Product Description

Third in stunning reissues of Raymond Feist & Janny Wurts classic trilogy -- one of the most successful fantasy collaborations of all time. THE EMPIRE TRILOGY: BOOK III The final play of the game. Surrounded on all sides by warring factions, assassins and spies, Mara of the Acoma must draw on her deepest resources to secure her position once and for all.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #10576 in Books
• Published on: 2000-11-20
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 860 pages

Review
'A gripping tale' THE TIMES

"The morning sun shone." So begins this concluding volume of the trilogy (Daughter of the Empire, 1987; Servant of the Empire, 1990), in a style more evocative of The Hungry Caterpillar than its obvious paradigm, Shogun. Tsuranuanni, the world on the other side of Feist's previous Riftwar saga, is a pseudo-medieval-Japanese contrivance of contending warlords and aristocratic families, with dollops of magic thrown in. Lady Mara of the Acoma clan is now the most powerful woman of the Empire, hence the target of violent dissent. Her son Ayaki is killed in an assassination attempt whose real target was Mara herself. Gradually, after many distractions, the antagonists are revealed: Mara and her insectoidalien cho-ja allies must battle the vastly powerful Assembly of Magicians. Mara eventually wins, by a trick so flimsy that it is not worth repeating here, to preserve the leadership for her other son Justin, whose Midkemian father, Kevin, also shows up. Wearisome twaddle that just lies there, quivering feebly. Addicts only. (Kirkus Reviews)

About the Author
Raymond E. Feist is one of the most successful fantasy authors of all time. The Riftwar series is a global bestselling phenomenon. Janny Wurts is the inspried author of the very successful Wars of Light and Shadow series now into its fifth volume.

Customer Reviews

Brilliant
I was reluctant to read the Empire trilogy because of how the Kelewans wreaked havoc on Midkemia in Feist's Riftwar Saga, so I left the Empire Trilogy for last. It looks like I saved the best for last though! What a read! Also so interesting to read what was going on in the Empire of Tsuranuanni while they were invading Midkemia and how so many events tie in with the Riftwar Saga. Full marks for Feist and Wurts!

Beautiful
A brilliant end to a brilliant series which provides a unique insight into the Japanese/Roman culture of the Tsurani world. The trilogy takes us on a journey with Mara of the Acoma, taken from a life of seclusion and meditation at the age of seventeen to assume rulership of her house. At first, her only concern is survival, and it's fascinating to see how she turns her skeleton force of warriors into a sprawling army and becomes more powerful than her wildest dreams.

The main focus of the book is on the Game of the Council, a deadlock scenario of cruelty and deceit masked by the convoluted sense of 'honor' which the Tsurani have become obsessed with. While this is fascinating in its own right, there is also a strong undercurrent of romance, and Mara's emotions are delved into with almost painful intensity as the necessities of politics dictate her most personal relationships and desires.

Many times throughout the book, we wonder how the hell Mara is going to pull off her next trick and win the day, matching wit against Jiro of the Anasati. All I can say is that we are rewarded with a beautiful ending to this passionately written series.

I would recommend reading Feist's other books before this one - ie, Magician, Silverthorn and A Darkness at Sethanon, as the events in this book happen during and after these books, and it's interesting to see how Milamber's actions affect the Game of the Council. If you pick up this trilogy on its own, it will still make a great read, but you'll miss out on the feeling of fond reminiscence and familiarity which you'd otherwise get.

All in all, a great trilogy as we witness Mara of the Acoma smash the strangling grip of tradition which has forced Tsuranaunni into stagnation over thousands of years. Well worth a read for all Feist fans!

Brilliant Finale!
Lady Mara of the Acoma had overcome all her enemies, or so she thought, with Jiro of the Anasati's hatred neatly blocked by the Assembly of the Great Ones' refusal for the two Houses to destroy each other in mutual devastation. But Mara found herself under threat from the Assembly and the only way she can get help is to seek out the cho-ja that did not acknowledge the rule of the Empire.
In her journey outside the borders of the Empire Mara finds her assumptions, already battered by her association with a Midkemian slave, broken down. The Great Lords find themselves forced to take sides in the confrontation between Mara and her enemies.
This is the concluding volume in the story of Mara of the Acoma. This sees her facing her most powerful set of opponents Mara and it seems quite unlikely that she would survive!
In Mara's world we have one of the more unusual civilisations in fantasy fiction and this novel explores that world quite widely.