Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful installment on a great series
Review: Feist gets further into the story of the Valheru. Great book.
Rating:
Summary: Complete!
Review: A Darkness at Sethanon is a good book in a good trilogy (Even though I did not like Magician). It concludes the Riftwar Saga, and concludes it well. In Silvethorn we saw the clans of the moredhel dark elves gather to Murmandamus, a strange leader whose rise was both prophetic and, for the Kingdom, dangerous. Dark powers seem to be at his command, and he unleashes them upon his enemies, as can be seen in Silvethorn.
But these are not his only weapons. The sheer size of the host of dark elves, goblins, trolls, giant, mercenaries that fight under his banner require that he be stopped, before he advances deep into the Kingdom.
The battle scenes are beautifully portrayed, and the magic present is powerful. Pug and Tomas must seek out Macros the Sorceror, the only being in the Universe who can give them the answers they seek. But can they find him? And if their enemies have found him first, can they reach him?
Meanwhile, Arutha must safeguard his Realm, and to do so must know the extent of his enemies power.
Murmandamus is not their only fear. It is what he intends to free that could destroy them. And the more time they spend learning of the Enemy, the less time they have to discover what Murmandamus intends.
Arutha can do only so much, but the power of those seeking his death seems limitless.
A Darkness at Sethanon is the dazzling (forgive the use of such adjectives) finsih to a brilliant saga. You won`t be dissapointed.
Rating: 
Summary: The Riftwar Concludes
Review: A Darkness at Sethanon wraps up Raymond E. Feist's epic Riftwar saga, a fantasy adventure spanning two worlds and multiple times. In the beginning of the book, Prince Arutha fakes his own death in order to escape his city undercover, with the help of old pals like Jimmy the Hand and Amos Trask. His goal: the northlands, to face off with the leaders of the dark elves, to attempt to put an end to the Riftwar and the strife within his own Kingdom. At the same time, Pug and Tomas set off on a journey through the cosmos to attempt to learn about the unnamed Enemy, a creature of immeasurable power that threatens both Kelewan and Midkemia.If that sounds confusing, then it might behoove the reader to check out the two Magician books, and Silverthorn, which set up the plot and characters that fight to the conclusion in this volume, the fourth (third, if you count Magician as one) and last in the Riftwar saga. Here, Pug and Tomas realize the awesome potential of their power, and the dangers of the Tsurani attack for both planets is made clear - the struggle is no longer about resources or war, but a fight for survival that results in the final showdown in the ruined city of Sethanon. As Arutha seeks to secure his family's hold on the Kingdom's throne, his journey parallels' Pug's and Tomas' as they seek to secure humankind's future against the threat of the Enemy. It's a nice device, and it lends a sense of urgency and discovery to a story that threatens to be an imitation of Silverthorn. And, much to Feist's credit, it succeeds for the most part. It becomes evident that Feist might have had less fun writing Darkness than he did the other books in the series. Where Magician was a personal journey of discovery, and Silverthorn was a fresh-faced pure fantasy set against the backdrop of the Riftwar, Darkness comes off more as a cave-in to certain fantasy clichés rather than an upright, original novel. This becomes more evident if you delve into the other books set in Midkemia, which barely achieve this level of excellence as they fall further and further into repetitive genre standbys. Darkness is still fresh enough to be interesting, and readers who have finished the other books will want to find out how the Riftwar concludes. Darkness isn't really intended for someone to pick up without reading the other books, which is fine, since it is the final book in a trilogy (imagine reading Return of the King without the other Middle-Earth books). It makes a good capstone, but heralds the beginning of the end for Midkemia and its beloved characters. Still, they are to be enjoyed while they last. Final Grade: B
Rating:
Summary: A Great Close to a Great Series
Review: From the very beginning of the book the Dark Elves are already roaming the countryside and destroying everything. The only hope lies in Sethanon.... Feist really knows how to end a series. Another 5++ Star book.
Rating:
Summary: A brilliant ending to a brilliant series!
Review: The three previous books only hinted at Raymond Feist's brilliance!
The Riftwar Saga is a perfect example of why I say it is impossible to rate/review a single book in a series. Magician, Silverthorn and A darkness at Sethanon are chapters in a single novel in my opinion. In most novels I've read there are basically three parts.
Starting the car: introduction of the characters, environment and plot.
Acceleration: the interaction of the characters within the environment furthering the plot.
A screeching fiery explosion OR a clanking noise followed by a slow halt: the amazing weaving of all aspects, large or small, into a stunning conclusion OR the confusion and letdown at the end of a poorly conceived ending.
Magician is Part 1 and 2, Silverthorn is also Part 2 and A Darkness at Sethanon is the SCREECHING FIERY EXPLOSION!
I picked up this series almost 15 years ago and it is still my favorite epic fantasy. I think that is really saying something because I have read hundreds of other fantasy novels (by Terry Brooks, David Eddings, Robert Jordan, R. A Salvatore, Terry Goodkind and many others). P.S. I didn't write anything specific about the story because I didn't want to spoil it for you.
Rating:
Summary: The other 3 are ok...this easily tops them
Review: Magician: Apprentice and Magician: Master were reasonably interesting. I found that they were your typical epic fantasy. If I had to compare them to the myriad of typical fantasy out there, I'd say this series is closer to the top of the list than the bottom. The first two tell a story in themselves and it's not really necessary to continue to book 3. The first two talk a bit about what may occur in 3 & 4, but I would have been just as happy without ever finding out. I was almost sad I continued as I read Silverthorn (Book 3). I was fairly disappointed since nothing really seemed to move forward as far the ultimate storyline of the series. The subplot dealing with the search for Silverthorn was fine but it didn't really move the whole story forward. The book seemed completely based around the subplot. Regardless, it wasn't a bad read. Book 4 easily wins out in my opinion as the best of the series. Some have said it is predictable...they are correct. But it didn't stop me from enjoying it. The first 2/3 of it are somewhat interesting. When the action picks up in the last third, I didn't want to put the book down. That was the first time that happened through the whole series. Feist doesn't leave any loose ends. Everything is tied up nicely in the end. You leave with a complete understanding of life and the world. If you enjoy fantasy, then I would recommend the series if you don't have anything on the immediate "to read" list. Don't expect the best books you've ever read and you'll enjoy them.
Rating:
Summary: Buy them all :-)
Review: Having just completed reading every Raymond E. Feist book I can get my hands on I must say that A Darkness at Seanthon is one of the best he has written, although they are all very good. To fully enjoy the Universe R.E.F has created I suggest you buy all of the books and read them in the order they were written in.
Rating:
Summary: A Amazing End for the Ledgendary RIFTWAR SAGA!!!
Review: A DARKNESS AT SETHANON was one of most amazing fantasy books I have ever read. An action-packed thiller, it will leave you hanging on the edge of your seat and waiting for more. Murmandumus, a evil Morhedel (dark elf) chieftain, is trying to take over the Kingdom, and the final showdown between Order and Chaos is going to begin in the anicent city of Sethanon. The powerful master magician, Pug, and his boyhood friend, Tomas the Valheru, must find the one person who has the knowlage to bring Murmandamus down: Macros the Black. This book was so incredible to me. I just could'nt put it down. I thought that Fiest did a amazing job in writing this cool book, that I would give it more than 10 stars if I could. Mr. Fiest, if your out there, excellent book!!!
Rating:
Summary: maybe i'm just selfish...
Review: this was a great novel if somewhat split. i really enjoyed the series, and this is a fitting conclusion. i liked how we kind of grew up with these characters, how we got to watch them change, suffer, triumph. i especially liked tomas and his battle to overcome the valheru that was infused with his armor. the only thing i could ask for would be more in his initial character. the persona of tomas kind of lacked. what in this boy could have tamed so dreadful a power? the description of the valheru was fantastic and magical. i loved that feist was able to convey evil with absolute power. my only qualm with this novel goes: this is basically two novels. first is arutha's struggle, a struggle of the mortal realm against a dark power. then there is the immortal battle with tomas, pug, and the vast spectrum of power. really, the city of forever doesn't mesh with the palace at krondor. there should have been more of a conection between the two; the showdown was dramatic, but have of the characters involved didn't know what was going on. also, there should be a limit on pug's knowledge, something that could connect him to the slave on kelewan that we all got involved with. really, the magic is not defined; there are no limits. the valheru were given the greatest explanation, therefore, tomas was the most thought-out character. i guess it would be selfish to ask for more when so muxh was already given. i guess i'm just selfish like that.
Rating:
Summary: A Darkness At Sethtanon
Review: Tis story is an epic tale. I would highly reccomend it to any one who is into medival times and fantasy. Feist mixes the elements of fighting, romance, and magic into a tale that has effected what kind of books ive read since. It also has some of the best war scenes ive ever read. so if u like science fiction fantasy books this is youre best bet, but i do advise u to read the ones before this first.
|
