Product Description

When Emperor Surabar is assassinated, Shalidar makes plans to put Lord Tremarle on the throne, in return for being appointed his heir. The remaining lords have other plans, however, and the city descends into anarchy. Femke and Reynik go into hiding with the Emperor designate, Lord Kempten. But for Kempten to take over, he must destroy the master stone - a stone which is kept in the heavily-guarded palace. As gladiators face up to assassins, can Femke come up with a plan to get them into the palace - and return peace to the city?

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #48453 in Books
• Published on: 2007-09-03
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 368 pages

Customer Reviews

A spectacular end to an exciting fantasy trilogy
This is the final volume in Mark Robson's young adult Imperial series. Readers were left at the end of Imperial Assassin wondering what on earth was going on. Had the Emperor, Surabar, really been assassinated? If so, how would our heroes - Femke the spy, and Reynik the soldier (turned spy, then assassin) - be able to fulfil the mission that Surabar had given them, of infiltrating and then destroying the Assassins' Guild?

The new book picks this question up in Robson's trademark style, with a compelling account of how the assassin Shalidar came up with his plan for disposing of Surabar. As the story progresses, we are pulled into a world of vicious power politics, as several ambitious lords compete to become the next Emperor. As some of them call on the Guild of Assassins to improve the odds, all hell breaks loose across Shandrim.

Meanwhile, Femke and Reynik need to protect Lord Kempten, Surabar's chosen successor, from detection. There is also the small matter of working out how to get Reynik out from the Assassin's Guild, tied to it as he is by a magical icon that will kill him if he strays too far...

In this final volume of a great all-action trilogy, Mark Robson pulls out all the stops. I was impressed by the pacing of the book, and especially by the way he managed to weave together all the threads from the previous two books, adding in for good measure several other characters and ideas that were first heard of in his earlier Darkweaver series.

The way Robson has chosen to end this story is spectacular! I felt I was right there, alongside Femke, Reynik and their allies, as the action unfolded. A great end to a thrilling series; I'd recommend this to anyone who likes a fast-paced fantasy thriller suitable for young adults.

Imperial Traitor - Review by Chris Keown
After realising that this was the last book in the series, I wasn't over keen to read it without knowing the full story so far. But once I read the first chapter, I was hooked and couldn't put the book down. Mark Robson uses different techniques in every chapter that enthralls the reader till the point where they have glued the book to their hands, unwilling to put it down.

The plot twists and turns so much that anything could happen on the next page. When Emperor Surabar is assassinated, the throne is open to any lord who wants it. The competition is hot, and the man who assassinated the Emperor, Shalidar, wants his new step-father Lord Tremarle to get the throne, so that when he dies, Shalidar can take over the throne. A very good assassin, Femke, and her soldier friend Reynik, who is also a member of the guild, need to stop him. The Guild of Assassins are after Femke, but want Reynik killed for being a traitor.

The pair also have to keep the rightful Emperor, Lord Kempton, after he went into hiding, but had recently been discovered so is on the run. They get some help from an old friend of Kempton, a mage, and he disguises them so they can infiltrate the guild.

This was an excellent way to end the series and a definite idea for a Christmas/birthday present!

Good conclusion
This was a very good ending for the imperial trilogy. It linked in well with the Darkweaver books, as it included some familiar characters. I enjoyed the whole series and look forward to mor from Mark Robson.