Welcome to the final book in the Riftwar Saga! A Darkness at Sethanon brings to a close this sub-series by Raymond E. Feist, and it's a doozy of a book. I'm inclined to say this is my favorite book by Feist, for its tone, pacing, character arcs, and focus. Plus, it's some well-earned epicness, that has been thoroughly justified by the previous books.
This book has two main plot lines, and one of those splits late in the book to make a third minor plot line. There is a bit of desperation throughout the story, and it's well-justified. I'm not a big fan of the "ticking clock" trope, but the timing of events in this book is handled well, neither being too precise nor too vague.
We get to experience a massive siege on a city called Armengar, and Feist handles this type of warfare expertly. The action is realistic and full of surprises, and even an occasional laugh. Feist's descriptions of routed armies and the danger of being in their paths is fascinating and uncommon in fiction; most authors assume that retreating forces just run.
My least favorite part of Feist is typically "big magic," and there's quite a bit of it in this book, but it's handled pretty well, compared to other books, and feels earned after the three previous books. Feist manages to avoid the temptation to make big light shows, which always feel kind of silly in prose, and instead he actually comes up with some fun things for the big magic to accomplish.
And, as usual, we get some heart-wrenching moments and some great character development.
If you haven't read the previous books in this Saga, you may want to stop here, as I won't be able to avoid spoiling some parts of the end of Silverthorn in describing the beginning of this book.
I recommend that you read my Silverthorn review here, and maybe even Magician: Apprentice and Magician: Master, and check those books out first.
