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Conclave of Shadows #1

Talon of the Silver Hawk

raymond e. feist

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Evil has come to a distant land high among the snow-capped mountains of Midkemia, as an exterminating army wearing the colors of the Duke of Olasko razes village after village, slaughtering men, women, and children without mercy. And when the carnage is done, only one survivor remains: a young boy named Kieli. A youth no longer, there is now but one road for him to travel: the path of vengeance. And he will not be alone. Under the tutelage of the rescuers who discovered him, Kieli will be molded into a sure and pitiless weapon. And he will accept the destiny that has been chosen for him ... as Talon of the Silver Hawk.

But the prey he so earnestly stalks is hunting him as well. And Talon must swear allegiance to a shadowy cause that already binds his mysterious benefactors -- or his mission, his honor,and his life will be lost forever.

378 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1,2002
Series
Conclave of Shadows

This edition

Format
378 pages, Mass Market Paperback
Published
April 1, 2004 by Harper Torch
ISBN
9780380803248
ASIN
0380803240
Language
English

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About the author

Profile Image for raymond e. feist

raymond e. feist

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Raymond E. Feist was born Raymond E. Gonzales III, but took his adoptive step-father's surname when his mother remarried Felix E. Feist. He graduated with a B.A. in Communication Arts with Honors in 1977 from the University of California at San Diego. During that year Feist had some ideas for a novel about a boy who would be a magician. He wrote the novel two years later, and it was published in 1982 by Doubleday. Feist currently lives in San Diego with his children, where he collects fine wine, DVDs, and books on a variety of topics of personal interest: wine, biographies, history, and, especially, the history of American Professional Football.

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Community Reviews

Rating(4 / 5.0, 100 votes)
5 stars
31(31%)
4 stars
34(34%)
3 stars
35(35%)
2 stars
0(0%)
1 stars
0(0%)
100 reviews All reviews
Profile Image for Kimberly .
ZenoxAlive
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
July 15,2025
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I really enjoyed this.

After reading the short standalone stories, it was truly a pleasure to get back into the main story once again.

At certain moments, you could empathize with Talon.

Just like him, you found yourself in the dark regarding his purpose.

You accompanied him on his journey and shared in his adventures.

It was as if you were right there with him, experiencing all the uncertainties and excitement.

The story had a way of pulling you in and making you feel a part of it.

You couldn't help but be intrigued by Talon's mysterious mission and wanted to know more about what lay ahead for him.

Each new turn in the story added to the anticipation and made you eager to continue reading.

Overall, it was a great experience to be back in the main story and follow Talon's path.

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jefftaf
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
July 15,2025
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Riftwar, Serpentwar, and Empire are some of my all-time favorite series. They truly set extremely high standards.

Although the characters in those books achieved rather outlandish feats, I firmly believe that they possessed greater depth and were firmly in the realm of high fantasy.

However, when it comes to Talon of the Silverhawk, it feels to me like the Dirk Pitt of the fantasy world. It's a man who has all the talents but lacks that essential depth.

If this book hadn't included references to past characters here and there, I highly doubt I would have managed to finish it.

It just didn't have the same allure and substance as the other series I mentioned earlier. The story seemed somewhat flat and one-dimensional compared to the rich tapestries woven in the Riftwar, Serpentwar, and Empire series.

Perhaps if more effort had been put into developing the characters and adding more layers to the plot, Talon of the Silverhawk could have been a more engaging and memorable read. As it stands, it falls short of the mark for me.
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Gsarthotegga
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
July 15,2025
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This was truly a captivating read for me.

Surprisingly, there was very little magic or fantasy in the book. Instead, it presented a medieval tale filled with intrigue, deception, and intense battles.

The characters were so believable that they constantly kept me engaged and eager to know the outcome.

I highly recommend this book to those who have a penchant for shows like Game of Thrones or similar.

I'm eagerly looking forward to the rest of the series. Moreover, I will likely go back and reread some of the other series that are also set in the same fascinating world of Midkemia.

I recall reading The Riftwar Saga and Magician: Apprentice when I was a teen, and I'm quite certain that I will read those again as well.

It seems that the allure of this fictional world is simply irresistible to me.

I can't wait to explore more of its mysteries and adventures.
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ReinKitamura
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
July 15,2025
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A friend loaned me this book once. He had just finished reading it and absolutely LOVED it. However, I couldn't even make it through the first half. After reading about 100 pages, I was already skimming. I simply wasn't interested in the world that the author had created, nor the characters or the plot. Everything felt extremely one-dimensional to me. In fact, it's not just that I wasn't interested; I actively DISLIKED it. Maybe I'm just not a big fan of Feist's writing style, or perhaps the setting didn't appeal to me at all. I really don't know. In any case, I'm quite certain that I won't be picking up anything else written by this guy anytime soon!

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ttmeng
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
July 15,2025
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I wasn't disappointed with the story,

but it didn't quite live up to my expectations.

It has the potential to be a great saga,

but in my view, the first part was just not that captivating.

Some of the characters seemed a bit stereotypical,

and the main hero, at times, was rather cliched.

During certain segments of the story,

I felt that I could already predict the outcome of the events.

However, on the positive side,

the story does delve deeper into Midkemia.

It introduces some excellent elements that were only hinted at in the previous stories.

And one thing that Feist does extremely well is continuity.

You'll come across both obvious and subtle references to characters and events from past novels.

As a die-hard fan,

I take great pleasure in spotting those.

I would highly recommend picking up this book.

Even if you're not overly enthusiastic about this particular story,

it does lay the groundwork for the next parts,

which seem to be filled with intense action.

So, give it a try and see where the story takes you.

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localantag
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
July 15,2025
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Talon is the sole survivor of his people who have unfortunately been wiped out through the heinous act of genocide. He is just a young adult, on the cusp of reaching his majority. He used to live among a primitive yet kind people who held family and virtue in the highest regard.

Talon's life takes a turn when he is saved by two travelers who are deeply involved in the inter-universe struggle against evil, employing magic and other means. Although Talon himself does not possess magic, he is an incredibly quick learner. Under the guidance of his mentor, Robert, he is being developed and trained to serve the cause of good.

The plot of this story moves at a rapid pace, hooking the reader from the very beginning and never letting go. It keeps the audience on the edge of their seats, eager to discover what will happen next. In addition, the story also contains a certain element of sex, rated at 3/5, which adds an extra layer of complexity and intrigue to the narrative. Overall, it is a thrilling and engaging tale that is sure to captivate readers.
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_Ghostface
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
July 15,2025
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I really wanted to like this book. Earlier this year, I picked up Magician by Feist and truly enjoyed reading it. However, this one...

There is a complete lack of characterization. Every person in this story is exactly the same, aside from their name and set of skills. One can hunt, another is good with a sword, and there is one who can cook. That's it. None of them have any personality whatsoever. Our main character, Talon, having lived until his 16th year in a group of people with a very different culture, should, one would think, be different. One thing Talon constantly brings up is that with his people, your parents choose your wife, and you stay with her for the rest of your life. Okay. But Talon sleeps with the first girl he sees on the first day he enters his new life. That's quite direct for someone whose partner should be chosen by his father. They are together for a year or so, and he wants to marry her. But then she disappears for no apparent reason. She just vanishes into thin air. Within half an hour of finding that out, Talon is sleeping with another girl. Only to have the next unbelievably beautiful lady cross his path within the next 30 pages, of whom Talon is determined to 'get much more than a kiss on the cheek'. And not 100 pages later, he has developed into a true womanizer.

Because of the lack of characterization, you never feel any connection to the people in this story, not even Talon. You don't like any of them. In fact, I even came to dislike Talon more and more throughout the story. He is fine with the fact that no one ever tells him of the plans they have for his future; he just lets it all happen. He is okay with everything, has no opinions of his own, as long as he can eventually take his revenge. And then there is the way he sleeps around and how he treats women.

Maybe it's just me, but I can't sympathize with a guy who thinks women are only good for having sex with. The story itself is also incredibly slow. Apart from getting laid, Talon is being trained to do some proper ass kicking. This training is done by several people, among whom is a great magician who can't do simple maths. While there are some redeeming qualities in the last few chapters, with interesting politics and exciting battle scenes that set up a good premise for the rest of the trilogy, I'm still not sure if I will continue with the other books.
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ProfessorPi
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
July 15,2025
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New Series, new characters to love


I must admit that I was still riding the highs from the intense battles in Rage of a Demon King. Seriously, who doesn't get excited when Tomas single-handedly lays waste to an entire squad? So, initially, I had a bit of trouble getting fully immersed in this book. It was appropriately slow in developing our new hero, which made it a bit of a challenge to engage with at first.


However, everything changed from the moment Talon said, "I don't approve of murder," and they charged forward. At that point, a new hero was in the making, and I could hardly put the book down.


As always, Nakor is an absolute delight. The introduction of Pug's sons adds even more depth and complexity to the story, giving us more characters to learn about and fall in love with. And Alysandra... mercy! The modern-day poets known as Outkast might describe her as cooler than being cool... ice cold.


Overall, it was a good read. I really like the new characters, although I did feel that there was a pacing issue. It started off slowly, and then all of a sudden, we fast-forwarded two years. But despite that, I'm still looking forward to book two of Conclave with great anticipation.
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