Servant of the Empire [Paperback]

Raymond E. Feist (Author), Janny Wurts (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 640 pages
• Publisher: Grafton (December 6, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0246133589
• ISBN-13: 978-0246133588
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A true reading treat, February 8, 2004

By 

T. M. Wheaton "tmwheato" (Syracuse, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Servant of the Empire (Mass Market Paperback)

In "Daughter of the Empire" the first book of the series, Mara of the Acoma defeated her most immediate and dangerous enemy and saved her family name from obliteration. However, the defeat of Jingu of the Minwanabi doesn't end Mara's problems. Jingu's son Desio and his nephew Tasaio have merely taken up the family cause. And Tasaio was the cunning architect of the plans that killed Mara's father and brother. A long range thinker and a proponent of the idea of a well laid plan, Tasaio is a formidable enemy.

In the meantime, Mara buys Kevin of Zun and takes him into her home as a slave. As prisoners of war from the land of Midkemia across the rift, Kevin and his "barbarian" countrymen make terrible slaves. They don't believe in the Kelewanese concept of caste or of their treatment of slaves. They are rebellious, prone to escape and refuse to bow down to their masters. Mara is fascinated by the handsome slave and his strange ideas of freedom. Soon Mara and Kevin become lovers and Mara begins to learn more about the way of life in Midkemia. Kevin quickly becomes a valuable part of Mara's household and in her fight against her enemies. Mara has always been an unpredictable thinker and incorporating Kevin's off-worlder ideas into the fabric of her moves in the Great Game of Council further confounds her enemies.

Once again Mara manages to outwit her enemies using unconventional thinking, a lot of luck, and an Emperor who doesn't plan to be just a figurehead any longer.

The second book of Wurts' and Feist's Empire series is equal parts political fantasy and romance novel. Mara is once again deeply involved in the maneuverings and manipulations that at once gain her stature among her peers and strengthen her House against those who would see her destroyed. The inclusion of Kevin gives Mara a true love interest (her abusive husband from the previous book doesn't qualify) and gives her an outsider's view of her culture's enigmatic and often destructive way of life. It also ushers in the change of Mara from uncanny survivor to social reformer.

I liked the first book in the series but I liked this one better. The characters deepen, we see more of the countryside and meet more of the Tsurani people including the Emperor and the mysterious Black Robes. The introduction of the outlander Kevin to the story helps to drive the plot and also serves as a logical place for exposition. Kevin can stand in for the reader and ask the questions "Why" and make the wry observations that about the Tsurani way of life. He serves brilliantly as the Outsider-who shakes-up-the-establishment and is the focal point of the members of Mara's household beginning to question their culture's stance on many issues including honor, death and slavery.

Great book. I Highly recommend.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sumptouos Storytelling In An Exotic World, July 21, 2000

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Servant of the Empire (Mass Market Paperback)

This is a wonderful book! Full of political intrigue, love, greed, and just about everything to make this a rewarding read of fantasy and sci-fi! Lady Mara of the Acoma is the brilliant Ruling Lady who happens to thwart and conquer just about anyone who tries to mess with her. Introducing Kevin, her barbarian lover, and the old cast, including Nacoya, Keyoke, and her son and Spy Master. It is a must-read! She might seem harsh at times, and she gets all goody at the end, but all in all it is a wonderful wonderful book! --Phoenix King

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Politics on a knife-edge!, June 4, 2007

By 

Luke Waygood (Jamestown, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Servant of the Empire (Paperback)

This is the second installment to the Empire series - a trilogy, of which Daughter Of The Empire was first. I highly recommend reading the first book, as it will make this second book easier to follow.

We follow the adventures of Mara, Ruling Lady of House Acoma, in the Tsurani Empire situated on the world of Kelewan. This fictional society was first introduced to us during the Riftwar Saga, written solely by Raymond E. Feist. It is a complex society which heavily relies on a code of honour and caste system, and has a distinctly Asian feel to it. Further, political action is invariably translated directly into loss or gain, life or death, for the parties involved. The goals aren't necessarily material, but in the garnering of honour, firstly for your House (or family), Clan or political party.

In the first book, Mara neutralized a powerful foe - House Anasati - by marrying one of their sons, whilst also defeating the Ruling Lord of the powerful House Minwanabi. After defeat, the Lord took his life to expiate the shame, and his son, Desio, assumed the mantle of Lord. This second book revolves around the plotting and scheming of Desio, and his brilliant (in all things military) cousin Taseo. Lady Mara also finds herself falling in love with a "barbarian" slave from the Kingdom Of The Isles - the nation which the Tsurani are invading by way of a magical gate called a Rift. To further complicate matters, the book also takes place around the time of the "barbarian" magician's outburst at the Imperial Games, which has shattering repercussions for the entire fabric of Tsurani society and political system. The book brings us right to the edge of a civil war, with Lady Mara striving to both defeat her enemy and helping to defuse of the volatile situation which threatens to plunge this mighty empire into bloody civil war.

Again, Feist and Wurts do an outstanding job. Feist created the world, and his strength lies in characterization, while Wurts excels at plot development, helping to lead the reader into dizzying webs of intrigue. Believe me, politics has never looked this good!

I highly recommend this book.