Talon of the Silver Hawk: Conclave of Shadows: Book One

Having read as many Feist books as I can get my hands on, this one is one of the better series. A book full of revenge, action and battle it keeps you turning the pages. Out for revenge, Talon seeks vengence on those who destroyed his village. Helped by a stranger in his time in need(who turns out to Pug) he sets out to not only pay back his friend for his help, but to set to right the wrong done his people. Great Feist.

In truth, I was sadly disappointed with the "Krondor" series, and was beginning to think Feist had lost his edge, yet Talon of the Silver Hawk has restored my faith in him, and renewed my conviction that he is the best fantasy author out there (the next being a close second in the form of R. A. Salvatore). The book spins the tale of a young boy, on the day of his naming ceremony when he would become a man, returning to his remote village to find it being overrun and his people the victim of wholesale genocide. He is badly injured and left for dead, but is picked up and cared for. The boy-turned-man now named Talon of the Silver Hawk, starts to learn things that would have otherwise been outside his experience had fate not intervened - cooking, foreign languages, music, logic. The reason for this, at first seems simply a benign wish to educate him, but slowly a deeper reason is revealed, as Talon slowly develops into a well educated, multi-skilled and ultimately a very dangerous man. Talon's driving motivation throughout all of this is revenge on those who destroyed his home and people. While some may claim it took a while to pick up pace, I saw it as necessary to flesh out the character, explain the development of his ideals and show how he acquired his skills. To me, it made Talon more interesting, and increased my curiosity as to how he would get revenge on the powerful men responsible for the destruction of his home. It sure beats simply saying "for the next six years, Talon learned this, this, this, etc.". As for pace, I found the last 1/2 to 1/3rd of the book impossible to put down. I thoroughly recommend this book. It is bold, brings back a few old faces we love, yet draws us into a new saga involving a fantastic new character.

I think what a lot of people are missing is while Talon is not as fleshed out as he could be for one of R.E.'s main characters this book has an interesting set up for future possibilities for Raymond's work, not only has he touched on what had previously happened in the Serpent War saga and drawn it in progressively for a good story base there is enough left out to make a reader wonder just what happened from the end of Shards to Conclave, I would sincerely love to see that book. However all that aside I am a lover of an author who does go beyond what the reader expects and tries out something new, Talon is not the average RE character, he's almost but not quite akin to Calis from the Serpent War saga to my mind, focused, singleminded and at the sametime confused and passionate. Lots of things built him up to be what he needs to be and what the Conclave molds him into, the whole thing to remember is Talon is a Tool and he is presented as such, the dynamics behind him is what makes this book a good read and although he does appear to be over powered in some instances, you begin to realize that he has nothing to lose and everything to gain. That gives anyone the advantage over anyone else.... It's a good read, try it out!

At first I was worried, being a fresh new set of books based on a new character... could it be as good as the others? The simple answer is yes. I was also concerned based on some of the reviews I've read here about how the book didn't develop many of the other characters encountered in the book. All I have to say is "Talon of the Silver Hawk" is the name of the book, and that's what its all about. This book is a story about Talon, and everyone else is described from Talon's point of view.The books storyline is very secretive and mysterious. Talon knows very little of his new life after the incident with his tribe, and this book describes his confusion and lifestyle in the big wide world around him. He must develop new skills, enhance old skills, and become a master of swordsmanship. The question is "why?". After being taken under the wing of the Conclave his new life has many questions, and many unknown goals. Lifes an open book for Talon, and its not all his choice on how that book is written.This book got better when a few old characters are introduced. Not because the story was mediocre, but because I feel more comfortable when a few old faces make their way into the weave of the story. It helps give perspective.The book seems to take place roughly 30 years after the fall of Krondor (and its rebuilding). Many of the past wars have become tales and stories told around the fire. To really feel comfortable with the storyline and the timeline I highly suggest starting from "Magician: Apprentice" and reading through all of Feist's books before moving into this book. You will feel more like you're part of the story and have lived the life the historic tales.I highly recommend this book for followers of Feist, even if you have not read the past books in awhile. I'm not finished the book yet, but I was glad to see a few of my favorite mysterious wizards return. Would you like an Orange? :-)

When young Kieli sees his whole village massacred, he is selected by some power to be the instrument of his people's revenge. Rescued by people who begin to mold him for a purpose he cannot understand, Kieli (now called Talon of the Silver Hawk) develops into a great hunter and a peerless swordsman. But, Talon finds that those he must revenge himself on are more numerous than he had thought, and their power seems to know few limits. This is the story of Talon's development, and his beginning on a road that will take him where he never would have thought that he would go.I must admit that I have been a Raymond Feist fan for many years now, starting all the way back with Magician. As with his earlier books, I found this one to be quite exciting, with interesting characters and milieus. If you liked Raymond Feist's earlier works, such as the Serpentwar Saga, then I think that you will also like this one as well. It appears that we are in for another great trilogy!