Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books

Raymond E Feist - At the Gates of Darkness (Demonwar Saga 2)

Reviews
 

First, I've been a Feist fan since the mid eighties and read all his work no matter what. But, he has go to get a new formula to these books. The rifts into Midkemia with marauding armies of people, demons, and powerful elves is getting kind of old as the main problem our heroes have to face in each book. Pug is so powerful, as is Tomas, that they are almos godlike in their abilities. They zip all over the planet with magic orbs and teleporting so no quests through dangerous teritory, etc. Also, how many time do we have to reinvent Jimmy the Hand? I understand he is everyone's favorite theif and was one of the best developed characters he has done, but how many more reincarnaions of him will there be?
WAG3

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Very disappointed in this novel which was by far the worst of the entire line of books.

Felt like It was just a cash in on the name really. Nothing happens of particular note!

The plot and characters just trundle along, with the occasional name we all love thrown in eg Tomas (who says a few words but does nothing)

Finished the 300 pages in a few hours, felt cheated and indeed am not looking forward to the next series! Perhaps this should be the end....my fingers are crossed the next set bounce back to life.
Steve

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I will say only this that I got to writing this review because I went through other reviews trying to remember if I had actually read this book.

Turns out I have but those 300 pages may as well be blank.
Alex

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I totally agree that this is an author who started something fantastic and then is just "handle turning" to keep the dollars rolling in...

Feist's Magician, Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman's first three Dragonlance trilogies, Terry Brooks' first seven (7) Shannara books: Fantastic, coherent plot and character builders that set the heart and mind racing - you feel really ALIVE reading these books!!

ALL great writers with MASTERPIECES that have been such an important part of so many peoples' lives.

ALL pretenders (exactly that) to JRR Tolkien's throne - but none can live up to that billing to keep producing the quality of work that made them famous in the first place... unlike Tolkien.

Love them all.... just disappointed. Might even start reading David Gemmel... or Dragons of Pern or some such tabloid.

I want these books to be worth spending my time on and to make me feel so engaged that I can enjoy the 'escapism' into these fictional worlds... as I said the best stories make you feel part of it, excited and 'ALIVE'.. Feist, I feel, is with these latter offerings wasting my time and DYING a slow death.

Yes, yes - note the expressive use of capitals in my text but at least the grammar and spelling is a level above "At the Gates of Darkness"!

Rant over (I almost feel like apologising... but then, no.)

J. Englund

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I bought this for my partner. He loved it, as he has done so with all Feist's books, but felt it was a little bit "Feist By Numbers".
Paul S. Gibbs

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