I was very pleased to finally get my hands on a copy of Silverthorn, by Raymond E. Feist. This was the one entry in the Riftwar Saga that I had never read. I've reviewed Magician: Apprentice and Magician: Master, and I've owned a copy of A Darkness at Sethanon for a long time and read it several times.
And I bought all of those books at real brick-and-mortar bookstores! Yet somehow Silverthorn evaded my grasp until recently.
And so, I finally read the third book in the Riftwar Saga!
Honestly, it started out a bit rough. Some of the early dialog was a bit clunky, and there was something vaguely off about the narrative voice. After reading 20 or 30 pages, I wondered if this rough start was why it wasn't on bookstore shelves as much back in the day.
Fortunately, the story quickly turns around and becomes very satisfying. A bunch of the plot events that I'd only heard about as memories from the past are present in this book. We get to see some characters that take a less prominent role in other books really shine, like Swordmaster Fannon. There are quite a few heart-warming character meetings, and some reunions you might not expect.
This book provides strong doses of great characters who often appear in the background: Laurie, Martin, Gardan, Lyam, Meecham. There are some great brotherly moments between Arutha, Lyam, and Martin, who have been largely apart in the last two books.
Plus, we get to see the growth of the friendship between Arutha and Jimmy the Hand.
It's a direct sequel, starting almost exactly one year after the end of Magician: Master. The plot follows a dire and dangerous quest to the north, as well as a somewhat-unexpected journey to Kelewan.
The writing I think Feist does best, political intrigue, stealth, and small-unit tactics, makes up a large portion of the book.
There is a bit more magic in this book, and the small magic is done well, while the big magic has a tendency to end up as a bit of a light show, and maybe even a little difficult to disbelieve, considering how little magic was known in Midkemia in the previous two books. It seemed like, if priestly magic was as powerful as it is depicted in this book, that people would have been much more aware of large-scale magic, to the point that many would wonder why non-priestly magic is so fickle and weak. It's almost a setting inconsistency, by my read.
Another funny thing is that Silverthorn is an amazingly rare plant in the book, whereas you would know it as a common poison if you've played the game Betrayal at Krondor.
The second half of the book opens up a well-handled second plotline that I wasn't really expecting to be as significant as it was. That second plotline ends with a powerful hook at the end of this book, which is unfortunately a bit glossed over at the start of the next one.
All in all, it was a fun and gripping story after the first couple of chapters. It seemed like Feist had gotten a bit out of his element at the start of this book, but once he catches his wind, the rest is golden.
If you'd like to read a copy, you can get one here: https://a.co/d/94qoAWD
Of course, I highly recommend reading the two Magician books first.
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