This is the second book of the “Riftwar Legacy” series, following on the heels of “The Betrayal”. This particular novel appears to be set between the events of the two games that served as the inspiration for the “Legacy” series, and the result is far more organic. The first book felt forced towards a massive confrontation in too short a narrative space, and the character turns felt like the incremental power increases of a conventional RPG.
This book, on the other hand, serves to set up a new conflict by focusing on some of the intrigues in Krondor itself. While Feist manages to make action compelling, the intrigue is often his best material. If nothing else, it gives the world of Midkemia more weight and realism, something that can be missed when dashing from action set piece to action set piece.
This novel also continues to explore Jimmy the Hand’s development within Prince Arutha’s household, and as one would expect, that’s the strength of the story. Jimmy’s past history touches on the underbelly of the Prince’s city, so it makes sense for him to be involved. His abilities are still too perfect to be believed, but that’s partly due to the necessity of connecting plot points between the games, which were developed outside of Feist’s immediate control.
All that said, the origins of the story keep the tale from reaching the kind of creative heights as one has come to expect from Feist. It’s becoming entirely clear why the “Legacy” series, originally planned as a total of five volumes, never continued past the third. Feist does his best to rationalize ideas from an outside source, but ultimately, the flaws are exposed.
Rating: 6/10
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