Daughter of the Empire

Rating:
Summary: As good as it can get.
Review: Daughter of the Empire is the first book of a fantasy trilogy that I count among the best I've ever read. Janny Wurts leads us to the world of Kelewan, which R.E. Feist had introduced in his much-lauded Riftwar saga as the counter world to Midkemia beyond the Rift. Wurts spins a mesmerising tale around young lady Mara of the Acoma who must stand up to the unwanted and unexpected task of preserving her noble house and her ancient bloodline against foes who are seeking nothing but obliteration of Mara's family. We accompany Mara as she struggles through her first steps to learn the Game of Council, how the political strife for domination among the houses on Kelewan is called. We suffer with her when political reasoning forces her to marry the unbridled and brutal son of one of her enemies and when she fights and plots to regain her hold over the Acoma. And we cheer for her when she repeatedly beats all odds against her - sometimes in the most unusual and unexpected manner.

But Janny Wurts novel isn't only a captivating tale of rise-to-power. It's also a masterful description of a fantasy society with an intruiging concept of rules and traditions, inhabited by fierce warriors and strange alien creatures amidst a setting with unique flora and fauna. Janny Wurts exploits all openings given to her by Feist to present new and fascinating aspects of the world of Kelewan which was just briefly outlined by Feist in his Riftwar saga.
Still this isn't everything to praise about this great series. To compliment a wonderfully woven story with unexpected twists and turns in every new chapter Janny Wurts uses her adept grasp of language to let the emotions and motivations of both main and side characters become as vivid as the events unfolding around them. Janny Wurts masterfully manages to involve the reader with the tale and her characters - something I've always appraised in all of her works since I had read Daughter of the Empire for the first time.

When comparing Wurts' Empire trilogy with other contemporary fantasy series Martin's Song of Ice and Fire immediately cross my mind. Both are similarly complex, breathtaking and fast-paced. But where Martin is mainly focussing on the overall grandness of his epic work, Wurts keeps her plot quite manageable. And while Martin features a whole cast of main protagonists, Janny Wurts builds her story mainly around Mara, who is the dominant bearer of the readers affections - something that makes it easier to stay focussed in comparison to the multitude of viewpoints featured by Martin. I wouldn't judge any of these two great fantasy series better than the other. I love both of them and I think, that Janny Wurts has started a great fantasy trilogy with this book that can easily stand up to the top series of this genre.

Rating:
Summary: Honor, politics and intrigue with a smart, powerful woman...
Review: This trilogy explores the world beyond the rift with it's vastly different culture and belief system. It is definitely influenced by all the major Asian cultures which Feist had already established in his Riftwar Saga. It is amazingly told by Wurts and I got the sense that Feist's role was to fill in the gaps and check continuity since the style of writing is completely different.

One servant girl ends up overcoming incredible odds, countless spies and intrigue to kill an army of men. She ends up becoming the most powerful woman in Kelewan history ... but not without sacrifices and compromises. This trilogy shares some similarites to the Riftwar Saga (servant to most powerful being for example) but there are so many other things that set it apart too. I really identified with the main character Mara, but the spy master definitely stood out above the rest.

Make sure you read the other books in the series if you like this one: Servant of the Empire (book #2) and Mistress of the Empire (book #3).

Does the world of Kelewan enthrall you? Then pick up the the Riftwar Saga (starting with Magician: Apprentice) which shows you how it all began.

Rating:
Summary: Very good
Review: The most boring book in an excellent trilogy! Highly recommend the trilogy!

Rating:
Summary: Excellent addition to the Riftwar novels.
Review: I wasn't very interested in this series when it was first published. For some reason I thought that a story about the Empire wouldn't be as good as the original Magician series. I was wrong! The Riftwar Saga is still my favorite, however "Daughter of the Empire" has given me high hopes for this trilogy.

There is not a whole lot of action in this book, but it still kept me on the edge of my seat. I was up late several nights because I just couldn't wait to see how Mara would escape another twist in the Game of the Council. From inexperienced seventeen-year-old girl to skilled weaver of intrigue, this was a great read.

I highly recommend this book to people who enjoy Fantasy or anyone who just enjoys an entertaining story.

Rating:
Summary: A great look at Feist's world of Kelewan.
Review: I am a great fan of Raymond E. Feist, and have read all of his books numerous times. In fact, most of the books are so worn out that the pages are falling out. The Empire trilogy is almost as good or better than the Riftwar Saga. It explores the strange culture of Kelewan touched on in Magician:Master and a little in Silverthorn.

Lady Mara is an intriguing character, and is extremely loveable. She is one of the greatest fantasy characters I have ever encountered. Despite the length of the books in this series, it is impossible to put them down. The intrigue and trials in the "Great Game" are unmatched in any other book that I have read. If you are a fan of Eddings, Jordan, McCaffery, or any other fantasy author, READ THIS SERIES, you won't be disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: Powerful and engaging
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: Good storytelling with a heroine to root for.
Review: Just a few short gongs away from being pronounced a priestess of the Goddess Lashima, Mara of the Acoma is whisked away from the sanctuary of the Goddess to take over as Ruling Lady of her House. Her father and brother, through the devious machinations of a lifelong enemy have perished in the Riftwar. Now it is up to Mara, a young, naïve girl to see to it that her family name isn't obliterated.

In the land of Tsurani, the ruling houses play a deadly form of political one-upmanship known as The Great Game. Murder is only frowned upon if you do it in poor form. And Mara's death is being meticulously planned by the same wily person who planned her father's death. But Mara, young though she is, won't go without a fight. Desperate times call for desperate measures and Mara flouts long held traditions in order to bring her family name back to strength. Mara quickly learns how to play the Game and to manipulate events to her favor. She gains a provident alliance with an alien race, she chances upon a very clever spy, and she brokers herself into an advantageous marriage. And while Mara only does what she needs to in order to survive, others see her as ambitious and dangerous, creating more enemies than she started with.

The Good:
I love political intrigue books especially set in fantasy, alien worlds. Tsurani has a very oriental flavor which is a real nice departure from the more common western-European/medieval flavor most fantasy novels have. The authors do a fantastic job of painting a picture of a very mannered culture steeped in very rigid ideals of honor, caste and duty.

Mara is an engaging heroine. You get her inner dialogue full of doubt, fear, desperation and you get her outer visage that is remote, serene and above all, correct. She is the ultimate out-of-the box thinker and in the context of the story it works. Desperation often makes people do unconventional things. It is also nice that while the authors make her a generally sympathetic character she can also be as manipulative and ambitious as her detractors think she is.

Great set up for the next book in the series.

The Not So Good.
Things happen too neatly for Mara. She is extremely lucky and I think this is a flaw in the storytelling. Yes, it is great to see Mara triumph and outwit her enemies, but I wish the road to her triumph was a bit sloppier, not so precise. People don't act like you want them to all the time. They are unpredictable and surprising. But they fall into her traps easily enough. Also she hits the right mark too often. Yes, she listened to her father practice state craft as a child but sometimes her actions bespeak a sophistication that should be beyond her.

But these are small quibbles. Overall this was a fun and fast read and leaves you anticipating the follow up.

I highly recommend.

Rating:
Summary: Haiku Review
Review: Intrigue and honor
Fill the world of Kelewan.
Not enough magic.

Rating:
Summary: Fun and More Fun
Review: I read this series several years ago, when I was in high school. OK, I lied, I am 30 now, so it was more than several...

Anyhow, I absolutely loved the books. My only caveat- read them only AFTER you have read the Feist Riftwar saga, at least in part. There is much in this series that is explained in the Riftwar series that might be confusing otherwise.
Other than that, I have to say I think this series was actually a better read than Feist's solo shot.

The mix of fantasy with Eastern culture is fascinating, and the world-building was superbly done.

All in all, a great read.

Rating:
Summary: politically-charged fantasy at its best
Review: This is the first novel in a one of the best politically-driven fantasies I have ever read. Unique in that the world's culture is Eastern as opposed to European, the characters are well-developed and the plot fast-paced. I highly recommend this book and its sequels.