Rating: 
Summary: An interesting set up....
Review: I think what a lot of people are missing is while Talon is not as fleshed out as he could be for one of R.E.'s main characters this book has an interesting set up for future possibilities for Raymond's work, not only has he touched on what had previously happened in the Serpent War saga and drawn it in progressively for a good story base there is enough left out to make a reader wonder just what happened from the end of Shards to Conclave, I would sincerely love to see that book. However all that aside I am a lover of an author who does go beyond what the reader expects and tries out something new, Talon is not the average RE character, he's almost but not quite akin to Calis from the Serpent War saga to my mind, focused, singleminded and at the sametime confused and passionate. Lots of things built him up to be what he needs to be and what the Conclave molds him into, the whole thing to remember is Talon is a Tool and he is presented as such, the dynamics behind him is what makes this book a good read and although he does appear to be over powered in some instances, you begin to realize that he has nothing to lose and everything to gain. That gives anyone the advantage over anyone else.... It's a good read, try it out!
Rating: 
Summary: Feist writes what he knows in this novel and it works.
Review: I've read most of Feist's novels having started with the Serpentwar books and then going back and reading the Riftwar set and finally coming back and finishing off the Serpentwar books a few years ago. Talon of the Silver Hawk is my first book of his since finishing those up and it reminds me of why I enjoy Feist so much.
There is a familiar style and character development at work in this novel. Feist's protagonists are usually quite gifted in some or many ways which helps them greatly when they are thrust into the conflict central to the novel. Talon is no different in that respect and while the story itself might seem cliched (last survivor of his tribe out for revenge) Feist manages to avoid any possibly pitfalls and engage us with rich characters and situations.
While the setup may seem similar to some of Feist's earlier novels it certainly doesn't take much away from the book. Perhaps if you have read the various series back to back the setup may seem a bit overdone. Feist is just writing what he knows though and he does it well.
I've always admired writers that take on new characters instead of focusing on the same ones and Feist does succeed at that and also manages to intermingle his old characters with the new. He does this without diverting focus to these old characters and without going into too much detail about them. We get as much information about them as Talon does. This keeps the story moving and also gives new readers some impetus to take on Feist's previous novels. Feist revives my interest in his novels with this latest book and I certainly recommend it to a new reader or an old fan of his work.
Rating:
Summary: Finally...
Review: I must admit that I never got into Feist's fictions because they seemed the same old thing but maybe it's because I never pressured myself into picking it up and giving it a chance. This book, I did and I'm glad I did too. This book intriqued me and had me laughing during every page. I also admit that I didn't enjoy his many "conquests" with women. For once, I would like to read about a man who doesn't just think of women as game. Nevertheless, this book took the reader and carried them away into a land that was full of shady people and changed an ignorant boy into a deadly weapon against evil humanity. I do recommend this book to anyone who likes to get their feet wet in battles and twisted in a plot of a vengeful spirit. Talon is one of those people that you love to hate and you hate because you love him. He's a great character!! I can't wait to get back to the U.S. to get the second book!
| 
