Shadow of a Dark Queen
A compelling new series from the creator of the Riftwar saga.
From a true master of the fantasy genre comes the first volume in the long awaited Serpentwar Saga, set in the same imagined world as Raymond E. Feist's bestselling Riftwar books. Shadow of a Dark Queen is a stunning confirmation of Raymond E. Feist's reputaion as one of the most accomplished fantasy writers of our time.
Something dark is moving in distant nations, and great and ancient
powers ready themselves for a final confrontation. A Dark Queen has
raised a standard in remote lands and is gathering armies of unmatched
might.
Into this battleground of good and evil comes a band of 'desperate
men', among them, Erik, bastard son of the Baron of Darkmoor and his
boyhood friend, Roo. They join with Calis, neither man nor elf, a being
of incredible strength and skills who is apparently ageless; Calis's
right hand man, Robert de Loungville who is willing to die for his
master - and kill for him as well; Luis the Rodezian, Billy Goodwin and
Sho-Pi - each with his own reasons for embarking on a quest that is at
best dangerous and at worst suicidal.
These six join a company of condemned criminals, disguised as
mercenaries, whose only hope for survival is to travel to face this
ancient power and discover its true nature. With them travel Nakor the
Isalani, the gambler who knows more magic than most magicians, yet who
claims magic doesn't exist. He alone knows the true nature of the Dark
Queen whose shadow threatens to engulf their world.
And there is the mysterious Miranda upon whom all must wager their
lives. She appears to be an ally but knows much more than she is willing to tell. Does she have a hidden agenda of her own? And will she prove
ally or even more deadly foe when the final confrontation is at hand?
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Raymond E. Feist
In a genre where worlds are often born from maps and ancient bloodlines, Raymond E. Feist did something different—he began with a game. What started as a Dungeons & Dragons-style campaign with friends at the University of California, San Diego eventually evolved into Midkemia, a richly imagined realm that would become the backdrop for one of epic fantasy’s most enduring sagas. But it wasn’t just the magic, battles, or sprawling kingdoms that drew readers in—it was Feist’s uncanny ability to make the fate of the world hinge on the journey of a kitchen boy named Pug.
The Serpentwar Saga
The Serpentwar Saga consists of four books. The current recommended reading order for the series is provided below.
Main series The Riftwar Cycle
Reviews and Comments
After reading the previous book from Feist (King's Buccaneer, part II of Krondor's Sons) and not liking it at all, I had serious doubts about this one. For a reader who has followed Feist through his previous series, this one offers little that is new. Although it is clear that this is not exactly a stand alone novel, the biggest problem was that I just didn't grow fond enough of the characters to care about what happens to them in the sequels. Feist tells bluntly what happens and why, not leaving much room for surprises. The narrating style makes me suspect that the author thinks his audience is a bit dense.. Shadow of a Dark Queen is not a terrible book (but not terribly good either) and kept me entertained enough to read all 500 pages of it.
Shadow of a Dark Queen is the first book of The Serpentwar Saga. I enjoyed reading this book, although it wasn't as the previous books (Magician etc). By the way, if you've read the Finnish translations of The Serpentwar Saga books, you should definitely read Magician, Silverthorn, A Darkness at Sethanon, Prince of the Blood and The King's Buccaneer before you begin to read this series. If you haven't read these books, you probably won't enjoy reading The Serpentwar Saga.