Customer Reviews

King of Foxes (Conclave of Shadows, Book 2)

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have been on record as wishing that fantasy authors would start writing some stand-alone titles (see Mystic Warrior for the latest). When I started book 1 of The Conclave of Shadows series by Raymond E. Feist (Talon of the Silver Hawk), I thought that I was embarking on yet another long, winding series of books. Imagine my surprise when I finished Feist's latest book, King of Foxes and realized something. It ended! I couldn't believe it. Ending after book 2 is almost unheard of nowadays. That was already one plus for the book. Now, the question was: was the book any good? Much like Talon of the Silver Hawk, the book was somewhat enjoyable if predictable, with a few other problems besides that manage to bring it down.

Talon, the last surviving member of the Orosini, has successfully taken the first step in avenging his people, having killed the man who was leading the attack on his home. He still has to kill the man who ordered the attack, however, Kaspar, the Duke of Olasko. Talon has been taken in and trained by the Conclave of Shadows, but thankfully their goals coincide. The Conclave wants to get information on the evil wizard, Leso Varen, who has been aiding (perhaps controlling) Kaspar. In order to do so, Talon must swear an oath to Kaspar in order to enter his employ. Talon, being the kind of man he is, cannot swear a false oath, but he agrees to do it knowing that Kaspar will eventually betray him and the oath will be void. Then Talon can kill him. In doing so, however, Talon has to do some things he's not especially proud of. Will he be able to stay the man he is without losing his humanity? Once the inevitable happens, Talon has to face his toughest challenge yet as he fights to bring the Duke and his wizard down.

King of Foxes continues the story of Talon, and thus Feist writes in the same way as he did in the first book. That should be a good thing, right? Actually, in this case it's not. Some of the bits that were delightfully eccentric in the first book (such as starting each chapter with one sentence along the lines of "Talon stared") become increasingly annoying in the second book, as Feist doesn't keep them consistent. These stylistic mannerisms end up drawing attention to themselves and start to grate.

Another thing that I didn't mention in my review of the first book, but perhaps should have, is the portrayal of women. It becomes prominent in my mind by being worse then the first book. There is not one sympathetic female character in King of Foxes. Every woman in the book lusts after Talon (and seems to be promiscuous even away from Talon) and he manages to bed every woman who is actually named in the book. Natalia, Kaspar's sister, comes closest to being fleshed out, but even she is just a tool in her brother's schemes. She reaches out to Talon as a bed-partner because she knows that she will eventually be married off as an alliance for somebody. She claims that the ability to love has been taken away from her, but if there were anybody who could fill that role, it would be Talon. Even the "good" women (that is, the female members of the Conclave) can't resist Talon's lure. I realize that, as part of his "cover" in society, Talon was trained to seduce women, but this was ridiculous.

There are other problems with the book as well. Some characters and events are prominent but then disappear without having any real effect. Alysandra, the woman who hardened his heart in the first book, appears very briefly and is quickly dealt with. A chapter ends with Talon thinking that this particular character is "a very dangerous man" but then we don't hear anything about him again. Also, once again Talon is almost perfect in his planning and abilities, except for one mistake he makes (trusting someone) that was so obvious that there's no way a man even half as competent as Talon has been shown to be would make that mistake.

So far, this has been nothing but complaints. However, I did ultimately enjoy the book once I was got past these issues. Talon has always been an interesting character, and he continues to be here. In fact, he becomes more interesting as he sinks deeper and deeper into his role and fights desperately to keep real the good part of him. He starts to have doubts about his revenge and whether it will be worth it. The ending, while anticlimactic and predictable, is fitting for the story that's been told, as Talon comes full circle. Feist definitely knows how to tell an exciting tale, and I read through the last 150 pages very quickly because I wanted to see how everything was resolved. There is one bit left unresolved, though it's not something a sequel would fix. There's one bit of closure that Feist just neglects, which is a shame.

While the book does end on a final note, there is the possibility of a sequel. Be assured, though, that this particular story, the story of Talon of the Silver Hawk, is over. Any further books will just be additions to his legend, or taking another of the characters and doing something with them. This 2-book series is self-contained. If I can't have just one book, I'm glad to have it limited to two. Kudos to Feist for that much.

David Roy

With the influence of G.R.R. Martin in the fantasy world, fantasy has taken a dramatic turn towards reality.

This is not the Feist work that started in The Magician. The magic is light, the fantasy elements are a background source of material if anything. In the end it's a more realistic look at the world of Midkemia.

The story continues from Talon of the Silver Hawk, with young Tal Hawkins continuing to avenge his destroyed people.

Through the course of the story, you know certain things are going to happen. You know Tal will win, you know someone will betray him, that he will lose it all and regain it all back. The book is extremely predictable, yet like Feist earlier work it's predictable in a way that makes you smile.

Unlike the overly realistic fantasy of Martin and Co. Feist takes great pleasure in creating his heroes and making them win.

I found myself flipping through the pages, not out of suspense, but out of wanting to see how Tal would get out of one situation or another. Becauase you know he will. He will win, or he will die heroically and in a manner befitting a protagonist.

This was really a pretty good novel by Mr. Feist. It has all the action one expects out of the characters born and bred in the author's world of Midkemia as well as court intrigue and some superficial emotional baggage. Talon of the Silver Hawk, aka Squire Talwin Hawkins, has quickly become a character that, while I do not love him, I am very fond of him.

King of Foxes is better, in my humble opinion, than it's predecessor Talon of the Silver Hawk, in that Tal's character does seem to grow a bit more. And, though he is still slightly too powerful, he does make mistakes and gets hurt. The only real problem I have with this book, in fact, is his reversal when he became hurt. I would have liked to have seen how he adapted. Otherwise, it was a great novel and I cannot wait for the third. Pick it up and read it. You'll love it.

.. and after Feist's last couple of books, that's a major step in the right direction. The Magician books are simply brilliant. I've read each of them dozens of times. And the Daughter of the Empire series are also delightful and are some of my favorites.

But this book simply isn't up to that standard. Still, it's far better than that gawd-awful recent couple of books with Bear that completely lacked a plot and simply stunk on every level.

Still, my fundamental complaint is this: in the first Magician book, Pug was a failure. Or at least he was for about 2/3 of the length through the book. He fought and struggled with his magical studies and struggled with Caroline and struggled with life in general. The same element permeates the Daughter series - sure Mara had certain advantages, but she worked for her sucesses and nothing came easy. She made her way in the world through sheer determination and smarts, with a little luck thrown in.

Here, Talon's path through life - tragic though its roots may have been - seems to have left him completely unscarred (both physically and mentally). His success never seems in doubt and he's everything from a great fighter to a gourmet chef to a wine buff -- not to mention his stunning levels of success with the ladies. And the deus machina healing towards the end of the book -- pathetic. In fact, the story would have worked better without it.

In sum - a decent bite at the apple, but still a disappointment to those of us who wonder where the person who wrote the first couple Midkemia books has wandered off to. Hopefully he'll find his way home soon.

I purchased this book April 1st. I waited and read the reviews of some of my favorite reviewers and then read the reviews of the "normal" people. I expected this book to be somewhere between okay and bad. I enjoy Raymond E. Feists' work. He creates a world that you can smell, feel and touch. His characters are works of art. I still say he is one of the best fantasy writers we readers have.

Talon is one of my favorite characters, but this new addition brought back Pug and Magnus as well. I think that if you enjoy Feist you will enjoy this book. He does repeat a couple of things and I wondered, "why on earth does he do that?" But other than that I think this is a wonderful book and it is a rich addition to his Riftwar and Krondor volumes.

King of Foxes is the sequel to Talon of the Silver Hawk, and though it works fairly well as a stand-alone novel, it presupposes at least some familiarity with Feist's earlier work. It is, however, noticeably different from most epic fantasies. For one thing, it's relatively short. For another, while it has the trappings of fantasy, the plot, pace and feel of the first two thirds of the book are reminiscent of a low-tech James Bond novel - and a pretty good one, too. The hero's best friend doesn't die in Chapter 7, but apart from that, the resemblance is remarkable. Squire Tal Hawkins, Talon of the Silver Hawk, has earned the title of World's Greatest Swordsman. He's even better with a bow and arrow, is a connoisseur of food and wines, and is charming, handsome, and very attractive to women. He may seem rather too good to be true, but this also makes him overconfident. He's not easily outclassed, but he's badly outnumbered and occasionally outmanoeuvred, which saves the book from being too predictable.

Feist is very good at leaving out the boring bits of a story, and if a year or two passes without much happening, he'll say so in a few lines. There's surprisingly little magic in the earlier part of the book - elves, dwarves and dragons are mentioned, but don't actually appear. Most of the action involves swords, seduction and subterfuge instead of sorcery. Spells are never used as a substitute for good plotting. The obligatory Dark Lord - Kaspar's court magician, the giggling dangerous totally bloody psychotic Leso Varen - also stays offstage for most of the book. The wizard Pug appears at about page 300, and then the real pyrotechnics begin.

King of Foxes is not "comparable to Tolkien at his best", to quote the usual review cliche, but it does have all the ingredients needed for an entertaining fantasy adventure.

I agree with one of the other reviews who stated that this book is young adult level. But that doesn't mean it isn't enjoyable.

This book, and the previous one in the series, have regained some of the page turning quality that Feist's early books had. I had a hard time working my way though several of his more recent books (read: Tear of the Gods and related novels).

Neither 'King of Foxes' nor 'Talon of the Silver Hawk' have this problem. All in all they are a decent read, but not really something a hardcore fantasy reader would like. If you like George R.R. Martin's works then this series is not for you. If you like lighter reading, like Modesitt, Goodkind, and Brooks, then you will probably find this a fun read:).

King of Foxes is the second novel in the Conclave of Shadows series, following Talon of the Silver Hawk. In the previous volume, Talon has gained his manhood name, but at the same time has lost everyone he loved to a band of raiding mercenaries. He later discovered that the raid was led by a man called Raven, who had been hired by Duke Kaspar of Olasko. Talon was rescued by agents of the Conclave of Shadows and he himself became an agent in order to gain vengeance for his lost tribe. The Conclave provided weapons training and he become an accomplished swordsman. They also provided him with a false identity as Squire Talwin Hawkins, a minor Kingdom noble, and covertly sponsored him in the Tournament of Masters at Roldem. Winning the tourney, Tal gained the title of the world's greatest swordsman.

After the tournament, he turned down an offer to join the court of Duke Kaspar, for he has the Duke's minions to destroy first. Instead, he started looking for Raven and found that the mercenary was planning another raid on the mountain tribes. Hiring another mercenary troop, Tall prepared a trap for Raven in one of the tribal villages. Although Raven escaped the ambush with several men, Tall followed behind and killed them all.

In this novel, Tal is now ready to attack the two remaining targets in his planned vengeance, Duke Kaspar and Quentin Havrevulen, commander of the Duke's army. Tal returns to Roldem after an absence of two years and resumes his social rounds. Not entirely by coincidence, the Duke is visiting his cousin, King Carol. Tal hopes to join the retinue of the Duke without appearing too obvious, so he again turns down the Duke's offer of a position. However, after spectacularly embarrassing Prince Matthew, a vainglorious bore, at sword practice, Tal allows Kaspar to save him from the fury of the prince and thus becomes a Captain in service to Kaspar.

The Duke has a beautiful sister, Lady Natalia, who takes an interest in Tal. Although not a participant in her brother's political affairs, Natalia is a political plum that the Duke is holding back for the best possible suitor. In the meanwhile, Natalia gets her pleasures wherever she can and Tal is one of her favorite pleasures.

The Duke also has a very powerfully necromancer, Leso Varen, as an advisor and, possibly, as a puppetmaster. According to those near him, the Duke has changed for the worse since Varen joined his court. Pug has had fought Varen before and knows that the magician will be very hard to overcome within the Duke's castle.

In this story, Tal has to survive his service to the Duke without breaking his oath until such time as the Duke betrays him. Moreover, he has to find a way past the strong defenses of the Duke's citadel. Furthermore, he has to find a way of breaking Varen's magical defenses.

Tal also has to watch out for his servant. The Conclave has reassigned the ever efficient Pasko and Tal has promoted Amafi, his bodyguard, to valet. Since Amafi has already had long experience as an assassin, Tal can certainly use his services, but betrayal is always a possibility.

Like most of his novels, the author has produced a detailed slice of the history of the Kingdom and its neighbors. The social interactions are fascinating, but the fights are fewer and further apart than in the first novel. The characters are interesting, but their motivations are only hinted by their actions; even Tal's thinking and emotions are revealed at a fairly superficial level.

There is quite a bit of discussion of food and wine in this segment. Such mentions are not totally irrelevant. Enjoy them for the insight they provide into Tal's character per se, but note that they will also convey one of the few real touches of humor in the story.

This novel ties up most loose ends for this segment. However, the story strongly hints that an evil power is still at work behind the scenes. Stay tuned for Exile's Return, the next installment in the Conclave of Shadows.

Highly recommended for Feist fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of court intrigue and daring bladework.

-Arthur W. Jordin

I hadn't read a Feist novel in quite some time. Frankly, given some of his more recent work I'd been told I hadn't missed much. I loved his first series Magician, et. al....Those were truly fun, enjoyable and well-plotted out novels. Anyway, my buddy at the local bookstar encouraged me to give this recent series a try. Boy am I glad I did. I'm enjoying this pulpy-type series very much and the middle towards the end of this novel was a true page-turner. I'm anxiously looking forward to Exile's Return.

Good work Ray!

"King of Foxes" continues the tale of Talon of the Silver Hawk in this sequel to the first volume, also called "Talon of the Silver Hawk." This second volume builds up the character of Tal and takes the reader through a lot of intrigue, swordplay, and a danger. Slower buildup pays off with a setup for a grand finale.

"Foxes" deepens the story by taking the revenge-hungry Tal and forcing him to examine the cost of his vengeance. Tal makes new alliances, new friendships, and new enemies, and we also get to acquaint ourselves with some familiar faces from the first novel. Like the first book, there are some similarities to "The Count of Monte Cristo", and here the struggles of one focused man are well done just as they were in Dumas' classic.

The novel ends with a few nice twists, mostly derived from Tal's own decisions that finally he must make, though something Tal says near the end to one enemy I disagreed with (page 358 in the paperback)! And, like a good sequel in a book sequence, makes me want to attack the next volume, "Exile's Return", right away.