Customer Reviews

Krondor the Betrayal: Book One Of The Riftwar Legacy

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(23)
2 star:		(26)
1 star:		(31)

 

 

The problem with this book is that it reads like a computer game. It lacks depth of character and atmosphere; the conversation is stilted, the achievements superhuman. The plot is formulaic, and obviously leads from fact finding to consequential action. If you played the game (which I haven't) you probably get to "practice" killing the bad guys - if you fail, you can always start again from where you last saved. The game, no doubt, has some level of challenge to it. The book doesn't.

I can see what Feist was trying to do here - continue a line of books with what must be one of my favourite characters, Jimmy the Hand. Put James in a tight spot and he'll invariably get out. Tragically, the squire totally lacks any hint of personality in this book and the two sequels. Mr Feist, as a WRITER, could have used a little more imagination to pull the reader into a fantastic story. Instead he follows the rather basic plot line of a simple computer game.

Sadly, this sub-series does not improve with time. It gets worse. I'm currently reading book three: Krondor, Tear of the Gods. It's so bad, I'm considering not finishing it at all (which would be the first for a Feist book for me ... I love the guy).

The first book and even the second at least deal with elements roughly defined within Feist's series on Midkemia: the Oracle, the stone at Sethanon, dark elves, etc. The third borders on the ludricous - vampires in Midkemia? ... honestly!... Obviously, the game developers took over and Mr. Feist took a back seat in his own world.

I'm actually quite outraged that this series was published at all. They should have left it as a game and not bothered with this half-hearted attempt at a book. I've never quite felt so cheated of my money before --- and that is probably Mr Feist's greatest accomplishment in this trilogy.

Krondor the Betrayal is another step into the Mystical world of Raymond E. Feist and his supporters. I have heard it said that the book is not good because it was based on a game. I never played the game, so the book seemed absolutely fine to me. This book is primarily about a Moredhel Chieftan, that sees things from a different point of view, and even sides with King Dolgan, the legendary dwarf. He comes bearing a warning to the Kingdom that another Moredhel has promised the clans that Murmandamus is still alive in a cave underneath Sethanon. He also speaks of a mighty dragon that surives there gaurding him. The legendary PUG comes into play when his daughter is kidnapped. He also learns of some Tsurani hands in play with the Moredhel rallying to come against the kingdom. The other intersting part of thhis book, is that at the same time Jimmy the Hand, now James the Princes squire, takes a part in defeating Nighthawks, and discovering a new gang headed by someone named the Crawler. He also discovers someone who looks almost identical to himself, and plays an intriguing part in this book, and ones to follow. People that would enjoy this book the most would have to be the die hard Magicain fans, but one thing to keep in mind is that this book does not take place after the Serpant War, instead it is somewhere in between the end of the Riftwar and before Eric and Roo come around.

I would definitely recomend this book, but keep in mind thier may be a few slow parts. But, the overall book is good!

What is up with these people? I come here, and see a bunch of bad reviews for Krondor, the Betrayal. Seriously, I think some of these guys are underrating it. Sure, it has problems, but its not THAT bad.

Ok, first, the plot is very good and often well-written, considering its a game-based novel. Try playing a Final Fantasy game (or any console RPG, for that matter) for an example of BAD writing (Mostly a bunch of coincidences with the "plot" being made up of goose chases, unrelated events, development of irrevelent chaarcters, and events happening by chance with no thread of credibility). KtB (or BoK if you played the game) has some of that, but definately not on the same level. Yes, there are irrelevent chaarcters and pointless quests, but those are few and far between (theres only about three of them, never lasting more than three chapters).

I also disagree with these "Two-Dimensional characters" comments. Indeed I found them to be VERY developed, as far as video game plots go.

Not to say its perfect. No, some leftovers from the game are here. You can easily recognize the in-game fights, including the final boos fights. Fortunately they're all abreviated down to realistic levels as opposed to what could have happened ("Gorath hit the assasin#1, but did no damage").

Another good thing is that at times the book qwas funny as hell. Who can forget James sitting in front of an enemy rift while Patrus is trying to destroy it, and saying to every troop that comes out "Go help your leader"?

BTW, IT DOES work as a Stand-alone. I read it before I ever heard of the Riftwar or Serpentwar Sagas.

When i reached the 2nd chapter of this book i had the feeling that something wasn't quite right... I have read and re-read the entire collection of Feists Midkemia/Tsuranuanni novels and have come to love them and enjoy every aspect and subtleties that make them what they are, amazing peices of work and a joy to read.

It has been with some dissapointment and even sadness that i feel i must place this book at the back of my shelf and wish that i had not read it.

I question why this book was not thoroughly checked over and given some more work to make it just that little bit better. The storyline is okay, but it falls to pieces with poor character development, and a lack of writing skill, which i find is out of the ordinary considering Fiests wonderful previous works.

One thing i have learnt from this book, is that novels should be written before movies or games, i have found that most books based on movies or games don't have the same style, motivation or drive which gives a novel it's substance.

I hope that the next in this series resolves some of my grief. :)

To this day I still consider "Betrayal at Krondor" the best computer game I have ever played. It has spoiled me for any other game as nothing else I have ever tried has even come close to matching up. So I was quite excited when I heard that REF was going to write a novelization of it. Not excited enough to buy it in hardback. I don't think REF is a good enough writer to justify that, but I was willing to wait for the paperback was excited when I finally found it out in paperback this past Saturday and picked up a copy.

My review is somewhat mixed I guess. Because I loved the game I found the book a great read, because it brought back the memories of the game and how much I had enjoyed it. I liked getting a little more details about Gorath who was my favorite character.

However as stand-alone literature I didn't thing it was all that exciting, and if I had never played the game would probably not have given it more than 2-3 stars. The 4th star is for bringing back a lot of great memories.

It makes me want to find a copy of the game and play it all over again so I can also do all the fun side-quests that got sacrified for the book.

The only thing I can think is that Feist felt compelled to write a book he really wasn't interested in writing. Either that, or he put so much effort into the story for the game that, years later, when he sat down to write out the story in book form he was bored with it. He must have been contractually obligated to write this book because he seemed in such a hurry to finish it. The whole book feels like it was rushed to print.

Scenes are absolutely jarring in their brevity, compared to his other works. He never pauses to set the mood of a scene, only gives a cursory description of who's where and what they're wearing then jumps right into dialogue that comes out of nowhere. Often, the plot is advanced by "chance" meetings of characters who barely know each other but launch into discussions of plot points and character motivation they should have no reason to know. Then they part to complete tasks set in place by the game and seem to be going through the motions to complete them. There is no sense of mystery, or wonder. The only saving grace is the usual wry humor that Fesit always throws in his works.

Even the "enemy" is a re-tread of his earlier works as if he was too lazy to come up with a new idea.

Overall, a major disaappointment from a writer who knows better and is capable of so much more.

For new readers of Feist, start with Riftwar and Serpentwar sagas. They much more superior. For old Feist readers, this is a quick read when you've got nothing else on your bedstand, but borrow it from someone else, it's not worth paying for.

Actually I find Betrayal quite good. If you remembered the Moredhel cheaftain back in A Darkness in Sethanon, this one continues it. I like this book, it does give us some info on the Moredhel that was never seen in other books. I think the characters were pretty well made in this book. Plot is good but it differs from the game. The bad part is the fact that we don't get to see much of Arutha (one of my favorite characters) and his writing style changed a bit too much. I do miss the old writing style he used. Good for diehards, but this is not for newbies.

This book, as you probably already know, is based on the game Betrayal at Krondor. Wonderful game, filled with rich story plots and subplots, and most important, memorable characters.

Feist revisits this story in book form here. Unfortunately, the book reads more like a video game rather than a novel. If you're fans of the entire Riftwar Saga, then get this book to add to the collection (it's really a wonderful series). However, if you are unfamiliar with the series, this is not the book to get right away (instead, start with Magician: Apprentice and go from there). Krondor the Betrayal, and I'm sure this is the popular view, is really not a well written book, but it is an interesting story.

And, for those of you who do not know Ray Feist's work, this is very atypical. He really is a wonderful writer in the rest of the series. This volume is just an anomaly.

Though not as masterful as his original Riftwar Saga, or even the Serpentwar Saga that followed, this tale of the events that took place ten years beyond the Riftwar is a good read for a Feist fan.

Those who are not Riftwar afficionados, but are looking for a good fantasy read would be best suited to begin with the Riftwar Saga itself or at least one of the other side sagas, as this book is definitely NOT a standalone.

Since I love Raymond Feist's work and have played Betrayal at Krondor upwards of 9-10 times, I may have expected too much from this book. While it was enjoyable, and I found it entertaining to "read" a game that I had "played," as a Raymond Feist book it is a disappointment.

Although I went on to read the second book in the series, hoping things would improve, my initial impression did not change. Raymond Feist's writing added much to the game, but the game did not add much to his writing.