Dirk Grobbelaar's Reviews > Silverthorn

I was introduced to high fantasy, way back, by three very notable works: The Lord of the Rings, The Earthsea Quartet and, of course, Magician. The latter was such a complete work that I abstained from reading the sequels. In hindsight, it was rather odd and out of character for me, since I really enjoyed Raymond E. Feist's writing and rank Magician as one of the finest works I've ever read.

So, Silverthorn. This is the immediate sequel to Magician, and a finely crafted novel indeed. I should have read this immediately after the first. No, it is not the novel that Magician was, nor does it aspire to be. It does not have the same scope, nor the same ambition, but therein lies the rub. This novel takes off very, very shortly after the events in Magician. It is much more intimate and personal, and the narrowed scope makes for a reading experience that crosses into the heroic fantasy genre. The events in this book, which is essentially a quest, takes place in a very short time span, weeks as opposed to the many, many years of Magician. Feist, however, is a wily writer and spices the plot with just enough lore and history to remind readers of the greatness that was Magician. The back story build and builds and at the close of the book revelations follow that sets up the next book perfectly. There is a promise of grand things to come in A Darkness at Sethanon, which closes the original Riftwar Saga.

Silverthorn is a fine book, but beware. I strongly urge readers to read Magician first. Like I mentioned earlier, despite the fact that Magician was such a complete work and stands fine as a stand-alone novel, Silverthorn is a continuation and as such will not make a lot of sense if read apart. So, four stars out of five. I have one simple gripe with this book - too much Jimmy the Hand and too little Pug. The pacing is slightly awry, since Pug, being the Magician of the first novel, makes a rather late entrance in this one. I'm afraid of saying too much, since this could be considered spoiler territory.

Anyway, as far as the plot in Silverthorn is concerned. Arutha is targeted for assassination but it's a fumbled job and his betrothed is harmed instead. Poison. Sooo, Arutha sets out to seek a cure. Sounds simple? Well, it isn't. There are twists and machinations galore behind the scenes as Feist moves the pieces around on the board.

The whole Riftwar Saga is great, so far, and I highly, highly recommend it. This could well be the greatest fantasy cycle I have ever read. So, on to A Darkness at Sethanon...