Rating: 
Summary: Good book, but too good an ending.
Review: "Mistress of the Empire" probably would have been a blast if it would have come as a stand-alone fantasy novel. But as the final book of a great trilogy it has to be compared with the preceding books, which were absolutely outstanding, and here "Mistress" simply performs badly. Of course, Janny Wurts' writing is still excellent. Of course the plot is still quite intruiging and Lady Mara's uncanny knack to turn the tides to her favor at the very last moment meets all requirements for suspense. And of course the main characters are convincing both in background and motivation, but... havent we seen all that before in "Daughter/Servant of the Empire"?To be honest, over the course of "Mistress" I simply grew bored of how events developped because they always appear to follow one and the same scheme: One urgency follows the other, Mara gets pushed to 'dare the unprecedented', desaster threatens and yet in the end Mara gets everything she aimed for (due to her 'innovative' actions and the usual heroics of her following) plus some unexpected but welcomed boons less a good scale of sacrificial deaths by people close to her household and heart. Good grief, gimme a break - dreaming must be allowed because after all this is fantasy literature, but did Mara really need to end up seeing her legacy on the emperor's throne, to win the favor of the most powerful mage of both Kelewon and Midkemia (though I feel that co-author Feist simply couldnt resist to give his favorite protagonist Pug a weightier appearance), to gain the protection of the Gods rendering herself virtually invincible and to regain her lost love Kevin due to the cheapest case of deus-et-machina-like intervention by the author? I really think 'No', because "Mistress" still holds enough depth to make it a really good fantasy novel. Arakasi's incursion into the assassin fortress is gripping as anything and his ensuing affair with a beautiful slave girl is heart-breaking. The world of the alien Cho-ja, Lord Jiro's and his spymaster's plotting, and the revelation of the real purposes of the machinations of the magicians' assembly and everything that results from that are pretty good stories and settings within themselves. But alas Janny Wurts overshadows everything with Mara's greatness (even though Wurts tries to justify all of Mara's actions by purely being motivated out of necessity, survival and her concern for the well-being of the empire, but, sorry, I just dont buy that any longer) and therefore the whole story simply looses much of the usual credibility that marked "Daughter" and "Servant". A little bit less Mara would have maybe been better for the conclusion of this else spectacular fantasy trilogy.
Rating:
Summary: Good book, but too good an ending.
Review: "Mistress of the Empire" probably would have been a blast if it would have come as a stand-alone fantasy novel. But as the final book of a great trilogy it has to be compared with the preceding books, which were absolutely outstanding, and here "Mistress" simply performs badly. Of course, Janny Wurts' writing is still excellent. Of course the plot is still quite intruiging and Lady Mara's uncanny knack to turn the tides to her favor at the very last moment meets all requirements for suspense. And of course the main characters are convincing both in background and motivation, but... havent we seen all that before in "Daughter/Servant of the Empire"? To be honest, over the course of "Mistress" I simply grew bored of how events developped because they always appear to follow one and the same scheme: One urgency follows the other, Mara gets pushed to 'dare the unprecedented', desaster threatens and yet in the end Mara gets everything she aimed for (due to her 'innovative' actions and the usual heroics of her following) plus some unexpected but welcomed boons less a good scale of sacrificial deaths by people close to her household and heart. Good grief, gimme a break - dreaming must be allowed because after all this is fantasy literature, but did Mara really need to end up seeing her legacy on the emperor's throne, to win the favor of the most powerful mage of both Kelewon and Midkemia (though I feel that co-author Feist simply couldnt resist to give his favorite protagonist Pug a weightier appearance), to gain the protection of the Gods rendering herself virtually invincible and to regain her lost love Kevin due to the cheapest case of deus-et-machina-like intervention by the author? I really think 'No', because "Mistress" still holds enough depth to make it a really good fantasy novel. Arakasi's incursion into the assassin fortress is gripping as anything and his ensuing affair with a beautiful slave girl is heart-breaking. The world of the alien Cho-ja, Lord Jiro's and his spymaster's plotting, and the revelation of the real purposes of the machinations of the magicians' assembly and everything that results from that are pretty good stories and settings within themselves. But alas Janny Wurts overshadows everything with Mara's greatness (even though Wurts tries to justify all of Mara's actions by purely being motivated out of necessity, survival and her concern for the well-being of the empire, but, sorry, I just dont buy that any longer) and therefore the whole story simply looses much of the usual credibility that marked "Daughter" and "Servant". A little bit less Mara would have maybe been better for the conclusion of this else spectacular fantasy trilogy.
Rating: 
Summary: Powerful and engaging - repetitive for a reason
Review: (This review is for the Empire Series: Daughter, Servant, & Mistress) When I first read Daughter of the Empire, I had just finished reading Darkness at Sethanon. I was looking for something more of the Kingdom, and was really just settling for something about the Tsurani Empire. I was hooked very quickly and this became one of my favorite series. Some earlier critiques have suggested that the is excessive repetition of themes and plot in the book, even to the extent that it became boring. I agree with this to some extent, but believe they have missed an important point. Throughout the books, the idea is that this is a culture steeped in tradition. It is stagnant and rotting with self-inflicted wounds. Mara sees her only route to survival and the only hope for the survival of her people in the evolution of their culture. In addition to the political machinations of those who seel to capitalize on her weakness, she also has to deal with the powerful who resist her revolutionary ideas. The repetition is intentional, the reader truly sees the problems of the continuous political battling and feels the frustration that is necessary for their joy at the resolution. I would say the Janny and Raymond have truly tapped into the psychology of the READER. Mara is one of the most well-developed characters I have ever seen in this genre. I can say that I began responding as though I loved her. I felt her pain, wept for her nobility and sacrifice, cheered her successes and mourned her losses. When the stories were over, I actually missed her.
Rarely in this genre are strong female characters allowed to be -female. Usually, strong woman are shown to be strong in the way that they can act like men. Mara is different. She is strong in her femininity and tough as nails as a woman. The fact that so many men (readers that is) fell in love with her, tells me Wurts and Feist put the story together very well. I am usually a tough sell for emotional involvement in stories, but certainly got caught here. Anybody who loves fantasy and does not read this is missing something. Any Raymond Feist fan who misses this is missing something important. Oh, I know some of the other side tales (Voyager publications: Honoured Enemy, Jimmy the Hand, Murder in Lamut) were not up to Feist (though I still enjoyed them), but the Empire series is at par with Feist or perhaps even better than some of his stories. Read it for the incredibly strong female character that always remains a woman and never becomes a man to be strong.
Rating:
Summary: Powerful and engaging - repetitive for a reason
Review: (This review is for the Empire Series: Daughter, Servant, & Mistress) When I first read Daughter of the Empire, I had just finished reading Darkness at Sethanon. I was looking for something more of the Kingdom, and was really just settling for something about the Tsurani Empire. I was hooked very quickly and this became one of my favorite series. Some earlier critiques have suggested that the is excessive repetition of themes and plot in the book, even to the extent that it became boring. I agree with this to some extent, but believe they have missed an important point. Throughout the books, the idea is that this is a culture steeped in tradition. It is stagnant and rotting with self-inflicted wounds. Mara sees her only route to survival and the only hope for the survival of her people in the evolution of their culture. In addition to the political machinations of those who seel to capitalize on her weakness, she also has to deal with the powerful who resist her revolutionary ideas. The repetition is intentional, the reader truly sees the problems of the continuous political battling and feels the frustration that is necessary for their joy at the resolution. I would say the Janny and Raymond have truly tapped into the psychology of the READER. Mara is one of the most well-developed characters I have ever seen in this genre. I can say that I began responding as though I loved her. I felt her pain, wept for her nobility and sacrifice, cheered her successes and mourned her losses. When the stories were over, I actually missed her.
Rarely in this genre are strong female characters allowed to be -female. Usually, strong woman are shown to be strong in the way that they can act like men. Mara is different. She is strong in her femininity and tough as nails as a woman. The fact that so many men (readers that is) fell in love with her, tells me Wurts and Feist put the story together very well. I am usually a tough sell for emotional involvement in stories, but certainly got caught here. Anybody who loves fantasy and does not read this is missing something. Any Raymond Feist fan who misses this is missing something important. Oh, I know some of the other side tales (Voyager publications: Honoured Enemy, Jimmy the Hand, Murder in Lamut) were not up to Feist (though I still enjoyed them), but the Empire series is at par with Feist or perhaps even better than some of his stories. Read it for the incredibly strong female character that always remains a woman and never becomes a man to be strong.
Rating:
Summary: Powerful and engaging - repetitive for a good reason
Review: (This review is for the Empire Series: Daughter, Servant, & Mistress) When I first read Daughter of the Empire, I had just finished reading Darkness at Sethanon. I was looking for something more of the Kingdom, and was really just settling for something the Tsurani Empire. I was hooked very quickly and this became one of my favorite series. Some earlier critiques have suggested that the is excessive repetition of themes and plot in the book, even to the extent that it became boring. I agree with this to some extent, but believe they have missed an important point. Throughout the books, the idea is that this is a culture steeped in tradition. It is stagnant and rotting with self-inflicted wounds. Mara sees her only route to survival and the only hope for the survival of her people in the evolution of their culture. In addition to the political machinations of those who seel to capitalize on her weakness, she also has to deal with the powerful who resist her revolutionary ideas. The repetition is intentional, the reader truly sees the problems of the continuous political battling and feels the frustration that is necessary for their joy at the resolution. I would say the Janny and Raymond have truly tapped into the psychology of the READER. Mara is one of the most well-developed characters I have ever seen in this genre. I can say that I began responding as though I loved her. I felt her pain, wept for her nobility and sacrifice, cheered her successes and mourned her losses. When the stories were over, I actually missed her.
Rarely in this genre are strong female characters allowed to be -female. Usually, strong woman are shown to be strong in the way that they can act like men. Mara is different. She is strong in her femininity and tough as nails as a woman. The fact that so many men (readers that is) fell in love with her, tells me Wurts and Feist put the story together very well. I am usually a tough sell for emotional involvement in stories, but certainly got caught here. Anybody who loves fantasy and does not read this is missing something. Any Raymond Feist fan who misses this is missing something important. Oh, I know some of the other side tales (Voyager publications: Honoured Enemy, Jimmy the Hand, Murder in Lamut) were not up to Feist (though I still enjoyed them), but the Empire series is at par with Feist or perhaps even better than some of his stories. Read it for the incredibly strong female character that always remains a woman and never becomes a man to be strong.
Rating:
Summary: Starts off slow...
Review: ...but really flies in the end. The first half of the book droned on, then all of a sudden, everything starts happening.
As other reviewers have said, the plot framework for all three books are the same, but the authors manage to keep the books interesting anyway.
Rating:
Summary: The Best of Raymond's Fantasy
Review: Absolutely thrilling and the best I have read of Raymond's books. The only flaw was of a short role of Pug. But Arakasi showed his best. There should be more of the other side of the world trillogy.
Rating:
Summary: The Game of the Council intrigues once again
Review: After years of reading Wurts, I turned reluctantly to this co-authored trilogy. To my suprise, I found that the Empire trilogy supassed all of Wurts' independent work. I found after starting on Feist's rift novels that it far surpassed his independent work as well. I feel that this trilogy was a suberb example of a colaborative work between authors - showcasing as it did the strengths of both authors whilst balancing their faults. The supreme example of this harmony was Arakasi's assault on the Hamoi HQ. It blended amazing personal insights with heartstopping, superbly choreographed action. The whole section from Arakasi's seduction through to his delivery to Mara was one of the most brilliant, intriguing passages I have read in fantasy. Similarly to the attack upon Mara and Kevin by the Tong in 'Servant', I was reading every single word with my heart beating, every spin and every move pictured amazingly vividly in my mind's eye. Similarly, I was astonished by Lujan in Chakaha. There was the same beauty and fixating properties of the prose but also the amplification of Mara's realisations about the stagnation of Tsurani culture through those under her that served to make me sympathise much more with what she attempted to bring about then would have been possible if this book was as predicably devoted to Mara as the first two. I found that Feist's work on it's own did not enrapture me as did this trilogy. I found his work tired and predictable, despite his skill in writing. On the other hand, I vastly enjoy Wurt's books but particularly in the Wars of Light and Shadow I am growing exhausted by her exploration of character at the expense of the flow of the story and action. I'm sick of hearing about Arithon's compassion etc and that insufferable Lysaer. This trilogy combined the best of both these authors to produce what neither could on their own. This was my favourite of the two novels because of the experience of the loss of faith in the Way of the Tsurani. I loved the first because of it's glorification of that way. The second became very tiresome, particularly because of the cliched barbarian. This was my primary problem with 'Mistress' - the trite reunion in the end and the dismissal of Hokanu, who was a very lovely character (another where the skills of Wurt's character creation shone through). But for me, the Tsurani culture was a brilliant fantasy adaptation of the Japanese feudal culture and that is primarily what enthralled me though the series (which could be read as stand alones, I felt). The authors captured with great sensitivity the honor system they were mimicking and the convuluted politics that becessarily accompany such a 'death before dishonour' way of life. I cannot help but find beauty simply in the way of life, as Chumaka did. I would recommend James Clavell's 'Shogun' for anyone wanting an alternative perception of a barbarian in Japanese feudal culture. A more challenging foray into this area would be the works of Eiji Yoshikawa. Two of his books, 'Musashi' and 'Taiko' are available in English. I found Taiko an interesting comparison to the Empire series, which features an adept player of the Game trying to institute change in a system where the Way keeps clans perpetually engaged in useless conflict. The Taiko was an adept who eventually brought brought order to the warring clans and gave them purpose and unification, yet did so by bringing changes that soldified the existing order, making it impossible to create change for centuries after.
Rating:
Summary: Molière ending
Review: At first, I thought this book was good. Mara has made Acoma a great house; she's now trying to change the whole empire and get rid of the magicians.
Towards the end the book was great! Mara really surpasses her former schemes, somthing one couldn't think was possible. But in the final big climax, when everything is going to be resolved, the authors make a big mistake:
The book ends in a Molière fashion!
In a Molière ending some unknown power gets in and solves everything (like the king in Tartuffe). I don't think this is acceptable! The plot could easily have been written to circumvent this.
I could have considered five points if the Molière ending had been omitted, because the last part of this book is otherwise extremely good! Total score for the whole series: 4
Rating:
Summary: How do you say "Mission Impossible" in Kelwanese?
Review: Daughter of the Empire and Servant of the Empire prove to us that Mara is anything but spineless. In this volume, we find that her spine must be made of toughest titanium. For the "Good fo the Empire", she attempts the impossible and turns her convoluted culture on its proverbial ear to bring about much needed change. While Arakasi attempts to destroy the deadly Tong, Mara risks total annihialation uncovering the deepest, darkest secrets of the Black Robes. An action packed, crowning climax to one of the finest trilogies of our time.
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