The penultimate volume of the mighty Riftwar Cycle

War rages in Midkemia but behind the chaos there is disquieting evidence of dark forces at work.

Jim Dasher’s usually infallible intelligence network has been cleverly dismantled; nowhere is safe. He feels that the world is coming apart at the seams and is helpless to protect his nation.

Quiet palace coups are underway in Roldem and Rillanon; and King Gregory of the Isles has yet to produce an heir. In each kingdom a single petty noble has risen from obscurity to threaten the throne.

Lord Hal of Crydee and his great friend Ty Hawkins, champion swordsman of the Masters’ Court, are entrusted with the task of smuggling Princess Stephané and her lady-in-waiting, the lovely but mysterious Lady Gabriella, out of Roldem to a place of greater safety. But is there any safe haven to be found?

Meanwhile, Hal’s younger brothers Martin and Brendan are attempting to hold the strategic city of Ylith against an onslaught of Keshian Dog Soldiers, and a mysterious force from beneath the sea. The Kingdom might lose Crydee and recover; but if Ylith falls, all is lost.

An unknown player appears to orchestrating these conflicts. Can Pug and the Conclave of Shadows track down this source before Midkemia is destroyed?

Review

Praise for Raymond E. Feist:‘File under guilty pleasure’ Guardian‘Get in at the start of a master’s new series’ Daily Sport‘Well-written and distinctly above average… intelligent… intriguing’ Publishers Weekly‘ Epic scope…vivid imagination…a significant contribution to the growth of the field of fantasy’ Washington Post

About the Author

New York Times bestselling author Raymond E. Feist's previous novels include the Chaoswar Saga (A Kingdom Besieged), the Demonwar Saga (Rides a Dread Legion and At the Gates of Darkness), the Darkwar Saga (Flight of the Nighthawks, Into a Dark Realm, and Wrath of a Mad God); the Conclave of Shadows (Talon of the Silver Hawk, King of Foxes, and Exile's Return); the Riftwar Legacy (Krondor: The Betrayal, Krondor: The Assassins, and Krondor: Tear of the Gods); the Serpentwar Saga (Shadow of a Dark Queen, Rise of a Merchant Prince, Rage of a Demon King, and Shards of a Broken Crown); the Riftwar Saga (Magician, Silverthorn, and A Darkness at Sethanon); Faerie Tale; The Prince of the Blood; and The King's Buccaneer. He lives in San Diego, California.