This was a fun book. I've got quite a few Feist sitting on my shelf mostly because it felt right. I always felt Raymond Feist seemed to rank up their with the greats of epic quest Fantasy with the likes of Weis and Hickman, Brooks and Jordan in terms of pure enjoyment but I since I had never read him, I didn't have any proof. Well now I do, at least from this first volume, I can say I enjoyed this as much as any of the other epics.

Here we have the typical rise from obscurity and poverty to power in the kingdom mostly through circumstance and the awakening of a hidden and misunderstood power, fighting against an evil and vicious foe. This is just the beginning volume of the Riftwar saga, in fact it's the first half of the first volume as it was split for publishing in the US, but if this book is any indication of the rest of the trilogy then I have something to look forward to.

On the downside; this is not deep, the twists and turns so far you can see from a mile away, and you can see some of the newness that comes with being the first work of an author (this is a strength as much as a weakness).

I'm already moved on to book two (or book 1b if you will) and am looking forward to the journey. ( )

One of the top fantasy novels. In typical fashion, it mainly concerns 2 young boys who live in a castle on the frontier of the Kingdom. When the Kingdom comes under attack, the two boys, previously unremarkable, both end up becoming heroes in very different ways. The main characters, Pug and Thomas are remarkable, but so are the other supporting characters - Arutha, Martin, Amos Trask, and many others. The start of a very long series, but it gets off to a very good start. One important thing to remember is that this was written long before the Wheel of Time, before Game of Thrones, before Sword of Truth - before most of the huge modern fantasy epic series. ( )

The first 7 books are excellent (Magicians, Empires & such) & well worth reading. The story paled for me with the next 5 & I never bothered to read any of the Kondor series. Feist is an excellent writer, just the world got old for me. If you like fantasy novels, you really have to read the first 7 though. ( )

Pug is an ordinary kitchen boy, an orphan in the kingdom of Crydee, the western-most duchy of Midkemia. He and his best friend, Tomas, await the day they will be selected for an apprenticeship, marking their ascent into adulthood. Tomas is chosen to apprentice as a soldier, while Pug, to everyone's surprise, is chosen to apprentice the magician, Kulgan. Pug has a boyhood crush on the Princess Carline, but soon finds her to be snobbish and willful. After rescuing her one day from trolls, he finds himself awarded a title and land, eating meals with the Duc and his family, a peer of the realm and an object of fascination for the princess. When a mysterious ship crashes upon their shores, Pug and the others realize they are on the brink of invasion by an alien nation from another world, the Tsurani, a warlike people driven by powerful magicians. The Duc of Crydee sets out for the far East in the hopes of warning the king, taking both Pug and Tomas with him. Along the way the boys get separated, Pug continuing on with the duc and Tomas wintering in the mountains with the dwarves - during this time both boys begin to discover their destinies. The story ends on a cliffhanger, with Pug being captured by the Tsurani and taken to their world.

Feist's style of writing is a bit different from what I am used to reading. It seems to lack a certain depth and emotion, almost as if he is just skimming the surface of description - like a man lacking imagination (not trying to sound sexist). The magic that is alluded to is mentioned only briefly and then shunted aside with no real development. It is a quick read, though, and once I got used to the writing I enjoyed the book enough to make me want to read the sequels. ( )

A good story, and a good premise (albeit one overused), but I found the characters lacking a certain depth -- everyone came off as shallow or static to me. ( )