Rise of a Merchant Prince

After Lord of the Rings, Feist is some of the first fantasy I read. I picked Magician up right after it first appeared in Dutch translation in the late 1990s. Since then I have read many far better fantasy books but I still read and reread Feist. Truth be told, he is not a brilliant author. His work features many of the stereotypical characters you'll find in a 1980s D&D game and Feist has never really managed to grow beyond that. But in a way, he's good at what he does. His books are entertaining. Call it a guilty pleasure but when the next one is published (Wrath of a Mad God, expected in March 08 in the UK and the US) I will read it. Probably in a day.

Most of Feist's works are centred on the worlds of Midkemia and Kelawan. The books tell the tale of five wars, all involving a rift between different realities or alternate plains of existence. Rise of a Merchant Price is the second book in a series of four that deals with the second riftwar or serpent war (the first being Shadow of a Dark Queen, reviewed by Sesho here). It picks up the story of our unfortunate friends Erik and Rupert who have just arrived back in Krondor after their gruelling journey to the continent of Novindus. Where Shadow of a Dark Queen was Erik's story, this book is Rupert's. Rupert has decidedly different plans for the future than Erik, he intends to become the richest merchant in Krondor.

After receiving a royal pardon and a modest reward in gold Rupert begins his business. His first attempt ends in disaster but after getting a job waiting tables at the coffee house where most of Krondor's merchants meet, an opportunity arises. A shameless opportunist, Rupert is not one to pass up on an opportunity. He soon soon finds himself in business with Helmut Grindle and courting Helmut's plain daughter for reasons that have nothing to do with love. Rupert's star is rising but he's made enemies and if he thinks the crown is done with him he is mistaking. War is coming from Novindus and the illustrious Duke of Krondor, Jimmy the Hand, needs all the gold he can get his hands on to finance the defence.

This book is something of an oddity for Feist. Where most of his novels deal with soldiers, nobles thieves and magicians Rise of a Merchant prince deals with a part of Midkemian society we haven't seen before. An insight in trade, at least from the legal side of business, is a new and interesting addition to the world of Midkemia. The economic underpinning is not brilliant, but Feist has given it enough thought to be believable. It also sets the stage for the third book in this series Rage of a Demon King, which deals with the invasion of the Emerald Queen.

Some of Feist's long lived characters do play a part in this book but it is a minor one. That is a shame, I don't like Pug much but Nakor has been a favourite of mine since his introduction Prince of the Blood. As usual Feist puts enough action in one novel to fill two for most other authors. Sometimes it feels like he rushes things. This book gives me that feeling as well, especially towards the end of the book although not so much as the Conclave of Shadows books.

Perhaps Rise of a Merchant Prince is not Feist's best effort but it is a break from the military action that fills a lot of his books. He tried something different here and for the most part he succeeded. Feist is light reading, when you pick up one of his books you know what you can expect. Sometimes, not often, but once in a while, that is just what I want from a book.

Other Reviews of works by Raymond E Feist

Wrath of a Mad God - Apr 6, 2008

Rage of a Demon King - Mar 20, 2008

Magician: Apprentice # 1 - May 14, 2006

Shadow of a Dark Queen - Dec 13, 2004