Rise of a Merchant Prince: Volume Two of the Serpentwar Saga

From Publishers Weekly A usual problem with sequels?that they don't measure up to the original?applies to this follow-up to Shadow of a Dark Queen, which also suffers from unexpectedly stodgy prose and a paucity of action. Focusing on Rupert Avery's rise to power and influence in the mercantile class of the City of Krondor, the narrative follows "Roo" as he forms a business alliance with a merchant, Helmut Grindle, whose daughter, Karli, he marries for a multitude of reasons, none of which is love. Roo begins an affair of sorts with the nasty and calculating Sylvia Easterbrook but also manages to have two children with Karli. Meanwhile, his friend and compatriot Erik von Darkmoor travels back down to the land of Novindus to battle the Pantathians (the serpents referred to in the subtitle). Throughout, the pacing is slow and the characters less than persuasive. While Feist sows enough interesting seeds here to redeem this series in its next (and final) installment, this volume is up to neither snuff nor par. Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. Review Praise for Raymond E. Feist: 'File under guilty pleasure' Guardian 'Get in at the start of a master's new series' Daily Sport 'Well-written and distinctly above average! intelligent! intriguing.' Publishers Weekly ' Epic scope!vivid imagination!a significant contribution to the growth of the field of fantasy.' Washington Post A TALE OF WEALTH AND AMBITION IN A WORLD OF MURDER, MAGIC AND INTRIGUE. Roo Avery, recently returned from a harrowing brush with the armies of the Emerald Queen, is now free to choose his own destiny and his ultimate ambition is to become one of the richest and most powerful merchants in Midkemia. But nothing can prepare him for the dangers of the new life he has chosen where the repayment of a debt can be as deadly as a knife in the shadows. Even those closest to him are suspect and as Roo struggles to build his financial empire, betrayal is always close at hand. His instinctive cunning will serve him well, but he will soon realise that the road to success is far from smooth. And while Roo works towards achieving his goal, the memory of the distant forces of darkness are never far away. For the war with the Emerald Queen is far from over and the inevitable confrontation will pose the biggest threat yet to his new found wealth and power. Roo Avery, recently returned from a harrowing brush with the armies of the Emerald Queen, is now free to choose his own destiny and his ultimate ambition is to become one of the richest and most powerful merchants in Midkemia. But nothing can prepare him for the dangers of the new life he has chosen where the demand for repayment of a debt can be as deadly as a knife in the shadows. Even those closest to him are suspect and as Roo struggles to build his financial empire, betrayal is forever close at hand. His instinctive cunning will serve him well, but he will soon realise that the road to success is far from smooth. And while Roo works towards achieving his goal, the memory of the distant forces of darkness are never far away. For the war with the Emerald Queen is far from over and the inevitable confrontation will pose the biggest threat yet to his new found wealth and power. Triumphant but overconfident after his defeat of the reptilian Sauur, army, Roo must resist a beguiling seductress who threatens to undo him and all of Midkemia in Book Two of the bestselling Serpentwar Saga.The Serpentwar Saga, a classic of fantasy fiction, is available at last in e-book format: Shadow of a Dark Queen; Rise of a Merchant Prince; Rage of a Demon King; Shards of a Broken Crown. Roo Avery, following his brush with the Emerald Queen, is now free to follow his own ambition to become a rich and powerful merchant - However he finds fresh dangers in the life he has chosen and learns that the war with the Emerald Queen is far from over from over_