I received an advance reader copy of King of Ashes in exchange for an honest review. I would like to thank Raymond E. Feist and Harper Voyager. The title of the series is yet to be named. See Changes again for King of Ashes - War of Five Crowns So he had betrayed a man he loved like a brother to spare his people future ravages. As the priests of the One God would say, Daylon had made his pact with the Dark One; he had sold his soul." Realizing that the boy must be the remaining heir of the slain King Steveren, Daylon sends him away to be raised on the island of Coaltachin, known as the Kingdom of Night. He bids the lethal force of legendary assassins and spies to raise the boy as their own. The boy, known as Hatu, learns all the skills of an assassin and spy, but when a mission goes terribly wrong, the life he thought he would be living is thrown into chaos.

The narration of King of Ashes takes the form of two perspectives—that of Hatu undergoing his education as a future sicari and through the eyes of Declan as he strives for greatness in his chosen profession of weapon smithing. Initially one may feel as though the changing points of view have no purpose as the young men involved have never been associated. By the end of the story however, it is obvious that each man has his part to play in the restoration of their once great land. This novel is traditional epic fantasy. By that, I mean that unlike much of today’s “gritty” fantasy, the heroes face tough situations and decisions and make their way through them much like a true hero would. They may make mistakes but their motivations are good. You will not find F-bombs in this book nor anti-heroes as main characters (at least not yet…some are still sufficiently vague to really know for sure). This is my first read from the critically acclaimed Raymond E. Feist so I was very excited to read this. The story primarily follows two main storylines. There is Declan, an orphan taken in by a smith and taught his trade, and Hatu, another orphan raised by a secretive nation of spies, assassins, and thieves. The book follows them as they both reach adulthood and start to find their way. As the book progresses, their own paths begin to figure more prominently in a broader story arc that involves the surviving four kingdoms.Having read the far majority of all of Feist's works before now, and even doing so recently, I was pretty astounded to learn that he had a NEW fantasy series. One that requires no previous knowledge or the need to rely on vast previous worldbuilding. This is a new series of books not related to the Riftwar Cycle. This series will be known as King of Ashes. The first two books have now been named. King of Ashes opens with a story of a betrayal. A longstanding alliance between the five Kingdoms of North and South Tembria is broken as the other nations conspire, some reluctantly, to destroy Ithrace, the Kingdom of Flames. King Steveren Langene, known as Firemane, is executed and his entire family slaughtered, or so it is believed. One man, Baron Daylon Dumarch, seeks the aid of the so-called Kingdom of the Night to hide the survival of a single Langene infant. Hatushaly lives with a secret society alongside his friends Donte, son of a master assassin, and Hava, a gifted apprentice and formidable fighter. Together they have learnt the art of the assassins, existing in anonymity, hoping to be chosen as the newest sicari. While his friends thrive in their positions, Hatu has never felt like he truly belongs. Always standing out in a crowd with his fair skin and fire-red hair. The world-building of King of Ashes is thoughtful, expansive, and detailed. A well thought out world is Feist’s wheelhouse. Although his stories tend to be character-based, Feist gives the perfect amount of detail to his worlds so that the reader can get a clear picture in their head. Any missing information can be filled in by imagination. The characters are highly detailed, and the dialog does not ever have a forced or static feel to it—the bane of many fantasy books. Feist’s characters tend to speak like humans and have human reactions. Honestly, Raymond Feist is a master at this kind of fantasy. You would think that a lost child destined to save the world, might be a little tropey. In any other hands, it probably would be. But this is Feist, and he could write a phone book and have it be engaging.

Omg. The execution of the story. The basic idea behind the book was actually super interesting. Something I would’ve wanted to read in any other context. The prologue even had me giddy with anticipation, thinking, “this is going to be good.” Daughter of the Empire - Raymond E. Feist & Janny Wurts <-Included because this author has done amazing things in the past. So he had betrayed a man he loved like a brother to spare his people future ravages. As the priests of the One God would say, Daylon had made his pact with the Dark One; he had sold his soul.” The reader meets as well his friends Donte and Hava, also training up with the Nocusara. Hatu’s exploits take us to several places within the North Tembria, and we gain hints of major plots on the verge of unfolding. He also encounters several deadly adversaries, and by the end of the novel, he has learned his true lineage, and finds himself pursued by at least two different groups: one bent on killing him, the other supposedly wanting to help him. Meanwhile, another threat, one from much closer, looms large.I am a huge fan of Raymond Feist and he does not disappoint in this new epic fantasy about the journey of two young orphans, one raised by a group of assassins and spies, and another by a master swordsmith, to learn their fate and the fate of the world on which they live. A brilliant young Smith on the rise, kin to the Barony but unknown to any but the Baron and his bastard brother.

The King of Ashes was the working title for a new series of books, not related to the Riftwar Cycle. There are currently planned 3 books, the titles of which will be made known at a future time. Hatu represents one of the stupidest characters I have ever read – by which I mean, and I want to be clear, the character portrayed is stupid, unintelligent, ignorant, perpetually unaware of anything. I’ve met oblivious 17-year-olds before, but none come up to the level of Hatu, who seemed to be completely ignorant of everything that was happening to him or around him – right up until a point where something magical happens for no particular reason and apparently everything is fixed, which again only showed the heavy-handed intrusion of the author.

All Raymond E Feist Reviews

Five kingdoms rule the twin continents until a great betrayal leads to the extermination of one of the kingdoms (Ithrace) by the other four. As was the case with Stephen R. Donaldson's Seventh Decimate last year, King of Ashes was supposed to be Raymond E. Feist's big return with brand new material. And like the Donaldson, this novel was nothing but a big disappointment. . .