Krondor: The Assassins
by Raymond E. Feist
The Riftwar Legacy (2), The Riftwar Cycle: Publication (Series Blocks) (7), The Riftwar Cycle: Chronological (11 (Riftwar Legacy 02)), The Riftwar Cycle, Alternative Reading Order (14 (Riftwar Legacy 02)), The Riftwar Cycle: Publication (Series Name) (The Riftwar Legacy, 2)
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A plague of murder has overrun Krondor, the glorious center of the kingdom of Midkemia. Prince Arutha--newly returned from battle with the Morehdel chieftain Delekhan and the renegade magician Makala--is concerned about the rash of unexplained assassinations in his capital city. And so he dispatches his most trusted agent, Squire James--formerly the thief known as Jimmy the Hand--to discover the source of the deadly epidemic. James' hunt will lead him to the dank depths of Krondor, through show more subterranean tunnel and sewer system to a terrible war that is raging in secret far beneath the streets. For here rival criminal gangs are locked in a death struggle for control of a city's vice--dangerous gangsters who go by the name "Mockers"...and others in the thrall of a mysterious being known as "The Crawler." But the deeper he delves, the closer Squire James gets to the true nature of the horror that has already left untold dead in its wake, a nightmare of corruption and deceit that threatens to destroy his liege and reduce Krondor to ruins. Ensnared by dark, intricate plots and dastardly magics, James must now race to prevent one last murder, the one craven, unthinkable slaying that will plunge Krondor into the all-consuming flames of war without quarter. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
Beter dan het vorige deel Het verraad, dat een bewerking was van een computerspel.
Interessante sub-plots en intrige's. Het boek had een goede vaart en problemen werden opgelost door menselijk vernuft en moed, in plaats van te vertrouwen op Puc's magische krachten. Eindelijk zien we wat er in de jeugd van William gebeurde.
Goede karakterontwikkeling, een verhaal dat je lokt en je niet los laat voor je het helemaal gelezen heb.
Interessante sub-plots en intrige's. Het boek had een goede vaart en problemen werden opgelost door menselijk vernuft en moed, in plaats van te vertrouwen op Puc's magische krachten. Eindelijk zien we wat er in de jeugd van William gebeurde.
Goede karakterontwikkeling, een verhaal dat je lokt en je niet los laat voor je het helemaal gelezen heb.
This is the second book in the Riftwar Legacy, part of the much larger Riftwar Cycle. Theoretically I had read this book before, but I remembered absolutely nothing about it. While my memories of most of these books have been very faint after 20 years, I usually remember something, however minor or vague.
I enjoyed this one a lot. It features Jimmy heavily, which definitely contributed to that enjoyment. There’s also quite a lot of Arutha, at least compared to the last several books, and lots of fun dialogue. The story itself was quite suspenseful at times. There were some overly-convenient things, a fairly common occurrence in these books really, so I might have rolled my eyes a few times, but the story held my attention well. We also show more spend quite a bit of time with William,Pug’s son , a character who showed up quite a bit in the previous subseries which is set many years later but whom we never really got to know.
Unlike the first book in this subseries, this one is not based on a video game. However, it bridges the gap between that book and the third book which was also based on a video game. Although the most immediate problems are wrapped up by the end, there are still quite a few open questions. Much of what is introduced in this book is actually setup for the events in the next book.
I’m probably being overly generous with my 4.5 star rating. There’s nothing earthshattering or groundbreaking here, and it’s not even one of Feist’s best books if I were being completely objective about it. I just really had a lot of fun reading it and my ratings are almost completely based on my enjoyment level. I’m rounding down to 4 on Goodreads since I can’t justify 5 stars.
The comments in my spoiler tags will explain one other silly reason why this book made me so happy. Although it's a somewhat minor spoiler, it also spoils things in some of the previous subseries that are set chronologically after this one.
I remember being quite annoyed in Prince of the Blood when Arutha announced his intentions to send Jimmy to Rillanon to become the Duke there. I was so annoyed by it that it’s the main thing I remembered about the book 20 years later. We all knew Jimmy loved Krondor, knew the city like the back of his hand, was very loyal to Arutha, and had always aspired to become the Duke of Krondor. So why on earth would Arutha send him to Rillanon? He does end up Duke of Krondor many years later in the Serpentwar Saga, but the business with him being sent to Rillanon was never explained or even really mentioned again from what I remember.
Well, that’s explained in this book -- twice. Even though the explanation was written later, it didn’t feel shoe-horned in because it tied with things mentioned in those earlier books and felt like a perfectly logical explanation. Having the satisfaction of that 20-year-old-annoyance being resolved would have been worth the time spent reading this book even if I hadn’t enjoyed anything else about it. This makes me wonder if maybe I somehow missed reading this book altogether the first time around. I thought I had read it, but between not having made such an obvious connection and not remembering anything else about this story, maybe I didn’t. Since this book was written later, it also made me wonder if it was added because it was something Feist himself had wanted to clarify, or if it was a response to fan reactions because other readers were as annoyed by it as I was. show less
I enjoyed this one a lot. It features Jimmy heavily, which definitely contributed to that enjoyment. There’s also quite a lot of Arutha, at least compared to the last several books, and lots of fun dialogue. The story itself was quite suspenseful at times. There were some overly-convenient things, a fairly common occurrence in these books really, so I might have rolled my eyes a few times, but the story held my attention well. We also show more spend quite a bit of time with William,
Unlike the first book in this subseries, this one is not based on a video game. However, it bridges the gap between that book and the third book which was also based on a video game. Although the most immediate problems are wrapped up by the end, there are still quite a few open questions. Much of what is introduced in this book is actually setup for the events in the next book.
I’m probably being overly generous with my 4.5 star rating. There’s nothing earthshattering or groundbreaking here, and it’s not even one of Feist’s best books if I were being completely objective about it. I just really had a lot of fun reading it and my ratings are almost completely based on my enjoyment level. I’m rounding down to 4 on Goodreads since I can’t justify 5 stars.
The comments in my spoiler tags will explain one other silly reason why this book made me so happy. Although it's a somewhat minor spoiler, it also spoils things in some of the previous subseries that are set chronologically after this one.
Well, that’s explained in this book -- twice. Even though the explanation was written later, it didn’t feel shoe-horned in because it tied with things mentioned in those earlier books and felt like a perfectly logical explanation. Having the satisfaction of that 20-year-old-annoyance being resolved would have been worth the time spent reading this book even if I hadn’t enjoyed anything else about it. This makes me wonder if maybe I somehow missed reading this book altogether the first time around. I thought I had read it, but between not having made such an obvious connection and not remembering anything else about this story, maybe I didn’t. Since this book was written later, it also made me wonder if it was added because it was something Feist himself had wanted to clarify, or if it was a response to fan reactions because other readers were as annoyed by it as I was.
Better after the last one, 'Betrayal', this one reads like a Feist book, focusing on Squire James, and the problems in the underbelly of Krondor, and its consequences.
For those fans of Jimmy the Hand wanting all the hints of adventure he must have had as a Squire in Arutha's court, becoming a spymaster, hunting down assassins, then this is the book for you.
It's weird going back in time to the days after the original Riftwar like this but I'll admit the story potentials are rather rich. If small, focused, and detailed. :)
In some ways, the end of this novel feels like a slightly more awesome ending to Silverthorn. No complaints. At all. Lots of action, character development, skullduggery, infiltration, and all-around fun fantasy thievery. :)
It's weird going back in time to the days after the original Riftwar like this but I'll admit the story potentials are rather rich. If small, focused, and detailed. :)
In some ways, the end of this novel feels like a slightly more awesome ending to Silverthorn. No complaints. At all. Lots of action, character development, skullduggery, infiltration, and all-around fun fantasy thievery. :)
This book should be popular with Feist fans for one particular reason, because it features one of the best characters of the early books, Jimmy the Hand. Jimmy must track down a rash of assassinations and murders in Krondor, using his old connections to find out who's behind them and stop them before they cause a disaster. This book is a little more personal than most Feist books, as there are no large armies or hordes of invaders, and the key to solving everything isn't magic, its Jimmy's cleverness.
Squire James, formerly Jimmy the Hand, investigates a series of brutal murders in Krondor, revealing a criminal war led by The Crawler and a larger, dangerous plot against Prince Arutha by the Duke of Olasko, often featuring dark magic and the Nighthawks.
Prince Arutha returns to a fearful Krondor, plagued by strange assassinations and a war between the Mockers, the local thieves' guild, and a new, ruthless gang known as The Crawler. Squire James goes deep into the city's underbelly and sewers to identify the perpetrators of the murders, discovering a threat far more organized than mere street crime.
Tensions rise with the arrival of the Duke of Olasko and his entourage, whose seemingly friendly visit hides a sinister intent aimed at the show more Kingdom of the Isles. show less
Prince Arutha returns to a fearful Krondor, plagued by strange assassinations and a war between the Mockers, the local thieves' guild, and a new, ruthless gang known as The Crawler. Squire James goes deep into the city's underbelly and sewers to identify the perpetrators of the murders, discovering a threat far more organized than mere street crime.
Tensions rise with the arrival of the Duke of Olasko and his entourage, whose seemingly friendly visit hides a sinister intent aimed at the show more Kingdom of the Isles. show less
This book follows on pretty much directly from the events in 'Krondor: The Betrayal' but the castoff characters has been widened out a bit as we get to meet William, Pug's only natural child,. in his first outings as a junior commander in Arutha's military.. This time the Nighthawks, or something very similar to them, are back mixed in with a load of shapeshifting mages - what's not to like!
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Author Information
153+ Works 96,524 Members
Fantasy writer Raymond E. Feist was born in Southern California. He received a B.A. in Communication Arts with honors from the University of California at San Diego in 1977. His first novel, Magician, published in 1982 is the first book of The Riftwar Saga. His other series include The Serpentwar Saga, The Empire Trilogy, The Riftwar Legacy, show more Krondor's Sons, Legends of the Riftwar, Conclave of Shadows, Darkwar Saga, Chaoswar Saga, Demonwar Saga, and The Firemane Saga. Feist's work appears regularly on the bestseller lists of The New York Times and The Times of London. He has also worked with Sierra Studios and PyroTechnix to produce a role-playing game. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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Series
The Riftwar Legacy
4 works (2)
The Riftwar Cycle: Publication (Series Blocks)
30 works (7)
The Riftwar Cycle: Chronological
32 works (11 (Riftwar Legacy 02))
The Riftwar Cycle, Alternative Reading Order
33 works (14 (Riftwar Legacy 02))
The Riftwar Cycle: Publication (Series Name)
31 works (The Riftwar Legacy, 2)
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Krondor: The Assassins
- Original title
- Krondor : the assassins
- Original publication date
- 1999
- People/Characters
- Amos Trask; Jimmy the Hand
- Important places
- Midkemia
- Dedication
- This book is dedicated to all the editors who have put up with, inspired, corrected, and aided me, to the ends of improving the work and making me look good: Adrian Zackheim, Nick Austin, Pat LoBrutto, Janna Silverstein, Malc... (show all)olm Edwards, and my current guides, Jennifer Brehl and Jane Johnson.
Also, to Peter Schneider, who has done far more on my behalf than he realizes.
My deepest thanks to them all.
Raymond E. Feist
Rancho Santa Fe, CA
May 1999 - First words
- Lines of soldiers marched along the ridge.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)As the large pirate climbed out of the boat and walked knee-deep through the brine towards Sidi, the magician basked in the knowledge of ultimate victory.
- Original language*
- Englisch
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.
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