I might be several decades late to the party with this series, but I love, love, loved Servant of the Empire by Raymond E. Feist and Janny Wurts. Talk about a heart-racing and emotional political fantasy that builds expertly upon the first novel. Fantastic heroine, intense drama and page turning efforts of survival. What more could you want?
“A warrior must strive toward perfection, knowing full well that it will forever be unobtainable.”
BLURB:
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REVIEW:
For the second book in the trilogy this was a wild ride through Kelewan, one that had me take over a month to devour. It was so action packed. Perhaps a little long I am still hard pressed to think what I could take out of the 800+ page monster of a book.
So much time passes in this novel. A year has passed since book 1, and we are taken through many years of conflict and challenges with Mara in the sequel. As a result you really see Mara’s world view shift away from the blind traditional nature of her honour based culture to one of more compassion and greater perspective of existence and what it means to relate to others in society. Kevin’s influence is so apparent in this change the longer the Midkemian spends with Mara, challenging her repeatedly.
“You people never cry enough… Uncried tears remain inside you, like poison.”
The romance in the novel was so well done and integrated into Mara’s story and character journey in a way that surprised. I wasn’t expecting to get so attached to Kevin, so it was heartbreaking when we reached the inevitable conclusion of his time with Mara. Even moreso given Mara’s state of being when separated from him forever.
The political intrigue and drama of the High Council towards the end of the novel really shows how clever Mara is and her advantages gained from thinking differently to the other Lords of Kelewan. Additionally it was about time we saw the downfall of the Minwanabi. The Lords of that house were awful and cruel to the extreme, so it was very satisfying seeing Mara take over everything that was once theirs. Once again changing the culture of the Empire in the process. But none of it comes easy to Mara. The odds are often stacked against her, and she must work her way through trial after trial in her uphill battle to enact change and protect her family.
“Informants can be helpful, but they are never infallible. All tools can break, or be turned into weapons.”
The end of the book really read like a series ending, with much wrapped up I would’ve been satisfied if things stopped there. Yet with another 800+ book to go, I have no idea what to expect Mara to face next. But I am looking forward to seeing where she takes the Acoma in the final book, Mistress of the Empire, very soon. After all, Servant of the Empire was an incredible continuation of the story of an intelligent woman in a world unprepared for her power.
Until next time,
Rating: 5 Stars
Genre: Fantasy
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