Krondor: The Assassins (The Riftwar Legacy Book 2)

Book Two of the Riftwar LegacyContinuing on from Feist’s bestselling Riftwar Saga comes a spellbinding adventure. Now in a brilliant new livery.‘Feist writes fantasy of epic scope, fast-moving action and vivid – imagination’ Washington PostFresh back from the front, another foe defeated, Prince Arutha arrives to find all is not well in Krondor. A series of apparently random murders has brought an eerie quiet to the city. Where normally the streets are bustling with merchants and tricksters, good life and night life, now there seems to be a self-imposed curfew at sundown.Mutilated bodies have been turning up in the sewers, the Mocker’ demense. The Thieves’ Guild has been decimated – men, women, children, it matters not. The head of the Mockers is missing, presumed dead. Those few who survived the terrible attacks are lying low. Very low.The Crawler, it seems, is back in town. And he’s being helped by others, more ruthless than he. Can it be the Nighthawks again? The Prince enlists his loyal Squire James to find out. If anyone can unravel what’s happening in the bowels of Krondor, he can. He knows the sewers like the back of his hand. After all, as Jimmy the Hand, he grew up there.Meanwhile, the retinue of the Duke of Olasko has arrived suddenly at the palace, a week ahead of schedule but with no apologies and many demands. They say they are here to hunt. But to hunt what? Pug’s son William, on his first posting as a knight-lieutenant, must escort them into the wilds. It should have been a straightforward mission…Raymond E. Feist's book 'A Darkness Returns' was a Sunday Times bestseller w/c 2024-07-29.

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

From Publishers Weekly

Squire James, formerly known to the Guild of Thieves as Jimmy the Hand, is looking forward to some rest when he returns home from battle against the Morhedel and the Tsurani. But Prince Arutha gives him a new assignment: James must learn the cause of a spate of murders spreading across the city of Krondor. No one is safeAthieves and honest men alike are turning up dead. Who is the Crawler, the mysterious man who is wiping out the Thieves' Guild? What are Prince Vladic of Olasco and his uncle Radswil doing in Krondor? Whence the mysterious threat to their lives? And what do these matters have to do with the NighthawksAthe dreaded Guild of Assassins? James's knowledge of the sewers and his underworld contacts make him the man to find out. But as James forms his fledgling spy ring, the panic in the sewers continues, and the threat against Krondor itself steadily grows. Now, together with his friend William conDoin and the gruff veteran Knight-Captain Treggar, James must find the Nighthawks in their desert lair and prevent whatever it is that they're planning. This tale of shape-shifting magicians, human sacrifice, man-eating demons and a little young love, a sequel to Krondor: The Betrayal (1998), will satisfy Feist's fans, and its ending will leave them waiting for another volume. Author tour. (Nov.) Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

When a series of murders threatens the peace of the city of Krondor, King Arutha assigns his best agent, Squire James (formerly known as Jimmy the Hand), to discover the cause. Familiar characters from Feist's earlier Midkemia novels combine with new heroes and villains in a tale of treachery and sorcery, loyalty and courage. The author's skill in depicting fully realized characters and fast-paced action scenes places him in the forefront of contemporary fantasy adventure. Recommended for most fantasy collections. Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

Second installment of Feist's new series, following Krondor the Betrayal (1998). Prince Arutha, the ruler of Midkemia's capital city, Krondor, is faced with a bewildering plague of assassinations. To investigate, he summons his best agent, Squire James. Fortunately, James, once an expert thief (then known as Jimmy the Hand), still has contacts within the general criminal underworld. Seems that a vicious gangland war is under way, pitting a guild of thieves known as the Mockers against a rival mob controlled by the Crawler. Gradually, the motive behind these mysterious murders becomes clear: the ultimate target is Vladic, Crown Prince of Olasko, and the bad guys have some high-powered magical help. More jolly tussles featuring the customary crew. Should please the fans and sell many, many copies. (Author tour) -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

From the Back Cover

New York Times bestselling author Raymond E. Feist returns us now to a place of unparalleled wonders--a sprawling kingdom coveted by enemies on all sides; a bustling center of commerce and magic, vibrantly alive and eternally in conflict. This is Midkemia, where great heroes are bred, and its glorious center...KrondorPrince Arutha--newly returned from battle--is concerned about a rash of unexplained assassinations that plagues his capital city. And so he commissions his most trusted agent, Squire James--formerly the thief known as "Jimmy the Hand"--to discover the source of the deadly epidemic. The answers seem to lie far beneath the streets in the dank depths of Krondor, where a terrible war rages in secret between two rival criminal gangs: those who call themselves "Mockers" and others in the thrall of a mysterious being known as "The Crawler." But the deeper the Squire delves, the closer he gets to the true nature of the horror that has left untold dead in its wake. And unless James can prevent one last, unthinkable slaying, the nightmare forces of corruption and deceit will destroy his liege and reduce his beloved Krondor to ruins.

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.

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