Once you start it, you won't be able to switch it off!
How does it compare to similar audio books?
Very good
How does it compare to audio works by the same author?
Very good
Advantages:
Good second book, well written, well paced with excellent charaters
Disadvantages:
Not as good as the original Riftwar series
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
Krondor - The Assassins By Raymond E. Feist Book 2 of The Riftwar Legacy (Hardback) Year Released: 1999 Number of Pages: 352
This is the second book of a trilogy that is set on the world of Midkemia, in the Western Realm.
Synopsis of the Book:
The continuation of the story from Krondor - The Betrayal.
The guild of assassins known as the Nighthawks have once again returned to the city of Krondor, they are murdering different citizens but there seems to be no pattern or link between the murders.
Squire James (Jimmy The Hand) and Lieutenant William conDoin (son of Duke Pug) are caught up in a deadly mission to stop a war happening. There are murder threats and murders being carried out against the nobles also and there are politics being played to throw Krondor into disarray.
There is also another group of criminals that are disposing of the mockers under the leadership of someone called The Crawler. The time is running out for the city and the man seemingly responsible for all of the terror and confusion has to be tracked down and stopped.
Main Characters:
Squire James known as Jimmy The Hand - He is the Prince's squire and was formally a thief with the Mockers and undertakes special missions for the crown. Prince Arutha - He is the Prince and ruler of the Western Realm and is based in the palace in the city of Krondor, and is an excellent swordsman. William - He is a soldier being trained at Krondor, but is the son of Duke Pug the magician. Squire Locklear - He is a lifelong friend of Squire James, a charming man with the ladies that gets him into trouble. Duke Pug - A small man, but is the most powerful Greater Path magician in the whole of Midkemia and is related by adoption to the King. Sidi - A mysterious and suspicious man who is just a traveller?
The 4 Main Races: Humans - These are the main inhabitants on Midkemia, and King Lyam rules the East and Prince Arutha rules the West, and there are the rivals who live in Kesh and are ruled by She Who Is Kesh. Elves/Moredhel - The Elves live in the forest of Elvandar, with Queen Aglaranna and Thomas being the rulers. The Dark Elves live in the Northlands in their own clans. Dwarfs - The Dwarfs are ruled by King Dolgan and live close to the mines. Tsurani - They live on the world of Kelewan, ruled by an Emperor and come to Midkemia via the rift.
The book starts with Jimmy and the Prince coming back to Krondor. There is trouble in the sewers under Krondor, the home of the thieves. The Crawler has finally attacked Mother's the headquarters of the Mockers and killed the head thieves and maybe the Upright Man himself and has scattered the rest of them over the city. The Prince is back in the palace when an unexpected guest is announced in the form of an Eastern noble and his family. Lord Raswil, the Duke of Olasko with his son Kazamir, daughter Paulina and his nephew Vladic, and the Crown Prince of Olasko. The eastern noble is a fan of hunting and the Prince sets up a local hunt that he can go on. James is concerned with the disruption in the sewers and is sent out by the Prince to find out information about all of the killings and to establish whether it is the Nighthawks doing them or somebody else. William is a newly appointed Lieutenant and is to be stationed at Krondor because he is a royal cousin. For the hunt William is assigned to accompany the eastern nobles and is in charge of their safety. This is where William encounters Sidi in a tavern and there is an attempt on the life of one of the eastern nobles, so it seems that somebody wants to kill an eastern noble in the west to start a war. James finds out some information that can reveal the whereabouts of a headquarters containing the Nighthawks and so him and William and Captain Treggar set out to find the hideout and relay the information back to Arutha's force that will be following. The 3 men find a way into the hideout and realise that some very dark magic is being conducted and a Demon has been summoned to aid the Nighthawks. There is one enemy still not known to the Midkemians and should be revealed in the final book and this is where I will leave the book. Enjoy reading it!
The book was adapted from the computer game that was released in the early 90's and I think this was done cleverly. I feel that the book is excellently written, as all of Raymond E. Feist's are and the by using Jimmy the Hand, Pug, and Prince Arutha these characters are very likeable and between them can accomplish many things. The introduction of William as a member of the army and being Pug's son gives us another character that will fight the evil threatening the world, and William is a solid, loyal character. The book is the middle book of the trilogy and sets the scene for the final book nicely. The book reveals who one of the main enemies is, but leaves the identity of the Crawler still a mystery and the book is still action packed and Krondor is still tense because war can break out at any time.
I would definitely recommend this book to readers of all ages who enjoy the Fantasy genre of books. The book is an easy read and has less than 400 pages, and there is murder, assassins, intrigues, politics and the threat of war throughout the book. I would say that you would not want to put this down once started and would definitely want to read the final book to conclude the trilogy. This book will enhance anybody's book collection and is not as enthralling as the Riftwar series of books but should not be a disappointment to any Feist fans.
Rating: 8/10
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