Mistress of the Empire

I first read this when it was published and I still come back to it every year or two, because the story of Mara's struggle for survival never gets old. She's truly a woman in a man's world, reminiscent of Queen Elizabeth, albeit in a culture whose inspiration is obviously from the Orient. And yet, as other readers have mentioned, Mara doesn't take on mannish traits to win, she's always purely female. And she uses that, at times, ruthlessly. The culture in which she exists is so stagnate, so utterly drowning in pointless tradition that seeing Mara figure out ways to both work with it and around it in order to *change* her people's entire way of life never ceases to be a joy. She proves herself to be a tactical genius and yet she still makes mistakes, she has prejudices to overcome, ways of thinking that she has to force herself to change, she's still so very human and you can identify with her. Her sorrows, regrets, fears, they're all very real and you can't help but feel for her, worry that maybe this one time she and her House won't survive. Such wonderfully well-developed characters, even the minor ones, beautifully described culture and Machiavellian politics. The entire trilogy is a feast for someone looking for books heavy on the plot while still being character driven. When you've turned the last page, read the last sentence, you'll find yourself wishing that there were books more to devour, because you won't want to let go of Mara or her world.

Mistress of the Empire is the exciting conclusion to an amazing trilogy (Daughter of the Empire and Servant of the Empire are the 1st two books). Once again Mara must fight to save her family, the Acoma, from obliteration by enemies. She must use all of her resources to the fullest and learn to think outside of the traditional Tsuranni ways of thinking in order to survive, and for the good of the stagnant Empire. While some parts of this book DO seem to drag somewhat, the end result is more than worth it. The book starts with a bang, and has some very moving/touching twists at the end. Feist & Wurtz have outdone themselves with this trilogy, creating characters that you come to love. You fear for their lives when they are in peril, and cry and laugh along with them. I finished re-reading this book yesterday, and I still feel the emotional impact of it, and I'm sad that the book doesn't continue on. If you liked Raymond Feist's Riftwar saga, definitely give this series a try. This trilogy contains 3 of my top 10 favorite books of all time.

Wow! This book is a great finale to what has been a wonderful series (see my reviews for the previous two installments.) One would have thought that upon being named Servant of the Empire and having defeated House Minwanabi once and for all, Mara and her family would once and for all be able to enjoy peace. However, right from the beginning of this third installment, Mara meets very personal tragedy. House Anasati leads a powerful coalition of traditionalists who oppose the elimination of the Council and the office of Warlord. However, Mara discovers an even more powerful force against change, a force that has kept the Empire in stagnation for thousands of years. To defeat that power, Mara will once again have to leave the boundaries of the Empire and seek help from a very unlikely source. Very difficult decisions are made right until the very end, and Mara will sacrifice much for the good of the Empire. I have to admit that I like the way the cho-ja are portrayed in this novel and I am pleased that their history was developed to some extent in this final installment. The story as a whole is riveting, making the book hard to put down. One surprise after another keeps the reader engaged, tied together by the splended quality of the writing. This entire series has been a delight to read, and unlike some series that end on a lull, this one keeps you on the edge of your proverbial seat right until the final chapter.

Lady Mara faces her greatest challenge in this final book of the epic Empire Trilogy. Now the most powerful female in the Empire, Mara must come to terms with her very public life and face the inevitable results of her past triumphs. You also get a better understanding into previously mentioned factors in the first two books (Daughter of the Empire & Servant of the Empire) and Riftwar. You get a deeper look into the religions of the Tsurani and their roles in the framework of the Empire. In addition, the Assembly is also greatly involved, though perhaps not so much as "Magician" (by Raymond E. Feist), it certainly plays greater roles in the shaping of this novel. Mara also travels to distant lands, answering questions that are left unanswered in the Riftwar Saga and the first two Empire books. What I most admired in this particular book was the overcoming of grave difficulties in the face of constant danger. Cunningly written and detailed, Feist weaves his cleverly written plotlines into the stunning fabric of Wurts. You feel as if you are a part of the book and really know the characters.And though many writers make their main characters seem virtually invulnerable, you really see the human side of each main character (good and bad) and come to value the emerging flaws and weaknesses. As a result, you get a three-dimensional view of all main characters which helps to sum up and close the series.

Twists inside twists is the best way to describe the plot in this one. Not that it will shock you so much as that the action never seems to falter or fall short. There was only one point where I thought there was a plot malfunction, where the story seems to be heading somewhere, then goes somewhere completely different. But if you don't notice it, I'm not going to tell you where it is. Because the rest of the book is so good, I'm still giving it five stars. The final book of the series, Mistress gives us the ends we've all known that Mara and her associates deserved despite their sometimes ruthless means. In this episode, Mara travels far afield to a land she barely knew existed; Arakasi, Acoma Spymaster, takes on an entire fortress of trained assassins, and falls in love with a beautiful, but jaded girl; we see the fruits of Mara's constant labor to unite the Empire and protect the future of her family name. And if that isn't enough, maybe you just don't like fantasy.