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A review by ricksilva
Prince of the Blood by Raymond E. Feist
3.0
For purposes of disclosure: This is the first book I have read from this world/series (actually, the first book I have read by this author at all). So I am not precisely the target audience, as this story plays the nostalgia card quite a bit, as it serves as a kind of soft reboot, bringing back (presumably) beloved characters from previous stories, now in middle age and serving in more of a mentor role to a new generation.
In this case, the new generation consists of the twin Princes of the Isles, Borric and Erland, who are charged with undertaking a diplomatic mission in the hopes that they will begin to settle into their roles as future leaders and mature a bit from the spoiled-brat troublemakers that they are presented as at the beginning of the book.
The mission takes them to the great empire of Kesh, where everything is bigger, more impressive, and wears less clothing. Fate quickly separates the young princes and all manner of peril and intrigue follow.
As a sword and sorcery adventure, this is completely serviceable, with good escapes (a really clever sailing chase scene was far and above the best thing in the whole book) and fight scenes, some fairly complex palace intrigue, a sprinkling of magic, and a climax the ties together the loose threads handily.
It's also full of so much male gaze. It felt less nostalgic for me, and more just awkwardly out of date.
It dwelled a bit too much on hints of the previous stories, and I didn't feel like it was always using the returning characters to their full potential. It also introduced a trickster/magician character who was a kind of walking deus-ex-machina with a bag of holding, and proceeded to use him as too easy a solution in too many crucial moments.
It did succeed in showing some decent growth with the two protagonists, and the supporting cast included some fairly interesting characters. The descriptions and worldbuilding were well-crafted, if a little familiar, and the book certainly had a good sense of fun from start to finish.
In this case, the new generation consists of the twin Princes of the Isles, Borric and Erland, who are charged with undertaking a diplomatic mission in the hopes that they will begin to settle into their roles as future leaders and mature a bit from the spoiled-brat troublemakers that they are presented as at the beginning of the book.
The mission takes them to the great empire of Kesh, where everything is bigger, more impressive, and wears less clothing. Fate quickly separates the young princes and all manner of peril and intrigue follow.
As a sword and sorcery adventure, this is completely serviceable, with good escapes (a really clever sailing chase scene was far and above the best thing in the whole book) and fight scenes, some fairly complex palace intrigue, a sprinkling of magic, and a climax the ties together the loose threads handily.
It's also full of so much male gaze. It felt less nostalgic for me, and more just awkwardly out of date.
It dwelled a bit too much on hints of the previous stories, and I didn't feel like it was always using the returning characters to their full potential. It also introduced a trickster/magician character who was a kind of walking deus-ex-machina with a bag of holding, and proceeded to use him as too easy a solution in too many crucial moments.
It did succeed in showing some decent growth with the two protagonists, and the supporting cast included some fairly interesting characters. The descriptions and worldbuilding were well-crafted, if a little familiar, and the book certainly had a good sense of fun from start to finish.