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Overview
The dread plot to destroy the Empire of Great Kesh has failed. The Conclave of Shadows has ended the murderous Nighthawk brotherhood's horrific reign of terror and death. But the mad sorcerer, Leso Varen, has fled, taking refuge among the most powerful men and women on Kelewan—a world now threatened, along with Midkemia, by hordes of the most vicious warriors in the known universe. The great sorcerer Pug knows of no power that will vanquish these invaders. And now he, brave Magnus and Nakor, and a disturbing young stranger named Bek must venture into the poisonous heart of the Dasati realm—the most terrible place they have ever encountered—in a valiant, impossible attempt to turn the tides against the encroaching doom that would swallow their world.
Synopsis
The dread plot to destroy the Empire of Great Kesh has failed. The Conclave of Shadows has ended the murderous Nighthawk brotherhood's horrific reign of terror and death. But the mad sorcerer, Leso Varen, has fled, taking refuge among the most powerful men and women on Kelewan—a world now threatened, along with Midkemia, by hordes of the most vicious warriors in the known universe. The great sorcerer Pug knows of no power that will vanquish these invaders. And now he, brave Magnus and Nakor, and a disturbing young stranger named Bek must venture into the poisonous heart of the Dasati realm—the most terrible place they have ever encountered—in a valiant, impossible attempt to turn the tides against the encroaching doom that would swallow their world.
Publishers Weekly
Feist's competent but uninventive second installment to his Darkwar Saga (after 2006's Flight of the Nighthawks) follows Pug the wizard and his grandsons Jommy, Tad and Zane, now of military age on their various magic-enhanced and bloody military quests to defy evil. Pug's search for the renegade sorcerer Leso Varen takes him from the land of Midkemia into the realm of the bloodthirsty Dasati, who are planning a war on behalf of their Dark God. Feist's narrative also follows the coming-of-age of the young Dasati warrior Valko, whose eventual enlightenment makes him an ally for Pug. Meanwhile, Pug's grandsons go to the University of Roldem, take commissions in its embattled army and prove themselves formidable soldiers. The author's depictions of battles, torture and the Social Darwinism of the ruthless Dasati society may not be suited to fantasy readers of all ages, but Feist's fans will look forward to the saga's final episode. (Apr.)
Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.Editorials
From Barnes & Noble
The Barnes & Noble ReviewAfter more than two dozen fantasy novels based in his signature worlds of Midkemia and Kelewan, Raymond E. Feist's Into a Dark Realm -- the second book in the Darkwar saga -- is arguably his most ambitious work to date, incorporating story lines from virtually every one of his previous Midkemia/Kelewan novels.
With the members of the Guild of Assassins being systematically tracked down and eradicated, Midkemia is, for the moment, relatively peaceful. But with insane necromancer Leso Varen hiding out somewhere in the world of Kelewan and unexplainable spacial rifts appearing throughout the realm, the magician Pug and the rest of the Conclave of Shadows know that something catastrophic could be looming on the horizon. That something is a Riftwar to end all Riftwars -- and in order to stop the annihilation of hundreds of thousands of innocents, Pug and a small group of allies must travel to the homeworld of the Dasati, a race of cold-blooded killers whose nightmarish realm has been described as Hell itself.
Since the release of Magician in 1982, Feist's ongoing Midkemia sequence has consistently been one of the highest-quality fantasy sagas around -- not only in terms of pure entertainment value but specifically concerning character development, world-building, narrative scope, and thematic complexity. When all is said and done, Feist's realm of Midkemia -- and all of its peripheral realities -- will be remembered as one of the most historied and richly described fantasy realms ever imagined: comparable to Tolkien's Middle-earth, Silverberg's Majipoor, and Brooks's Shannara. Fantasy fans who have yet to experience the majestic magic and mayhem of Midkemia should do so soon: As far as epic fantasy story lines go, this is the crème de la crème. Paul Goat Allen
Publishers Weekly
Feist's competent but uninventive second installment to his Darkwar Saga (after 2006's Flight of the Nighthawks) follows Pug the wizard and his grandsons—Jommy, Tad and Zane, now of military age—on their various magic-enhanced and bloody military quests to defy evil. Pug's search for the renegade sorcerer Leso Varen takes him from the land of Midkemia into the realm of the bloodthirsty Dasati, who are planning a war on behalf of their Dark God. Feist's narrative also follows the coming-of-age of the young Dasati warrior Valko, whose eventual enlightenment makes him an ally for Pug. Meanwhile, Pug's grandsons go to the University of Roldem, take commissions in its embattled army and prove themselves formidable soldiers. The author's depictions of battles, torture and the Social Darwinism of the ruthless Dasati society may not be suited to fantasy readers of all ages, but Feist's fans will look forward to the saga's final episode. (Apr.)
Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.Library Journal
The magician Pug and his Conclave of Shadows has beaten back the threat of civil war stemming from the terrorist actions of the Nighthawks, but another, darker threat arises that stems not from the world of Midkemia but from another realm, home of the murderous Dasati warriors. To save his world, Pug, his son Magnus, and two other companions must find a way to enter the world of the Dasati, an action that might mean their deaths. The author of Magician, Flight of the Nighthawks, and numerous other novels set in the world of Midkemia now introduces a new dimension to his universe and added new depth to recurring characters while creating fascinating new heroes and villains. With a fast pace and clean, crisp storytelling, this fantasy saga belongs in most libraries.—Jackie Cassada