The Empire series

The empire series is really the best example of a true collaboration I have ever seen, where 1+1=3. It is a better story, with stronger characters, more emotion, and better worldbuilding than either has ever shown individually. Fiest on his own does great pacing, and solid worldbuilding, along with world changing plot lines, and Wurtz alone has some good characterization and emotional depth... but they both surpassed themselves in this collab.
Really enjoyable books... if only we could return to the other side of the riftwar once more and see another trilogy...
 
i agree richardb. though it has been many a year since i have read the riftwar and even so the empire series... i do feel the empire series was for a more mature audience but they were both to my memory great. i would love to see, if not another series returned to the other side of the riftwar, at least another strong series from fiest... or even the two that are separate from the riftwar because in my opinion he IS a strong author that has definitely stuck in my mind.
 
I actually read the Empire trilogy before the riftware saga. Just finished Riftwar a few days ago. Upto Darkeness at Sarthanon.

I found the Empire trilogy so vibrant in culture. It was so original. To be honest it was so heavy on culture and light on fantasy elements that I wasn't sure where the story was taking place.

I actually found myself using the the Empire events as a frame of reference while reading Riftwar.
 
Just read the Empire Trilogy.

I actually liked the first book the most. The authors set up this universe that is so wonderfully ruthless and bloody, and then in the further books they have to spoil it with mercy and enlightenment. The whole moral development theme is rather shallow, and is exhibited in too many books (RA Salvatore's Drizzt, Moon's Pakse, to name a few, though I do not know who came first). If one wants to read character depth or development, one should pick up Dostoyevsky or Shakespeare.

Arakasi is definitely awesome, though also pretty standard (recall Silk in Belgariad and Achmed in the Rhapsody trilogy). I did enjoy his chapters the most in the latter books of the series, though the brilliance of Mara in the first book is unsurpassed.

To summergirl I say, I mostly run into series with female characters. I think the best series I've ever read (aside from Martin, who has many characters of both genders) was Kushiel's Dart by Jackeline Carrey. If you like politics and espionage, you'll like it. Though it is a bit graphic. Juliet Marrilier's Sevenwaters trilogy is also awesome. It is very different from anything else I've ever read. It has exclusively female leads. Then lastly, the Rhapsody trilogy is pretty good, though I feel that it is less original than the other two I mentioned. Oh, and Elizabeth Moon's Deed of Paksenarrion is pretty good.
 
sojourner753 said:
I found the Empire trilogy so vibrant in culture. It was so original. To be honest it was so heavy on culture and light on fantasy elements that I wasn't sure where the story was taking place.
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When I first read the trilogy I thoroughly enjoyed it (though the third book was not nearly as good as the first two), and remember thinking it was a breath of fresh air and very original.

But then I read James Clavell's Shogun, and realized that the Empire trilogy is a fairly direct rip-off of that book.

Perhaps "rip-off" is a somewhat of an exaggeration, but that's what I felt when I first finished Shogun and looked over at the trilogy sitting on my shelf. First, the "vibrant" and "original" culture of Tsuranuanni is essentially a carbon copy of medieval Japanese society as depicted in Shogun (except it has magicians and cho-ja thrown in for good measure). But the characters are also strangely similar, sometimes even down to the names: Lady Mara = Lady Mariko? Lord Buntokapi = Lord Buntaro? Kevin = John Blackthorne?

The stories are somewhat different (though they are similar in that they portray a 'Western-ish' foreigner who falls in love with a Lady Mar_ being swept up into the brutal world of politics and espionage between warring feudal clans). But I can no longer read the Empire trilogy and enjoy it as I once did...
 
Hi, I'm new here.
One of the early fantasy stuff I read was the empire series. I was so drawn with the first book and i was amazed by mara and the story was great. I also loved arakasi. however, i got turned off reading the servant, all it had was sex or what they call "bed sport". it seems that almost every chapter had it, it ruined the story for me, though, it's kinda realistic. I didn't get to finish reading the last book.. one of these days i'll finish it. :eek:
 
flowerpotcat said:
Hi, I'm new here.
One of the early fantasy stuff I read was the empire series. I was so drawn with the first book and i was amazed by mara and the story was great. I also loved arakasi. however, i got turned off reading the servant, all it had was sex or what they call "bed sport". it seems that almost every chapter had it, it ruined the story for me, though, it's kinda realistic. I didn't get to finish reading the last book.. one of these days i'll finish it. :eek:
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Too much bed sport? In Servant of the Empire? :confused:

Perhaps you should read one of the recent Anita Blake books by Laurell K Hamilton....to see what "too much bed sport" in a book really looks like.

Then again, perhaps you shouldn't...
 
Arterial Spray said:
Too much bed sport? In Servant of the Empire? :confused:

Perhaps you should read one of the recent Anita Blake books by Laurell K Hamilton....to see what "too much bed sport" in a book really looks like.

Then again, perhaps you shouldn't...
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Hehehehehe...
 
Hm, I'm new here, as well as a little late to the thread...

Anyway, I just finished Mistress yesterday (I read the entire trilogy in the span of two days... I'm stupid...)

I wouldn't say Servant had too much bed sport, exactly... the continuous falling into bed (or cushions) certainly annoyed me, and for a while I wondered how Mara was keeping herself from becoming pregnant *cough*beforetheymentionedthepotion*cough*. But I loved the third book. Servant kind of turned me off - I wasn't very satisfied with the ending, feeling that Kevin's story wasn't complete, and all the intricate politics gave me a headache. Daughter and Mistress were a LOT better in terms of action (although I didn't care much for the let's-break-tradition theme that seemed to be overly emphasized in the third - I had too much of that reading Terry Goodkind kthxpls), and both made me keep on and on reading in the way that the second book didn't.

My favorite character would probably be Arakasi and to a lesser degree, Kevin. I've seen a lot of versions of him, but he has to be one of my favorite for sure. The romance betwen him and Kam... Kam... er, counfound it I forgot her name AGAIN... Anyway, it's one of my favorite subplots. Just seeing him fall in love makes me shudder in delighted squeals akin to ecstasy. What can I say, I'm a dedicated shipper.
 
What would you classify the book in terms of quality?
It's obviously not on the 1st tier with the likes of Erikson and Bakker etc, but would you say its pretty good fantasy?
 
I don't know about first tier... though I'd hardly put Erickson in the first tier either... Both authors are solid writers well practiced in their art.
 
truthfully i do not think wurts is a great writer but she suprised me with the empire books but perhapes it was more feist that could explain it
my fav people were mara (of course) and i cant rember his name now but he dies in at the end of the last book and he had to wear a black sash/cord around his neck any one remeber his name????;)
 
I just finished this trilogy and let me say that this was one of the best trilogies ive read yet. By themselves Feist and Wurts are great, but together they're excellent. The political intrigue, large scale batttles, and the wit (o the wit!) it was all mixed to make the greatest trilogy. HOLY CRAP, i just rembered how Mara got back with Kevin. I would have died if that didnt happen..
 
The Empires books were Feist's best works to date.

The reason: He was not trying to hash out his old D&D days... he was working with a fellow professional.

The Midkemia stories are more or less the history of his and his real life friends old Dungeon & Dragons creations. He and Wurts did not have to base the Kelewan fantasy on the Advanced Dungeon Master's guide. :P
 
This thread inspired me to go back and read the series again. Finished last week. I still think that this is the finest work by Fiest, and Wurts has never come close since. The depth of characterization is phenominal. Feist has always spun a good yarn, but the Wurts influence brought out a new level to the characters that really made this book emotionally impactful.
 
Can you read the "Empire Series" without reading any other Feist?

If so, why? If not, why?

I never read any Feist but I have Magician on my shelf, but not in the mood for traditional, farm-boy saves world right now...Heard good things about the Empire Series though and I am on my way to a bookstore in an hour or so...
 
Yes, you can read it without reading the rest of feists works. While reading the original materials may give it some additional flavor, it is a standalone trilogy, not requiring any knowledge from prior books.
 
kezia said:
truthfully i do not think wurts is a great writer but she suprised me with the empire books but perhapes it was more feist that could explain it
my fav people were mara (of course) and i cant rember his name now but he dies in at the end of the last book and he had to wear a black sash/cord around his neck any one remeber his name????;)
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Papeweyo? Something like that.

The Empire series is the best of the Feist books...after the original Magician book

Not really a fan of the later ones, but the Empire books and the Magician book felt really fresh
 
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