A Darkness at Sethanon: Volume IV in the Riftwar Saga 
asked by imtheboss on November 11, 2006 4:57 PM
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 ancient and terrible Enemy for the fate of a thousand worlds.
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 ancient and terrible Enemy for the fate of a thousand worlds.
Reviews
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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 sees Pug and Tomas scouring the universe for signs of Macros The Black, the great sorcerer who they hope will be able to give them information on the true nature of 'The Enemy.' It is becoming clearer by the day that this would appear to be power behind the Morehdrel Murmandamus and his armies, and their threat to The Kingdom of The Isles. In the meantime the war against Murmandamus is being fought by characters such as Arutha, Guy, and Jimmy The Hand.
Pug and Tomas do eventually find Macros, and learn to their horror the true nature of 'The Enemy.' They also learn that not just Midkemia is under threat but the very existence of all living things....
The Riftwar trilogy features some of the best characters that Ray Feist has ever created. It established his 'eternal' characters of Pug, Macros, and Tomas and indeed these all appear to varying degrees in the following books and series concerning Midkemia. If anything though, the lesser characterisation in later books, has not been quite up to the strength of the likes of Jimmy and Arutha, and these characters have been sorely missed in these later volumes. It is of no surprise, therefore, that Feist has returned to these characters to write extra volumes about them... Enjoy then A Darkness At Sethanon, a surperbly realised tale, featuring all of Feist's best characters.
As a footnote, readers who look forward to seeing Feist return to this kind of superlative form are advised to pick up a copy of his latest Darkwar volume 'Into A Dark Realm.' Having read this I can only conclude that it is a return to the kind of form that Feist enjoyed during the Riftwar novels and sets the reader up for what promises to be a superb third installment. If you cannot wait for this book to be released in the US then order it now from Amazon UK, the delivery charge is worth it because you will not be disappointed.
The story sees Pug and Tomas scouring the universe for signs of Macros The Black, the great sorcerer who they hope will be able to give them information on the true nature of 'The Enemy.' It is becoming clearer by the day that this would appear to be power behind the Morehdrel Murmandamus and his armies, and their threat to The Kingdom of The Isles. In the meantime the war against Murmandamus is being fought by characters such as Arutha, Guy, and Jimmy The Hand.
Pug and Tomas do eventually find Macros, and learn to their horror the true nature of 'The Enemy.' They also learn that not just Midkemia is under threat but the very existence of all living things....
The Riftwar trilogy features some of the best characters that Ray Feist has ever created. It established his 'eternal' characters of Pug, Macros, and Tomas and indeed these all appear to varying degrees in the following books and series concerning Midkemia. If anything though, the lesser characterisation in later books, has not been quite up to the strength of the likes of Jimmy and Arutha, and these characters have been sorely missed in these later volumes. It is of no surprise, therefore, that Feist has returned to these characters to write extra volumes about them... Enjoy then A Darkness At Sethanon, a surperbly realised tale, featuring all of Feist's best characters.
As a footnote, readers who look forward to seeing Feist return to this kind of superlative form are advised to pick up a copy of his latest Darkwar volume 'Into A Dark Realm.' Having read this I can only conclude that it is a return to the kind of form that Feist enjoyed during the Riftwar novels and sets the reader up for what promises to be a superb third installment. If you cannot wait for this book to be released in the US then order it now from Amazon UK, the delivery charge is worth it because you will not be disappointed.
reviewed by linda on November 25, 2006 1:08 PM
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Here ends the first of the Midkemia series. Great, awesome etc. Feist delivers a top notch read and only gets better as he goes. The cast of characters are truely unique and memorable, especially Jimmy the Hand which in later books becomes one of my all time favorite literary characters.
If you love fantasy, you have to get this!!
If you like books like this one, might I suggest another I've recently come across. The Unsuspecting Mage by Brian S. Pratt. It's another fantasy adventure sure to please. I highly recommend it.
If you love fantasy, you have to get this!!
If you like books like this one, might I suggest another I've recently come across. The Unsuspecting Mage by Brian S. Pratt. It's another fantasy adventure sure to please. I highly recommend it.
reviewed by casurf on November 28, 2006 8:06 PM
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A Darkness at Sethanon is the conclusion of the Riftwar Saga and truly brings this saga to a magnificent close. Jimmy the Hand, Pug, Mystery Character ( dont' want to spoil ), and Tomas truly richen the experience as Feist's character building really grows.
In Silverthorn they found that a dark power was hidden behind the enemy forces they have been having problems with - and this dark power is a mystery that Pug decided he must go back through the Rift to deduce a plan of destroying the evil.
Pug has truly become strong in his powers and Tomas is finally understanding the depths of his powers as a 'reborn' dragonlord.
The battles are not comparable to the time spent with Pug and Tomas ( I truly enjoyed the chemistry that these characters have and thier desires for good to succeed. )
Jimmy the hand, the thief from the mockers steals the time that Feist keeps us away from Pug and Tomas and I cannot wait for them to get together on something ( maybe?? )
I say if you have read the beginning you have no choice but to pick this up, but if you have not started this series and feel a bit 'iffy' do yourself a favor and pick it up!
In Silverthorn they found that a dark power was hidden behind the enemy forces they have been having problems with - and this dark power is a mystery that Pug decided he must go back through the Rift to deduce a plan of destroying the evil.
Pug has truly become strong in his powers and Tomas is finally understanding the depths of his powers as a 'reborn' dragonlord.
The battles are not comparable to the time spent with Pug and Tomas ( I truly enjoyed the chemistry that these characters have and thier desires for good to succeed. )
Jimmy the hand, the thief from the mockers steals the time that Feist keeps us away from Pug and Tomas and I cannot wait for them to get together on something ( maybe?? )
I say if you have read the beginning you have no choice but to pick this up, but if you have not started this series and feel a bit 'iffy' do yourself a favor and pick it up!
reviewed by pits on November 29, 2006 5:31 PM
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A Darkness at Sethanon finishes out the story of the Rift War saga, 4 books encompassing a great adventure and some memorable characters. Before reading this review please be aware that there may be one spoiler that I feel the need to touch on.
I must start off by saying I really enjoy Mr. Feist's writting style. It, to me anyway, is easy to read and has a flow to it that makes you want to keep reading. I have mostly read Dragonlance and Forgotten Realms book until recently and am very glad I have expanded my authors as this is a gem that I think all fantasy fans will enjoy.
The character development in Mr. Feist's books is very good to sayt he least. As I said in my other reviews of the first three books (Magician: Apprentice, Magician: Master, and Silverthorn) these characters have flaws which make them seem more real. I can cite countless examples of characters from other books who are allpowerful and seldom get hurt much less have doubts and fears. Mr. Feist has the ability to take a scene, and witht he characters get the reader to feel the tension and suspense that so many authors try for but rarely reach. There are several characters through-out these four books that we are able to watch grow, only in this final book do we get a true appreciation for how much they have grown and what they will surely become.
The plot in this book is basically a carry over from Silverthorn in that the army amassing in the north is now about to move and they must be stopped, where are they goin and why is the crux of the book - yet this isn't revealed until the last 100 pages of the book which makes it a frantic race to save everyone. I mean frantic in a good way, not a bad way. The book is masterfully done. There are a couple good plots twists along the line, one is fairly obvious, but it detracts nothing from the book when the other characters realize it.
Now, on to my spoiler that I feel I need to talk about. If you don't want to read the spoiler skip to the next paragraph. I was very disappointed in one aspect of this book and that was the journey that Pug and Tomas undertook to find Marcos. I realize it had to be interesting, but I think it was over done. Going back to the creation of the universe and coming back, traveling between several world on the back of a dragon... I don't know, maybe it's just me but it lacked the 'right' feel for what needed to happen. I wish it would have been done another way.
Now, I always try to end my reviews with either recommending the book or not. In this case it's a resounding yes! If you are a fan of the fantasy genre I am almost positive that you will enjoy this book. However, make sure you read the first three books before reading this one or a lot of the things that happen won't make as much sense. A very good saga for the fantasy fan!
I must start off by saying I really enjoy Mr. Feist's writting style. It, to me anyway, is easy to read and has a flow to it that makes you want to keep reading. I have mostly read Dragonlance and Forgotten Realms book until recently and am very glad I have expanded my authors as this is a gem that I think all fantasy fans will enjoy.
The character development in Mr. Feist's books is very good to sayt he least. As I said in my other reviews of the first three books (Magician: Apprentice, Magician: Master, and Silverthorn) these characters have flaws which make them seem more real. I can cite countless examples of characters from other books who are allpowerful and seldom get hurt much less have doubts and fears. Mr. Feist has the ability to take a scene, and witht he characters get the reader to feel the tension and suspense that so many authors try for but rarely reach. There are several characters through-out these four books that we are able to watch grow, only in this final book do we get a true appreciation for how much they have grown and what they will surely become.
The plot in this book is basically a carry over from Silverthorn in that the army amassing in the north is now about to move and they must be stopped, where are they goin and why is the crux of the book - yet this isn't revealed until the last 100 pages of the book which makes it a frantic race to save everyone. I mean frantic in a good way, not a bad way. The book is masterfully done. There are a couple good plots twists along the line, one is fairly obvious, but it detracts nothing from the book when the other characters realize it.
Now, on to my spoiler that I feel I need to talk about. If you don't want to read the spoiler skip to the next paragraph. I was very disappointed in one aspect of this book and that was the journey that Pug and Tomas undertook to find Marcos. I realize it had to be interesting, but I think it was over done. Going back to the creation of the universe and coming back, traveling between several world on the back of a dragon... I don't know, maybe it's just me but it lacked the 'right' feel for what needed to happen. I wish it would have been done another way.
Now, I always try to end my reviews with either recommending the book or not. In this case it's a resounding yes! If you are a fan of the fantasy genre I am almost positive that you will enjoy this book. However, make sure you read the first three books before reading this one or a lot of the things that happen won't make as much sense. A very good saga for the fantasy fan!
reviewed by officefan on November 29, 2006 6:37 PM
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Darkness at Sethanon continues Feist's fantastic Riftwar series. This book, however, is one of my personal favorites in the series. Mainly because it focuses a lot on Jimmy the Hand (A great character), and the battle of Armengar is one of my favorite battle descriptions I have ever read. The way the Feist weaves the stories and the characters together is great. If you haven't picked up any of the other books in the series, you can still enjoy this one, however reading the first three will give you an even greater appreciation of all of the characters as they have grown and discovered their roles in the world.
reviewed by freedrink on November 29, 2006 7:32 PM