At one time Ray Feist had turned the tables on fantasy and made it refreshing, something we wanted to read with great anticipation. We had coming of age stories and quests, and wars of good and evil, but Magician, so long ago, was a change, and it had depth.

This evil that our heroes fight, not on their own world, and then as the series was further developed we find that the enemy are not as bad as we thought. So where does that leave Feist? How about something new and different. In Feist's case something new is something he is rehashing over and over.

Evil is bigger than the world that he has his characters, some of whom his affection for is shown throughout the work. He is so tied to these characters that it appears that he can not find something new to write about so we return to Midkemia and Kelewan again and again.

And that something new is now old. The evil is big, bigger than the world, it is several worlds in scope. And only our heroes from Midkemia are capable of stopping it, and being targeted by it. It is an evil that will make little sense and need many pages to explain, so that you would rather sleep instead of care. When the author returns to the tales of the characters we are fond of, as they handle the aspects of this evil that they can understand, then we are engaged again.

So do you want to read it? If you are invested in Midkemia, then it is passable. If you are determined to find a strong fantasy, this would not be the place to start. It is time for Feist to move on. These characters need to retire.

Feist seems to have forgotten what he wrote in previous novels in the same series. There are major continuity errors. Story lines are half develeoped and dropped. A very poor novel.

made me laugh & bought tears to my eyes. a great read as per usual. plenty of surprises. fabulous new characters as well as some old well loved ones. we are heading in yet another direction folks. can't wait for the next one. congratulations Ray

A great book bringing the preceding sagas all together,the end of some characters with a twist that you didn't see coming.

Wrath of a Mad God (2008) is the third fantasy novel of the Darkwar Saga, following Into a Dark Realm. In the previous volume, the necromancer Leso Varen traps Miranda and gives her to the Dasati Deathpriests. The boys are captured by Salmater troops. Pug and his friends travel the Star Bridge to Omadrabar and find Macros the Black in a Dasati body.

In this novel, on Kelewan, Miranda escapes from the Deathpriests and alerts the Assembly of Magicians to look for the present incarnation of Leso Varen. The dome where she had been held is now gone, but the Dasati minions of the Dark God will be back. Miranda briefs the Assembly and the Emperor on her experiences and starts preparations for the invasion.

On Omadrabar -- the Dasati homeworld -- Pug and his friends avoid the Great Culling and then find the enclave of the Bloodwitch Sisters. Macros is dying, but tells them various secrets before his death. Returning to Omadrabar City, Pug finds that Nakor also has news.

On Midkemia, Jommy and the other cadets are surveilling a cove and watch a group of pirates rowing to the beach. They are accompanied by a sorcerer of some sort, who conjures a demon that appears to be made of molten material. They are holding off the pirates, but loosing to the demon, when an elf appears and destroys the demon. The elf and his friends take the Conclave forces as prisoners and march them off to their fort.

In this story, Miranda finds herself in a war between the Dasati and the Tsurani. The Tsurani kill countless Dasati, but they are losing men at the rate of thirty to one. The Dasati are also dying from the ambient energies, but they are still gaining ground.

Pug learns that the Dark God is a Dreadlord. Then the White learns that an invasion of Kelewan is imminent. Volka orders the White forces to gather for their ultimate attack on the TeKarana. They only hope that the Godkiller will eliminate His Darkness.

Jim Dasher sneaks off from the elf stockade and reaches their ship on the other side of the point. He reports the situation to the captain and uses a teleport ball to return to Sorcerer' Isle. He again describes the situation and then gets Miranda to take him to Elvandar. There he gains the aid of Tomas and the dragon Ryath.

This tale concludes the Darkwar Saga. The deathrate in this tale exceeds that of the whole Riftwar. Mostly people die to feed the Dark God, but there is also plenty of action. We also discover that the humans have been tools of the gods in this story. So what else is new?

The story involves at least four worlds in two separate levels of reality and two places in between the levels. Other such levels are shown in divine visions, but nobody actually sets foot on them in this plot. And one world is partially evacuated before its destruction. Could this work be considered "mage opera"?

Highly recommended for Feist fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of interdimensional travel, gigantic magic, and tragic sacrifices.

-Arthur W. Jordin