| Date: 14 April 2011, 06:47
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With "Magician" Raymond Feist introduced readers to the world of Midkemia and a young boy named Pug who, not by design, became the most powerful magic user on several worlds. Feist introduced the idea of rifts between the worlds and the dangers that was inherent in these rifts. He introduced, through the Riftwar trilogy, how the gods worked and who some other ancient, legendary beings were. "Exile's Return" is the third book of Raymond Feist's latest trilogy "The Conclave of Shadows". It is set some hundred years after the events of "Magician" and while there had been a drop in the quality in Feist's writing in recent years, this series and this volume in particular has been a return to form for Raymond Feist.
"Exile's Return" begins immediately after the conclusion of "King of Foxes" with the former Duke of Olasko spared his life, but exiled to some unknown land on Midkemia. Kaspar of Olasko was the primary villain of the previous two volumes: "Talon of the Silver Hawk" and "King of Foxes". This book marks the first time in Feist's work that a villain would end up as the protagonist of a novel. Kaspar, for those who may need a refresher, was the man who ordered the Orosoni tribe to be slaughtered (Tal Hawkins, the hero of the first two books was the surviving Orosoni), and attempting to instigate a war between the kingdoms of Roldem, Kesh, and the Kingdom of the Isles. In short, he was a bad man. But he was also a man who ended up being in the control of the evil magician Varen. Varen had been an adversary of Pug's for years.
With Kaspar exiled, his first need is to simply survive. He doesn't speak the language nor does he initially know where he is. He wishes to return to Olasko, reclaim his Duchy, and seek revenge against Tal Hawkins. But as the days and weeks and months pass he has time to realize how much of a dupe he was of Varen and how many of his actions were actually not his own idea, though he thought they were at the time. He is shamed, but wants to get home. Feist gives the reader a realistic transformation of Kaspar all the while building the threat that is facing Midkemia. In his attempt to return to his homeland, Kaspar discovers something which will threaten all life on Midkemia. This is nothing new for readers of the series, but Feist is able to spin a good enough story that the constant threat doesn't ring false. Feist also manages to raise the stakes enough that we can believe that the incredibly powerful Pug and his company of magicians are not able to simply wave their hands and make it go away. This is essential, for as long as Pug is alive it is difficult to believe that any threat has any chance of succeeding.
After a disappointing middling trilogy based on video games (the "Krondor" series), Feist has hit his stride with "The Conclave of Shadows" and is building a storyline which is actually going to move into this next trilogy "The Darkwar Saga". "Exile's Return" is a very good Midkemia (or Riftwar) novel, and should be thoroughly enjoyed by any fan of Raymond Feist's work. While I do recommend this book, I would also suggest that any new readers would at least start with "Talon of the Silver Hawk", if not "Magician: Apprentice" as an introduction to Feist's work. There is simply a lot of story and background to get through. But this book here features some of the better writing and characterization (of Kaspar anyway, the rest of the characters are given short shrift) that Feist has produced in recent memory. It is enough to please most readers of this style of fantasy. While "Exile's Return" works as a conclusion to a trilogy, it is also an introduction to a new story because it is very clear that this is only the beginning of something bigger. It only managed to whet my appetite and the wait for the next Riftwar novel will be tough.
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