Rating: 
Summary: King of Foxes (Conclave of Shadows, Book 2)
Review: I really enjoyed Feist's first two books "Magician: Apprentice and Master". I have dipped into various of his books since. He is cabable of excellent writing, witness "Faerie." However, his books on Midkemia have become formulaic and tired. I read "Talon of the Silver Hawk". It was readable. "King of Foxes," the sequel, is not. The book is poorly written, the characters are poorly drawn with childish motivations, and the plot includes unbelievable, pseudo-sophisticated realpolitik and tactics. As an example, the oh so sophisticated (23 year old) protaganist says he needs to "fight a royal" to believably take service with the bad guy. The only problem is that he has been away from court in a secret place for three years, which would require a lot more explanation than would a sudden desire to work for the evil Duke. The social structures of the lands, the political relationships among the countries, as well as the relationships among the background characters are not convincing; they seem to exist only to drive the plot. The book is young adult level at best.
Rating: 
Summary: Much better than 1st Conclave book
Review: I wasn't really impressed wih the 1st Conclave book on first read, following the outstanding SerpentWar series. But, upon a re-read of Krondor: The Betrayal, and the whole Serpent war series again, I found the 1st novel better than my initial B- impression that was my first read (now I'd say a B). In this second novel, I found it finally picked up speed. Although it does indeed follow a typical plot of sorts, it's interesting to see Pug & Co. reduced to secondary characters. It is becoming clear that these first 2 books are setting up something big to come. Talon becomes a much more interesting character, as some of the cold manipulation and ruthless stuff he was doing in the first novel (and a great deal of this one) is finally starting to haunt him. I think a lot of the problems people are hitting is just a stumble over the time jump since SerpentWar. It does feels weird reading about the Kingdom of the Isles only being familiar with a minority of the Kingdom characters - The King, most of the Dukes, Generals, Admirals, etc are mostly unfamiliar at this point. It makes the books come across a little emptier somehow - not a flaw, but a cost associated with the time jump. A good read, the series seems to be picking back up Feist's normal quality. 5 stars.
Rating: 
Summary: A decent book, but pales when compared to previous works...
Review: I've been a fan of Feist for over 10 years, when I first found the complete Riftwar Series at a book sale. Since then I've been hooked.
After the reading the two Conclave of Shadows books, I was a bit disappointed. After the Serpentwar Saga, this latest series just didn't do it for me. Its sort of like driving a nice mustang (Serpentwar) and then switching to a Mazda 626 (Conclave).
I felt that most of the characters were cliched and at time two dimensional. Tal, the hero of the story, just wasn't on par with some of Feist's other heros. The story was also a bit cliched and many times predictable.
Not all was bad, there was some very memorable and deep scenes. One where the characters' personas came forth and were very vivid. Also, in a very Feist fashion, some of the strategies employed, were very clever and refreshing surprising.
In conclusion, a definite must have for the a true Feist afficionado, but if this is going to be your first attempt at his work, I highly recommend his early stuff.
Rating:
Summary: A Time for Vengeance
Review: King of Foxes is the second novel in the Conclave of Shadows series, following Talon of the Silver Hawk. In the previous volume, Talon has gained his manhood name, but at the same time has lost everyone he loved to a band of raiding mercenaries. He later discovered that the raid was led by a man called Raven, who had been hired by Duke Kaspar of Olasko. Talon was rescued by agents of the Conclave of Shadows and he himself became an agent in order to gain vengeance for his lost tribe. The Conclave provided weapons training and he become an accomplished swordsman. They also provided him with a false identity as Squire Talwin Hawkins, a minor Kingdom noble, and covertly sponsored him in the Tournament of Masters at Roldem. Winning the tourney, Tal gained the title of the world's greatest swordsman. After the tournament, he turned down an offer to join the court of Duke Kaspar, for he has the Duke's minions to destroy first. Instead, he started looking for Raven and found that the mercenary was planning another raid on the mountain tribes. Hiring another mercenary troop, Tall prepared a trap for Raven in one of the tribal villages. Although Raven escaped the ambush with several men, Tall followed behind and killed them all. In this novel, Tal is now ready to attack the two remaining targets in his planned vengeance, Duke Kaspar and Quentin Havrevulen, commander of the Duke's army. Tal returns to Roldem after an absence of two years and resumes his social rounds. Not entirely by coincidence, the Duke is visiting his cousin, King Carol. Tal hopes to join the retinue of the Duke without appearing too obvious, so he again turns down the Duke's offer of a position. However, after spectacularly embarrassing Prince Matthew, a vainglorious bore, at sword practice, Tal allows Kaspar to save him from the fury of the prince and thus becomes a Captain in service to Kaspar. The Duke has a beautiful sister, Lady Natalia, who takes an interest in Tal. Although not a participant in her brother's political affairs, Natalia is a political plum that the Duke is holding back for the best possible suitor. In the meanwhile, Natalia gets her pleasures wherever she can and Tal is one of her favorite pleasures. The Duke also has a very powerfully necromancer, Leso Varen, as an advisor and, possibly, as a puppetmaster. According to those near him, the Duke has changed for the worse since Varen joined his court. Pug has had fought Varen before and knows that the magician will be very hard to overcome within the Duke's castle. In this story, Tal has to survive his service to the Duke without breaking his oath until such time as the Duke betrays him. Moreover, he has to find a way past the strong defenses of the Duke's citadel. Furthermore, he has to find a way of breaking Varen's magical defenses. Tal also has to watch out for his servant. The Conclave has reassigned the ever efficient Pasko and Tal has promoted Amafi, his bodyguard, to valet. Since Amafi has already had long experience as an assassin, Tal can certainly use his services, but betrayal is always a possibility. Like most of his novels, the author has produced a detailed slice of the history of the Kingdom and its neighbors. The social interactions are fascinating, but the fights are fewer and further apart than in the first novel. The characters are interesting, but their motivations are only hinted by their actions; even Tal's thinking and emotions are revealed at a fairly superficial level. There is quite a bit of discussion of food and wine in this segment. Such mentions are not totally irrelevant. Enjoy them for the insight they provide into Tal's character per se, but note that they will also convey one of the few real touches of humor in the story. This novel ties up most loose ends for this segment. However, the story strongly hints that an evil power is still at work behind the scenes. Stay tuned for Exile's Return, the next installment in the Conclave of Shadows. Highly recommended for Feist fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of court intrigue and daring bladework. -Arthur W. Jordin
Rating: 
Summary: Hawkins. Tal Hawkins.
Review: King of Foxes is the sequel to Talon of the Silver Hawk, and though it works fairly well as a stand-alone novel, it presupposes at least some familiarity with Feist's earlier work. It is, however, noticeably different from most epic fantasies. For one thing, it's relatively short. For another, while it has the trappings of fantasy, the plot, pace and feel of the first two thirds of the book are reminiscent of a low-tech James Bond novel - and a pretty good one, too. The hero's best friend doesn't die in Chapter 7, but apart from that, the resemblance is remarkable. Squire Tal Hawkins, Talon of the Silver Hawk, has earned the title of World's Greatest Swordsman. He's even better with a bow and arrow, is a connoisseur of food and wines, and is charming, handsome, and very attractive to women. He may seem rather too good to be true, but this also makes him overconfident. He's not easily outclassed, but he's badly outnumbered and occasionally outmanoeuvred, which saves the book from being too predictable.
Feist is very good at leaving out the boring bits of a story, and if a year or two passes without much happening, he'll say so in a few lines. There's surprisingly little magic in the earlier part of the book - elves, dwarves and dragons are mentioned, but don't actually appear. Most of the action involves swords, seduction and subterfuge instead of sorcery. Spells are never used as a substitute for good plotting. The obligatory Dark Lord - Kaspar's court magician, the giggling dangerous totally bloody psychotic Leso Varen - also stays offstage for most of the book. The wizard Pug appears at about page 300, and then the real pyrotechnics begin.
King of Foxes is not "comparable to Tolkien at his best", to quote the usual review cliche, but it does have all the ingredients needed for an entertaining fantasy adventure.
Rating:
Summary: Eclectic and average; worthy for Feist fans
Review: King of Foxes, the second book of the "Conclave of Shadows" trilogy is an enjoyable, albeit average, read. I do suspect that Feist fans, the diehards, will love this book. I am not a diehard Fiest fan, so I can make no such recommendation.
I will state the following, and I hope it helps the "fantasy genre fan".
First, if you've not read book one (Talon of the Silver Hawk), and are inclined to read this tome, do so before beginning with this entry.
Second, with regards to the read itself, I found the beginning slow, and... contrived. As it begins, Talon is not yet under the influence of Duke Kaspar; however, he must become so (as was elicited in book 1) to further the goals of the Conclave. Instead of taking the open offer from the Duke; however, Talon decides it would be best to humiliate a royal Prince (albeit a "baffoon") first. The rationale, while described by Feist in some detail, is the worst kind of "B plot", Beyond contrived: just bad.
Luckily for the reader, the book hits a high note (a very high "****", almost "*****" note) during the sequences wherein Talon is performing nefarious tasks for the Duke and, later, is ... not. Additionally, the notes continue during the portions up-to those where he re-establishes full-contact with the Conclave.
During the final chapters, however, as Tal prepares to assault the Duke, the book loses steam and bluster. It's gale wind has blown out, and instead, it weakly limps to a conclusion that is putridly saccharin. Most open issues appear resolved at the end of book 2, with the exception of one (apparent, for Feist) "been there, done that" plot twist late in the book, and the "unknown whereabouts" of a character new to book 2.
Hopefully, in volume three, Feist will be able to resurrect the plot line(s) and character exposition so adroitly displayed during the mid-sections of this book. If so, we, the reader(s) should be in for a treat. If not....
Rating:
Summary: A Fun Read
Review: Raymond Feist has followed up "Talon of the Silver Hawk" with "King of Foxes". At the end of the last book Talon killed the leader of the group that slaughtered his family. In this book he is going after the leader who ordered the killing. To do this, he must swear an oath of feality to the very man he swears to kill. Talon finds out he is now on his own in this portion of the quest because the Shadow of Conclaves will be unable to help for fear of their plan being discovered by the ancient enemy. Talon now goes into service of the Duke of Olasko. The duke betrays Talon, which releases Talon from his oath and he raises an army to kill Olasko.
Feist once again writes with flushed out characters. The reader sees some characters from the first novel as well as some from previous books. Once again the story is not new, but it is still enjoyable. If you are a Feist fan, then you should enjoy this book. If you are new to Feist, then read "Talon of the Silver Hawk" first to understand this book. Fast and enjoyable, but nothing new. A nice way to pass some time.
Rating:
Summary: Feist at his best
Review: Raymond Feist is best when he's developing his characters. In Tal Hawkins, it is clear, Feist is designing an uber-hero in the James Bond mold. He's good at everything, including wooing the ladies.
In "King of Foxes" Feist picks up the story from "Talon of the Silver Hawk" and its a rousing fun read. The story flows well is well worth the time to read it, but as other reviewers have pointed out, you have to leave your skepticism at the door when entering Feist's books. He is almost impatient with his plot development. He has a habit of summarizing a plot point just before he resolves it, as if he's afraid the reader hasn't caught up with where he was headed and he wants to make sure they are caught up before he ties up the loose end. So rather than leave you wondering or guessing how this will all end up, it usually seems to get resolved in the very next page, if not the next paragraph!
So too is he quick to restore the perfection of his lead character. I applauded when his hero was hopelessly sidetracked in the second act of this book, thinking Feist was taking us down some unforseen road to his objective. Then just as quickly, Tal manages to get himself back on track. Even when something vital to his character is taken from him in this section, it is magically, and almost painlessly restored as if Feist can't stand to see his hero as less than perfect.
In the end, the final battle happens pretty much the way he spent the whole book saying it would, so it is pretty much anti-climactic when it happens. It's also a bit irritating when the Conclave keeps telling Tal he's on his own and they can't help him, then they keep riding over the hill like the cavalry to save his bacon. Again, I think this is Feist not resisting the urge to make Pug the perfect-mega-hero of all his stories. I would just prefer he leave his characters a little flawed and his stories a little less linear, but that's just me.
Anyway, if you've read Feist, this is one of his better reads. Despite my comments, I love his writing and this is a good story about an entertaining new character. If you haven't, read Feist (you're either young or new to Fantasy) this is a good introduction to a corner of his Midkemia world. You won't feel lost and probably will want to pick up his earlier books.
Rating:
Summary: Simply great fantasy
Review: Tal Hawkins the last of the Osoni people completed the first step in his plan of revenge with the destruction of the on sight leader of the massacre, the odious mercenary Raven (see Talon of the Hawk). Now Tal sets in motion part two with his plan to destroy the individual responsible for ordering the carnage, Kaspar, Duke of Olasko. However, getting close enough to destroy the nefarious Duke will mean somehow gaining the duke's confidence that Tal is a loyal supporter he can count on to do whatever it takes even leading new massacres. Tal assumes his soul was exterminated when his people died so though he has some pangs of conscious concerning innocents becoming collateral damage, he ponders a way of getting near enough to kill Kaspar. Raymond E. Feist readers will appreciate this powerful fantasy that showcases a different area of the author's world than Midkemia as much of the action occurs in the volatile Eastern Kingdoms. Tal's vengeance still remains the center of the story line and he remains a torn protagonist knowing that he will kill innocents to get at his target. The support cast is incredible, as they add to the understanding of the world and its hero-villain depending on one's perspective of Tal). These secondary players are so complete several could have served as the center of their own novel especially the assassin Amafi and Kaspar. Feist fans will be in frenzy with this exhilarating action packed fantasy tale peopled with great characters. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: Better than volume 1 of this series
Review: The Conclave of Shadows, Book 2 "King of Foxes" is a continuation of the storyline began in "Talon of the Silver Hawk." Tal was the winner of the sword fighting championship at the Master's Court at Roldem and now he is somewhat of a celebrity. He is still seeking revenge against the Duke of Olasko for the slaughter of his people, the Orosoni. However, because Tal has been trained by the Conclave (Pug, Nakor, etc), he also has obligations to them in addition to seeking his revenge. Both Tal and the Conclave have similar aims, and Tal's revenge will help the Conclave learn about a magician named Varen. While the existence of the Conclave and their occasional appearances throughout this novel (and the first) give hint to something larger going on than Tal's simple quest for revenge, we never quite find out what the scope of this larger threat is and what the Conclave is truly fighting. We get glimpses and even a brief mention of something that is potentially interesting (which I don't want to spoil), but the true story follows Tal. Tal has to join the service of the Duke of Olasko to get close to him, to gain his trust, to learn about the magician Varen, and to ultimately get his revenge with Olasko knowing why Tal is getting his revenge. I thought that this was a well told story (and told better than "Talon of the Silver Hawk" and while there are more volumes in "The Conclave of the Shadows" planned, this one actually seems to conclude the story of Tal. I believe that volume three "Exile's Return" will focus on an entirely different character, though I'm not positive whom (I have ideas). This was a good addition to Midkemia and shows that Feist is returning to form and quality. I'm looking forward to volume 3.
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