King of Foxes
Ratings21
Average rating3.7
15
Ratings21
Average rating3.7
Young Tal Hawkins was the only survivor of the massacre of his village -- rescued, recruited, and trained by the mysterious order of magicians and spies, the Conclave of Shadows. Already exceptionally skilled in swordsmanship, he has since developed into one of the secret society's most valuable agents, keeping ever alert for the opportunity to arise when he can avenge the craven slaughter of his family and friends.That time is now.Posing as a nobleman from the distant Kingdom of the Isles, he gains entrance into the court of the Duke of Olasko, the bloodthirsty and powerful despot whose armies put Tal's village to the sword. But the enemy is cunning and well protected -- in league with the foul necromancer Leso Varen, dark master of death-magic -- and to gain the Duke's trust and confidence, Tal Hawkins must first sell his soul.Only by swearing an oath of allegiance to his hated nemesis can Tal hope to get close enough to kill the Duke and bring his empire crashing down. But the tyrant demands that his new acolyte prove his loyalty with blood. Sent off to do his "master's" malevolent bidding -- each depraved mission more odious than the last -- the Talon of the Silver Hawk faces a spirit-crushing dilemma. Only through evil can his vengeance succeed, yet his alternatives are more terrible still: madness, torture, damnation, and a slow, lingering death in the Fortress of Despair.
Reviews with the most likes.
1.5 stars if I could, since I find book 1 to be more interesting.
The plot was acceptable, even though it felt a bit like a mishmash of cliche plot lines. The political intrigue was interesting, but it wasn't explored enough. The pacing was all right. Somewhat predictable though, and was like an action movie at times. Like book 1, Tal still has the goddess of luck personally watching over him, and he's still incredibly brilliant, charismatic, and extremely able-bodied - even when he wasn't whole.
In book 1, Tal had a lot of development (even though he seemed to have way too many talents). In book 2, there wasn't. His punishment in the middle could've been great material for introspection and reflection, most especially considering how Feist decided to end the story in a “to forgive and to be a better man” manner. Too bad it was just magically (literally) undone. There was too little done on Tal's emotions to make his feelings even remotely believable. The change in Tal at the end felt too abrupt, like it was tacked on as an afterthought; for book 3 I suppose.
Not excited about book 3, but still going to read it anyway.
