Mistress of the Empire

Rating:
Summary: excellent but for the ending...
Review: I thought this was a beautifully written book. The fate of the cho-ja magicians vs the cho-ja hives and the development of Arakasi's character alone make this book worth the read. Brilliant until the end, when Kevin's re-entry seems a little facile and the happy-joy hugging at the end is a little puerile... the end with Hokanu is truly heartbreaking though. All in all, a must-read.

Rating:
Summary: Triumphant Climax to the Empire Trilogy
Review: Lady Mara faces her greatest challenge in this final book of the epic Empire Trilogy. Now the most powerful female in the Empire, Mara must come to terms with her very public life and face the inevitable results of her past triumphs.

You also get a better understanding into previously mentioned factors in the first two books (Daughter of the Empire & Servant of the Empire) and Riftwar. You get a deeper look into the religions of the Tsurani and their roles in the framework of the Empire. In addition, the Assembly is also greatly involved, though perhaps not so much as "Magician" (by Raymond E. Feist), it certainly plays greater roles in the shaping of this novel. Mara also travels to distant lands, answering questions that are left unanswered in the Riftwar Saga and the first two Empire books.

What I most admired in this particular book was the overcoming of grave difficulties in the face of constant danger. Cunningly written and detailed, Feist weaves his cleverly written plotlines into the stunning fabric of Wurts. You feel as if you are a part of the book and really know the characters.

And though many writers make their main characters seem virtually invulnerable, you really see the human side of each main character (good and bad) and come to value the emerging flaws and weaknesses. As a result, you get a three-dimensional view of all main characters which helps to sum up and close the series.

Rating:
Summary: The end of an outstanding Trilogy
Review: Mistress of the Empire, full of mysticism, action, adventure and a touch of romance. A fantasy work, well written and perfectly descriptive. The Choja city made me very envious. However, having said this and read Daughter and Servant of the Empire, I felt this should have been a book unto itself. The fact that this was the final in the Empire trilogy, left me somewhat disappointed. Though the story was good, it did not have the impact and energy of the first two, having not ended the series with the vivacity it deserved.
Overall, Raymond Feist and Janny Wurts have created together an outstanding series that is well worth the read and I highly recommend these for your bookshelf.


Rating:
Summary: The Stunning Conclustion to a GREAT Trilogy!!!
Review: Please read this book/trilogy in order, it give you so much more that way! I must say I greatly enjoyed this book/trilogy! The authors have done it again. This is not one of those trilogys that ends with a flopp at the very end! No, Sir!!

Mara of the Acoma is about to take her greatest gamble with the death of the old Emperor. To place her own son upon the throne will not only secure her family from all foes, but will enable her to make changes to the way the Empire does business. Yet, in this, the goal that has been forever in her mind as ruling Lady of the Acoma will come the greatest risk.

But she has allies in unexpected places, for if Mara wins she will shatter old treaties that have bound the alien Cho-ja against much that is their right. Foes of old will block her way, and new foes with power beyond measure will be threatened by what Mara intends to do. Yet there is hope for Mara, for Heaven itself may infact be on her side.

This is book/trilogy is a must have for any serious Fantasy/Sci-fi collection!! Raymond E. Feist and Janny Wurts have outdone themselves with this trilogy! Its definately worth the reading time!!

Rating:
Summary: Quite good, but had some familiar rings
Review: Quite good, and the authors' imagination for circumstances is amazing. Alas, some conversations and scenes had too much of a familiar rings from earlier Feist books. For example, a conversation between Mara and a priest of Turakamu sounds too much like a conversation between Arutha and a priest of the Midkemian Death Goddess. Then again, situations like the scenes inside the Hamoi Tong lair are too good to pass. But if you've recently read the first two books, I would suggest that you give yourself a break before going on to this one.

Rating:
Summary: Haiku Review
Review: Same story again.
Dropped it after ten chapters.
It needs more Kevin.

Rating:
Summary: Simply the best!
Review: Simply the best novel I have ever had the pleasure to re-read, Mistress of the Empire is the culmination of the most dramatic, intelligent, mind-shattering series of events based around the simple precept of a woman's love for her family... Amazing! --BilFish

Rating:
Summary: a mind gripper!
Review: The book was great and every time I'm looking at my bookshelf, I have to pull it off and read some excerpts from it. My favorite parts are when Pug comes to Mara and hints at some things in the future (the choja-magicians). I recommend it to everyone who's every read fantasy! It is best to read all his and her books about the series.

Rating:
Summary: Same Old, Same old...
Review: The same old formula with a different set of characters and the same bland and happy ending. If you have read one, you have read them all.

Rating:
Summary: Gripping read, but . . .
Review: This book brings to an end the saga of Mara of the Acoma, and her political rise through the Empire of Tsuranuanni. It begins with a tragedy that leads a grief-stricken Mara to realise that she has a new enemy, the awesomely powerful Assembly of Magicians. The story follows Mara through a new series of plots, near-death encounters, revelations, and personal struggles as she once more fights to protect her loved ones and family honour.
Mistress of the Empire is as well-written as its two prequels, and as the tension mounted towards the end, I couldn't put it down. Yet the book did leave a sour taste in the mouth, and that is because Mara ends up with everything. Yes, we know she's lost many people she loved. Yes, we know she's suffered greatly. But at the end of the book she has more power and wealth than ever, the literal protection of the gods, and the love of her life returned. Some balance on this score would have been preferable. In contrast to the other books, it didn't seem to me that Mara really learnt anything in this book, either - it's hard to believe that she's acting for anyone other than herself, no matter how moving her struggles can be. Her supposed concern for the underprivileged just doesn't seem to shine through in this book.
The Assembly of Magicians was an unsatisfactory enemy; its portrayal in other books seemed at variance with its portrayal here, and I did wonder how well the concept had been thought out. And it certainly gave up far too easily in the end. The priests, too, were problematic. They never seemed to care about the cruelty in the empire before, so why start now? There was too much plot contrivance of this sort, and it did undermine Mistress of the Empire. Other annoying contrivances that furthered specific plot ends were the poisoning, the divorce of Hokanu, and the death of Ayaki.
The book was also let down by its ending. The showdown before the emperor's throne was silly, with all its stops and starts, the constant raising of the stakes, and its contrived resolution. And as for the epilogue, that read like wish fulfilment on the part of the authors, rather than being consistent with what had gone before - sorry, I just don't believe that social change would have come that fast. Feist and Wurts have perhaps caught a disease that is unfortunately becoming more common amongst fantasy authors: total control of their imaginary world from creation to destruction, with nothing left unresolved and nothing left for anyone else to play with, even readers.
Yet it was nice to see in this book how much came about through the actions of characters other than Mara, particularly Arakasi and Lujan. The change in Arakasi (always my favourite character) was especially welcome and well done.
If you liked Daughter of the Empire and Servant of the Empire, you'll no doubt enjoy this, too. It's not as good as Servant of the Empire, but it's still a fun read. You might find it best not to think on it too deeply, though.