Raymond E. Feist is the author of "The Serpentwar Saga: The Riven Crown". This American writer began in 1982 with what would turn into a series of over 30 books about Midkemia and Kelewan. "The Riven Crown" is the final part of the Serpentwar.

In the previous part, "The Wrath of a Demon King", the invading army of the Emerald Queen was stopped. But General Fadawah has proclaimed himself king and is determined to conquer the kingdom at all costs. Erik Von Darkmoor and Owen Grayshield do everything they can to prevent this. The inexperienced Prince Patrick also makes sure that not everything goes smoothly. It all comes to a head when magician Pug has to get involved. And must Thomas leave Elvandar? And what does Kesh have to do with all this?

The book is written in a very exciting way. The tension builds as you progress through the story. There is always something happening that you didn't expect or that has a different outcome than you thought.

The characters have grown significantly compared to the previous book. They are more in their ultimate position to mean something in the events. There are certain characters who leave you stunned at what they still have in store. Such as Pug and Nakor, who provide the necessary dose of magic, or as Nakor mentions, Tricks.

The story again contains a large dose of political games. There are intrigues, voluntary spies, arranged marriages. Name it and it's in there. This provides a background in the story that helps to raise the whole package of events to a higher level.

The ending perfectly concludes the Serpentwar series but also leaves enough hints about what could be in the next series of books.

Conclusion: Another strong book that combines tension with political intrigues and espionage, spiced with a touch of magic.

Having read the first three books in this series, it only seemed appropriate to finish it.

Just like the previous volume, this novel is essentially filled with a plethora of battles as a new adversary takes on the forces of the Kingdom.

The war unfolds in numerous locations and involves all the main characters. It mainly focuses on Jimmy and Dash, who both obtain new and thrilling roles by the conclusion of the book.

I would have preferred to have more non-fighting plot elements. However, considering the current state of the book, it is still okay.

Perhaps in future installments, the author could explore more aspects of the characters' lives outside of the battlefield. This would add more depth and complexity to the story.

Overall, despite my slight disappointment with the lack of non-fighting plot, I still found this book to be an enjoyable read.

It kept me engaged with its exciting battle scenes and the development of the main characters.

I look forward to seeing what the author has in store for us in the next book of the series.

A nice conclusion to the shiftwar and serpentwar sagas, with a great connecting arch.

There is a significant amount of confusion and debate regarding the reading order of this extensive collection. To be honest, I halted my reading here with this particular book. It gave the impression of being well-rounded, although there were some evident loose ends. However, they were not substantial enough to prompt me to go back and continue. I have heard that the subsequent books from this point onwards tend to deteriorate in quality. Therefore, I am satisfied with leaving my final impression right here, which is truly amazing.

I wholeheartedly recommend the Riftwars and then the Serpentwars. It is a remarkable journey of high fantasy, featuring a unique world and distinct characters. It is truly an amazing experience that takes readers on an adventure like no other.

This was the fourth and final book in the Serpentwar Saga, a subseries within Feist’s extensive Riftwar Cycle. I believe this one was my favorite among the books in this subseries. It's an ensemble book, but the two grandsons of Jimmy the Hand receive a significant amount of page time, and I truly enjoyed their characters, both individually and together.

The story managed to hold my attention well. I think this was due in part to my investment in the characters, as well as the story itself. However, there is a pattern in these books that makes me roll my eyes a little more with each one. I enjoy the writing, the characters, and the stories, but I'm also hoping Feist will explore new types of stories in the later books. Otherwise, I can envision reaching a point where I become tired of the repetition.

I have some thoughts on the reading order. In the unlikely event that someone trying to decide how to read this series comes across this review for a book in the middle of the series, here's what to know. This book was published in early 1998, before Krondor: The Betrayal, which was published later that same year. Logically, it seems like it should be read first. However, this book takes place later chronologically than Krondor: The Betrayal. And to make matters more complicated, Krondor: The Betrayal is based on a video game released in 1993. So, this book contains several references to and spoilers for the events in Krondor: The Betrayal, even though that story hadn't been published as a book yet. The situation is further muddled by the author's revised edition of Prince of the Blook from the previous subseries. That book was originally published before the game but now makes references to events in the game due to being revised later. If I were to read through this series again, I think I would do it in chronological order. The first time I read these books, I followed a random list I found on the internet, and I think the story flowed better that way.

I have a couple of other things to discuss within the spoiler tags…

Regarding the repetitive plot elements, it seems that the basic story is repeated throughout the books. The Kingdom, or at least the Western portion of it, is threatened by a powerful and overwhelming enemy. There's a major battle with a lot of bloodshed. Inevitably, a few important secondary characters die for emotional impact. Nevertheless, the Kingdom manages to avoid total destruction thanks to the courage and cleverness of its leaders. Meanwhile, the powerful magicians are either absent or unwilling to help for various reasons, but they show up in time to fight the big, bad supernatural creature that's causing all the trouble. This ends the fighting and/or they might get involved to resolve the remaining minor disputes before gathering for a final friendly chat.

I had somewhat mixed feelings about Dash becoming the Upright Man at the end, but overall, I think I liked it. My main concern is that this will lead to conflict between Dash and his brother Jimmy, who has chosen to continue serving the crown. I'm guessing Dash probably won't tell Jimmy, but it may come out eventually. The friendship between the two is one of the things I really enjoyed in this book, and I don't like seeing a good fictional friendship become strained or develop tension. I haven't read any of the books set chronologically after this one, so I'm curious to see where this storyline goes in the future. I think the next 7 books are all set before this subseries, so it may be a while before I find out.

One more thing: Prince Patrick is annoying! I miss Prince Arutha.