Raymond E. Feist Follow

King of Ashes has a severe case of ‘First Book Syndrome.’ Introducing and maneuvering the main cast into position for Queen of Storms takes up the majority of the book. Thankfully, with the revelation of some of the political plotting at the end, Queen of Storms looks like it will be off to a good start.

Political intrigue is the primary driving force in this book, not a sole antagonist. Although, it does appear that there will be antagonists aplenty once the series hits its stride. Lodavico, Sandura’s king, is the instigator of the Betrayal in the prologue but lurks in the background for the rest of the book. The Azhante and Sisters of the Deep also seem to be future foes. The majority of those aggressively interacted with are bandits and unknown soldiers, so the true extent of these aggressors’ reach is yet to be seen.

I liked Declan and his story. He is hard-working and not afraid to get his hands dirty when needed. Hatu, on the other hand, frustrated me, primarily through the first three-quarters of the book. If he wasn’t brooding angrily about something, he was ruminating about his sexual desire for his childhood friend Hava. It got annoying rather quickly. Thankfully, his awakening took care of the first part, and circumstances took care of the second part.

Hatu grew up in Coaltachin, where he trained in the country’s powerful industries of espionage and organized crime. Through most of the book, it seems his true identity was an open secret among the community leaders. So, it bewildered me when some people appeared shocked by the revelation of his parentage. The council also made a choice that baffled me. When given options, they chose the one with the most potential to backfire and create a powerful enemy if it failed.

Overall, King of Ashes works well as an introduction to the world of Garn and the people there. As a solitary book, it doesn’t stand up so well. I hope it fares better as the prologue to Queen of Storms.

Edit: Queen of Storms absolutely makes reading this book worthwhile.

I was hoping that the long build-up in King of Ashes would pay off. Did it ever! This book is aptly named because a storm hits the main characters, and none of them are left untouched by the fallout. It was a curveball I didn’t see coming, and it has been an incredibly long time since that has happened.

If you haven’t read King of Ashes, you will need to before reading Queen of Storms. Like in many high fantasy series, the books build on one another. I found King of Ashes a hard book to get through, but Queen of Storms makes it well worth the effort. It also answered one of my biggest plot complaints from King of Ashes, which is always a bonus.

I thought I knew where the plot was going from the end of King of Ashes but was proven very wrong. There is more than meets the eye in Garn, and this book pulled back a layer, showing how fragile plans can be. It has been years since I finished a chapter and sat back in shock at a plot twist. Queen of Storms managed it. I know I keep going back to that, but it is hard to say more about the plot without spoilers.

This upheaval has a powerful effect on all of the characters. Many of them are pushed from their comfort zones as they try to make sense of their changing world. Hatu falls slightly into the background, but we get to see more of what makes the Firemane line so unique. Hava, on the other hand, struggles a bit but steps up to the challenge and takes the reins as a central character. She was by far my favorite character in the book. She has come a long way from the obedient student in King of Ashes.

I finished this book in a 200-page marathon session, and it was well worth it. I loved seeing Hava blossom and look forward to seeing what Raymond pulls out of the hat in Master of Furies.