At the Gates of Darkness: Book Two of the Demonwar Saga

Raymond E. Feist

Apr 2010 · Demonwar Saga Book 2 · Sold by Harper Collins

About this ebook

“Feist has a natural talent for keeping the reader turning pages.”
Chicago Sun-Times

New York Times bestselling master fantasist Raymond E. Feist returns to beleaguered Midkemia and its capital, Krondor, in At the Gates of Darkness, the second volume in his enthralling DemonWar Saga of magic, war, and peril. An author the Science Fiction Chronicle proclaims, “Without question one of the very best writers of fantasy adventure practicing today,” Feist graces eager readers with his most astonishing adventure yet. Feist fans, readers of Terry Goodkind, George R. R. Martin, and Terry Brooks, and everyone, in fact, who loves superior epic fantasy will not want to miss At the Gates of Darkness.

Ratings and reviews

Feist needs a better editor. The writing in this book, along with all the books in his later series, is poorly written. He drastically overuses phrases and descriptions such as: "To a man" "Inclined his\her head" and many others I can't recall. The pace of the book is boringly slow, and I found myself skimming through most of it. Feist treats the reader like a child that needs constant reinforcement to understand even simple concepts. I wouldn't recommend reading unless you're already invested.

While this book was a bit more satisfying than the last, the ending was quite open, leaving much to be desired, especially since I believe the projected conclusion to the series as a whole is set for only three years from now. As a whole, i have enjoyed this month-long project of re-reading all of Feist's epic fantasy, but I must admit that part of me is more than a little relieved, too. I first read these books (up until what was published) over a decade ago and I fondly recalled them being one of my favorite series. Now, I don't know that I would say that is the case. Overall, there are a lot of repetitive plot structures (not to mention the chapter names!) and the characters peaked early in the series, to never become as unique or interesting by the end. I am sure that I will finish this series, more out of curiosity, but I doubt that I will ever re-read the books in this fashion again.

I've been a Feist fan for almost two decades. It seems pug is too powerful. I miss the days when he was just learning to be a mage on a world where he was the outsider. It seems milamber is at the end of his life. He's old and has lived a long life but all things must come to an end.

About the author

Raymond E. Feist is the author of more than thirty previous books, including the internationally bestselling “Riftwar Cycle” of novels set in his signature world of Midkemia, the Empire trilogy co-authored with Janny Wurts, as well as a stand-alone novel, Faerie Tale. The Firemane Saga is his first all-new epic fantasy series. He lives in San Diego, California.