An excellent end to the conclave of shadows saga. It is truly one of my favourite books in the whole Rift-war Cycle, a statement that I would not make lightly. I did not anticipate this book to be so outstanding, especially since it follows Kaspar. Kaspar was not among my beloved characters, and the previous book in the saga, “King of Foxes,” concluded so neatly that it seemed there was little room left for further exploration.

Surprisingly, this book could almost stand alone as a single novel, as it has its own distinct plot line separate from the two preceding it. The mystery within the story was captivating, drawing me in and keeping me engaged from start to finish. I thoroughly relished Kaspar’s personal growth and development. Watching him evolve and face his challenges was both fascinating and rewarding.

Overall, this book exceeded my expectations and provided a satisfying conclusion to the conclave of shadows saga. It is a testament to the author’s skill and creativity that he was able to breathe new life into a character and a story that I initially thought had run its course.

Nobody would ever mistake Feist for Leo Tolstoy.

However, this final installment in the series of fantasy books set in Midkemia still manages to satisfy those who have a hunger for plot-driven and engaging stories.

The narrative unfolds with a captivating charm that keeps readers hooked from start to finish.

The characters are well-developed, and their adventures are filled with excitement and drama.

Moreover, the ending of this book sets up a new conflict to come, leaving readers eagerly anticipating what lies ahead in the next installment.

It is clear that Feist has a talent for creating a rich and immersive fantasy world that continues to draw in fans.

Despite not being in the same league as Tolstoy, Feist's work has its own unique appeal and continues to entertain readers with its engaging plots and well-crafted stories.

I really enjoyed Kaspar's character development throughout the story.

His transformation from a rather one-dimensional character to a more complex and multi-faceted individual was truly engaging.

I also liked learning more about Novindus. The detailed descriptions and the exploration of its unique culture and history added depth to the overall narrative.

The conclusion of the Conclave of Shadows trilogy was very satisfying. It tied up all the loose ends and provided a sense of closure.

The story arcs of the various characters were resolved in a way that felt natural and fulfilling.

Overall, it was a great read and I look forward to reading more from this author.

The third part of the Conclave of Shadows trilogy is more of a spin-off than an actual part of the trilogy.

Now, the central character is Caspar, the outcast Duke who suffered under Talon for two books and has been found magically bound with chains at the edge of the world, two continents beyond his castle.

Obviously, he will face the initial difficulties and it will be shown that his character changes now that he is far from the influence of the evil wizard he had in his court. Of course, the transformation is not as gradual as the rules of good writing would require, but the book is bad enough on its own, so don't have many expectations.

Caspar does everything he can to survive in the nowhere, finds a farm with a family and stays with them for a while, doing their chores, "rediscovering the hardships of the lives of ordinary people" and other such sweet things. He bonds with them but eventually decides to leave.

Then things get worse because Feist decides to open up the scope of the book in order to hook his readers for the next trilogy. So, he throws a cursed armor in Caspar's path which is something strange, bad and mindless and he will deal with it until the end of the book. The second half of the work is the attempt to transport and then interpret the armor, there are battles and a few magic, a lot of annoying magic spells, encounters with gods who don't really speak clearly and overall Feist suffers from Salvatore again and delivers an AD&D mess that should normally make him ashamed.

At the end, an even darker trilogy is foreshadowed, with even worse things, damn it, how bad we had to suffer for this.

It's a pity and unfair.

Overall for the trilogy: Respectable enough for the first two parts (but not particularly good), suffers "bad" in the third part, gets misdirected and remains open to be filled by some future work.

Tal's narrative comes to a sudden and jarring stop.

It is revealed that the entire trilogy has merely been filler, serving the purpose of setting up the next trilogy.

This is a disappointment for many readers who were expecting a more conclusive and satisfying ending.

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Perhaps the next trilogy will make up for the lackluster conclusion of this one.

Only time will tell if the author can deliver a more engaging and fulfilling story.

Until then, readers will have to wait and see what the future holds for this series.

I was a bit disappointed that this, the third book in this series, didn't provide us with a bit more information about the events that occurred at the end of book two. As the saga unfolds, it does manage to maintain your interest and offers us some historical context.

This series is the first of many that overlap with one another. It creates a complex and interconnected world that keeps readers engaged.

All in all, it is an entertaining book. The story has its strengths and weaknesses, but it does enough to keep you turning the pages. The characters are well-developed, and the plot has enough twists and turns to keep you on your toes.

While it may not be a perfect book, it is definitely worth reading if you are a fan of the genre. I would rate it 3.75 stars out of 5.

A satisfying tale of redemption unfolds, captivating the readers and setting the stage for the next major arc. The story follows a character who has made mistakes in the past and is now on a journey to seek forgiveness and make amends. Through a series of trials and tribulations, the character learns valuable lessons and begins to transform. The narrative is filled with moments of heartbreak and hope, as the character battles against their inner demons and the external forces that seem to be working against them. As the tale reaches its climax, the character finally achieves redemption, but at a great cost. This sets the stage for the next major arc, as the character must now face the consequences of their actions and continue to grow and evolve. Overall, it is a story that will leave readers on the edge of their seats, eagerly anticipating what comes next.

I especially liked this profound explanation of life, death, and evil.

"But it's not, you see. It becomes heat, and light, and smoke and ash. When a man dies, the body becomes corrupt, and like everything else in nature, it is part of a cycle. We bury bodies or we burn them, but it doesn't matter if the body feeds worms or turns to ash, it is transformed, not destroyed." This shows the natural process of how our physical form changes after death.

"But the mind and spirit, they live on. The spirit we know goes to be weighted, and if worthy returns to a better place on the Wheel of Life. If less worthy, a lesser place. But what of the mind?" It then delves into the idea of what happens to our intangible aspects.

"If every choice was weighed independently on a moral basis - that is to say, without claiming justification like justice, revenge, or necessary ruthlessness - then far less evil would be done in the world. Every faith in every temple has one creed in common, in one form or another: 'Do as you would have be done to.'" This emphasizes the importance of moral decision-making and how it relates to reducing evil.

"Good, because if you do, then you can see that the only explanation for evil beyond the justifications men make is that it is insane. It is destructive and it lends itself to nothing useful. In short, it is madness." It further explores the nature of evil as being irrational and unproductive.

"Evil is wasteful. It consumes, but it never creates." This succinctly sums up the negative nature of evil.

"So, by its very nature the Nameless One must be insane?" This question leads to further discussion about the nature of a particular entity.

"You do understand. The Nameless One has no more ability to be sane than a chicken can play a horn." This vivid analogy helps to clarify the point.

"No lips. You can teach a chicken all you want, but it'll never learn." It reinforces the idea that some things are simply not capable of certain qualities or behaviors.

I found this book to be interesting, yet it didn't quite measure up to the second one in the series which centered around Talon's escape. I had expected a greater degree of soul searching. Maybe a bit more elaboration on Kasper's backstory would have been nice. Instead, what we got was the fantastical element of the Talnoy statues, with Kasper tagging along for the adventure.

I assume that this book has set up the next series quite well, and I'm eagerly looking forward to seeing how they will deal with the threat that has been introduced. However, the somewhat aimless journey to visit a whole bunch of nostalgic locations from the earlier books for rather unclear "reasons" is just a little bit tiresome.

It seems like a bit of a filler at times, but perhaps it will all make more sense in the context of the overall story arc as the series progresses. I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for the next installment to see if my expectations are met.

One of the first sort of 'grown up' fantasy books I can recall reading was truly an unforgettable experience for me.

I don't remember every single detail of it too well, but the overall feeling of enjoyment that it brought me is still vivid in my mind.

I was completely immersed in its magical world, filled with unique characters and thrilling adventures.

The story had a charm that kept me turning the pages, eager to discover what would happen next.

So much so that I've looked it up on here just to express my appreciation for this wonderful book.

It was one of those rare reads that left a lasting impression and made me fall in love with the genre of grown-up fantasy.

Even now, whenever I think about it, a sense of nostalgia washes over me, and I long to revisit that enchanting world once again.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who has a passion for fantasy and is looking for a captivating read.

You won't be disappointed!

I was initially a bit sceptical about this particular installment. After all, it focuses on Kaspar, who was one of the main villains in the previous two books of the trilogy. However, as I delved deeper, I found myself liking it quite a bit. This was especially the case once the Talnoy entered the picture and the stakes skyrocketed.

All my standard criticisms regarding Feist's writing still hold true. In particular, his inability to write female characters convincingly is a major flaw. It seems as if he struggles to bring female characters to life in a realistic and engaging way.

Addendum: This book contains one of Feist's more blatant examples of how poorly he portrays women, or rather, the treatment of women by male characters. The passage where Jojanna expects to be raped and Kaspar's thoughts about it are quite concerning. It presents a rather disturbing and inaccurate view of female experiences.

To be fair, Kaspar is a villain in a position of power, but Feist's attempt to make him seem like a "good" guy in this context is extremely tone-deaf. Moreover, just 20 pages later, Kaspar's memory of carrying gold for "wagering, brothels, or to reward good service" directly contradicts his previous thoughts, further highlighting the inconsistencies in Feist's character development.

I would have rated this a two but it did its job.

While it wasn't really a great book or well written, it did make me feel compelled to read the next one.

It is quite obvious that the author misremembered certain events in this exact book. Which just shows either a lack of editing or direction on his part.

However, in my option, they were easy enough to overlook if you just pretended they never happened.

One other downfall in this book I felt was that the author took a lot of time to explain "Lore" and "History". And yet it was a lot of information all at once to process and comprehend.

Perhaps if this would have been presented in a different way then it would have made more sense and not had felt somewhat confusing.

Overall, the book had its flaws, but it also had enough hooks to keep me interested in seeing what comes next.

I hope that the author will address these issues in future installments and create a more polished and engaging story.

Despite its shortcomings, I still found myself enjoying parts of this book and looking forward to the next one in the series.