4.5/5 stars

This is the second series I finished this year, and it’s a thrilling and rewarding conclusion to the Riftwar: Empire trilogy.

“Love doesn’t demand; it accepts. It has taken me my life to learn this.”

Here we are. Mistress of the Empire is the third and final book in the Riftwar: Empire trilogy by Raymond E. Feist& Janny Wurts. The story begins three years after the events of Servant of the Empire, and it’s the most relentless start to any book in the trilogy. Seriously, the first quarter of Mistress of the Empire was a brutal and non-stop exhilarating ride. Incredibly dangerous situations visited Mara and her friends non-stop, and I was worried and hooked by the narrative. If you’ve read the series up to this final installment, then you should be familiar with the tone, themes, and writing style of the series. Honor, culture, love, family, and changes are still dominant in this concluding volume. I love how the authors built upon the previous two books. I did mention in my review of Servant of the Empire that I thought it was satisfyingly conclusive already; as it turns out, there’s still more story arc to close, and it all felt so organic.

“Honor was only a glorified word for emptiness, and no sane replacement for the promise of continued life.”

It’s bittersweet to be saying goodbye to these characters. Since the first book, Mara has become one of my favorite heroines in fantasy, and this notion gets stronger and stronger with each book. The authors have done such a terrific job in giving the protagonists and antagonists personalities and motivations that add up to the tension-packed politics and narrative. In Mistress of the Empire, beside Mara, we get to dive deeper into the characterizations of Hokanu, Lujan, and Arakasi. This novel can also be surmised as their books, not just Mara, and the development of these characters was all superbly done. A lot of emotional—mostly sorrowful—events occurred in this book as the dangerous cultures of Tsuranni continues. Servant of the Empire has established that things need to change, but it’s not easy to change hundreds of years of traditions even if they’re dangerous. Sacrifices and hard decisions are necessary, and I’ll leave you to find out for yourself.

“True honor does not condone murder. True power must equally shield the weak that we, for centuries, have thoughtlessly trampled under our feet.”

Admittedly, though still an incredible read, Mistress of the Empire is—by a small margin—my least favorite of the trilogy. Un the previous two books where I was immersed cover to cover, I did struggle a bit in the middle section—the parts of Thuril, specifically—of the novel. Mistress of the Empire is a different sort of book in comparison to the previous two books. Both Daughter of the Empire and Servant of the Empire revolved around the bloody Game of Council; it was engaging and constantly interesting to see Mara and her friends trying their best to outwit their opponents. This is still true to a certain extent here. However, Mistress of the Empire has a larger focus on the Great Ones, cho-ja, and powerful magic usage so much more than before. And for this specific trilogy, I prefer the low scale of magic exhibited in the previous two books. Overall, though, these are minor issues on the grander scheme of the novel and trilogy. Their inclusion did bring a stunning climax sequence and satisfying ending, after all.

Picture: Mistress of the Empire by Miguel Coimbra



With Mistress of the Empire, what I’ve repeatedly said in my previous two can now be fully confirmed, Riftwar: Empire trilogy has become one of my favorite series. Although I loved this trilogy so much, this is also where I’ll say goodbye to Riftwar Cycle. I’m not too much of a fan of Riftwar Saga. I will, however, be reading through Janny Wurts’s bibliography further, starting with To Ride to Hell’s Chasm next before diving into her magnum opus: Wars of Light and Shadow. I couldn’t even finish Riftwar Saga, but her involvement in Riftwar: Empire trilogy gave the series and world a quality that’s too good to ignore. Regardless of whether you’ve read The Magician by Raymond E. Feist or not, I highly recommend this spin-off trilogy.

“You have taught me the true meaning of a warrior’s creed. Any man can die fighting enemies. But the real test of honor for a man is to live and learn to love himself.”

Series review:

Daughter of the Empire: 5 stars
Servant of the Empire: 5 stars
Mistress of the Empire: 4.5/5 stars

Riftwar Empire: 14.5/15 stars

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*** 4.75 ***

Yes, there were parts that were a bit slow, there was too much sorrow at other times, and the political machinations were the most prevalent part of the trilogy, but as a whole, this is one of the best three books strung together I have ever read!!!! Loved every moment of it, even when it got preachy at the end and despite the tears and heartache it made me live through. It had some very cruel moments, but all of them were essential to the plot and none of the violence was ever gratuitous. The writing was impeccable, beyond good, and the story was so gripping, that once you start you just can't put the book away! What an amazing, emotional and exciting ride this was! All who have not read it yet, what are you waiting for???? Go get it and make sure you read it in order.

"...“He s to humble our foes by making them seem ridiculous. As he said to me the other day, ‘Kill a man, and you cede him honor in the eyes of the gods. Laugh at him and you shame him'.”..."

A more complete review might be forthcoming once I get rid of the book hangover...

Now I wish you all Happy Reading and may you always find what you need in the pages of a Great Book!!! fantasy fantasy-forgotten-realms57 s Graeme RodaughanAuthor 9 books388

5 stars. This is classic epic fantasy by a pair of masters of the genre.

I could waste your time by recapping the plot* - so, instead I'll focus on the standouts that make this story an easy 5 stars.

[1] This story is written to evoke emotions - you will feel a lot while reading this book, you will feel along with the characters, grief and sadness, joy and triumph, fear and courage, and a sense of wholeness as all threads are brought to their natural ends.

[2] World building: Is Tolkienesque in scope and quality. The society of the empire is rich in detail and meshes well with the story. It was completely believable and easily transports the reader to the world of Kelewan and it's exotic, but familiar people.

[3] Alien species: The Cho-Ja would do just as well in a science fiction novel as an epic fantasy. They are far from "creature feature," props and help drive the narrative to its powerful conclusion.

[4] Rich characterization: Mara especially is a complex character, at one and the same time, a figure of utmost goodness in a desperate world, and a Machiavellian player of great skill. She is not alone, lots of other characters are drawn with superb nuance and are a joy to engage with.

This book, and the series as a whole are very special books and dear to my heart. This is probably the 4th time I've read them and I enjoy them each time.

(oh yeah...) * What's the plot? Read it and enjoy finding out for yourself as much as I did.epic-fantasy fantasy heroic-fantasy44 s Mayim de Vries583 956

”Now we must all play, or die.”

This party started with a big bang but ended with fake vanilla.
And dragged in between.

Mistress of the Empire is the third, and the final volume of the Empire trilogy. We have seen the slow rise of Mara who from a redundant scion of the Acoma family, transformed into one of the most powerful forces to be reckoned with. It would seem that all the challenges have been met, all the threats neutralised, and that the Authors will have a hard time surprising us into excitement again.

Good news is that they managed that just fine. With one masterful stroke Mara’s world is falling apart and she herself is unravelling a fabric washed just one time too many. I did enjoy that; in fact, watching her drive her own house to the brink of destruction and jeopardising everything she has worked for so hard was… well, it was fun (no, I assure you I don’t torment kittens when bored).

One can get an impression that all three volumes talk about the same: Basically, a girl must find a way to save her life, while everyone around is plotting and scheming against her. And although in fact each of these stories follows a similar pattern, it must be noted that there are huge differences between them concerning, especially, the complexity of the intrigue and the way of increasing tension.

The first book was great, the second good with a moderately authentic and polished ending. The third instalment is markedly uneven; on the one hand, the pacing is so slow that I have seen tectonic plates moving faster, on the other hand, it is luscious, sometimes up to exaggeration of detail. There were whole sections and subplots that bored and tired me. In the end, I found myself in the classic approach-avoidance conflict: whereas I wanted to finish the story, simultaneously, too many things were pushing me away.

Mistress of the Empire is definitely more mature than its predecessors. This is possible, mainly due to the fact that the heroine is no longer an adolescent. But also, the world building is much more layered, the protagonists more nuanced, and the plot is also much more complicated, with numerous subplots developing in different POVs.

If you d members of the Mara household, you should be thrilled to have them finally speaking in their own voices. Also new aspects of the Empire and the wider universe will flip a couple of things upside down. You would think that especially the last one was a risky gamble because it could bare all the contradictory details, but it is obvious that the whole design was perfectly thought through and meticulously planned.

Unfortunately, the third volume seems to be weaker than the previous ones. While it is great fantasy, full of surprising twists, interesting ideas, and perfect intrigues, it lacks something. Or perhaps to the contrary, it throttles the reader with overabundance. The weak point seems to be the motivation of the main heroine presented more as a divine saviour than a ruler, and the problem of pacing. The speed of events and huge leaps in time were serious drawbacks. More than once you can get lost in the chronology of events or simply lose the sync with the general timing. This, for me, signifies bad writing. Moreover, some threads were clearly redundant and, personally, I think they would lighten the read if anybody had half of Mara’s guts and eliminate them.

However, it is still a great ending to a very good trilogy and the above does not diminish the value of the book, which is simply great to read up to the very end… which is so nauseatingly sweet that I needed to take one star down.

I have not read anything by Mr Feist (yet!) but this book definitely strengthens the position of Janny Wurts at the vanguard of the best fantasy writers. I can only wish that more such heroes, such worlds and such stories are made alive on the pages of fantasy books. Anybody enjoying high, complex fantasy, strong female leads and world building based on the Eastern cultures, should mark the Empire trilogy or bump it up their “waiting to be read” list.

Also in the series:

1. Daughter of the Empire ?????
2. Servant of the Empire ?????31 s BradleyAuthor 5 books4,429

The third in the trilogy started out so strong that I wanted to rage, weep, and throw the book against the wall.

I really hate it when books tear me to shreds. The tragedy in the opening was a real nightmare for me and the characters in here, but more importantly, it drove a lot of the massive change to come.

We are, after all, sitting on a trilogy that completely upends the entire society. Civil War, massive change for the Cho-Ji, and even the Council who are above the law, the High Magicians, and the Emperor will have to bow before it.

Moreover, I should mention that this particular trilogy places fine emphasis on showing every single step, every important building block from a young girl just trying to save her house, to become indispensable to the Emperor, to become The Power of the whole land. It's impressive, and no doubt. This isn't some simple tale. It's all about politics, power bases, economics, spy networks, mortal enemies, revenge, deception, and total social upheaval. So yeah, it's impressive as hell.

My only complaint was for a few of the slow bits. And I wasn't all that interested in the spymaster's love life. It might have been something cool but it just didn't turn out all that great for me. *shrug* But everything else was fantastic! :)2019-shelf epic-fantasy fantasy ...more27 s Olivia737 127

After three months, I am done with the Empire Trilogy and am looking forward to diving further into the Riftwar Cycle. If you're at all interested in Feist's work and the rest of the Riftwar Cycle, start with the Riftwar Saga Trilogy before you read the Empire Trilogy. It'll provide background info, I was lacking while reading it. It's not absolutely necessary but it'll add depth to the world.

I would hate to spoil anyone on this lovely trilogy, which is why I'll keep the plot info to a minimum.

The trilogy is set in a world inspired by Asia. There's not a lot of magic, instead it's all about intrigue and politics.

Mara is possibly the best female fantasy character I've encountered so far. She kicks ass, is intelligent, cunning and the entire tale is one big chess game filled with politics and betrayal. Mara does not use strength and violence to win this game but her wit.

The entire cast of characters is well developed. The villains are intriguing and relatable.

I enjoyed every part of this trilogy, even the romance. In fact this had a romance that warmed my heart and made me happy. (Rare, I'm usually grumpy!)

Recommended to everyone who s either Feist or Wurts, and who enjoys witty politicians betraying each other.fantasy26 s Allen Walker188 1,446

Ok, so I d this book considerably more than the previous one, I think largely because it didn't feel it was being shoehorned into events beyond the Rift that just 'needed' to happen to make the story in those books make sense. In fact, after a knockout first chapter, the first 20 or so chapters of this flew by and I was invested in what was Mara's new mission, though I didn't particularly the mission itself.

But then, for me, the story hit a snag and suddenly I find myself on a quest. I don't know what it was about this section of the book--there wasn't anything wrong with what was happening per se--but I just didn't connect with this section at all, nor did I really see why it had to be as drawn out as it was. This is a problem throughout the book, in my opinion; everything is repeated, the characters belabor their feelings and the stakes as if they didn't just inform us at length about these very things in the chapter just previous.

Howevwer, once the story returned to the 'main' thrust, I thought the conclusion was absolutely tremendous. I couldn't put the book down as all the threads finally joined and we reached the conclusion and consequences of three entire books. Such fantastic stuff. I was all set to give this book 5 stars.

And then. The epilogue. Anyone reading this book for the first time, don't read the epilogue. Be sastisfied with the ending of the final chapter. I hated the epilogue. I hated it so much. I'm not sure I've ever seen story elements more rammed through a runaway freight train than the out-of-the-blue gymnastics performed in order to force this epilogue that nobody wanted. It makes me so sad.

All in all, though, I really enjoyed this trilogy, though book 1 was an absolute favorite. I definitely recommend the series to anyone who s political intrigue and especially for fans of the Riftwar series.25 s Troy G103 13

So concludes the best trilogy ever written. When I think about this book, in many ways I think of the supporting cast. I could retitle the book "Arakasi and Lujan" as those are the two character's whose plots most resonated with me. These two characters had perhaps the most drastic arc from the first novel in the trilogy when they were little more than outlaws. In this novel they are so very much more. More than they ever could have been without the intervention of Mara.

That is her greatest gift as a character. Mara is able to inspire those around her to be great. Were Lujan and Arakasi ever normal? Probably not, but the path they were on was destined to be of little consequence to the rest of the world. Empowered by Mara they rise to heights that were unimaginable to them at birth. The fate of social reform hinges on their decisions and advice. Much more so than it does any action directly taken by Mara.

There was no doubt that Mara's meteoric rise would continue in this novel, and it does. The journey it takes has consequences to her, to those around her, and to the greater empire she represents. Those consequences are where the story lies, and the path of her rise contains twists and turns as one might expect.

The world of the Tsunami is expanded on last time in this novel. As always, Raymond Feist's talent for world building is obvious. The new lands explored are vivid, fresh, and interesting. There are callbacks to other books from his Midkimea universe that are rewarding to those who have read them.

I strongly recommend this book to everyone, but you should first read the other two in the trilogy. reviewed22 s Eric179 64

4 Stars

The final volume of the Empire trilogy, Mistress of the Empire brings events full circle, closing out the series strongly.

The last book ended with Mara comfortable and secure, at the top of Tsurani society with her enemy house finally defeated. That comfort doesn’t last long as her house in thrown into disarray and once again she is forced to fight. The stakes are raised this time as she fights not only to save her house but her culture.

I’ll confess, at the end of the second book in the trilogy it felt there was nowhere left to go with the story. Her rival house was defeated, and Mara finally had the security she had fought for ever since her father and brother died. I was pleasantly surprised at how the third book managed to tie together various threads that had been started in previous books, not just in terms of personal arcs but several different themes as well, such as personal freedoms and rights.

One of the strengths of this series is the characterizations. Each character is distinct, and showed noticeable development throughout the series. There was one thing nagging me about the series, and it took me until the last book to put my figure on what it is. While it was definitely accomplished, I didn’t particularly enjoy the writing style. Things sometimes felt over explained, and in general it felt a bit wordy. The last two books seemed they could have been trimmed down without the story suffering.

Overall though, that is a fairly minor complaint. I enjoyed the series, and I think fans of the original Riftwar series will as well. fantasy raymond-e-feist18 s Booksblabbering || Cait??1,056 223

The past three years had been good ones. For the first time since childhood, she felt safe, secure from the deadly, unending political intrigues of the Game of the Council.
Mara and Hokanu, with loyal vassals and allies, between them commanded a standing army unsurpassed in the Nations.

However, many would see the Good Servant on her way to Turakamu's halls, simply because of her breaks with tradition, and her climb to a rank unmatched by any previous Warlord.
Most of all Lord Jiro of Anasati. Over the years his youthful thirst for retribution had darkened into the abiding obsession of a dangerous, cunning rival.

Due to Mara’s elevation at the end of the last book, if the Acoma showed any sign of irresolution, the faction that had begun to form in rigid adherence to old traditions would use this as an excuse to throw the Empire into civil war.

This book is more sprawling than the first two, encapsulating many more perspectives at more frequency. Hokanu is a loyal, beloved, and dedicated consort. Akrasi faces his biggest rival, a cunning mastermind, yet. The Magicians conspire and plan behind the scenes.

The start is slow yet filled with momentous events. This allows the authors to explore grief and the harrowing void of hope, vengeance, and vulnerability whilst demonstrating the consequences that can occur in spite of, because of, this all-engulfing void.

Mara almost takes a backwards step at the start due to traumatic events, causing her household to step in. This was frustrating, yet it was a lot more realistic of a character constantly bombarded by disaster and power-hungry plays.
However, I do think this book was my least favourite.

”I have undertaken to change traditions that have shackled us into stagnation. I have seen cruelty, injustice, and the profligate waste of
worthy lives. For this have I set myself up as michwife to a rebirth, without which we as a people will die."

A phenomenal series that has convinced me I need to read more Janny Wurtz.

Bookstagram15 s Laura1,151 54

A great conclusion to one of the best trilogies I've ever read.

It did have a bit too much sorrow at times and a tad too much political intrigue at others but on the whole, it was an amazing read which has earned a place among my all-time-favourites.epic-fantasy read-in-201813 s Joshua Thompson901 292

A great conclusion to a great book series. So glad I finally read this series!14 s YouKneeK666 86

Mistress of the Empire is the final book in The Empire Trilogy. As I’ve mentioned before, I first read this about 20 years ago. I remembered very little of it, particularly from the later books, just that I had really loved it at the time. My reaction was similar this time around. It was a great read.

I had a bit of a rough start with this book, and struggled a little through the first 100 pages or so. Mara took some actions early on that I didn’t . I don’t think her actions were unrealistic given the circumstances and her personality, but I found them frustrating to read about and I missed her more calculated choices from the earlier books. Once that started to turn back around, my interest was caught again. I thought the book grew steadily more exciting as it approached the end.

This was a satisfying conclusion to the story, and I really enjoyed how everything worked out politically. I thought the last little bit at the very end was a bit too convenient, but I didn’t necessarily dis it, I was just a little apathetic about it. I loved seeing the progression of Mara’s character as she re-examined her culture and her own decisions throughout the story, although there was one decision I wished she had thought back upon with regret at least once. I enjoyed all the political intrigue, and the occasional battle scenes were also written well and fun to read. It’s not an uproariously funny series, but there are nice bits of humor sprinkled throughout that made me laugh. There are several great characters, some poignant moments, and difficult choices that I thought added depth to the story. I’m rating this at 4.5 stars, but rounding down to 4 on Goodreads, mostly due to my difficulties at the beginning.

I want to elaborate on my above comment about the decision Mara should have thought back upon with regret. I’ll have to put that in spoiler tags:
Mara spent quite a bit of time regretting her part in Bunto’s death, and I do think that was something she should regret. However, I thought something that she should have regretted even more was the time in the first book when she had several slaves killed for nothing more than being in the wrong place at the wrong time and hearing information she didn’t want others to know. Bunto at least had some role in his own downfall and was a generally scummy person, but the slaves were innocent so far as we knew and represented several lives lost. I enjoyed seeing Mara’s views on honor and freedom evolve over the series, but I think it would have added some weight to her newfound convictions about slavery to see her remember and regret that particular decision.completed-series fantasy9 s Joanne705 75

The final book in the Feist/Wurts collaboration, and it ended in grand style.

I will admit that I was a little begrudged on how "wordy" things became mid-book-but after that finale, I get it now. There was just so much to cover so many lives to tie together.

From about chapter 22 on, I did not want to put it down. Once again Feist comes through with battle scenes that take you right there-omg, the action on the road to the Holy City-guilty of a few tears at the section.

..and the final chapters with Mara/Hokanu/Kevin-again, not ashamed to admit I cried. When a fantasy writer can put me in the action and pull such feelings of sadness from me, well, they have done their job. A 5 star read for me.fantasy-read series-finished9 s Baal Of1,243 61

Chapter 1: Starts off in a good direction by killing of Mara's annoying son Ayaki in the first chapter. Perhaps Feist and Wurts recognized how much that character sucked.

Chapter 2: How many times has chess been used as a metaphor for either war (obvious given the names of the pieces) or political maneuverings. I'm kind of tired of this element that is so common in Fantasy (and non-genre) novels.

Chapter 4: So Mara precipitously assumes that Jiro is responsible so the death of Ayaki, and decides that war is the necessary response (it's more complicated than that but I can't rewrite the novel here) and thus her fundamental character seems changed by the extreme grief. I was worried. However Feist and Wurts gardually pull back her back from ruin and she becomes again what she should be, and in a way such that it does all make sense.

Chapter 7: I was irritated that she was about to have yet another son, and sticking lockstep with the patriarchal nature of the Tsurani society. What an opportunity to subvert the expectations by her having a daughter, especially if it had gone against the predictions of the midwives (who apparently all agreed?) However the poisoning of Mara and subsequent miscarriage and death of her fetus impressed me with its brutality and made the choice much better.

Chapter 13: Arakasi's assassination of the Obajon of the Hamoi tong was awesome.

Chapter 14: I am glad that Mara's final child is a girl, and that Hokanu is forced to confront his patriarchal assumption that he would have male heir, and I do think that Mara's response to his initial rejection if his own daughter was justified, and certainly understandable, even though she precipitated the situation by earlier insisting that Hokanu relinquish his rights to having Justin be his family's heir and legacy. This puts her in an ironic position for simultaneously demanding her own boy heir for the house Acoma while chiding her own husband for wanting he same for his house. It's all wonderfully complicated and is s small tableau of what has been making this trilogy so appealing to me.

Chapter 19: This might just reflect how comfortable I am with profanity in general, but I have noticed that Fiest and Wurts do not use vulgarities except in very rare instances and even then only the mildest of the mild. Which makes Mara's "insults" to the Thuril seem laughably feeble to my ears, especially given that she (or the authors) can't even use the word penis, let along cock or dick, and thus says thing "should he touch me, I will laugh when his manhood fails to rise." This passage in particular was fun to read out loud to my friends. I wonder whether the lack of real cussing is a function of author choice, editorial influence, marketing intention, or even other factors.

Chapter 20: I was initially having mixed feelings about how they are handling the gradual reveal of the Thuril society, but as it progresses, I it more. It felt maybe a little blunt at first but I think it does fit with the perspective of Tsurani belief, by way of Mara's viewpoint, being changed slowly and surely by her interactions with the Thuril people. And I'm looking forward to what happens once she visits the Cho-ja.

As with the first book in the trilogy, I find Feist's collaboration with Wurts to be far better than the first arc of the The Riftwar Saga. The characters are more complex (especially the female characters), the dialog much better, and greater detail in the world building. Major characters are killed off instead of being constantly protected. I hope that further books in the saga reflect similar improvements since I feel committed at this point.cheese fruit hot-chocolate ...more8 s Ojo287 118

Oh what a feeling! I haven't felt this good in a long, long while. Empire Trilogy excels where others barely manage to impress. It's more than brilliant. It's astounding. Satisfying. It's officially one of my best ever series in epic fantasy. I'm ranking it up there, in the lofty heights, in the the company of the s of ASoIaF, Kingkiller, WoT, Malazan and SoT.

I already knew I was going to give this book a solid 5 stars from the opening few pages, such was the stunning start. At this point usually, you begin to see the plot patterns and it's possible to predict endings. Maybe it's because the series is authored by not one but two masters of the genre is why it turned out so different. If I felt that a lot happened in the two preceeding books, the events in this book came as a delightful shock. Not once did I anticipate how things turned out, certainly not the way they did. There was more focus on previously peripheral characters as the plot began to really thicken. There's a whole lot of character development and a whole lot more action, more than the two previous books combined. Fans of G.R.R Martin will be pleased by this unique take in political thrill that uses exceptional world-building and a setting-plot system that rivals even that of WoT despite it being relatively short: a trilogy.

It's one great book, with a greatly satisfying ending. The main protagonist is one that will remain in my memory forever. Look no more unto YA for great female characters. Here is a brilliant female lead unencumbered by the tropes of romance and occasionally frustrating softhearted acts of stupidity characterised by most YA and Urban Fantasy female leads. Here is a female character that can stand side by side with the s of Tyrion Lannister, Gandalf the Grey, Matrim Cauthon and Anomander Rake in terms of sheer brilliance, wit, passion, power and brutality. Ladies and gentlemen of the epic fantasy fandom, I present to you Mara of House Acoma. I to call her Aunty Mara, haha.

This book comes highly recommended. If Raymond and Janny can come up with this, then I encourage more top fantasy authors to do more collaborations. The prospect is absolutely mouth watering for us fans.

P.S: This is the best book I've read this year! Beats House of Chains by a mile.... And a half!8 s Suraj139 1 follower

A great ending to a superb saga. With a very satisfying ending and a very thrilling storyline, a must read for anyone who enjoys reading a good story. 7 s Gabi723 144

I would say this is a great series for fans of court intrigue, political plots and a writing style that's a bit on the melodramatic side.6 s Aaron120 16

I can’t really say much without giving away events. I will say that Feist can really write the action/battle scenes well. Overall the book was great! I love the strong female lead as I have throughout the series. Toward the middle of the book there were parts that I felt were wordy. Feist quickly inserted battle scenes to move the book along. At the end, Wow! The wordy part of the book finally made sense and the authors wrapped this book up in a great way!7 s JimAuthor 7 books2,057

A fabulous finish to a great trilogy. I've read & enjoyed other books & series by both authors, but I think that together, they were even better. Thanks, Janny & Ray!1paper 2fiction 3series ...more7 s Eric553 30

Fantastic! The last of a three book series based on Feist's "Riftwar" Saga. Written with Janny Wurts this last book is a roller coaster of twists and turns. Old versus new ways and the revelation of an unfair treaty that limits a species to what amounts to captivity and the suppression an arcane ability.

The intrigue is amazing!6 s2 comments Michael Y. Patuwo14 9

I have strongly mixed opinions about this books; parts of it excite me so much that I thought 'this is a truly magnificent scene', while other parts made me fume with irritation and disbelief.

Let's start with the good part. Mistress of the Empire started with a BANG! that left me unable to put the book down for a few chapters because of how powerful its impact was on the story and characters. Later in the book another tragic surprise roped me in with a similar intensity, and the fast-paced action scenes that followed after was kept my interest going for at least a hundred pages more. It was very pleasant and made me fall in love with this book... if only it lasted throughout the experience.

Unfortunately snail-paced interludes bog the plot down, and I often question whether these chapters are truly necessary to the book's plot. I skipped entire scenes where nothing but banal political discussions happened, and later as events unfolded I realised that I have not missed anything at all. Why even have chapters written from the point of view of Jiro? He did nothing but sit around and plot, and later it turned out that he did not achieved much with all the plotting he had done (in fact, it almost did not matter at all). I also found a gaping flaw with Jiro's character. What sort of 'intelligent' man would harbour a grudge against a lady who chose his mentally inferior brother as a husband to win political favour (and intentionally caused his death, too)? Jiro was petty, impatient, murderous, harsh, unforgiving, vindictive, and so prone to bouts of fury that I did not for a moment believe that he was 'cunning' or 'intelligent.'

And here comes my biggest problem with the book, which shaved off that 2 stars out of the 5/5 that I would have given if things had been otherwise.

What the hell is with the magician Assembly?

If Tsunarians had any brains at all, they would fight against the Assembly to the last drop of the their blood if only to end their tyrannical rule over the land. The magicians were extremely powerful, extremely dangerous and so infinitely murderous that as I read on I held to the belief that they needed to be obliterated by any means possible. But the ending had left me utterly dissatisfied. Even the 'good' mages were no better: they did nothing as entire armies were incinerated in the most graphic way possible, instead retreating back to their petty, ponderous discussions instead of taking severe actions against the members of the Assembly who had taken human lives for no good reasons at all.

I hate Tapek, I hate Hochepapa, I hate Milamber, and I hate the book for not having them systematically ripped apart as the events of the book came to an end. Instead we get a nonsense divine-protection Deus Ex Machina as a solution to the book's climax.

So there it is, a mixture of 1-star and 5-star elements of the book that compelled me to give Mistress of the Empire a 3-star rating. I loved this series, and it had some truly insightful plot and interesting characters in it, but the first book, in my opinion, was the masterpiece of the trilogy.6 s Rosie371 49

VALEU TANTO A PENA... mas acabou.

Uma saga! 4 Livros, história e personagens cativantes, acompanharam-me nestes últimos meses e agora a separação. Não me apetece nada abandonar a Mara, o Hokanu, o Arakasi, o Lujan...
Fica este sentimento de perda. Até uma próxima. Deixar esquecer para reler mais tarde com certeza.

Teria tanto que contar atendendo que é a conclusão mas não vos quero enfadar e se querem mesmo saber têm que ler.

Reforço apenas que o mais relevante e interessante é a mudança da linha de pensamento do povo Tsurani que vivia manipulado sem sequer se aperceber pela Assembleia de Magos e respectivos Mantos Negros. Há uma humanização e libertação que conduzirá a vidas muito mais justas, sinceras e sem opressões.

Uma obra com muita criatividade e com muiiiiiitas surpresas pelo caminho. Com algum peso em tramas políticas que por vezes empatam um pouquinho a leitura, conforme tenho vindo a dizer, mas que não retira brilho no seu todo.

Admirável! 6 s Dan1,320 72

Very good, rather lengthy, but superb!2015 20186 s Nikola Pavlovic301 48

Veliko finale "Empire" trilogije!
Samo zato sto nesto deluje nemoguce, ne znaci da definitivno i jeste.
Hrabrost i sreca su cesto jedna ista stvar i dobro je pa je Mara hrabra, hrabra poput nikoga u carstvu Tsuranuranija. Medjutim ovoga puta ona cesto puca u prazno, jer nemoguce je pobediti svu nepravdu, mrznju i strah a da se barem malo ne oslonite na intuiciju i kazete sebi ovo sto radim je ispravno i to mi je dovoljna stvar da nastavim dalje bez obzira na ishod.
I nekako mi je samo jedna strofa bila u glavi dok sam citao ovu knjigu:

'Cause people often talk about being scared of change
But for me, I'm more afraid of things staying the same
'Cause the game is never won
By standing in any one place
For too long'

- Jesus of the Moon by
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds5 s Susan593 18

One of the best trilogies in fantasy I have ever read.

fantasy read20195 s Sumant251 8

Not many series endings have given me the experience but with the book Servant of the empire, I can say that the ending left me feeling content.All the story lines got a proper ending in this book.Also we discover lot of new things regarding cho-ja and tsuruanni in this book.

The previous books consisted of given insights into characters who are working against Mara.But this book offers insights into male counterparts who are working for Mara.The most interesting insights are the ones given by Arakasi and Lujan.

The major plots on this book are focused on
1.Mara vs Hamoi tong
2.Arakasi's insight.
3.Mara vs Jiroh
4.Mara vs Magicians

Let me give a brief regarding each of the above points

1.Mara vs Hamoi tong
As we know from the last book that the Hamoi tong have pledged a vow of revenge against Mara, and the book opens with one of their assassination attempt gone wrong.But the assassins manage to kill someone important to Mara and that leaves her devastated.

Although Hokanu starts suspecting Jiroh immediately we know that the Hamoi tong are acting on their own against Mara.As Mara is servant of the empire we have a state funeral for the fallen person, during which Mara in her state of grief attacks Jiroh and gives him opportunity to further widen the rift between the traditionalist faction and Maraist faction.

Hokanu and Mara give a call to their clan for a final fight against Jiroh, but the magicians interfere in the middle and manage to stop the war.They take a promise from both Jiroh and Mara that they will not take arms against each other.Mara finds this interference too much and gives Arakasi a mission to find out more about these magicians by penetrating their city.

Another tool which the authors have used wisely throughout the books is the time jumps they manage to jump a few years ahead time and again so that the story keeps progressing smoothly.

2.Arakasi's insight.
As years pass Mara seems to recover some what from the tragedy which struck her at the start of the book, and soon she becomes pregnant with Hokanu's child.But the threat of Hamoi tong is still there and too have been abiding their time and have manage to concoct a more sinister plot against Mara.

They approach Mara posing as traders and they poison her, meanwhile Arakasi has done many futile attempts to enter into the city of magicians.But when he hears about Mara's poisoning he rushes to her side and manages to find a cure for the poison through his network.We are given a lot of insights into Arakasi's network and workings during this part of the story.It is definitely a page turner to read how intelligence works on human basis when they don't have electronic intelligence in this world.

As Mara recovers from her poison she gives Arakasi the most difficult mission in the series which is to infiltrate Hamoi tong and kills its leader i.e Obertan.
Arakasi proceeds on this mission in a systematic way and descriptions regarding how he infiltrates their fortress and destroys them in the process was one of the best parts in this book.

3.Mara vs Jiroh
Meanwhile Jiroh has become a force to be reckoned with in the empire and has manage to unite all the traditionalist faction behind him, the traditionalist are basically a faction who want the council to be reinstated and also want the seat of warlord restored so that they can go back to their bloody days of game of council.

Mara is exceedingly frustrated with this, and with magicians ultimatum to her against Jiroh she has hands tied behind her.She is trying to find a solution to this problem, and during her one meet with the cho ja queen she finds a lot regarding the magicians.But the cho ja queen is reluctant to give her all the answers and asks her to journey to another land in order to find all the answers.

4.Mara vs Magicians
The assembly of magicians is itself divided regarding Mara as half think that she should be kept in check as she has become too powerful for their own good, while the other half support her rebellious measures regarding tsuruanni way of life.The magicians have kept a watch on her 24x7. But Mara manages to give them a slip under pretext that she has taken a shelter in a temple for self discovery.The voyage changes Mara perceptions regarding the magicians.

All in all I really loved empire trilogy and was quite surprised that wurts and feist did not collaborate further for writing such amazing books.I am definitely going to read riftwar saga by feist, and wars of light and shadow by wurts.I give this book 4/5 stars. empire-trilogy fantasy5 s Mei1,886 454

One of the best fantasy series I've read!
RTC... fantasy5 s Sotiris Karaiskos1,223 104

???????? ?? ??????? ?? ????? ?????? ??? ????????? ????? ?? ??????????? ??????? ??? ????? ???, ????? ??? ??????? ????? ?? ???????? ????? ?????? ?? ??? happy end ??? ????? ???? ????????? ??? ?????? ????????. ?????? ???? ?? ?????????? ?????????? ??? ????? ??? ???? ???????? ?? ???? ??? ???? ?? ????? ??? ????????? ????? ?? ?? ??? ?????? ?????? ?? ????? ???????.

?? ????????? ????? ??? ?????????, ??????, ? ??????? ??? Mara ????? ???? ? ?????????? ??????? ??? ?????????????, ???? ? ?????? ??? ???? ??? ????? ???, ????, ??? ????? ????? ????????? ?? ?????????? ?? ????? ?????? ???? ??? ?? ????????? ??? ??? ????? ??? ????? ??? ??? ????????? ???? ???? ???????? ?? ?? ??????????????. ??? ?? ??????? ??? ??? ??????? ???? ??????????? ?? ???????? ?? ????? ?? ??? ?????????? ??????????? ?????? ??? ??? ??????? ?? ??????? ???? - ?? ???? ????????????? ????????? - ??? ?? ?????? ?????????? ?? ???? ??? ???????? ????????? ??? ?????????????. ?? ?????????? ????? ??? ?????? ?? ?????????? ???? ??? ??? ?????????? ????????????? ??????.

?? ???? ????? ?? ?????????? ?????????? ??? ???????? ?? ??? ???????? ?????, ???????? ?? ???????? ??? ???? ????, ?????????????? ??????????? ???? ???? ????????? ??? ?????????? ??? ?????????????? ?? ?????? ???? ??? ??? ???????????? ??? ???????? ??????? ??? ?? ??????????? ??? ?????? ? ?????????? ??????????? ???? ????????.fantasy high-fantasy5 s eyes.2c2,794 81

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