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Summary: Talon of the Silver Hawk (Conclave of Shadows, Book 1)
Review: Although not as good (or even close) to the classic Magicain, Feist yet again secures his position as one of the best fantasy writers around with this first book in his new series.
Our young hero, Talon of the Silver Hwak, returns to his village to find his family being murdered and his home being burned. He survives the massacre and his the last of his people. From here on Talon knows that his life is in the hands of the man who saved him as is custom with his people, he owes him the life-debt. Talon has now a new life and in this life he is trained to be a dangerous man, for his carers feels he has something special. A young boy from the mountains soon becomes a man with abilties beyond his thought in his old life.
Talon of the Silver Hawk is very well written with fantastic clarity from Feist, he a once again justified himself as one of the best. This book is a excellent read and the series has all the making of a great collection.
Rating: 
Summary: A Good Read, But....
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed this book and have never been bothered by the author's jumps in time. However, he has left a HUGE gap in the timeline for Pug's and Miranda's children and the growth of the Conclave. The last SerpentWar book left off with everyone being the ever changing face of the god of magic and the start of the Conclave. Now TADA!! There is this big organization fighting, I assume Sidi (hence the reason for the Krondor Chronicles in my opinion) and another big organization. Come on Raymond...gives us something more substantial on Magnus and Caleb. You keep hinting at past adventures but mention nothing more. It's like reading Tolkien's Lord of the Rings before the Hobbit. It works but it would be nice to associate more readily.
Rating:
Summary: Solid effort in Feist mold
Review: Raymond Feist is one of my favorite writers. He has a simple, direct style. His plots are interesting, uncomplicated, good vs. evil, make you care but nothing too convoluted. He has likeable characters that you come to know and love.He's not going to win any awards for sophisticated, elegant prose, but his writing is clear and vivid and direct. He's not going to paint any masterpieces with his descriptions, but he conveys the story well. All in all, when I read Feist I expect to be entertained, to be taken on a rolicking adventure in good fun, and feel good at the end about the outcome. I've always had a slight problem with the apparent power disparity in magic vs. sword. The best warriors can slay 10 bad guys. A powerful wizard can take out ten cities. Feist does a little to correct that in this series. So what I expected from Talon, Feist's most recent work, is what I got. Enjoyable, fun. A new, likeable good guy, the return of some favorite old supporting characters, new bad guys. Basically a good time. Not a lot of incredibly complex politics or plot tests. Just a good read that goes by fast. One small nitpick-- Feist is trying to be a little more gritty in this series-- there's a touch shade of darkness, evil, foreboding in this book that's slightly different than in his other novels. It doesn't work for me with Feist's style. Feist always had his characters face incredible odds with a heroic gallantry that I found refreshing. Good guys were good, bad guys were bad. The simplicity was fun. Feist tries to do a little more here, and it doesn't work quite as well. All in all, a fun read.
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Summary: Nice recovery by Feist....
Review: I was beginning to think Raymond Feist had turned into a hack, but he has restored some of my respect with this one. Seems much more fresh and interesting than his last few Midkemia novels. Can't wait to read the rest. You'll definitely want to read the Riftwar Saga and Serpentwar Saga books first, but you can skip the Krondor books. I did.
Rating:
Summary: A great book for long time fans of Feist
Review: At first I was worried, being a fresh new set of books based on a new character... could it be as good as the others? The simple answer is yes. I was also concerned based on some of the reviews I've read here about how the book didn't develop many of the other characters encountered in the book. All I have to say is "Talon of the Silver Hawk" is the name of the book, and that's what its all about. This book is a story about Talon, and everyone else is described from Talon's point of view. The books storyline is very secretive and mysterious. Talon knows very little of his new life after the incident with his tribe, and this book describes his confusion and lifestyle in the big wide world around him. He must develop new skills, enhance old skills, and become a master of swordsmanship. The question is "why?". After being taken under the wing of the Conclave his new life has many questions, and many unknown goals. Lifes an open book for Talon, and its not all his choice on how that book is written. This book got better when a few old characters are introduced. Not because the story was mediocre, but because I feel more comfortable when a few old faces make their way into the weave of the story. It helps give perspective. The book seems to take place roughly 30 years after the fall of Krondor (and its rebuilding). Many of the past wars have become tales and stories told around the fire. To really feel comfortable with the storyline and the timeline I highly suggest starting from "Magician: Apprentice" and reading through all of Feist's books before moving into this book. You will feel more like you're part of the story and have lived the life the historic tales. I highly recommend this book for followers of Feist, even if you have not read the past books in awhile. I'm not finished the book yet, but I was glad to see a few of my favorite mysterious wizards return. Would you like an Orange? :-)
Rating:
Summary: A good new story in a familiar world.
Review: Many of the negative reviews I have read concerning this book are along the lines of "where are all the old, familiar characters?"
Don't let these reviews sway you. Feist is creating a new storyline with new characters to enjoy. People need to open their minds a bit. This novel is a triumphant return to Midkemia.
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Summary: Feist's back!
Review: First off I have to outline how I became interested in the genre of fantasy at all: it all began with 'The Hobbit' and 'LOTR', as it might be the case with a lot of people...
Afterwards I was always interested in fantasy, but never quite obsessed by it - that was until I've read 'The Legend of Druss' by Gemmell. I got hooked up; later on I stumpled across the Midkemia-Saga of which I've heard many good things, before.
So, to make matters short: I devoured all Midkemia-Books in a short period of time and furthered on to the Serpentwar-Saga, which, in my modest opinion, is a very good sequel to the Midkemia-Saga. Each fantasy-author has his own style (look who's talking...), and so Feist. Especially his Midkemia-Saga involved main characters which seemed to be so amiable and 3-dimensional that it struck me! Arutha, Tomas, Calis, Pug, Martin, Jimmy, Amos Trask! Just great! Those books enriched my life for sure and so I was quite sad after having finished the Serpentwar-Saga. So it becomes quite usual that I was really looking forward to Feist's new Saga, 'The Conclave of Shadows'; at the end of the Serpentwar-Saga Pug talks about the foundation of that conclave. So far, so good. I just finished the book, which Feist used a totally new narrative in:
it's totally focused on the main character, Talon. There are other supporting characters at hand, we even get to catch some glimpses on 'old friends' like Nakor and Pug, but that's it for the better part. There's not a word about the elves, Tomas; Dashel and James (Jimmy the Hand's grandsons) are mentioned in a short reference about Krondor. We get to know a glimpse of Pug, who apparently got more broody and 'strained' and even a bit of Miranda is shown.
The story furthermore evolves around that Talon, a tribesman in his youth who evidences his whole kin eradicated and who sets out to revenge his people. Though I won't spoil your reading, that much can be said:
Feist used a whole new concept to his usual Midkemia-related books. I dare to say that he even uses a kind of story telling very rarely used in the fantasy metier. It is interesting, it made me pay attention and read on. It kept me interested and never seemed dull to me. Yet, it is not a consequent sequel to his known story-types of 'old days', it is something completely new basing upon his Midkemia-World. It also shows subtle insights in human psychology and drifts away from the often naive 'code of honour' and such stuff...thus, I wager to say it's more realistic. bottom line: just get it and read it - if you're a devoted Feist fan, you'll be a bit surprised but will surely come to like it. Have fun ;-) Ciao,
Jason.
Rating:
Summary: outstanding
Review: I can't believe the negativity I'm reading. I think this was just as good as the Riftwar books, and it's wonderful to see him writing up to his old standards (the Krondor series was a dissappointment). Feist combines magic, war, revenge, love and politics in a masterful way. The new charachters (Magnus, Caleb, Creed) are a great supporting cast to Talon, who's story is one heck of an adventure so far. If you like Feist's other books, you will definitely not be dissappointed with this one. Pug rules.
Rating:
Summary: Feist regains some of his former glory.
Review: Raymond Feist has written some classic fantasy novels - 'Magician' is an all-time classic, while the 'Serpent War Saga' was also an imaginative, well-conceived series. Then it all went horribly wrong. The 'Krondor' series - 'Betrayal' and 'Assassins' were linear, predictable and uninspiring. 'Tear of the Gods' was better, but flawed in many ways. Feist seemed to have lost his edge and seemed content to churn out sub-standard fantasy that offered nothing new to the genre. Feist then went through a divorce, which although regrettable, has at least seemed to have reawakened his imagination and cutting edge. 'Talon of the Silver Hawk' is by far the best novel he has written since the Serpent War Saga - no more tiresome capers with Jimmy the Hand, TOTSH introduces us to brand new characters, who are well developed, as well as retaining some old favourites. Most importantly, the storyline (while slightly cliched) is interesting and full of both action and humour. There is a certain element of bitterness in this novel - possibly the result of Feist's personal experience of divorce - yet this adds depth and feeling to the novel. All in all, a solid novel with plenty of action and excitement - a timely return to form for Raymond Feist.
Rating: 
Summary: when will Feist let go?
Review: I confess that I did not finish this novel, nor indeed devoted more than a passing couple hours to it. Perhaps I am not qualified to write a whole review about it. Still, I have to wonder when the author will let go of the world of Midkemia. I first read his Magician series (Apprentice, Master, Silverthorne etc.) almost ten years ago, and to this day I think the series to be brilliant and sound. Although critics gripe at Feist's relatively simple use of language, I find it rather clean and easy read. Moreover, the first Magician series told an interesting story filled with memorable and 3d characters. I found a similar quality in his Mistress of the Empire series, which was a spinoff of his original world of Midkemia. I now can't remember the various other spinoffs following that, but there were a number of them, and I read a few. They were ok, although not nearly as good as the original. Now with the Conclase of Shadows, the author once again visits the world of Midkemia and the immortal magician Pug. But to what purpose? Throughout the entire series of series, the central principle of the first series seems to have blurred, and now completely absent. I mentally winced when Pug named his secret group of assassins and mages as "Conclave of Shadows", as if he was naming himself as some sort of 007 secret agent. But to the reader, Pug has been in virtually all of these books, and now there's nothing mysterious, or indeed, interesting about him. Really, the author has run his course with the world of Midkemia. Perhaps it's time to let go, and create another refreshing world of possibilites.
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