Rating: 
Summary: It wasn't awful.
Review: .. and after Feist's last couple of books, that's a major step in the right direction. The Magician books are simply brilliant. I've read each of them dozens of times. And the Daughter of the Empire series are also delightful and are some of my favorites.But this book simply isn't up to that standard. Still, it's far better than that gawd-awful recent couple of books with Bear that completely lacked a plot and simply stunk on every level. Still, my fundamental complaint is this: in the first Magician book, Pug was a failure. Or at least he was for about 2/3 of the length through the book. He fought and struggled with his magical studies and struggled with Caroline and struggled with life in general. The same element permeates the Daughter series - sure Mara had certain advantages, but she worked for her sucesses and nothing came easy. She made her way in the world through sheer determination and smarts, with a little luck thrown in. Here, Talon's path through life - tragic though its roots may have been - seems to have left him completely unscarred (both physically and mentally). His success never seems in doubt and he's everything from a great fighter to a gourmet chef to a wine buff -- not to mention his stunning levels of success with the ladies. And the deus machina healing towards the end of the book -- pathetic. In fact, the story would have worked better without it. In sum - a decent bite at the apple, but still a disappointment to those of us who wonder where the person who wrote the first couple Midkemia books has wandered off to. Hopefully he'll find his way home soon.
Rating: 
Summary: Quick, predictable, a shadow of classic Feist.
Review: After several sub-par collaborations and video game novelizations, Raymond E. Feist returned to epic fantasy in 2003 with "Talon of the Silver Hawk," Book 1 of the Conclave of Shadows. The boy Talon saw his tribe slaughtered and was raised by the Conclave, founded at the close of Feist's previous Serpent War Saga. After learning typically Feistian lessons in swordplay and boyhood love, Talon extracted revenge on his tribe's executioners, but without any sense of the greater evil that necessitated the Conclave's founding. "King of Foxes" sees Tal swear fealty to Duke Olasko, the noble who ordered his tribe exterminated, and Tal must mesh his thirst for revenge with his Conclave directive to investigate Olasko's magician Varen. The novel starts with plodding court intrigue, but the story quickens as Tal enters Olasko's service and matches wits with the Duke and the Duke's sly sister. After Tal suffers a reversal, Feist rushes through a predictable detention and escape sequence and then Tal easily assembles an army of thousands for his personal revenge, since the Conclave's barely mentioned goals have coincided with his own. Tal redeems his clouded heart, but his character oddly ends the novel in a state of complete resolution, as though Feist plans to switch to a new main character for the next book. Feist's novels have always relied on plot rather than narrative, but the prose in "King of Foxes" rings particularly wooden. None of the new settings, such as Olasko's city Opardum, feel as real as the grit of Krondor in past novels. Tal's plain thirst for revenge and his cold manipulation of fencing opponents and women alike render him dull, while his isolation from the Conclave's motives saps any overall tension from the story. In the Serpent War Saga, Feist took bold risks: multiple interesting new characters, one of whom spent half a book in conquests financial rather than military; an invasion that razed Feist's core city; the heroes deliberately destroying the relic they had been guarding for five books; and the emergence of a huge new evil. In the Conclave of Shadows thus far, neither the sole major new character, the sparse eastern settings, nor the predictable plot have the bold flair of the Serpent War, or the charming freshness of Feist's original Riftwar novels. "King of Foxes" plants the Conclave of Shadows in the dull realm of average fantasy.
Rating: 
Summary: Feist is BACK!!!!!!!
Review: Brilliant....
That's King of Foxes in a Nutshell for you. Seriously, this book was MUCH better than the first one. You knew who the characters were going in. You had feelings for the characters and their lives. In usual Feist fashion, the new characters of the series are the most prominent, with characters from past works making what amounts to cameo appearances throughout. And as Conclave of Shadows book 3 comes into focus, I'm sure old timers like Erik Von Darkmoor, Jimmy and Dashel Jamison, Pug, Nakor, Miranda, and Robert de Lyis will feature more prominently. Remember, the end of this novel sets up the next one. A rift has been opened but they do not know where. I'm quite sure that very bad things are set to come out of this rift, maybe even a second riftwar???
This book is divided into two parts. When I got to the second part of the book, it felt like pure Feist all over again from his older novels. An escape scene, and then a buildup to this wonderful battle where Talon topples the Duke of Olasko. These two novels stand well on their own but I suspect the Conclave of Shadows series is not finished yet. Expect book 3 to deal with even more intigues and dangers as the plot behind Leso Varen thickens......
EDIT:
A 3rd book in the Conclave of Shadows series has been confirmed. :D The name of the book is Exile's Return. Guess that means Duke Kaspar is coming back folks!!!!!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Will the REAL Raymond Feist please stand up?!?
Review: Feists' novels, The Riftwar Saga, are what turned me into a reading fanatic. I have read, read , & re-read almost everyone of his books. I am now a fan disheartened. I don't know where the magic and fun went, I don't know where the TRULY memorable characters went, but for the most part they are only shadows now. I am unsure where all the sex and fascination with nobles "thanking enthusiasticly" came from, but maybe a pseudonym and a couple of soft core smut novels could work it out of his system. I hate doing this, but the last 3-4 books have gotten steadly worse. With the exception, in my opinion, of Honoured Enemy. The Riftwar, SerpentWar, and the series with Janny Wurts(?) are still among my all time favorites & top recommended fantasy books. If you must read it, wait until its at the library. If you like it then, go ahead and buy the book then. Otherwise don't waste your money. Thanks for listening! :)
Rating: 
Summary: Not his worst work by far...
Review: I agree with one of the other reviews who stated that this book is young adult level. But that doesn't mean it isn't enjoyable. This book, and the previous one in the series, have regained some of the page turning quality that Feist's early books had. I had a hard time working my way though several of his more recent books (read: Tear of the Gods and related novels). Neither 'King of Foxes' nor 'Talon of the Silver Hawk' have this problem. All in all they are a decent read, but not really something a hardcore fantasy reader would like. If you like George R.R. Martin's works then this series is not for you. If you like lighter reading, like Modesitt, Goodkind, and Brooks, then you will probably find this a fun read:).
Rating:
Summary: A nice sequel to Silver Hawk, but . . .
Review: I enjoyed this book, but something was missing. Let me explain. First, the book kept me turning pages and never became boring. There is enough character development to understand some of the motivations and responses of the characters and I was invested in the resolution at the end.
However, I begin to fear that Raymond Feist is heading over to another form of fiction, the shorter (more pulpy type). Not that there is anything wrong with it. Louis Lamour and Agatha Christie were wild successes with the shorter novel in their own genres. There may be a niche here in Fantasy to fill. If that is what you like - that is fine.
I have always liked, thick bricks of text that keep you involved enough to truly understand all the little nuances of a world. Magician was more like this, and so was the Serpent War series. (I know not everyone agrees with me on this).
I am beginning to fear that Mr. Feist is heading away from this. Don't get me wrong I liked King of Foxes. But it was like getting a Coca-Cola from your favorite fast food place and finding out they put too much ice in. It was still great, but over too quickly and not as satisfying as it could have been.
(I hope that made sense).
Rating:
Summary: Good but not up to Feist's usual standards
Review: I enjoyed this book. Enjoyed, not loved. Feist is on my favorite authors, but every once in a while comes up with a clunker. This is not a clunker, nor is great. It is average. I enjoyed the storyline(nothing unexpected happens), but I didn't get emotionally involved in the character. Better luck next time. This one is a book to check out from the Library, but not to buy.
Rating:
Summary: Are there women in this novel?
Review: I have been on record as wishing that fantasy authors would start writing some stand-alone titles (see Mystic Warrior for the latest). When I started book 1 of The Conclave of Shadows series by Raymond E. Feist (Talon of the Silver Hawk), I thought that I was embarking on yet another long, winding series of books. Imagine my surprise when I finished Feist's latest book, King of Foxes and realized something. It ended! I couldn't believe it. Ending after book 2 is almost unheard of nowadays. That was already one plus for the book. Now, the question was: was the book any good? Much like Talon of the Silver Hawk, the book was somewhat enjoyable if predictable, with a few other problems besides that manage to bring it down. Talon, the last surviving member of the Orosini, has successfully taken the first step in avenging his people, having killed the man who was leading the attack on his home. He still has to kill the man who ordered the attack, however, Kaspar, the Duke of Olasko. Talon has been taken in and trained by the Conclave of Shadows, but thankfully their goals coincide. The Conclave wants to get information on the evil wizard, Leso Varen, who has been aiding (perhaps controlling) Kaspar. In order to do so, Talon must swear an oath to Kaspar in order to enter his employ. Talon, being the kind of man he is, cannot swear a false oath, but he agrees to do it knowing that Kaspar will eventually betray him and the oath will be void. Then Talon can kill him. In doing so, however, Talon has to do some things he's not especially proud of. Will he be able to stay the man he is without losing his humanity? Once the inevitable happens, Talon has to face his toughest challenge yet as he fights to bring the Duke and his wizard down. King of Foxes continues the story of Talon, and thus Feist writes in the same way as he did in the first book. That should be a good thing, right? Actually, in this case it's not. Some of the bits that were delightfully eccentric in the first book (such as starting each chapter with one sentence along the lines of "Talon stared") become increasingly annoying in the second book, as Feist doesn't keep them consistent. These stylistic mannerisms end up drawing attention to themselves and start to grate. Another thing that I didn't mention in my review of the first book, but perhaps should have, is the portrayal of women. It becomes prominent in my mind by being worse then the first book. There is not one sympathetic female character in King of Foxes. Every woman in the book lusts after Talon (and seems to be promiscuous even away from Talon) and he manages to bed every woman who is actually named in the book. Natalia, Kaspar's sister, comes closest to being fleshed out, but even she is just a tool in her brother's schemes. She reaches out to Talon as a bed-partner because she knows that she will eventually be married off as an alliance for somebody. She claims that the ability to love has been taken away from her, but if there were anybody who could fill that role, it would be Talon. Even the "good" women (that is, the female members of the Conclave) can't resist Talon's lure. I realize that, as part of his "cover" in society, Talon was trained to seduce women, but this was ridiculous. There are other problems with the book as well. Some characters and events are prominent but then disappear without having any real effect. Alysandra, the woman who hardened his heart in the first book, appears very briefly and is quickly dealt with. A chapter ends with Talon thinking that this particular character is "a very dangerous man" but then we don't hear anything about him again. Also, once again Talon is almost perfect in his planning and abilities, except for one mistake he makes (trusting someone) that was so obvious that there's no way a man even half as competent as Talon has been shown to be would make that mistake. So far, this has been nothing but complaints. However, I did ultimately enjoy the book once I was got past these issues. Talon has always been an interesting character, and he continues to be here. In fact, he becomes more interesting as he sinks deeper and deeper into his role and fights desperately to keep real the good part of him. He starts to have doubts about his revenge and whether it will be worth it. The ending, while anticlimactic and predictable, is fitting for the story that's been told, as Talon comes full circle. Feist definitely knows how to tell an exciting tale, and I read through the last 150 pages very quickly because I wanted to see how everything was resolved. There is one bit left unresolved, though it's not something a sequel would fix. There's one bit of closure that Feist just neglects, which is a shame. While the book does end on a final note, there is the possibility of a sequel. Be assured, though, that this particular story, the story of Talon of the Silver Hawk, is over. Any further books will just be additions to his legend, or taking another of the characters and doing something with them. This 2-book series is self-contained. If I can't have just one book, I'm glad to have it limited to two. Kudos to Feist for that much. David Roy
Rating:
Summary: Grand ol' Raymond E. Feist
Review: I purchased this book April 1st. I waited and read the reviews of some of my favorite reviewers and then read the reviews of the "normal" people. I expected this book to be somewhere between okay and bad. I enjoy Raymond E. Feists' work. He creates a world that you can smell, feel and touch. His characters are works of art. I still say he is one of the best fantasy writers we readers have. Talon is one of my favorite characters, but this new addition brought back Pug and Magnus as well. I think that if you enjoy Feist you will enjoy this book. He does repeat a couple of things and I wondered, "why on earth does he do that?" But other than that I think this is a wonderful book and it is a rich addition to his Riftwar and Krondor volumes.
Rating:
Summary: Grand ol' Raymond E. Feist
Review: I purchased this book April 1st. I waited and read the reviews of some of my favorite reviewers and then read the reviews of the "normal" people. I expected this book to be somewhere between okay and bad. I enjoy Raymond E. Feists' work. He creates a world that you can smell, feel and touch. His characters are works of art. I still say he is one of the best fantasy writers we readers have. Talon is one of my favorite characters, but this new addition brought back Pug and Magnus as well. I think that if you enjoy Feist you will enjoy this book. He does repeat a couple of things and I wondered, "why on earth does he do that?" But other than that I think this is a wonderful book and it is a rich addition to his Riftwar and Krondor volumes.
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