Waiting on Wednesday – A Darkness Returns by Raymond E. Feist

Welcome to my weekly segment, Waiting on Wednesday, where I look at upcoming books that I am planning to order and review in the next few months and which I think I will really enjoy. I run this segment in conjunction with the Can’t-Wait Wednesday meme that is currently running at Wishful Endings. Stay tuned to see reviews of these books when I get a copy of them. In this week’s Waiting on Wednesday, I check out the next intriguing upcoming books from legendary fantasy author Raymond E. Feist, with A Darkness Returns, the first book in The Dragonwar Saga.

A Darkness Returns Cover

Amazon

Few fantasy authors have had the impact Raymond E. Feist has had over the years. Best known for his epic Riftwar Cycle that spanned an impressive 30 books, Feist has been dominating the fantasy genre since his 1982 debut, Magician. I have been a massive fan of Feist and the Riftwar Cycle for years, and indeed one of the first major fantasy novels I read was the 2002 entry, Talon of the Silver Hawk. I have had a wonderful time reading every book in this series, especially the Empire trilogy which Feist co-wrote with Janny Wurts in the same universe, and I really enjoy the elaborate narratives of magic, dragons, political intrigue, and multi-dimensional threats, that was such a huge feature of the entire interconnected series.

A few years ago, I also was also lucky enough to get my hands on the various books in Feist’s new The Firemane Saga. An awesome trilogy of compelling, character-driven fantasy reads, The Firemane Saga was Feist’s first series set outside of the Riftwar Cycle. I deeply enjoyed the amazing narrative of the Firemane Saga books, made up of King of Ashes, Queen of Storms, and Master of Furies, which followed some impressive storylines and character arcs, while also telling a classic fantasy adventure. My appreciation for this series only increased when it was revealed in Master of Furies that The Firemane Saga was set in was set in the same multiverse as the Riftwar books, with several key characters from Feist’s original works making an appearance. In hindsight this shouldn’t have been too much of a surprise, especially as Feist has been including alternate worlds and universes in his books since day one, and I felt it gave the Firemane books a bit more impact. Master of Furies, ended on an intriguing note, with several of the protagonists of the Firemane books travelling to the main world of the Riftwar books, Midkemia, to prepare themselves for a great evil that has infected their world.

Due to this fantastic conclusion, I have been waiting since 2022 to see how Feist was going to continue the Firemane Saga’s story, and it doesn’t look like we have too much longer to wait. That is because in August this year, Feist is releasing his new book A Darkness Returns. The first book in a new series, the Dragonwar Saga, A Darkness Returns promises to be quite an impressive read and I love the intriguing storylines that are apparently going to be included.

Plot Synopsis:

From legendary author Raymond E. Feist, the first installment in an epic new series that will join his acclaimed Firemane Saga with his signature Riftwar Cycle in a riveting, conclusive adventure.

As worlds collide . . .

Hatushaly, last scion of the Firemane dynasty; his beloved Hava, and their dubious friend Donte have been transported across space and time from their war-torn world of Garn to the relative peace of Midkemia.

There, on Sorcerer’s Isle, under the guidance of the great magician Magnus and his reincarnated father Pug, Hatu will explore and expand his unique magical abilities: for if Garn is to be saved, they will be needed.

With the evil Pride Lords defeated, the Church of the One has risen to bring death and destruction to Hatu’s home world. The kingdom of Ilcomen has fallen, and now the Church is sending forces to Marquensas, where Daylon Dumarch has declared himself king, and master swordsmith Declan Smith finds himself suddenly raised to the status of prince and war commander.

But there are even greater menaces than the Church of the One waiting in the wings, beings from the Void, creatures born of Darkness. . .

I love the sound of this epic plot, especially as A Darkness Returns will more effectively bring together the two separate series and feature storylines in both universes. This will include one storyline focusing on intriguing characters Hatushaly, Hava and Donte, interacting and learning from Feist’s established protagonists on his original fantasy world of Midkemia. At the same time, another key storyline will be set in the world of The Firemane Saga, Garn, and follow other major protagonist Declan Smith, as he attempts to save his people from an insidious invasion.

Both storylines sound awesome in their own way, as we are kind of getting the best of both worlds here. I know I will deeply enjoy seeing The Firemane Saga protagonists interacting with Magnus and Pug, and it will frankly be great to see the major Riftwar characters be the focus of a book again. At the same time, the storyline set back in Garn sounds awesome as well. The storyline surrounding the insidious Church of the One has been bubbling since the very first book and Declan Smith has been one of my favourite protagonists during the first three books. It will be interesting to see how that storyline develops, and I cannot wait to see what happens to Declan next.

Honestly, I am too much of a Raymond E. Feist fan not to grab A Darkness Returns when it came out this year and I have very little doubt that I am going to have an amazing time with this novel. It is going to be so cool to see how Feist brings these two intriguing universes together, and I cannot wait to find out what happens to all these well-established characters. This will probably end up being one of my favourite fantasy novels of the year, and I cannot wait to get my hands on A Darkness Returns.