King of Ashes
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4.4 • 631 Ratings
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
A new novel from internationally bestselling author Raymond E. Feist.
The world of Garn once boasted five great kingdoms, until the King of Ithrace was defeated and every member of his family executed by Lodavico, the ruthless King of Sandura, a man with ambitions to rule the world.
Ithrace's ruling family were the legendary Firemanes, and represented a great danger to the other kings. Now four great kingdoms remain, on the brink of war. But rumour has it that the newborn son of the last king of Ithrace survived, carried off during battle and sequestered by the Quelli Nacosti, a secret society whose members are trained to infiltrate and spy upon the rich and powerful throughout Garn. Terrified that this may be true, and that the child will grow to maturity with bloody revenge in his heart, the four kings have placed a huge bounty on the child's head.
In the small village of Oncon, Declan is apprenticed to a master blacksmith, learning the secrets of producing the mythical king's steel. Oncon is situated in the Covenant, a neutral region lying between two warring kingdoms. Since the Covenant was declared, the region has existed in peace, until violence explodes as slavers descend upon the village to capture young men to press as soldiers for Sandura.
Declan must escape, to take his priceless knowledge to Baron Daylon Dumarch, ruler of Marquensas, perhaps the only man who can defeat Lodavico of Sandura, who has now allied himself with the fanatical Church of the One, which is marching across the continent, imposing its extreme form of religion upon the population and burning unbelievers as they go.
Meanwhile, on the island of Coaltachin, the secret domain of the Quelli Nacosti, three friends are being schooled in the deadly arts of espionage and assassination: Donte, son of one of the most powerful masters of the order; Hava, a serious girl with fighting abilities that can set any opponent on their back; and Hatu, a strange, conflicted lad in whom fury and calm war constantly, whose hair is a bright and fiery shade of red…
Reviews
‘This is a knockout.’
Publisher’s Weekly (praise for Queen of Storms)
PRAISE FOR KING OF ASHES
‘File under guilty pleasure’
Guardian
‘Get in at the start of a master’s new series’
Daily Sport
‘Epic scope…vivid imagination…a significant contribution to the growth of the field of fantasy’
Washington Post
About the author
Feist is one of the world’s leading fantasy writers. His Riftwar and Serpentwar Sagas have been global bestsellers for years.
Born and raised in Southern California, Raymond E. Feist was educated at the University of California, San Diego, where he graduated with honours in Communication Arts. He is the author of the bestselling and critically acclaimed Riftwar Saga.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The opening volume of Feist's Firemane epic fantasy series, his first series launch since he began the Riftwar Saga with 1982's Magician, is not terribly impressive. The parallel story lines follow predictable paths, and the prologue is the book's strongest section, depicting the grim and bloody consequences of Baron Daylon Dumarch's betrayal of the king "known to all as Firemane, lifelong friend to any man of good heart." Daylon believed that assisting the rival monarchs conspiring against Firemane would keep his own family safe, but he is still haunted by his choice. He's given a chance for redemption when he arranges for an infant left in his tent, who appears to be Firemane's heir, to be raised safely in secret. The coming-of-age story of that child, unaware of his lineage, alternates with a narrative about a young smith apprenticed to Baron Dumarch's former armorer. The prose and characters are unmemorable, and the story is unoriginal; Feist, once a pioneer, has been leapfrogged by his genre.
Customer Reviews
Shame about the typos
An attention grabbing story from a master story teller. Shame about all the spelling mistakes and typos in the iBooks version.

Loved it now I want the next one!
Another winner from Feist
I adore the worlds Feist creates. This series is set in Garn and follows the lives of Hatu, Hava, Donte and Declan across 3 unputdownable books. This first book starts with the Betrayal, a savage war that sets up our understanding of other main players, like Baron Daylon, who will be important later on. We learn that Hatu is a child smuggled to safety but whose identity must remain secret. He grows up in the dangerous smugglers society of Coaltachin, with his best friends Hava and Donte. Meanwhile, Declan is an apprentice smith, who is uniquely talented at this job, as well as being a gifted swordsman and fighter. Absolutely loved this first book in the series.