Author: Raymond E. Feist
ISBN: 978-000-726-4766
Raymond E. Feist’s new novel is A Kingdom Besieged and it is an interesting read which will capture your imagination. This is the latest installment in a long line of books that are set in the universe of Midkemia.
A Kingdom Besieged is the first book in The Chaoswar Saga trilogy, making it the beginning and meaning that you can pick up here and not be totally lost in what is going on. The series and sagas that have come before this one are set in the same universe and do feature some of the characters you will know and love from A Kingdom Besieged but that doesn’t make it too difficult to come in here and still find enjoyment in the book.
There are two very distinct storylines running through this book that show glimpses of converging as you near the end of the installment but don’t quite make it before you reach the last page, which is a perfect little tease for what will eventuate in the second book.
The Keshian soldiers have decided that it is time to reclaim the land that lies on their borders and have mobilised a massive army. Their strategy is a total surprise to all because their motive is not what was expected. There has been nothing in history to prepare them for what is to come. Even the students of history are surprised at the current turn of events.
Keshian invasions are being staged in many places, though not how you would expect, and some places don’t seem to be suffering. Alongside this is the weakening health of the king and question of who has the greatest claim to the throne. There are many factions who could stake a claim which puts some young lives in extreme danger, and from unknown origins which makes it that much more difficult to guard from danger.
The majority of this storyline features those of the conDoin family – Lord Henry, Duke of Crydee, and his three sons. We watch through the trials they face and the ways in which they are forced into the responsibilities of adulthood a little faster than planned.
Running parallel to this storyline is the journey of Child in another realm. A demon spawned just as the book begins and who is forced quite rapidly to grow up as the society in her homeland is returned to the savagery of its past by the encroaching Darkness. Her growth and development is aided by quantity and quality of her feeding and she grows into something that is more than she was, and is unusual and unique for her race, she is a lesson in evolution unto herself until she transforms into something else at the end of the book – what that is we are left wondering until the next installment.
A Kingdom Besieged tells of a quest for knowledge where every storyline tells of the search for knowledge and experience to deal with current situations, and to grow into a better future. A fantastical tale that has a little something for everyone – action, romance, tragedy and dragons!
I devour books, vampires and supernatural creatures are my genre of choice but over the past couple of years, I have broadened my horizons considerably. In a nutshell – I love to write! I love interacting with a diverse range of artists to bring you interviews. Perhaps we were perfect before – I LOVE WORDS!