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psoglav's review against another edition
4.0
UKUPNA OCENA (overall rating) - 8/10
Radnja (story) - 8/10
Likovi (characters) - 7/10
Pripovedanje (writing style) - 7/10
Okruženje (setting) - 8/10
Radnja (story) - 8/10
Likovi (characters) - 7/10
Pripovedanje (writing style) - 7/10
Okruženje (setting) - 8/10
mrbear's review against another edition
3.0
Enjoyed it. Its still not great writing, and it’s more something I’d recommend as a lighter read to someone who is already a fan of fantasy and has read the classics. For those people, it’s an enjoyable conclusion to what, apparently, is the first of many series in this universe.
The biggest issue with the series is that the writing is limited by the fact that the author likes his characters too much. Everyone is saved from certain doom (except undeveloped characters - they basically always die or disappear within half a book of being introduced), every relationship works out just the way it “should,” every old enemy turns out to be either totally evil (and is vanquished) or just misunderstood (and becomes a great friend), and the main characters always have enough money and titles to reward everyone for their help at the end of the book.
That said, it takes some confidence to write a fantasy book that features characters watching the big bang happen, so kudos for that.
The biggest issue with the series is that the writing is limited by the fact that the author likes his characters too much. Everyone is saved from certain doom (except undeveloped characters - they basically always die or disappear within half a book of being introduced), every relationship works out just the way it “should,” every old enemy turns out to be either totally evil (and is vanquished) or just misunderstood (and becomes a great friend), and the main characters always have enough money and titles to reward everyone for their help at the end of the book.
That said, it takes some confidence to write a fantasy book that features characters watching the big bang happen, so kudos for that.
rkking's review against another edition
4.0
The finale to the Riftwar Cycle (though just barely beginning the Riftwar Saga as a whole, there's like 20 something books in this series!), A Darkness At Sethanon sees the culmination of what was built in the previous 3 books begin to show itself.
I'm rating it a 4 because of the parts I really enjoyed, but in reality it'd be a 3.5 because of the parts I found quite slow. This book is kind of split into two separate plots, one of Arutha/Jimmy & co, and one of Pug/Thomas/Macros on their journey to discover who/what the "Enemy" really is. The Pug/Thomas part of the story I enjoyed immensely, as it includes a lot of great world building & even a wonderfully described journey through time itself.
But, although I enjoy the characters of Arutha and Jimmy, their plot was a lot more tedious to me. I tried to enjoy it for what it was, and to some extent I'm sure I did, but really I just spent that time waiting for the story to return to Pug/Thomas.
Regardless, the two plots eventually converge, and it provided us quite an awesome showdown/finale to this part of the saga.
I for one will return to this world in its future books, mainly to see more of Macros the Black...
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I'm rating it a 4 because of the parts I really enjoyed, but in reality it'd be a 3.5 because of the parts I found quite slow. This book is kind of split into two separate plots, one of Arutha/Jimmy & co, and one of Pug/Thomas/Macros on their journey to discover who/what the "Enemy" really is. The Pug/Thomas part of the story I enjoyed immensely, as it includes a lot of great world building & even a wonderfully described journey through time itself.
But, although I enjoy the characters of Arutha and Jimmy, their plot was a lot more tedious to me. I tried to enjoy it for what it was, and to some extent I'm sure I did, but really I just spent that time waiting for the story to return to Pug/Thomas.
Regardless, the two plots eventually converge, and it provided us quite an awesome showdown/finale to this part of the saga.
I for one will return to this world in its future books, mainly to see more of Macros the Black...
Join the RK King readers' list for an exclusive FREE short story, plus inside info, musings, promos and more: RK King Writes
matthewr1775's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
blepard's review against another edition
2.0
I said in my initial review of Silverthorn that it felt like a filler novel, and I one thousand percent stand by that after reading this one. The sequence feels forced! And it puts a damper on my reading experience because of it. If Magician had been a standalone novel, complete (as it were) in itself, why not combine Silverthorn and A Darkness at Sethanon into one novel and release it as a companion novel, or a seperate standalone in the same world, as the later novels in the sequence? Calling this novel the fourth in a sequence brings with it expectations and desires that just weren't met.
A lot of my issues with this book stem from this weird publishing and marketing decision, and while I didn't want it to taint my reading of this book, it truly did. As always, Feist's writing blew my mind, and most of my annotations were praise on the writing. But writing can't be everything, and a number of other things took me out of the novel and made me roll my eyes in defeat!
The Women
I already talked about this in my Magician review but come ON, Feist, what's your problem with women? Before we even reach page 100 the women are conveniently removed from the drama
Then, LO AND BEHOLD, I nearly died of shock. Finally we meet a woman with strength and determination, one who can't be tamed by any man , a real Eowyn type. No matter how strong you make a woman character, her role is undermined when her existence is only to benefit another, and Briana's existence is thus.
The Struggle
A friend told me that Feist writes his novels with no plan for their direction, creating the world and the struggle as he goes. I don't know how reputable my source is, but I wouldn't be surprised if it were true. Too often essential information was conveniently stumbled upon, or conveyed to the characters by a seemingly 'all-knowing' being. It feels like cheating. But it also feels like poor storytelling, and at every twist of the plot that came out of the blue I fell out of the novel. It felt to me like having the characters stumble upon information was a convenient way to tidy up the loose ends of a messy, unplanned novel. Whether this is true, I don't know.
I wouldn't not recommend this saga, and the next few books are still definitely on my TBR. I want to know! I want to know what happens! I want to know if they get better. I want to know if Feist learns how to write women. I want to know what happens to Jimmy and Pug and Tomas and Arutha. But I don't want to suffer through any more wet cheeks on all the ladies or any more omniscient knowledge seemingly bestowed upon the protagonist. So my fingers are very hesitantly crossed.
A lot of my issues with this book stem from this weird publishing and marketing decision, and while I didn't want it to taint my reading of this book, it truly did. As always, Feist's writing blew my mind, and most of my annotations were praise on the writing. But writing can't be everything, and a number of other things took me out of the novel and made me roll my eyes in defeat!
The Women
I already talked about this in my Magician review but come ON, Feist, what's your problem with women? Before we even reach page 100 the women are conveniently removed from the drama
Spoiler
when Arutha sends his wife away 'for safety'. Not to mention the subservient attitude of Anita herself when Arutha commands "You leave tomorrow" and she says she'll "make ready". No challenge to her husband, no questions asked, no backbone? Apparently not.Then, LO AND BEHOLD, I nearly died of shock. Finally we meet a woman with strength and determination, one who can't be tamed by any man , a real Eowyn type.
Spoiler
She calls Martin into her room with a power and agency we haven't seen in any woman before now, save maybe Carline, but that's neither here nor there. But Briana's only role in the novel is to propel Martin's character arc! Without exaggeration, she exists in this world to take him to her bed, catalyse his newfound desire to survive and fill his boots as a political agent in the kingdom, and cry when he leaves for battle (as all hardened commanders do, Im SO sure).The Struggle
A friend told me that Feist writes his novels with no plan for their direction, creating the world and the struggle as he goes. I don't know how reputable my source is, but I wouldn't be surprised if it were true. Too often essential information was conveniently stumbled upon, or conveyed to the characters by a seemingly 'all-knowing' being. It feels like cheating. But it also feels like poor storytelling, and at every twist of the plot that came out of the blue I fell out of the novel.
Spoiler
Especially at the conclusion when Macros returns and relays countless pieces of information to Pug and Tomas. No explanation is given as to how Macros knows these essential things, or as to how they actually work within the universe.I wouldn't not recommend this saga, and the next few books are still definitely on my TBR. I want to know! I want to know what happens! I want to know if they get better. I want to know if Feist learns how to write women. I want to know what happens to Jimmy and Pug and Tomas and Arutha. But I don't want to suffer through any more wet cheeks on all the ladies or any more omniscient knowledge seemingly bestowed upon the protagonist. So my fingers are very hesitantly crossed.
xavierdragnesi's review against another edition
4.0
A solid book to finish off the Riftwar Saga.
Loose ends from the previous books, especially Silverthorn were tied off, and most of the characters received continued development, which was good to see. The set piece battle of Armengar was the highlight for me (as it appears to be for many others), and the reveal of the Enemy was thematically satisfying and made for a good twist. There were definitely moments where it felt like Feist was really coming into his own, and who doesn't love some dragons?
Unfortunately some of my issues from the earlier books continue to affect my judgement of this one. The magic system is still completely obscure, and is further complicated by the different kinds of magics that different characters can wield, none of which are properly elucidated. The addition of a time manipulation sequence, though well written, seemed to extend this fantasy element to a whole new level of surreal. And speaking of time, arbitrary amounts of days and weeks continue to abound in this book, though admittedly they are nowhere near the level of Magician.
I've also noticed Feist's penchant for starting chapters or sections with one liners. Often they do work to create the tone or atmosphere that he's after, but they also lose their effectiveness with overuse. Sadly, now that I've seen it, I cannot unsee.
This concluding book has given me enough incentive to give the other Riftwar novels a chance, which I was honestly expecting not to feel after Magician. However, I'll probably be going to something else first.
Loose ends from the previous books, especially Silverthorn were tied off, and most of the characters received continued development, which was good to see. The set piece battle of Armengar was the highlight for me (as it appears to be for many others), and the reveal of the Enemy was thematically satisfying and made for a good twist. There were definitely moments where it felt like Feist was really coming into his own, and who doesn't love some dragons?
Unfortunately some of my issues from the earlier books continue to affect my judgement of this one. The magic system is still completely obscure, and is further complicated by the different kinds of magics that different characters can wield, none of which are properly elucidated. The addition of a time manipulation sequence, though well written, seemed to extend this fantasy element to a whole new level of surreal. And speaking of time, arbitrary amounts of days and weeks continue to abound in this book, though admittedly they are nowhere near the level of Magician.
I've also noticed Feist's penchant for starting chapters or sections with one liners. Often they do work to create the tone or atmosphere that he's after, but they also lose their effectiveness with overuse. Sadly, now that I've seen it, I cannot unsee.
This concluding book has given me enough incentive to give the other Riftwar novels a chance, which I was honestly expecting not to feel after Magician. However, I'll probably be going to something else first.