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A review by duffypratt
Prince of the Blood by Raymond E. Feist
3.0
The makers of "Seinfeld" had a motto: "No hugs, no learning." It's one of the things I like, for example, about dark fantasy a la Joe Abercrombie. Feist puts himself more to the other end of the spectrum. A pair of royal twins get sent to a foreign land for a light diplomatic mission, and for some seasoning. There are assassination attempts, sales into slavery, some betrayals, a lot of good old fashioned male fantasy sex, and, in the end, lots of hugs and lots of learning. I enjoyed it, though I found it mostly predictable.
I especially liked the development into old age of Jimmy the Hand, a favorite from the Riftwar series. And also the introduction of Nakor, a mad magician who insists he is merely a trickster. I think Feist did a pretty good job with laying out the empire of Keth, plying it with political intrigue, and keeping something of a mystery/suspense plot going. I found the whole thing enjoyable, but somewhat mediocre. I have the impression that Feist writes consistently good, and entertaining books, but that they aren't great.
I especially liked the development into old age of Jimmy the Hand, a favorite from the Riftwar series. And also the introduction of Nakor, a mad magician who insists he is merely a trickster. I think Feist did a pretty good job with laying out the empire of Keth, plying it with political intrigue, and keeping something of a mystery/suspense plot going. I found the whole thing enjoyable, but somewhat mediocre. I have the impression that Feist writes consistently good, and entertaining books, but that they aren't great.