Talon of the Silver Hawk

Heroes Journey. Traditional.

That being said, I honestly had a good time following this future era, post-Krondor war building of a hero. Young/old Pug is here, briefly, but for the most part, this is not of magic, but the crafting of one quick boy into a hell of a weapon.

Simple premise, really, and one we've all seen, but I really enjoyed the journey. The last of his tribe, he's taken in by the Conclave of Shadows, full of magicians and spies, trained and inducted in their order, and is sent out into the world to infiltrate and get everyone ready for the evil that spreads through the land.

This is Feist at his most crafty. The story might be old but it is still very entertaining. Lots of sword-play, some intrigue, and even more REVENGE. show more :) In other words, all the things we usually turn to when it comes to old-style fantasy. I've read much worse and only a few that do this better. But all-in-all? I can definitely recommend this for sheer entertainment value if not world-building, epic-building, or mind-blowing reveals. show less

Talon of the Silver Hawk is the first book in Conclave of Shadows, yet another subseries in the very long Riftwar Cycle by Raymond E. Feist. After the previous 7 books which had returned to some earlier time periods in the series, this book resumes our forward chronological progress and is set about 30 years after the Serpentwar Saga.

This was a solid, entertaining read. It mostly focused on brand new characters and less familiar settings. I really liked the characters, including the main character, Talon. Talon was maybe a bit too talented with too many different types of skills to be completely believable, but I enjoyed him and his story anyway. This book didn’t hold anything groundbreaking or unusual for epic fantasy, and in fact it show more depended on several tried and true tropes, but Feist writes them well and I never lost interest.

I had been hoping to see some follow-up with Jimmy the Hand’s grandsons, Jimmy and Dash, but the 30-year jump in the time frame means we skipped over the events I’d been interested in seeing at the end of the Serpentwar Saga. The characters were briefly mentioned, but not seen. I don’t know if we’ll get to see more of them in later books, but I get the impression from the subseries titles of the remaining books that we probably won’t go back in time to fill in any of that 30-year gap unless there are some flashbacks. In any case, I also look forward to seeing what happens next with the characters introduced in this book. show less

I really liked this book. This is the start of a new trilogy, and it brought me back to the days of Feist's first books about Midkemia. By starting out with a new generation of heroes, and specifically a new hero, he starts off fresh. He also moves out of the Kingdom of the Isles into new countries, developing fresh parts of Midkemia. This book has his usual good personalities, good plotting, and excellent use of standard fantasy elements, but not to excess. Good stuff.

Een jongen wordt, tijdens zijn naamgevings rite, getroffen door het noodlot. Zijn hele stam is uitgemoord, en zelf overleeft hij het... ternauwernood. Zijn eer verlangt een bloedwraak. Voor het zover is, moet hij eerst nog veel ontwikkelingen en jaren van trainingen doorstaan. Hij ontmoet vele mensen, die hem helpen om een krachtige strijder te worden. Meerdere malen kruipt hij door de oog van de naald

Dit was weer eens een Feist zoals ik die graag lees. Een verhaal dat zich rustig opbouwt om de lezer in de goede stemming te krijgen. De personages komen echt genoeg over. Weinig fantasy echter, daarom geen 5 sterren.
De ontwikkeling van de personage 'Klauw ' is goed. De jongen leert lezen/schrijven, zwaardvechten etc., en wordt opgenomen show more in 'het conclaaf der schaduwen'. Jammer alleen dat 'Klauw' in alles zo heel erg goed is. Het zou wat realistischer zijn geweest als hij in sommige dingen wat minder goed was, maar dan hadden Puc, Robert, Magnus en Nakur hem waarschijnlijk niet op zijn missie gestuurd. show less

I found this enjoyable enough I could see looking up the two other books in this trilogy, although I'm not in a hurry, and in that in line with how I felt about the other Feist book I've read, Magician: Apprentice also set in this universe. I believe that other book was among the first Feist ever wrote, and I do find Talon a better, smoother read than I remember that book being. The setting is fairly routine in fantasy--reminiscent of medieval/renaissance Europe, although there are hints of a science-fiction gloss and even mentions of other worlds and alien beings.

This particular book is built around the classic revenge plot--the book opens as Talon's people are destroyed--for which he vows revenge. I felt too much of Part One: Orphan show more was set-up about Talon's training to become a spy. Part Two: Mercenary was more involving to me as Talon finally was put into play as an agent.

I did like Talon. Nevertheless, I was left feeling distanced from him. Maybe it's a girl thing. Women are pretty much only bed-warmers in this novel. Even in terms of just friendship, with Talon's family all gone from the beginning, he never really relates to anyone with deep emotion. Pretty much everyone around him, even the "good guys" (as they keep insisting they are) just uses Talon, ruthlessly honing him into a weapon. So there's no leavening romance or friendship or comradeship here--not really. I think that's why I'm in no hurry to pick up the next book even though this tale was a pleasant ride. show less

Note - First book in Conclave of Shadows, a 3 book series.

Talon returns to his home after completing his manhood ritual, to find his family and all of the Orosini mountain tribe, the only people he’s ever known, being attacked by ruthless mercenaries. He tries to help them, but is knocked unconscious and left for dead. He is saved by a mysterious man named Robert and put to work in a tavern that Robert is staying at. This however is just a test, and once he is considered worthy, he begins his training. The training lasts several years, before his allowed to to swear allegiance to the Conclave of Shadows…

This is Raymond E. Feist at his best, or certainly damn close to it. It’s book one in a series, and as such lacks the overall show more complexity and scope of his first book Magician, but then it is only introducing the characters and the story. It’s so much better than many of Feist’s recent books, marking a return to the form of the Riftwar and Serpentwar saga. When reading this book, I felt transported into the world, living each moment within the pages of the book. It is a feeling that has been all too rare of late. Highly recommended. show less

The start of a new era, time has obviously moved on and the Conclave of Shadows trains up a young boy to be an agent for them. Well written, good pace and interest, enjoyable start to series.