are from is again under siege. And a young conDoin, a distant ancestor of the legendary Prince Arutha, must protect his people. In the same time, spy nets...more

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About Raymond E. Feist

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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Books by Raymond E. Feist

Magician: Apprentice (The Riftwar Saga, #1)

A Darkness At Sethanon (The Riftwar Saga, #4)

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A Kingdom Besieged (The Chaoswar Saga #1)

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