[.ca] King of Foxes: Conclave of Shadows: Book Two (ISBN 0380803267)

A great story!:
Now that young Talwin Hawkins, formerly Talon of the Silver Hawk, a warrior of the now dead Orsini people, has established himself as a great swordsman, he is ready to seek his revenge against the man who murdered his people. But, getting close to the evil Duke of Olasko, he finds that there are games within games being played, and for stakes beyond anything he can imagine. The time for vengeance is coming, but only if Tal can keep himself alive and in one piece! 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. It does a good job of continuing the story of Talon of the Silver Hawk, keeping you on the edge of your seat, as you follow his rise and fall and rise! In certain ways, it is different than many of his other Midkemia novels, as wizards and magic are moved more into the background. Instead, like with the Empire stories that Mr. Feist coauthored with Janny Wurts, this is the story of a young person, who must overcome great obstacles, relying on ability and luck to see him through. Overall, I found this to be a great story. I liked the action and the suspense. If you are a fan of fantasy literature, then you will enjoy this book. I highly recommend it!

Read 1-3 before you rate this book... seriously:
I have just finished book 3, it explains Book 1 and Book 2 in this series so well without even refering to the books themselves. SO now that I have a deeper understanding of the story line I can give this book a much better rating than I might have without reading Exile's Return. I had stated in my review of Book 1 (Talon of the Silver Hawk), that Talon is just a tool, a literary sword of sorts to begin the story but he is not the major focus. The character Talon is just the stage dressing, the sub-plot is actually where most of the interesting stuff. I found King of Foxes rather interesting and well thought out because I was trying to figure out the story behind the story and Feist is very adept at hiding a tale within a tale. I recommend this book highly although most people wouldn't agree with me, for them I recommend re-reading both 1 & 2 again and see if you can't find the sub-plot that I am talking about. Please do add this too your collection as the story progresses it will be worth it.

Not his worst work by far...:
I agree with one of the other reviews who stated that this book is young adult level. But that doesn't mean it isn't enjoyable. This book, and the previous one in the series, have regained some of the page turning quality that Feist's early books had. I had a hard time working my way though several of his more recent books (read: Tear of the Gods and related novels). Neither 'King of Foxes' nor 'Talon of the Silver Hawk' have this problem. All in all they are a decent read, but not really something a hardcore fantasy reader would like. If you like George R.R. Martin's works then this series is not for you. If you like lighter reading, like Modesitt, Goodkind, and Brooks, then you will probably find this a fun read:).

King of Foxes (Conclave of Shadows, Book 2):
I really enjoyed Feist's first two books "Magician: Apprentice and Master". I have dipped into various of his books since. He is cabable of excellent writing, witness "Faerie." However, his books on Midkemia have become formulaic and tired. I read "Talon of the Silver Hawk". It was readable. "King of Foxes," the sequel, is not. The book is poorly written, the characters are poorly drawn with childish motivations, and the plot includes unbelievable, pseudo-sophisticated realpolitik and tactics. As an example, the oh so sophisticated (23 year old) protaganist says he needs to "fight a royal" to believably take service with the bad guy. The only problem is that he has been away from court in a secret place for three years, which would require a lot more explanation than would a sudden desire to work for the evil Duke. The social structures of the lands, the political relationships among the countries, as well as the relationships among the background characters are not convincing; they seem to exist only to drive the plot. The book is young adult level at best.

Feist's the man!:
Love all his works and this series was especially compelling as when you finish this book, you actually learn what was going on . Great fantasy!! **A book I would also recommend is The Unsuspecting Mage by Brian S. Pratt. This, the first installment of The Morcyth Saga is a great beginning for a new author. Battles, magic, gods, secret passages and intrigue, all the elements of a classic epic fantasy! Any fantasy reader will enjoy it.