Flight of the Nighthawks: Book One of the Darkwar Saga

Finally, Fiest brings back Pug, one of my favorite fantasy characters, into an interesting new series that I'm looking forward to finishing. While the plot was interesting, it was a little confusing at first, but that is only a minor setback. This book also does a lot to set up for the rest, so it reveals only a little and keeps much shrouded in mystery. Still, Fiest is a great writer, and this book, while not perfect and not nearly as good as Magician, is no exception.

In this sequel to Exile, author Raymond Feist takes us back to his magical world of Midkemia. When Tad and Zane greet the arrival of their mother's old friend, Caleb, they can little imagine just how much their world is going to change. There's dark work afoot in the Empire of Kesh, and the Conclave of Shadows must work hard to forestall a work of great chaos. But, this is a vast and complex scheme - is the Conclave up to it? Indeed, are Tad and Zane up to the role that they must play? I must admit that I have been a fan of Raymond Feist for many years now, and I looked forward to this book's release with bated breath. The magic armor of the Talnoy featured big in the last book, and great forces are in movement. Well, they're still in movement! This is the second book of Feist's latest trilogy, and he succeeds in taking the sense of anticipation and ratcheting it further up! Yep, this is classic Feist, with grand schemes, great magic, old friends, and new and terrible villains. I think that this is a great book, one that is sure to please any fan of grand fantasy...just make sure you read Exile first. I loved this book, and highly recommend it to everyone!

Flight of the Nighthawks (2006) is the first fantasy novel in the Darkwar Saga. In the previous series, Talon of the Silver Hawk has his revenge on Duke Kaspar of Olasko, yet Kaspar returned to the Conclave of Shadows with a Talnoy and grave news. Now they both work for the Conclave. In this novel, Caleb is persuaded by his lover, Marie, to take Tad and Zane -- her son and his foster brother -- to some place where they can become apprentices. There are just not enough positions to go around in Stardock Town. Besides, they are continually fighting over Ellie, who loves them as brothers, but not as potential husbands. Caleb gives them whiskey until they collapse in a drunken stupor and carries them off on the back of his wagon. Later they save his life and are taken to Sorcerer's Isle. There they are trained to be his apprentices. Six months later, he takes them back home, proposes to Marie, and marries her. Then he takes her and the boys back to Sorcerer's Isle. After a very short honeymoon, Caleb and the boys journey to Kesh on business for the Conclave. The Conclave suspects that Leso Varen and the Nighthawks are involved in some murders there. They arrive sooner than they should have by teleporting to within a few days of Great Kesh. Tal and Kaspar are also in Great Kesh. Tal is working again with Almafi and Kaspar with Pasko. Kaspar is carrying papers as a minor Kingdom noble, but Torgan Bey, Master of the Keep, recognizes him and arranges for him to receive political asylum; so far everything is going according to plan. In this story, Caleb discovers the probable location of the Nighthawks, but runs into a trap and has to fight his way out. Then he finds other traps, but the Nighthawks have disappeared. He is losing men, but not gaining any ground. Tal and Almafi evade another trap, yet they too are not progressing anywhere toward finding Leso and the Nighthawks. Still, Kaspar has an audacious idea. Pug feels like he is getting nowhere fast. Every time they find and kill Leso, he escapes to another body. They need to find his soul and kill body and soul together. Even then, they won't have accomplished much toward balancing Good and Evil. This story introduces some new information about the Controller Gods and the balance among them. It even includes a character with a fragment of the Nameless One within him. Moreover, the theological discussions between Nakor and Pug are very much in character and add depth to the plotline. Highly recommended for Feist fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of sword fights, magical battles and political intrigue. -Arthur W. Jordin

Raymond E. Feist has done it again. I just finished reading the novel and was looking to see when the second one in the series is coming out. I noticed that the official review was bad and I just wanted to write in and disagree. It was another fine novel from Mr. Feist and I am glad that he continues to write.

After bringing us the opening three novels concerning Tal Hawkins and Kaspar, Duke of Olasko, Feist opens his third great Midkemia series, The Darkwar Saga, by expanding on the discovery of the Dasati and their automaton army, the Talnoy. It is the greatest danger to face the conclave since Pug's involvement in the Serpent War and finds us delving into new dimensions for both Midkemia's and Kelewan's newest enemies, as Magnus discovers that the immobile Talnoy are acting as a beacon for the Dasati and rifts are beginning to form between the two worlds. We commence in bucolic bliss as Caleb, the non-magical son of Miranda and Pug finds himself apprenticing the son and foster-son of Marie, Tad and Zane, two eager lads who have not much to do and an eye for trouble. After they save him from death at the hands of a bandit ambush, we then travel with them as they are turned from soft layabouts into hardened Conclave soldiers and we then learn of a series of murders of Truebloods in the Empire of the Great Kesh. The resulting concern finds Tal and Kaspar and Caleb entering Kesh at different social levels to track down the infamous lair of the Nighthawks, whom they believe responsible for the murders that seek to place Kesh in a state of civil war as the current Emperor nears the end of both his life and reign. In the meantime, Nakor has discovered greater powers are rumbling as he finds the tiniest spark of the Nameless One in the darkly Herculean Bek that promises that there could be a return for Ishar. Political intrigue, sewer ambushes, tavern brawls and magical intervention that are all the hallmarks of a great Feist effort all follow as the Conclave discover that the inviolable magician, Leso Varen is behind the mayhem that seeks to disrupt Midkemia and move to deal with the threat. Feist is one the finest fantasy authors produced in the late twentieth century and his works on the worlds of Midkemia and Kelewan remain at the peak of the genre. Characterisation is well drawn, we have an excellent mix of old, familiar and lovable characters with new youthful, impetuous ones that engender empathy. Old traditions hover in the background where needed without overshadowing the new bloods making their literary mark. The plot is crisp, the dialogue exciting and the old thrill of looking forward to a new great Feist series rears it's head. Roll on the second...