I'll just review one aspect of this trilogy. I read Feist's four prior books, including Magician, and found myself strongly preferring the Europe-like Midkemian world over the Japan-like Kelewan world in which the Empire Trilogy is based. I wanted to read Feist's books in order that he wrote them, so I decided to next attempt to bear through the Empire books.

Boy am I glad I did. I now count the final book of the trilogy, Mistress of the Empire, one of my two all-time favorite fantasy novels. The Magician series, as much as I loved them, now seems almost amateurish by comparison. The Empire story is carefully crafted, the characters vary from two-dimensional to fully three-dimensional, and the end of the trilogy is exhilarating.

However, reading the trilogy was not always easy. I developed a love/hate relationship with the main character, Mara. There were times when I thought her a cruel monster and other times when I thought her a saint. There were at least two occasions where I got so angry with her, thinking her ugly, that I considered not bothering to finish the series.

But now I know that this is all by design. Mara is struggling with the culture she lives in. The first book, Daughter of the Empire, shows Mara as a person of that culture with some inclination to question it. The second book, Servant of the Empire, shows Mara coming to understand her culture and finding herself at odds with it. The final book, Mistress of the Empire, shows Mara in a final struggle with her culture, a struggle that starts out intensely personal but which later engulfs the entire Empire.

So don't you put those books down! Keep reading! Love Mara at times, hate her at times. It is as it should be. You won't experience the euphoria of the ending with out it; and because of it, you might just count Mistress of the Empire one of your all-time favorite books.

This trilogy is one of my all-time favorite stories.

I re-read it every few years or so and always fall in love with the rich, textured world and characters all over again. A very different flavor from "Magician" but every bit as good.

If you haven't read these yet, I really envy you the ability to read them for the first time.

Murder, politics and revenge.


This series is set in the Tsurani world of Kelewan, so is somewhat different to the Midkemia adventures. Their society is somewhat like feudal Japan's. The focus is on a young woman whose family is murdered because of political machinations that are desirous of obtaining her family interests.

To regain her power she has to employ some lateral thinking and employ the very few resources she has left to claw her way back.

I read this book in junior high after judging it by the cover. I lucked out.

The novel is excellent, a rare (very rare) character-driven story among fantasy novels. Is it 'Shogun' in new clothes? Yes (very much so). Is it Orientalist? Yes. But the plot recycling and fan-service aimed at Orientaphiles slowly take a back seat to surprising character development and political intrigue. It is a new look at old themes, but isn't all literature/philosophy?

I read each book in the series and push them on others as a defense of the Fanasty genre. This is a story about real people (or mantis-like creatures) in a fantastic world. Read it, and you will never be able to dismiss all fantasy as trash... just most other fantasy.

Ripped from the temple where she was studying to be a priestess, Mara of the Acoma finds that her father and brother have been killed through intrigue, and the vultures are circling, prepared to finish off her family. In the Empire of Tsuranuanni, the Game of the Council pits family against family in a deadly competition for power and position, and the price of failure can be quite high. If she is to preserve her family name, and protect her soldiers from dying or becoming masterless ronin (which is worse), she must play the Game of the Council with more skill than Lords much older than herself.

I have been a big fan of Raymond Feist for many years now, and still remember when this book first came out. Unlike many of Mr. Feist's and Ms. Wurts' other books, magic does not play a large part in this story, only appearing somewhat late in the book. What this book is, is a fascinating story, set in a wonderfully different milieu, having intrigue and suspense at the very heart of it. So, if you are expecting powerful wizards, and dwarven armies, you will be disappointed.

However, if you interesting in a great work of fiction, one that will keep you on the edge of your seat, then this is the book for you. I loved this book - I have read it a number of time, and it still gets better. I can't recommend this book enough.