Krondor: The Assassins (Feist, Raymond E. Riftwar Legacy, Bk. 2.)

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Product Description

New York Times bestselling fantasist Raymond E. Feist has created a world unlike any other-a sprawling kingdom coveted by enemies on all sides; a bustling center of commerce and magic, vibrantly alive and eternally in conflict; a place of unparalleled wonders where great heroes are bred to be ever-vigilant of those who would succumb to evil's seductions. This is Midkemia and its glorious center, Krondor-now imperiled by an insidious malignancy that grows from within.

A plague of murder has overrun Krondor. Prince Arutha-newly returned from battle with the Morehdel chieftain Delekhan and the renegade magician Makala-is concerned about the rash of unexplained assassinations in his capital city. And so he dispatches his most trusted agent, Squire James-formerly the thief known as Jimmy the Hand-to discover the source of the deadly epidemic.

James's hunt will lead him to the dank depths of Krondor-through subterranean tunnel and sewer system to a terrible war that is raging in secret far beneath the streets. For here rival criminal gangs are locked in a death struggle for control of a city's vice-dangerous gangsters who go by the name "Mockers"and others in the thrall of a mysterious being known as "The Crawler." But the deeper the delves, the closer Squire James gets to the true nature of the horror that has already left untold dead in its wake-a nightmare of corruption and deceit that threatens to destroy his liege and reduce Krondor to ruins. Ensnared by dark, intricate plots and dastardly magic, James must now race to prevent one last murder-the one craven, unthinkable slaying that will plunge Krondor into the all-consuming flames of war without quarter.

Amazon.com Review

Something is rotten in the state of Krondor: the Mockers, the gang of goons and bullyboys that were James's colleagues back when he was known as Jimmy the Hand, have been decimated in vicious fighting on the rooftops and in the sewers. That, and a seemingly random slew of murders, tips off the Crown that some outside concern is attempting an underworld power-grab right under the Prince's nose. Raymond E. Feist's second Riftwar book, Krondor the Assassins, continues the action of Krondor the Betrayal with Prince Arutha and Squire James back in the Midkemian capital, returning triumphantly from their campaign against the Tsurani magician Makala and moredhel headman Delekhan. But Arutha quickly sends James, née Jimmy, back into the city's seedy underbelly to investigate, and in the process he forms a sort of Krondorian secret service. Could the assassins of the Nighthawks be responsible, or perhaps some Keshian interest? James, naturally, begins to suss the situation out, which becomes even more complicated when a hunting party including the visiting Crown Prince of Olasko is beset by shape-shifting magicians.

James and Arutha, both classic feel-good-fantasy heroes--the type of guys with a twinkle in their eye who seem virtually indestructible--eventually track their enemies down to a deserted Keshian fortress, facing assorted assassins, demons, and evil priests in the process. Not the most imaginative or compelling fantasy around, but The Assassins is still a fun romp for fans of the Krondor band. --Paul Hughes