Daughter of the Empire

Surprisingly good, given how boring and cardboard Feist's Midkemia characters tend to be. The protagonist is not really a nice person--she is a slaver after all-but she is interesting, and I was caught up in her courtly intrigues. It is tempting to attribute the uptick in quality to departing the generic Tolkien-esque Midkemia setting for the vaguely Asian/Mesoamerican Kelewan. In reality, I suspect Feist's coauthor Jenny Wurts deserves the credit. My main complaint is that the novel focuses on how the protagonist navigates the aristocratic circles of the Tsuranuanni Empire, governed by byzantine rules of honor and gentility, and often the narrative progresses by the authors introducing a new rule that works in favor of the protagonist. show more It is a common trope in science fiction but oh well. show less

As the only daughter of Lord of the Acoma, Mara was expected to marry and bear children to continue the Acoma line and bring honor to her house. Instead, Mara has chosen a life of chastity and service of Lashmina, the Lady, Goddess of Inner Light. In the temple of Lashima seventeen-year-old Mara is about to take her oaths and join the Order of Lashima. Before the last gongs can sound there is a commotion in the temple as a warrior breaks through with news. Mara's father and brother are dead to treachery of a rival house. Mara must return home and take up her inheritance as Ruling Lady of the Acoma lest her house fall into ruin. Untried and untested Mara now must lead her people in her society's complex game of honor among the great show more houses if the Acoma are to have a future. Let the Game of the Council begin!

Daughter of the Empire is the first in the Empire Trilogy by Raymond E. Feist and Janny Wurts. Overlapping the timeline of the Riftwar, we get a look into the life and world on the other side of the Rift in the empire of Tsuranuanni. It has been many years since I read the Riftwar quartet so I was a little concerned going in that I would be missing out on something as I don't remember many details at this point. Turns out that this book only has a couple mentions of the war and the context for what you need to know are given in the book. I would say you can probably read these first though I imagine you'll have a deeper experience if you read the series in publishing order and closer together than I did.

The Empire of Tsuranuanni has a lot of Asian influences with touches of Mayan/Incan cultures. The society is based on Great Houses and heavily caste based with a highly complicated and strict system of honor. The people of the world hold their cod of honor so high they will often choose death over dishonor. It also makes navigating society an interesting game, the Game of the Council as it's called, as the slightest change in expression or wording can take people from being the best of friends to the most hated of enemies. While the rules are not well explained I felt like I understood it well enough to follow along with Mara's decision making in her society's context.

The story is told from Mara's point of view. She is the type of heroine I love in fantasy. She meets her challenges head on and proves she's up to the task. Highly intelligent, she constantly proves that people underestimate her abilities at political intrigue. She tackles her problems logically and it's with her rigid political structure in mind that she's able to manipulate events to turn in her favor. She goes on quite a character arc that by the end of the book most of Tusarni society knows that Mara of the Acoma is a force to be reckoned with.

Overall this was an intriguing read. There were some great moments though it is a slow burn in general as the story takes a lot of setup for each situation to come to fruition. It made for some uneven pacing as I blew through some parts and the book was easy to set aside others. There were also a couple other minor annoyances that I won't get into save to note they are there. I enjoyed the book enough I will definitely be continuing on to the second. show less

Mara is een geweldig karakter dat al na één hoofdstuk in je hart zit en haar avonturen om in leven te blijven en de Acoma te laten overleven slepen mij volledig mee. Spanning, vreugde, verdriet, alles zit in dit boek. De politiek die in dit boek een grote rol speelt is een zeer bloederige en absoluut niet saai maar juist heel erg persoonlijk en intrigerend. De karakters, en zeker die dicht bij Mara staan zijn stuk voor stuk geweldig goed beschreven en mij zeer lief geworden. Keyoke, Papewayo, Nacoya en Arakasi zijn stuk voor stuk mijn helden, waarbij natuurlijk de grootste heldin Mara is. Heerlijk om een boek te lezen waarin een vrouw haar mannetje staat puur en alleen vanwege haar vernuft en mensenkennis.

Daughter of the Empire is the first book in The Empire Trilogy by Raymond E. Feist and Janny Wurts. It takes place at the same time as Magician from the Riftwar Saga, but it’s set on a different world and focuses on different characters. There are a few references to the first subseries, but it would be easy to jump in here without any familiarity with the other books.

The story focuses primarily on Mara, a seventeen-year-old girl whose father and brother, not to mention a large portion of their military, are killed when an enemy house betrays them. Mara learns of this at the very beginning of the book, just as she’s in the middle of a ceremony to be initiated into a religious order. Mara is the only one left alive to lead her house, show more so her future is about to change drastically, if she can survive leading a house with depleted military forces and enemies determined to see her house fall.

I really enjoyed this. The story held my attention from beginning to end, and I felt like it had more depth and nuance as compared to the first subseries. There are a lot more shades of gray, both in the plot and in the characters. Mara is an easy character to sympathize with and root for, and I couldn’t help but cheer her every success, but at the same time I often felt uncomfortable about some things she did to achieve those successes. She isn’t a character I can love with blind devotion like I do some of the characters from the Riftwar Saga, but she feels real and she’s a lot of fun to read about. I loved her cleverness and her boldness, and her ability to adapt to a role that her upbringing had not prepared her for.

I also very much liked some of the other characters. The story is full of politics and scheming and some military action. I really didn’t think there were any slow parts, although it never quite became a compulsive read that I couldn’t put down. I’m rating this at 4.5 stars and rounding up to 5 on Goodreads. Despite being the first book in a trilogy, this book tells a complete story and would be satisfying on its own. I, however, am moving straight on to the next book. :) show less

What a wonderful book. Daughter of the Empire is set in a world inspired by Asia. There's not a lot of magic, instead it's all about intrigue and politics. In addition, expect a kick-ass female character.

Mara is simply one of the best female fantasy characters I've ever encountered. She is cunning and intelligent. This entire book is one big chess game filled with politics and betrayal, and Mara does not use strength and violence to win this game but her wit. It's a joy to watch her decimate her opponents using only her brain. More of this, please.

The entire cast of characters is well developed. The villains are intriguing and relatable. On one page you want to punch them, on the next they break your heart! There was one scene show more especially which was a punch in the gut, and only a few pages prior I thought I'd be throwing a party.

I recommend this to anyone who loves fantasy with a lot of politics and intrigue. If several houses attempting to outwit each other in a bid to rule appeals to you, then this is for you. If you're at all interested in Feist's work and the rest of the Riftwar Cycle, start with the Riftwar Saga Trilogy before you dive into the Empire Trilogy. show less

This review is also featured on Behind the Pages: Daughter of the Empire

Within the courts, Ruling Lords play the game of the council. Behind the guise of honor, they plot and scheme, choosing which families to eradicate to rise in power. One such plot took the life of Mara’s father, brother, and most of her family’s soldiers. In one fell stroke, her family’s greatest rival left her Ruling Lady, thinking she would be easy to conquer. But Mara will not bow before her rivals, nor will she allow her family name to be erased. With the few loyal members of her household left, she will play the game of the council, and she refuses to lose.

Politics are a heavy theme in this novel. Just about every page is filled with political maneuvers show more and Mara’s deft ways of dealing with the challenges placed against her. But I give props to the writing style for developing these politics in a way that kept my attention. Mara is extremely clever and plays the long game. She’s not afraid to think outside of the box and play around with the rules. She never breaks them but pushes against the norms to attain greater outcomes. Despite everything revolving around the game of the council, the authors were able to keep me engaged by creating a balance of tension and action within the politics.

However, the pacing of this novel was a bit off. The plot constantly moved forward from one new drama to the next, barely giving pause between each new confrontation. That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy it, but there were moments I had to take breaks from reading. The increasing amount of drama created a sort of fatigue for me, where I needed to divert to lighter reads before diving back into Daughter of the Empire. While I enjoy fast-paced books, the conflicts that arise in this novel are full of so many different angles and possibilities that it became a bit too much for my mind.

Daughter of the Empire does have a dated writing style, but it is still a great read! Just approach it knowing there will be concepts and ideas common in the 80s that may not be as well received in the modern age of reading. One of the main focal points of this novel is every Ruling Lord’s misconception that females cannot successfully rule. To the men of this world, women are to be in charge of the household and raising children. But keep in mind, Mara strives to prove them wrong by outwitting any man who dares to underestimate her. And she uses their assumptions to her advantage, twisting everything she can back on her foes and hitting them where it hurts.

If you're the type of reader who thrives off of reading politics, Daughter of the Empire is surely the book for you. While it is labeled as a sci-fi/fantasy novel, much of the story is driven by the characters and their conceptions of honor and loyalty. There is little magic and a brief mention of an alien race. This is a book you read for the ongoing struggle between ruling houses and to watch the underdog fight for their rightful place. show less

Source: Personal Copy
Original Review: Dragons, Heroes and Wizards

Looking for a change from your typical European Medieval setting? How about a new world with a strong eastern style culture. A world where honor is everything and disgrace means falling on your sword. A world where the game of politics determines which Great Houses survive and which are destroyed forever.

♦ My Thoughts. This story has always been one of my all time favorites; worthy of the occasional reread. When I saw it mentioned on a blog recently, I knew instantly it was time to visit with Mara again.

One important thing to note. There are some who say you really should read the Riftwar Saga first. I have but it was eons ago and I remember very little. I also can't show more find the books in my book pile. Likely I loaned them out or I would have reviewed those first, but...

I don't really believe reading those first is vital. Helpful, yes, vital? No. This is a totally different story in a completely new viewpoint. The main thing you need to know is that there are magical rifts between two worlds. On one side is the Empire of Kelewan, where this story takes place. On the other is side is Midkemia which the Empire is trying, without much success, to subjugate.

But the war itself plays but a bit part in this drama. The main story here is about a young 17 year old girl, only seconds from dedicating her life to a temple, who suddenly finds herself a Ruling Lady. On her tiny shoulders rests the responsibility of both her family name and its very survival.

♦ What I Liked. This book is a prime example of backstabbing politics. Fortunes rise and houses fall, all depending on a House's ability to play the Great Game. There are allies and enemies, blood feuds and annihilation. There are black magicians who are a law unto themselves. At the top of the food chain sits a merciless Warlord. And from behind the scenes the god-chosen Emperor rules them all.

To classify Mara, Ruling Lady of the Acoma, as a reluctant heroine would be understating things. Snatched from her life in a peaceful temple and thrust into the responsibilities of saving her House from total annihilation, any other girl would have curled up in a ball and wept.

But not our Mara! This poor girl, because of the strict traditions defining honor, is not even allowed to weep over the loss of her beloved father and brother. To do so would be to show weakness. So for a solid week she must show no emotion, no pain, no fear. Only once she arrives home and performs the funeral rites can she give into her grief. Talk about hooking the reader!

Unfortunately, her one show of emotion is cut short and the untried young girl must immediately dive head first into the churning waters of murky politics and an uncertain future. And she does just that. I read on in awe as she makes mistakes, recovers and finds ways to turn her misfortunes into triumphs.

It was a joy to watch.

I could continue babbling about flawless pacing, rich worldbuilding, thorough character development, incredible detail and deep immersion. But, I'll spare you. Suffice it to say there are reasons why I have read this series over and over again.

♦ What I didn't like. Normally I would use this space to discuss what I disliked about the book. However, this time I have nothing to say. The book is as close to flawless as anything I have ever read.

So, I'll discuss what I didn't like about this world and its inhabitants!

I hated Mara's future husband. As was intended.

I was fascinated and yet repelled by the system of honor. To die with honor was always preferred over living in shame. I abhorred the practices of servitude and slavery. Especially slavery. In this world slaves have NO options.

This is a society that believes in reincarnation. If you are a slave, you earned it by living a shameful previous life. Once a slave, always a slave. To rise above that station would offend the gods.

Same with servants, though they can rise to positions of responsibility. However, they can never rise above their station.

And yet, regardless of their stations, any member of a House, from the lowest to the highest, will willingly give up their lives --without hesitation-- for their Master/Mistress. Believing that to do so insures they are reborn in a higher position on the wheel of life.

Told you the culture was rich and full of detail!

♦ Conclusion. There was a unique phenomenon which occurred each day as it came time to pick up the book and start reading. I would grin and say (to myself of course) "Yes! It is time to spend some time with Mara." It was literally the highlight of my day. It has also engineered a desire in me to replace and read the Riftwar Saga. Not because I need to in order to enjoy this trilogy, but because I know that that series is just as good.

Now if you'll forgive me; it is time for me to go spend some more quality time with Mara! show less