King of Ashes by Raymond E. Feist

The Firemane Saga, Book 1

Synopsis: The first volume in legendary master and New York Times bestselling author Raymond E. Feist’s epic heroic fantasy series, The Firemane Saga—an electrifying tale of two young men whose choices will determine a world’s destiny.

For centuries, the five greatest kingdoms of North and South Tembria, twin continents on the world of Garn, have coexisted in peace. But the balance of power is destroyed when four of the kingdoms violate an ancient covenant and betray the fifth: Ithrace, the Kingdom of Flames, ruled by Steveren Langene, known as “the Firemane” for his brilliant red hair. As war engulfs the world, Ithrace is destroyed and the Greater Realms of Tembria are thrust into a dangerous struggle for supremacy.
As a Free Lord, Baron Daylon Dumarch owes allegiance to no king. When an abandoned infant is found hidden in Daylon’s pavilion, he realizes that the child must be the missing heir of the slain Steveren. The boy is valuable—and vulnerable. A cunning and patient man, Daylon decides to keep the baby’s existence secret, and sends him to be raised on the Island of Coaltachin, home of the so-called Kingdom of Night, where the powerful and lethal Nocusara, the “Hidden Warriors,” legendary assassins and spies, are trained.

Years later, another orphan of mysterious provenance, a young man named Declan, earns his Masters rank as a weapons smith. Blessed with intelligence and skill, he unlocks the secret to forging King’s Steel, the apex of a weapon maker’s trade known by very few. Yet this precious knowledge is also deadly, and Declan is forced to leave his home to safeguard his life. Landing in Lord Daylon’s provinces, he hopes to start anew.

Soon, the two young men—an unknowing rightful heir to a throne and a brilliantly talented young swordsmith—will discover that their fates, and that of Garn, are entwined. The legendary, long-ago War of Betrayal has never truly ended . . . and they must discover the secret of who truly threatens their world.

Review: I discovered Raymond E. Feist a long time ago and when I heard about this new series, I was once again intrigued. It must be said that the synopsis, full of mysteries, made me really want to know more!

We discover in parallel two stories, the one of Hatu, young heir to a destroyed kingdom and who grew up learning to defend himself, far from home in the ignorance of his origins. On the other side, we follow the story of Declan, a young blacksmith who managed to quickly handle a little-known art that could change the game with his weapons.

I really loved this story! I let myself be carried away by the characters, to see what the events were going to bring and I was impatient to discover what the author reserved for us. Hatu particularly interested me and I was curious each time to return to this character to see what he would discover, to understand what he was hiding and especially to see how he would react to his revealed past. Besides, I loved to see him with his friends Ava and Donte, they temporize and show him that in a difficult setting, friendship is still important. Moreover, we understand that this boy hides more than he thinks, and if we discover the first evidences here, and there is much more to learn!

This novel is a very good first volume with a rich and intriguing universe and I can not wait to discover more! Great changes are to be expected and I can not wait to discover them! Feel free to get started, it is a great one!

 

29 thoughts on “King of Ashes by Raymond E. Feist

  1. It sounds like this series offers a proper mix of things that makes for quite an adventurous, exciting read, so of course I’m intrigued! 😀 Glad you loved it, hope you won’t have to wait too long for the next instalment!

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