A Darkness Returns by Raymond E. Feist.

On August 31, 2024 By The Unseen LibraryIn Fantasy1 Comment

Publisher: Harper Voyager (ebook – 1 August 2024)

Series: Dragonwar Saga – Book One

Length: 480 pages

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Stars

Prepare to return to one of the most iconic realms of fantasy as acclaimed author Raymond E. Feist presents the reader with another high fantasy adventure set across multiple worlds with A Darkness Returns.

Raymond E. Feist is one of the most impressive and long-running authors of fantasy fiction in the world today, who has been writing intriguing reads for over 40 years. Feist is best known for his extensive Riftwar Cycle, a connected series of books that follow a variety of threats and conflicts on several fantasy words created by Feist. Starting with Magician in 1982, The Riftwar Cycle initially focused on a war between two different fantasy worlds joined together by a magical rift in space, with the realm of Midkemia, which had a more classic European fantasy vibe, being invaded by armies from the Asian inspired world of Kelewan. Feist would write an interesting array of different storylines as he continued to expand his fantasy series across many years of internal plot, and there ended up being nearly 30 books in the Riftwar Cycle, which ended back in 2013. I have been a huge fan of this series for years, as it was one of the first fantasy series I ever really got into, thanks to various unique sub-series that moved the history of Midkemia and its associated realms along at an intriguing pace. Key highlights for me include the associated Empire trilogy, that Feist co-wrote with fellow fantasy author Janny Wurts, and Talon of the Silver Hawk, which was one of the first big fantasy novels I read as a young teenager.

While Feist apparently ended his Riftwar Cycle books some years ago, it turns out that he couldn’t leave his original world alone for too long. His next trilogy, the Firemane Saga, which started back in 2018 with King of Ashes, initially showed a captivating adventure on the new fantasy world of Garn, following a whole new group of protagonists. However, as the series continued with Queen of Storms and Master of Furies, it became apparent that the Firemane Saga existed in the same dimension as the Riftwar Cycle, with several characters from Feist’s original novels having cameo appearances. The final book, Master of Furies, identified a major threat lying dormant beneath Garn, and the novel ends with the protagonists of the Firemane Saga travelling through a rift to Midkemia to learn how to defeat it. This new novel, A Darkness Returns, is set immediately after the events of Master of Furies and seeks to bring together the worlds of the Riftwar Cycle and the Firemane Saga for one epic adventure, while also introducing Feist’s new The Dragonwar Saga series. Naturally, as a fan of both prior series and Feist’s writing in general, I was very excited, and A Darkness Returns has been one of my most anticipated books of 2024.

A new darkness is rising, one that could destroy two worlds and everything in them.

After finally defeating the nefarious Pride Lords on their home planet of Garn, Hatushaly, last scion of the Firemane dynasty, has agreed to travel to the world of Midkemia to attempt to learn how to harness his unique magic. Accompanied by his wife Hava and their trouble-seeking friend Donte, Hatu finds Midkemia to be a strange world, but one filled with boundless opportunity and magic as he begins to study on the peaceful Sorcerer’s Island, under the tutelage of the great magician Magnus, and Magnus’s reincarnated father, Pug.

As the newcomers settle into Midkemia and attempt to find their place in this new world, word quickly reaches them of the trouble they left behind on Garn. The nefarious Church of One has risen to power and seeks to enslave or destroy everything in front of it. The only independent nation left is the newly formed kingdom of Marquensas, under the rule of the benevolent King Daylon Dumarch. There, Hatu’s friend Declan Smith, a master swordsmith and Daylon’s newly discovered brother, has been declared prince and struggles to accept the new responsibilities thrust upon him.

As Declan leads the newly formed Marquensas army against the invading forces of the Church of One, it becomes apparent that there is something far more sinister behind the fanatical soldiers. A dark presence is guiding them, one the magicians of Midkemia are painfully familiar with: the Dread creatures from the Void. Having waged several destructive wars to hold back the malign influence of the Void, Magnus and Pug are determined to save Garn as well, and it soon becomes apparent that the only thing that can save it is Hatu’s unique magic. As Hatu learns to control his powers, he must work with his friends, both new and old, to find a way to hold back the oncoming darkness before both his home, and the other worlds in his dimension, are destroyed for good.

A Darkness Returns sees Feist back in fine form as he combines two of his iconic worlds into one impressive and exciting story. Following several excellent protagonists across a series of compelling adventures, A Darkness Returns was the classic high fantasy story I had really been craving, and I had such an amazing time with this book.

I deeply enjoyed the story contained with A Darkness Returns, and Feist produced a fantastic read that strongly harkens back to his original stories. Set shortly after the events of Master of Furies, A Darkness Returns’ plot follows key protagonists from both the more recent Firemane Saga trilogy and Feist’s classic Riftwar Cycle as they complete a series of connected adventures across the worlds of Garn and Midkemia. Feist focuses on several different character arcs and storylines simultaneously, which presents a rich and complex narrative with a bit of something for everyone. The main protagonist of the Firemane books, Hatu, finds his story strongly enmeshed with that of key Riftwar Cycle characters Magnus and Pug, who attempt to uncover the secrets of Hatu’s magic as well as the dangers hiding in Garn. At the same time, we have a more classic fantasy war story back in Garn as Declan and his brothers prepare for battle against the encroaching Church of One, with his arc feature several small-scale battles. There are also some intriguing storylines around Hava’s attempts to get back to life on the sea, no matter which world she’s on, the ever-unpredictable Nakor, begins to explore certain multi-dimensional areas to quantify the threat coming for both worlds, while Donte goes rogue and starts his own criminal organisation in Midkemia.

I found myself getting really stuck into the various storylines that Feist came up with for A Darkness Returns, and this proved to be a very fun story. Each character arc went in some interesting directions, and they all proved entertaining in their own way. I personally found myself getting more drawn towards the parts of the books focusing on Declan and his brothers’ military actions in Garn and Donte’s burgeoning criminal enterprise in Midkemia, which prove to be an excellent contrast to the more magical theory laden storylines of Hatu, Magnus and Pug. As the book progresses, Feist works to bring the various storylines together, usually done by having the magical characters using rifts to transport between worlds and working with the other relevant protagonists. I think this helped to create an overall compelling narrative, as the various characters work together to discover the full extent of the threats facing them.

I did feel that A Darkness Return’s narrative did get a little overcomplicated towards the end the book, especially as Feist, through his characters, started diving into all the magical theory and knowledge that the author has been building up for 40 years. This made parts of the last half of the book a little hard to get through, especially for the more casual reader, as there were a lot of elaborate concepts to digest. The story also suffers a little from being the first book in a new series, with Feist having to spend a lot of time setting stuff up and revisiting old storylines, and as a result A Darkness Return’s conclusion is a little less epic or memorable than it could have been. However, those who weather through some of the more problematic aspects of this narrative through it are in for a lot of fun with A Darkness Returns, as Feist produces some outstanding and exciting moments while also setting up a lot of future adventures. I ended up really enjoying where each of the separate storylines went, and readers are in for a fun mixture of magic, military action, and criminal adventure. These separated storylines come together extremely well as the book continues, and it proves hard not to get addicted to the overall story. I think that A Darkness Returns proved to be a strong start to this new series, and I am confident it will only get better from here.

One of the things that might possibly impact a person’s ability to enjoy A Darkness Returns is their prior experiences with reading Feist’s books. As I mentioned above, A Darkness Returns is heavily related to both the author’s more recent Firemane Saga, and his long-running Riftwar Cycle, which started back in the 1980s. As a continuation of both series, the plot of A Darkness Returns is heavily enmeshed with the events that occurred in the prior books, and there are constant references back to them. While Feist does do a pretty good job of recapping these events, especially those featured in the Riftwar Cycle, I could see a reader who is unfamiliar with the past 40 years of Feist fiction getting lost as A Darkness Returns continues. While dedicated fantasy lovers can probably get away with starting their Feist experience with A Darkness Returns, I would probably recommend reading the Firemane Saga first at a minimum to understand the history around several of the main characters and the world of Garn. As such, this book might not be for everyone, especially those looking for a new series to start off with. However, fans who have read a lot of Feist’s work in the past are in for a real treat, as you once again get to visit two of Feist’s epic worlds and see figures from both interact for the first time. I especially enjoyed the long-awaited return to the world of Midkemia, which was such a vital part of my early fantasy experiences, and it was fascinating to see how it has changed since the previous books. I appreciated seeing Midkemia through the eyes of the fresh characters from Garn, which ensured some extra recapping that will help returning readers. It proved quite entertaining to see these newer characters find out all the magical and interdimensional craziness that occurred during the many Riftwar Cycle books, and I deeply enjoyed getting back to Feist’s most iconic setting.

Another great highlight of A Darkness Returns was the large and varied cast of characters that Feist focussed the story around. Most of these characters were established figures from previous books, and it was great to get a continuation of many of their storylines, especially as Feist left many character arcs open from their last appearances. It was fun to see many of these characters interact throughout A Darkness Returns, especially as a major feature of this book was figures from separate series coming together for the first time. This includes the intriguing returning cast of the Firemane Saga, who were a key part of this book. These younger figures (young in the sense that they are all in their early 20s and because Feist only created them recently), serve in great contrast to the older wizard from the Riftwar Cycle, especially with their more energetic adventures. My favourite of these characters was either the dependable and brave Declan or the brash wildcard character Donte, both of whom had the best segments in A Darkness Returns. The primary protagonist of the book, Hatu, while interesting, did have too much of a chosen-one vibe around him, and I think Feist decreases his enjoyability by making him too powerful and all-knowing. Still, it was great to see all these Firemane Saga characters again, and Feist set up some interesting storylines and interactions around them.

However, the characters that Feist fans are probably most excited to see again where Magnus, Pug and Nakor all of whom are major established figures in the Riftwar Cycle. All three characters are quite fascinating in their own ways and have long histories in Feists books. Magnus has long been one of the main wizards of the series, and it was great to see him return here as the elder statesman guiding the various younger characters. Nakor is an entertaining trickster who is the reincarnation of long-running figure of the same name. While the details of his reappearance in this series does get a little technical, he was still a lot of fun, and it was great to once again see his more unusual approach to magic.

However, the most interesting figure was the returning Pug. Pug has been Feist’s main character since the very first Riftwar Cycle book, Magician, with many of the subsequent plots revolving around his magical adventures, and he is probably one of fantasy fiction’s most iconic protagonists. Pug was killed off in the final Riftwar Cycle novel, although the last scene saw his son, Magnus, finding him resurrected as a young man without any memory of his past life. However, this reincarnation story element is at an end as with his return in A Darkness Returns, Feist utilises the strange magics of Hatu to bring back Pug’s old personality. While you could argue that Feist might be better off stepping away from this long-running character, I personally loved seeing Pug again, and it gave me a major nostalgia hit. Between these great figures and more, I really loved the cast of A Darkness Returns, and it was so much fun to see the figures from both series come together for one massive adventure. I look forward to seeing how their storylines further advance through the rest of The Dragonwar Saga, and I have no doubt that Feist will provide them with exciting stories and massive tragedy.

I had an amazing time getting through A Darkness Returns, and it was so much fun to have another high fantasy adventure from Raymond E. Feist. Between the nostalgia, the exciting action, fantastic characters, and the ambitious way in which Feist brought together two of his major series, A Darkness Returns has a lot going for it, and it proves hard not to get caught up in the resulting story. While there are a few issues that may turn off newer readers, I personally had an outstanding time, and all established Feist fans are guaranteed to love A Darkness Returns. An overall awesome and impressive read from one of fantasy fiction’s most enduring authors.

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

On March 21, 2024 By The Unseen LibraryIn Fantasy, Waiting on Wednesday7 Comments

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

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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.

Queen of Storms by Raymond E. Feist

On August 10, 2020August 29, 2023 By The Unseen LibraryIn Fantasy16 Comments

Queen of Storms Cover

Publisher: Harper Voyager (Hardcover – 14 July 2020)

Series: The Firemane Saga – Book Two

Length: 471 pages

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

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Legendary fantasy author Raymond E. Feist returns to his new series, The Firemane Saga, with Queen of Storms, an amazing and exciting fantasy novel that takes the reader on some intriguing adventures.

I have long been a fan of Raymond E. Feist and his epic works of fantasy. His long-running Riftwar Cycle books were amongst some of the first fantasy novels that I ever read and many of them, including the excellent Empire trilogy that he cowrote with Janny Wurts, are still some of my favourite books of all time. After finalising the Riftwar Cycle back in 2013, Feist released King of Ashes in 2018, which was the first book in The Firemane Saga. I really enjoyed the fun and compelling new story featured within King of Ashes, and I have been looking forward to seeing how the series continued for a while now. This second book, Queen of Storms, continues right after the events of King of Ashes and has some intriguing new twists and turns for readers.

In the ancient and magical world of Garn, war is coming to continent of Tembria and its first blow will fall on the trading town of Bernan’s Hill. Many people call Bernan’s Hill home, but none are more mysterious than the new owners of the town’s inn, Hatushaly and his wife Hava. Despite their simple outward appearances, Hatu and Hava were born on the secret island of Coaltachin and both serve their continent-spanning criminal and spy network. A series of mysterious events have been occurring throughout the kingdoms and lands of Tembria, and Hatu and Hava are tasked with observing Bernan’s Hill and reporting anything out of the ordinary.

Having befriended the town’s blacksmith, Declan, Hatu and Hava appear content in their new lives and are they are planning to be officially married during the midsummer festival. However, even their training and information will not prepare them for the horrors that are about to be visited upon Bernan’s Hill, as a new and mysterious force attacks without warning, plunging the entire continent into war. Separated from each other, each of these young people embarks on their own adventure. While Hava attempts to find her lost husband, and Declan sets out to get revenge, Hatu is kidnapped by those who wish him to fulfill his fiery legacy as the secret heir to the kingdom of Ithrace. His family, the legendary Firemanes, have long been rumoured to contain a spark of magic, and Hatu, as the last remaining Firemane, may hold the key to the survival of magic itself. As these three young people set out to realise their destinies, they will experience horrors and tragedy as it soon becomes apparent that a whole new threat seeks to destroy all within Tembria.

Queen of Storms was a captivating and fun book which I found myself reading in only a couple of days due to how much I enjoyed it. Feist has come up with a fantastic and impressive story within this novel, and I liked how it followed a group of excellent characters caught up in the chaos of a mysterious war. There is all manner of action, adventure, subterfuge, character development and exploration of a new fantasy universe that comes together extremely well into a compelling overall narrative. Readers should be forewarned that Feist makes some rather bold plot choices throughout this book, with a major event around halfway through the book really altering the course of the story in some interesting and dramatic ways. I also liked how Queen of Storms served as a great sequel to King of Ashes, and there are a number of amazing reveals and revelations that add to the storylines established in the first book. For example, the real antagonists of this series are revealed in more detail in this sequel after they were foreshadowed in the previous novel while the reader focused on a different antagonist, who had the potential to be the main villain. This bait-and-switch came together well in Queen of Storms, and I enjoyed uncovering more about these antagonists and their motives.

Queen of Storms contains a multi-character narrative which follows several key protagonists as they explore this new world from Feist and get involved in the politics and battles of the world. The majority of the story is told from the perspective of the novel’s three major characters, Hatu, Hava and Declan. Each of these characters gets some substantial focus throughout the course of this novel, with some interesting storylines. For the first part of the book their various storylines are very closely intertwined, as all three are based in the town of Bernan’s Hill in various capacities. However, after the novel’s major event around halfway through, these three characters are separated and each of them embarks on their own exciting and enjoyable adventure. Hatu’s story is a classic tale of a chosen one finding his destiny, which sees him journey off into the unknown to learn more about his past and his secret abilities. As Hatu is the most central protagonist, this storyline got a lot of focus, and it was interesting to learn more about his role in the world and about how his life is bonded to the world’s magic. Declan’s story becomes an interesting one about a young man learning to become a solider to avenge the death of his loved ones. Declan had some life events occur throughout this book and while it was a little sad to see some of the things he fought for in the first novel go up in smoke, it does serve as a good motivation for his character and it looks like Feist has some interesting plans for him in the future. Out of the three, I think I ended up enjoying Hava’s storyline the most. Hava attempts to find out what happened to Hatu and gets captured by slavers. She ends up using her abilities to free herself and her fellow slaves and becomes a successful ship’s captain, chasing after her husband while also exploring the lands outside the continent of Tembria. All three of these main character arcs are really enjoyable and together they form a fantastic heart for Queen of Storms, allowing for a rich and powerful narrative.

In addition to these main characters, Feist also utilises several minor point-of-view characters who add in some extra narrative threads to the book. For example, Donte, Hatu and Hava’s childhood friend who was captured by sea witches in King of Ashes, returns and a small part of the book is dedicated to his attempts to find Hatu and kill him. You also get several parts of the book told from some of the key players in fight for the continent, such as Baron of Marquensas Daylon Dumarch, the sinister adviser Bernardo Delnocio, as well as a handful of other characters. Each of these minor point-of-view characters provide their own insights and priorities to the mix and their various storylines and actions add a lot to the narrative and provide some interesting support to the main storylines. I also liked some of the supporting characters who rounded out the cast of Queen of Storms and several of them proved to be quite enjoyable and likable, even if they have a greater chance of getting killed off. Overall, Feist continues to write some great characters in this novel, and I look forward to seeing where each of these intriguing protagonists end up next.

The author also did a good job of continuing to expand on the amazing new fantasy world that the series is set in. While a substantial part of the novel is set around Brenan’s Hill, which was introduced in the prior book, the story eventually starts to examine some other parts of the world. In particular, several storylines are set around the islands and continents on the other side of the planet, none of which have been explored by any of the point-of-view characters. These new additions to the story proved to be quite intriguing, especially as the character’s various explorations revealed some shocking truths about the world, as well as some troubling revelations about the series’ main antagonists. It looks like the next book is set to feature some new areas of the world and should provide some more fascinating expansions down the line, which will no doubt provide some interesting backdrops and settings from the narrative.

While I did really enjoy Queen of Storms, I did find that some of the elements within it might be a little hard to follow if you had not read the first novel in the series. Feist does do a good job of recapping the major events of the first book throughout the course of the story, but there were a few moments in the story when the significance of certain characters, locations and events were not as highlighted as they could have been, and new readers might get a little lost at this point. There were even a few points at which I lost track of who a new character was, mainly because of the two-year gap between reading King of Ashes and Queen of Storms. Still, I was usually able to remember who the character was after some prompting, and it worked out fine. While this lack of certainty might occasionally impact the flow of the story for new readers, I think they can generally follow without too much difficulty.

Queen of Storms was an outstanding and exciting second entry in this fantastic new series from one of my favourite authors of all time, Raymond E. Feist. This was an amazing and enjoyable novel, filled with adventure, great characters, and a compelling narrative. I had an awesome time reading this book and I cannot wait to see how Feist continues The Firemane Saga in the next book. A must-read for fans of fantasy fiction; this one is really worth checking out.

Queen of Storms Cover 2