Review - Conclave of Shadows 3

Conclave of Shadows: 3. Exile's Return by Raymond E Fiest

The conclusion to the Conclave of Shadows sees the exiled and disgraced Duke try to return home to get revenge on his enemies, but discovering on the way that there are more important things at stake.

It's an interesting tactic: Turn the antagonist, Duke Kaspar, from the first two books into an anti-hero antagonist. It does, for the most part, work. At times it feels slightly too easy, but on reflection I think that this is because the book is so fast paced that it just seems like a quick change. In reality it takes Kaspar months before he gains distance (both in time and emotionally) from the things he's done. I hope in later books that his character retains some of the ruthlessness and cunning that he's displayed here. In other words I hope Fiest doesn't turn him into another perfect good guy.

It actually feels like a stand-alone novel, a prologue to the forthcoming Darkwar series more than anything else, because the end of 2. King of Foxes wrapped up the story quite well (as far as I was concerned). This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as it has left me keener to read Flight of the Nighthawks than I had expected.

It's well paced, and quite an easy read, which was welcome coming between Knife of Dreams and A Feast for Crows, which are both quite heavy reads. My only real complaint is that a couple of the more formulaic aspects of Fiest's work are beginning to get tiresome: The Evil = Madness discussion; Nakor saying there is no magic, only 'tricks'; and so on.

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50 book challenge 2006:

1 = The Soldier's Son Trilogy: 1. Shaman's Crossing by Robin Hobb [review]
2 = The Wheel of Time: 11. Knife of Dreams by Robert Jordan [review]
3 = Conclave of Shadows: 3. Exile's Return by Raymond E Fiest

Next = The Sandman: Dream Country by Neil Gaiman