King of Ashes
Book One of The Firemane Saga
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4.5 • 416 Ratings
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- $8.99
Publisher Description
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.
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
Awesome
Awesome start to a great tale. Looking forward to book two!
This is PotRoast, comfort food, but not fantastic
So, I like this book. And I will give it 5 stars, but it’s not a great book. It panders to an obvious fate of the ‘chosen one.’ And an alternate POV that simply isn’t as interesting as the CHOSEN ONE.
It’s a pleasant read because it reads like a David Eddings book. It has all the things you love about a fantasy book. But it’s not truly ground breaking, it’s like comfort food. It’s a great pot roast, and it will feed your stomach, and maybe some feelings, but it won’t do more than that. It’s like a summer blockbuster, it hits all the notes you want but it’s not really a great movie.
14yr Old Fantasy - waste of time
This book reads like straight out of a 14 year old boys fantasy. From the constantly repeating of non-important descriptive drivel, to the constant interjection of sexual content, of which seems to be there just because. I’ve read almost all of his other works, riftwar is one of my ATFs and have read multiple times, but was sorely disappointed with this series.
I finished just because I started, but I wish I had never started in the first place.
I laughed out loud at how repetitive the writing was. I couldn’t believe what I was actually reading.
Do yourself a favor and skip this.