Jimmy the Hand: Legends of the Riftwar, Book III [Paperback]

Raymond E. Feist (Author), S.M. Stirling (Author)

Book Description

Series: Legends of the Riftwar | Publication Date: July 29, 2008

Jimmy the Hand, boy thief of Krondor, lived in the shadows of the city. The sewers were his byways and a flea-ridden, rat-infested cellar his home. Although gifted beyond his peers, he was still but a nimble street urchin, a pickpocket with potential. Until the day he met Prince Arutha.

Aiding the Prince in his rescue of Princess Anita from imprisonment by Duke Guy du Bas-Tyra, Jimmy runs afoul of Black Guy's secret police. Given the choice of disappearing on his own or in a weighted barrel at the bottom of Krondor's harbor, Jimmy flees the only home he's ever known, venturing south to the relatively safe haven of Land's End. Suspecting that the rural villagers have never encountered a lad with his talent and nose for finding wealth—other people's wealth—he's fairly optimistic about his broadening horizons. But Jimmy is completely unprepared for what greets him.

For Land's End is home to others who tread the crooked path, and more, to a much darker secret: a dangerous presence unknown even to the local thieves and smugglers. And Jimmy's youthful bravado and courage will plunge him deep into the maw of chaos and even—if he isn't careful—death.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Feist and Stirling bring humor and pathos to 13-year-old Jimmy the Hand's third escapade (after 2002's Murder in La Mut). Krondor's ever-resourceful boy thief, not content with helping Princess Anita and Prince Arutha make a seaward escape from the city's viceroy, rescues Hotfingers Flora and some unlucky fellow thieves from prison. Jimmy goes into exile with grateful Flora, hoping to find her Land's End relatives, and soon winds up aiding another damsel in distress: fellow teenager Lorrie Merford, searching for her younger brother, who was kidnapped by her parents' killers. This simple, charming fairy tale will appeal to adult fans of the Riftwar books as well as mature teens who don't mind a bit of romance in their sword-and-sorcery.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

Honoured Enemy, the first in this collaborative series, has sold 50,000 copies in hardback. In conjunction with the chronicler of alternative US history, Steve Stirling, Raymond Feist returns to tell the full tale of one of his fans' favourite Riftwar characters, pickpocket and confidence trickster Jimmy the Hand. Jimmy, boy thief of Krondor, lives in the shadows of the city. Gifted beyond his peers, he is a pickpocket with potential. Aiding the Prince Arutha in his rescue of Princess Anita, Jimmy runs afoul of Black Guy's secret police. He flees to Sarth, home to others who tread a dangerous path, and more, to a dangerous presence unknown even to the local thieves and smugglers. The final volume in the Tales of the Riftwar sequence maintains the energetic invention of its predecessors. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Harper Voyager (July 29, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060792949
• ISBN-13: 978-0060792947
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #745,694 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

59 of 61 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Honour Among Thieves, August 6, 2005

By 

Matt Graubner "blackwolff" (Kentucky, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Jimmy the Hand (Legends of the Riftwar 3) (Paperback)

First of all completely ignore what is written on the back of the book--I've seen publishers get information wrong before, but never this spectacularly. It explains that after running afoul of Guy du Bas-Tyra's secret police Jimmy the Hand flees north to Sarth where he tries to set himself up in "business" but finds "a dark secret." Actually Jimmy goes south to Land's End--Sarth is never mentioned.

I have enjoyed each of the collaborations of the Legends of the Riftwar series, and Jimmy the Hand was no exception. I'm sure Jimmy is a favourite of many readers of the Riftwar Saga, and I'm no exception. There is just something about the young thief that is endearing. However nice it was to see him in Prince of the Blood and the Serpentwar Saga it wasn't quite the same. Here Steve Stirling and Raymond Feist have managed to capture the youthful Jimmy and detail one of his adventures.

The story opens right as Arutha and Anita are escaping from Krondor with the aid of the Mockers. For several subsequent chapters we see the aftermath of the Crydee Prince's exploits through the city and Jimmy, of course, takes center stage. After matters get a bit too hot Jimmy and Flora, a fellow Mocker, make their way to Land's End. She is searching for her grandfather and a respectable life, while Jimmy just needs to get out of town.

The tale is well told and an engaging look at Jimmy. It does though switch perspective several times to Larrie (a young farming girl from near Land's End), the Baron of Land's End himself, and a couple others. These changes are disconcerting at first, but become understandable after a couple pages. Jimmy shows some flashes of nobility, perhaps inspired by Anita, but is still a pragmatic thief at heart, even when confronting dark magic. I was surprised at the level of magic in the book, but as it is something supposed to be used in Midkemia it was nice to see more than in Feist's other books where we generally just see Pug and others associated with him employ spells.

This really is what I've enjoyed most about the Legends series--we get the chance to see a coherent view of Midkemia (aided by Feist's collaboration) that is nonetheless different from his usual tack. If you've enjoyed Feist's works then you should definately check out this trilogy, and you can't miss this chance to learn more about Jimmy the Hand!

10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars It's good, not great, August 19, 2005

By 

Ron (Jersey) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Jimmy the Hand (Legends of the Riftwar 3) (Paperback)

I enjoy the world of Midkemia and everything that Mr. Feist has written. I enjoyed the other 2 novels in this series more than this one. I can tell you this, I have read novels by all three of the collaborating authors, and each novel is written in their own distinct style. I don't know if Mr. Feist gives a general outline to them, and possibly does some revisions, but this reads like a Stirling novel to me. That is all well and fine, but it didn't have the spark of Mr. Feist's usually work. All in all, it was enjoyable enough to read, and it does give you an even greater depth to the character, and the wonderful world of Midkemia.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Feist and Stirling Fan..., August 15, 2009

By 

SteveRRRR (Castle Rock, CO) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jimmy the Hand (Legends of the Riftwar) (Kindle Edition)

But really nothing new or exciting here. I finished it, but I kept wanting to give it up. Sorry guys. Not sure what happened but it just wasn't there this time.