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A review by cslwoodward
Rise of a Merchant Prince by Raymond E. Feist
4.0
For a book written in 1995 and republished in 2015, you'd think they'd have ironed out any spelling mistakes throughout. Apparently not. Misspelling the protagonist's name, using wrong words in sentences and leaving out quotation marks are generally not considered okay things to do when writing a novel.
Prior to reading this, I came across a review that claimed "I didn't think I'd enjoy a novel with the words 'merchant' and 'prince' in the title as much as I did" and after finishing Rise of a Merchant Prince, I agree with that statement. I enjoyed this book far more than I thought I would. It has its flaws, some of them bigger than others but for the first 60% of the book I had a blast. The back end was still enjoyable but the focus was taken away from Roo, going back to Erik and his elite army unit for more than I would have liked. What they got up to was fine but occasionally losing me mid sentence in its descriptions was a downside. The encounters they make in the final 50 pages are worth their inclusion, sans what felt like a drag with the Pantathians. The action that takes place throughout is well written for what it is, it's not groundbreaking or masterfully crafted, rather it works at conveying what is needed to the reader, though Feist's writing blooms with Roo's social interactions and attempts to make a name for himself in Krondor.
Speaking of which
For a book that primarily takes place in Midkemia, you'd think a map for that would be included rather than JUST Novindus, a location that takes up less than 1/5th of the book. Include both maps (like the previous book in the series) or none at all. I still got a good enough sense of direction when places were described in relation to Krondor, given that the majority of Roo's story takes place there.
Anyway.
The story finished with unresolved/unsatisfying plot points. Nothing was really done with after they were introduced into the story, they just kinda did nothing until they were mentioned again 3/5th into the book. is just kinda left there at the end, perhaps to be covered in the next book but certainly not in this one. What felt like a great point to finish on is somewhat diminished by the inclusion of the epilogue, basically Yeah, I agree that as a reader you can feel better by knowing rather than waiting for the next book, but boy oh boy, were there a lot of throughout as well. Yes, I get it.
I've found Feist has a habit for learning about something and writing a lot about it in his books. It may not be what actually happens but it sure feels like it. War, horses, tides, politics and now the stock market! He wrote about this really well, namely about Roo learning the ups and downs along with the reader while keeping it interesting the whole time. Whether or not it's realistic, I think enough artistic liberties were given to keep the reader's interest. I especially loved the idea of Barrett's place, I had jazzy cafe music playing in my head whenever scenes were taking place there.
In conclusion:
It's an enjoyable book about someone trying to make a living after life gave them lemons in the first book. Worth the read if you read the first one, potentially works as a standalone with the clarifications and reminders Feist superbly throws in throughout without feeling cluttered or unnecessary (mostly).
Prior to reading this, I came across a review that claimed "I didn't think I'd enjoy a novel with the words 'merchant' and 'prince' in the title as much as I did" and after finishing Rise of a Merchant Prince, I agree with that statement. I enjoyed this book far more than I thought I would. It has its flaws, some of them bigger than others but for the first 60% of the book I had a blast. The back end was still enjoyable but the focus was taken away from Roo, going back to Erik and his elite army unit for more than I would have liked. What they got up to was fine but occasionally losing me mid sentence in its descriptions was a downside. The encounters they make in the final 50 pages are worth their inclusion, sans what felt like a drag with the Pantathians. The action that takes place throughout is well written for what it is, it's not groundbreaking or masterfully crafted, rather it works at conveying what is needed to the reader, though Feist's writing blooms with Roo's social interactions and attempts to make a name for himself in Krondor.
Speaking of which
For a book that primarily takes place in Midkemia, you'd think a map for that would be included rather than JUST Novindus, a location that takes up less than 1/5th of the book. Include both maps (like the previous book in the series) or none at all. I still got a good enough sense of direction when places were described in relation to Krondor, given that the majority of Roo's story takes place there.
Anyway.
The story finished with unresolved/unsatisfying plot points. Nothing was really done with
Spoiler
KittySpoiler
The Sylvia and Karli situationSpoiler
time skipping two months to save the people trapped on the island, telling you everything that they were able to do to survive there over the course of 5 pages.Spoiler
time jumpsSpoiler
You can't reasonably expect to chronicle Roo's amassing of such wealth without using them while trying to cover everything Erik and company do within 500 pages.I've found Feist has a habit for learning about something and writing a lot about it in his books. It may not be what actually happens but it sure feels like it. War, horses, tides, politics and now the stock market! He wrote about this really well, namely about Roo learning the ups and downs along with the reader while keeping it interesting the whole time. Whether or not it's realistic, I think enough artistic liberties were given to keep the reader's interest. I especially loved the idea of Barrett's place, I had jazzy cafe music playing in my head whenever scenes were taking place there.
In conclusion:
It's an enjoyable book about someone trying to make a living after life gave them lemons in the first book. Worth the read if you read the first one, potentially works as a standalone with the clarifications and reminders Feist superbly throws in throughout without feeling cluttered or unnecessary (mostly).