Rise of a Merchant Prince

Raymond E. Feist's stunning national best-seller Shadow of a Dark Queen reestablished his reputation as an unparalleled storyteller and a major name in the fantasy field. And now he returns us once again to the wondrous, perilous world of Midkemia.

The hideous Sauur have invaded the beleaguered planet through a dimensional fault. A dread race of serpents, they continue their merciless conquest of the farther reaches of Midkemia, on a seemingly unstoppable drive to enslave the entire population.

Friends since childhood, noble Erik and cunning Roo have survived numerous trials to bring a warning to the rulers of the Empire, and are now free to pursue their individual destinies. Ever loyal, Erik chooses to remain in the army to confront Midkemia's enemies. Roo's ambitions, however, are for wealth and power. And through a combination of skill, luck, diplomacy, and bare-knuckled boldness - and a timely marriage to the daughter of a wealthy merchant - the crafty charmer rises high and fast in the world of trade... and attains riches beyond his dreams.

But with luxury come carelessness and a vulnerability to the desires of the flesh - as the ruthless machinations of a beautiful seductress threaten to obliterate everything that Roo has built and all that he has become by summoning catastrophe into his future - and terror into his world.