Murder in Lamut (Legends of the Riftwar) [ハードカバー]

With "Magician" Raymond Feist introduced readers to the world of Midkemia and a young boy named Pug who, not by design, became the most powerful magic user on several worlds. Feist introduced the idea of rifts between the worlds and the dangers that was inherent in these rifts. He introduced, through the Riftwar trilogy, how the gods worked and who some other ancient, legendary beings were. "Exile's Return" is the third book of Raymond Feist's latest trilogy "The Conclave of Shadows". It is set some hundred years after the events of "Magician" and while there had been a drop in the quality in Feist's writing in recent years, this series and this volume in particular has been a return to form for Raymond Feist.

"Exile's Return" begins immediately after the conclusion of "King of Foxes" with the former Duke of Olasko spared his life, but exiled to some unknown land on Midkemia. Kaspar of Olasko was the primary villain of the previous two volumes: "Talon of the Silver Hawk" and "King of Foxes". This book marks the first time in Feist's work that a villain would end up as the protagonist of a novel. Kaspar, for those who may need a refresher, was the man who ordered the Orosoni tribe to be slaughtered (Tal Hawkins, the hero of the first two books was the surviving Orosoni), and attempting to instigate a war between the kingdoms of Roldem, Kesh, and the Kingdom of the Isles. In short, he was a bad man. But he was also a man who ended up being in the control of the evil magician Varen. Varen had been an adversary of Pug's for years.

With Kaspar exiled, his first need is to simply survive. He doesn't speak the language nor does he initially know where he is. He wishes to return to Olasko, reclaim his Duchy, and seek revenge against Tal Hawkins. But as the days and weeks and months pass he has time to realize how much of a dupe he was of Varen and how many of his actions were actually not his own idea, though he thought they were at the time. He is shamed, but wants to get home. Feist gives the reader a realistic transformation of Kaspar all the while building the threat that is facing Midkemia. In his attempt to return to his homeland, Kaspar discovers something which will threaten all life on Midkemia. This is nothing new for readers of the series, but Feist is able to spin a good enough story that the constant threat doesn't ring false. Feist also manages to raise the stakes enough that we can believe that the incredibly powerful Pug and his company of magicians are not able to simply wave their hands and make it go away. This is essential, for as long as Pug is alive it is difficult to believe that any threat has any chance of succeeding.

After a disappointing middling trilogy based on video games (the "Krondor" series), Feist has hit his stride with "The Conclave of Shadows" and is building a storyline which is actually going to move into this next trilogy "The Darkwar Saga". "Exile's Return" is a very good Midkemia (or Riftwar) novel, and should be thoroughly enjoyed by any fan of Raymond Feist's work. While I do recommend this book, I would also suggest that any new readers would at least start with "Talon of the Silver Hawk", if not "Magician: Apprentice" as an introduction to Feist's work. There is simply a lot of story and background to get through. But this book here features some of the better writing and characterization (of Kaspar anyway, the rest of the characters are given short shrift) that Feist has produced in recent memory. It is enough to please most readers of this style of fantasy. While "Exile's Return" works as a conclusion to a trilogy, it is also an introduction to a new story because it is very clear that this is only the beginning of something bigger. It only managed to whet my appetite and the wait for the next Riftwar novel will be tough.

-Joe Sherry

This book was definately of a very different flavour than the rest of Feist's novels, however I believe it definately worked. If you are looking for an epic volume in the grand scheme of the Riftwars then this book is not for you. However, if you have fallen in love with Midkemia and Kelewan and you want to explore nooks and crannies of these worlds then Murder in LaMut is excellent.

Rosenberg successfully exports Kethol, Piroji, and Durine from his Guardians of the Flame series and they are unlike any of Feist's normal characters. Most of the original Riftwar cast consists of nobles, Elves, and honourable folk. These three however, are only in it for the money. It is refreshing to realize that there are more than just despicable villians and honourable hereoes in Midkemia--we get a close view into the life of three commoners (albeit well traveled mercenary commoners ;-)).

Now that I think about it I believe I would have been disappointed if this novel had followed the usual Feist fantasy "formula" (not that his writing is truly formulaic) and been some sort of a grand quest. This novel was meant to be a divergent view into Midkemia and it succeeds admirably in my view. It isn't just the books that I enjoy, it is the worlds Feist has shown us and Murder in LaMut exposes an entirely new dimension of Midkemia.

One last point, the murder mystery proper doesn't show up until the end of the book--however I believe this is a mistake on the publisher's part when they wrote the description for the back of the book. Really this book is about Kethol, Pirojil, and Durine more than just the murder. Furthermore, the mystery may not be polished--but this isn't a world of precise police procedure, or modern investigative methods, and the three mercenaries aren't professional detectives. :-)

I would also reccomend The Empire Trilogy written with Janny Wurts for a similarly expansive and different view of Feist's world.

Exile's Return (2005) is the third novel in the Conclave of Shadows series, following King of Foxes. In the previous volume, Tal Hawkins and others escaped from the Fortress of Despair. They crossed the strait to the mainland and traveled overland to Karesh'kaar. Once there, Tal contacted the Conclave and started recruiting a mercenary army.

Tal and Pug convinced the Kingdom of the Isles, Kesh, and Roldem to support an assault on the Citadel of Opardum. While these forces were diverting the Olaskan guards, Tal led his mercenary army through a hidden way into the Citadel and attacked from the rear. He and his troops forced their way into Leso Varen's quarters, killed the magician and broke the wards keeping out the Conclave. Then his troops attacked the throne room and captured Duke Kaspar of Olasko. Since Leso Varen had used magic to wield the duke as his tool, Pug convinced Tal to exile Kaspar rather than execute him.

In this novel, Magnus transports the former duke to the continent of Novindus and releases him there. Soon afterward, Kaspar is confronted by six heavily-armed Bentu horsemen and fights back, taking down five of them; he is stymied, however, by the bow and arrows of the sixth. Knocked unconscious, he is carried back to the nomad camp.

After regaining consciousness, Kaspar finds that his hands are bound behind him and these rawhide bindings are connected to a tent peg at the back of the tent. If he pulls up the peg, the tent will collapse and the nomads will know that he is trying to free himself.

Pretending to still be unconscious, Kaspar listens to the conversations held at the front of the tent, decides that the language is somewhat like Quegan, and begins to recognize a few words. After dark, he works his hands to the front and chews on the lashings until they fall apart. Stealing some food and water, he escapes from the camp and climbs up the nearby ridge.

The nomads break camp and move on without searching for him, probably because of a little message he left in the chief's tent. He travels along the old road on the ridge in the same direction as the nomads. After several days without water, he is very dehydrated. He moves down to the valley floor, looking for signs of water. Finally he finds a damp spot with grass growing around it. Digging down into the soil, he finds water beneath the surface and drinks his fill.

Afterward, Kaspar traps ground birds for meat. Seeing a boy wandering the hills, he tracks him to a small farm tucked away far from the road. Although he severely frightens the boy and his mother, Kaspar uses his small knowledge of Quegan to reassure them and soon starts performing chores that the woman and boy cannot manage. He learns that the woman's husband and their only horse have disappeared on a trip to town.

After a few months, Kaspar declares that he must leave and takes the woman, boy and two steers into town to acquire horses. Since suitable horses are unavailable, they settle on a mule to work on the farm, but Kaspar has to go down the river on foot. He works as a caravan guard for a while, but in Simarah he meets three traders from the Kingdom of the Isles and is forced by a geas to accompany them with a strange armored relic from a recently exposed cache.

The relic leads Kaspar on a weird journey, first to find a priest, then to the home of the gods, and eventually to the Conclave of Shadows. On the way he once again confronts Tal and survives the meeting. He also visits his sister and is pleased with her situation.

This novel describes the mental processes of the former duke as he remembers his past actions. As he grows to better know Jojanna and Jorgen, the farm wife and her son, Kaspar begins to see how his own behavior would have affected the common folk of his dukedom. He also begins to see how Varen had manipulated him with magic and questions his own decisions. He also remembers advice from his father that he had ignored under Varen's influence. He begins to feel remorse for the people hurt by his mistaken efforts. Ironically, the wisdom he gains after his deposal would make him a better ruler.

Kaspar is initially determined to return to Opardum to have his revenge on Tal and Captain Havrevulen. His regained memories and experiences cause him to better understand the actions of his enemies, but he still wants revenge. However, the armored relic begins to loom in importance to the point of reducing his wants to insignificance. While still determined to return, he is primarily concerned with contacting the Conclave of Shadows.

This novel is the last in the Conclave trilogy. But it is followed by Flight of the Nighthawks, the first novel in the Darkwar series. The armored relic will play a prominent role in this next series.

Highly recommended for Feist fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of high adventure, powerful magic and personal enlightenment.

-Arthur W. Jordin