A Darkness Returns

2.5 stars, Metaphorosis reviews

Summary
Continuing the Firemane Saga and the Riftwar Saga overall, Hatushaly, Hava, and Donte, brought to Midkemia, must, with Pug and Magnus' help, find their way on two worlds, while facing a threat to the existence of ... everything.

Review
Long, long ago, I was enthralled by the story of Pug as he struggled through his travails in Magician. I read the book split into two volumes: Apprentice and Master, and greatly enjoyed them. Unfortunately, the thrill departed pretty quickly, and I read the sequels Silverthorn and A Darkness at Sethanon much more slowly and don't really recall either. After that, I occasionally dipped back into the Riftwar saga, but nothing drew me back with any enthusiasm. I tried the first volumes of the next few subtrilogies (Daughter of the Empire, starting Kelewan; Prince of the Blood, starting Krondor's Sons; and (Shadow of a Dark Queen, starting Serpentwar) but couldn't get myself to care. The whole universe seemed to me to be getting too involved, complex, and perhaps stodgy. Still, the initial good impression of Magician has never left me. So, when I saw what was labeled a new trilogy, I thought it might be a good chance to jump back in after 40 years.

Unfortunately, while the Dragonwar Saga is a new trilogy, it's very much a subtrilogy, and a pretty direct sequel to the Firemane Saga I didn't even know existed. In fact, looking back at Feist's ISFDB entry, I'm startled to learn how many books there are – far, far more than the many I'd heard of. Feist's foreword also makes some mysterious references to the world's origin that true fans probably understand but I found confusing.

It's nice that the book comes back to some of its beginnings with Pug (and mentions of his old friend Tomas) from way back when. But there's also a great deal about Hatushaly (from Firemane) and a host of other characters I didn't recognize. And while the book is comprehensible – Feist does a pretty good job of settling us in – it's clear that there's a vast amount of lore and inside references that newcomers (and occasional visitors like me) just won't get. Probably after so many books in the world (32 at a quick count), that would be too much to ask. And I'd bet that for fans, all of this is great, especially since it seems to be tending toward a grand finale.

At the same time, the book feels rushed. All sorts of new information, clever solutions, etc. are noted casually and then ignored; there's just too much being discovered to linger, I guess. Even (what were to me) some startling developments in Pug himself are set out and then quickly passed by; they're referred to often, but not developed or really explored.

That's unfortunately true for much of the story – there are some serious plot holes here. The characterization is on the thin side, and there's quite a bit of awkward, “I guess there's no point in torturing you? [smirk]” – good characters explicitly saying they won't do evil.

We do, sort of, in dribs and drabs, learn some things about magic and the nature of rift space, and more is promised for future volumes. I'm sorry to say that I probably won't come along for them, though. This new trilogy promises to be great for fans, but I'm afraid I'm not one, and, looking back, never really have been a fan of more than just the book that started it all.

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.