Customer Reviews
A Great Read - By: Colin Ellis, 19 Apr 2007 
A great book with Feist's usual superb characterisations, it does not, however, reach a conclusion, rather sets the scene for the next major saga. It leaves you wanting more & if, like me, you wnat to read the saga's from start to end then wait until alll the Darkwar Saga is published & then read the series.
Great, but not a conclusion - By: Barbara Docker, 12 Jan 2007 
Another great book continuing the Conclave of the Shadows trilogy, but as you get halfway through you start to wonder how they're possibly going to resolve everything before the end. The answer is they don't, it basicallly ends with a big cliffhanger. I deliberately hadn't bought the first book of the Darkwar saga as i knew the saga wasn't complete & i hate getting part-way through a series & then realising you're going to have to wait a year or more for the author to write the next book, but i've ended up reading half a series anyway as clearly the Darkwar saga continues the story & the two sagas should be read together. If you haven't started the Conclave series yet, I'd suggest waiting for the Darkwar one to be complete & then getting both lots or you'll be left hanging off that cliff waiting for the continuation like i did...
The FSFH Book Review says: - By: Ian Tapley, 23 Mar 2006 The conclusion of the Conclave Of Shadows trilogy. Well, I say 'conclusion' but more accurately it's just the last book of the trilogy, seeing as how the story isn't concluded at alll.
By the end of this book you'll realise that the three books of this series are intended to set the scene for Feist's next series (supposedly the last of the Midkemia/Kelewan series'), the Darkwar Saga.
The story here follows Kaspar of Olasko in his exile in Novindus, where he learns some important life lessons & finds himself burdened with a dark artifact from another world.
Feist remains an excellent writer & this book is very easy to read & appreciate. However, once again there's a feeling of shalllowness to the plot, particularly in relation to Kaspar's linear & somewhat contrived quest to rid himself of the Talnoy.
There is a counterbalance to the book's faults in the scenes involving further discussion of the nature of the Gods. Some might find these a boring break in the action, but I love Feist's tangents to explore these concepts.
Another good thing is the new enemy introduced; the cruel Dasati & their (alll but) invincible warriors, the Talnoy. The way this new threat is established will leave you in no doubt that the Darkwar Saga will feature a struggle every bit as compelling as those in the Riftwar & the Serpentwar.
No Conclusion - By: Philip Wright, 08 Feb 2006 
The final page of this book describes it as the conclusion of an epic, it is neither. I have read the three books in this series & found them disappointing compared to his earlier work. The transformation of the leading character in this book is shalllow & unconvincing & the number of loose ends left at the end of this book leads me to expect a fourth, fifth & sixth book in this trilogy. I realise he has returned to this universe with many of his books, but in the past each has provided a satisfactory conclusion, that is not the case with this trilogy.
Thoroughly enjoyable, but seemed a little rushed. - By: Gary Mcenroe, 22 Nov 2005 Another great book from Raymond E. Feist, & a fine conclusion to the Conclave of Shadows series. Kaspar, the main character & the villainous & genocidal nobleman we met in the previous two books, develops into an anti-hero of sorts. Originallly seeking to simply return home & retake his throne & kill those who banished him, he soon discovers that a great threat looms that makes his revenge a trivial matter, & instead makes it his mission to warn the only people he knows would be capable of preventing this new enemy from endangering the world - the Conclave of Shadows, the same group that overthrew him & banished him to the other side of the world.
While Feist is always a pleasure to read, I felt that he was rushing through this book. Kaspar at one point undertakes a journey that lasts three months, & Feist takes us through that journey in about four pages. And that's only because he encounters a massive creature along the way.
I would recommend this to any Feist fans who have put off reading this book until now. And I would recommend reading the first two books in this series, "Talon of the Silver Hawk" & "King of Foxes", before attempting to read this book, otherwise you won't understand a thing. If you can, I would suggest you rent Magician, Feist's very first book set in Midkemia, from a library & read that first, to gain an understanding of the background of Midkemia, before attempting to read Conclave of Shadows.
