Declan must escape, to take his priceless knowledge to Baron Daylon Dumarch, ruler of Marquensas, perhaps the only man who can defeat Lodavico of Sandura, who has now allied himself with the fanatical Church of the One, which is marching across the continent, imposing its extreme form of religion upon the population and burning unbelievers as they go. This book not only holds up well against any modern standard but goes quite a bit farther in that it has deep, wide-reaching roots and a fantastically enjoyable tone. The first volume in legendary master and New York Times bestselling author Raymond E. Feist’s epic heroic fantasy series, The Firemane Saga—an electrifying tale of two young men whose choices will determine a world’s destiny. Five kingdoms rule the twin continents until a great betrayal leads to the extermination of one of the kingdoms (Ithrace) by the other four.

Declan said, “One last thing, my lord.” “Yes?” said Daylon, turning to Declan. “My master said that I needed to see you to honor his pledge.” “Who was your master?” “Edvalt Tasman.” Daylon looked at his half brother, who raised an eyebrow and gave him a short nod. Daylon was silent for a moment, then said, “He was as gifted a smith as I’ve ever known. I made him promise he’d send me his best apprentice. So, that would be you?” “He judged me fit to be named master,” said Declan. “I was an orphan and he was like a father to me, and so because of that, I honor his pledge to you, my lord.” Daylon was again silent, then he said, “You tell me this more from duty than from any desire to seek service.” “Truth to tell, my lord, I promised him I would do this, but my ambition is to set up my own forge and be my own man.” The first volume in legendary master and New York Times bestselling author Raymond E. Feist’s epic heroic fantasy series, The Firemane Saga – an electrifying tale of two young men whose choices will determine a world’s destiny.It starts off towards the end of a war where one kingdom was taken over by the other four kingdoms and their line is perished or so everyone thought. A baby survives who is the heir of the fallen kingdom, Ithrace and the baby is sent away by a baron to a secret place where the baby is to be trained and taken care of. The book opens on a bloody scene as Baron Daylon Dumarch, a Free Lord, watches the execution of every single family member of the royal family of Ithrace. The monarch of what was once one of the five great kingdoms of North and South Tembria had just been betrayed by the other four kings in a brutal and decisive battle, signaling an end to the ancient covenant that had protected the peace and balance for centuries. Now King Lodavico of Sandura, the man at the head of the takeover, is determined to completely destroy the line of King Steveren of Ithrace, putting everyone with Firemane blood to the sword. I am a huge fan of Raymond Feist and he does not disappoint in this new epic fantasy about the journey of two young orphans, one raised by a group of assassins and spies, and another by a master swordsmith, to learn their fate and the fate of the world on which they live.

Granted, novels focused on politics bore me. Yes, unfortunately, even if the setting is the "fantastical" Middle Ages -- or, wait, exactly like our Middle Ages only in a place not called Earth that happens to have Earth-identical people, flora and fauna, and technological history. I expected little of this story from the first sentence. The opening, set on a quiet battlefield post-war (conveniently avoiding any of the actual fun of the battle itself), only exists to explain to the reader that there was a coup d'état. And then it warns that, in this new season of unrest, others may attempt violence upon the throne!...blah blah blah. No thanks. I received an advance reader copy of King of Ashes in exchange for an honest review. I would like to thank Raymond E. Feist and Harper Voyager.In some ways, King of Ashes reads much like Feist’s early works. His voice is strong, and certain characters and scenes echo previous novels. It does, however, reflect the sensibilities of contemporary readers. It’s hardly grimdark, but violence, language, and sexuality are dealt with in a much more frank manner than in the novels penned in the 1980s. There are some things that I would have liked more such as the war at the beginning. I wish we had more details about those and not just towards the end of it. I also wished that Declan and Hatu crossed their paths earlier as opposed to right at the end of this book but obviously we'll get to see that in the next book. I didn't have any favourite characters yet I enjoyed reading about them all. That ending though and I cannot wait to read the second book in the series. Soon, the two young men—an unknowing rightful heir to a throne and a brilliantly talented young swordsmith—will discover that their fates, and that of Garn, are entwined. The legendary, long-ago War of Betrayal has never truly ended . . . and they must discover the secret of who truly threatens their world.

One of the other aspects of the book I particularly enjoyed is the magical system. Many fantasy books use magic as a sort of Deus ex Machinea. It can do anything, save anyone. King of Ashes is much more subtle. There is magic in this world, but its extent and how it works is not fully fleshed out at this point. I like that. It teases the reader and allows the narrative to the rest of the great dialog and characters rather than flashy magic. This is also Feist at the top of his game. He's learned many hard lessons over the years and he has honed all his best strengths into building this book into one hell of a grand Epic Fantasy intro. War hasn't come, but the trap has been laid.The world-building of King of Ashes is thoughtful, expansive, and detailed. A well thought out world is Feist’s wheelhouse. Although his stories tend to be character-based, Feist gives the perfect amount of detail to his worlds so that the reader can get a clear picture in their head. Any missing information can be filled in by imagination. The characters are highly detailed, and the dialog does not ever have a forced or static feel to it—the bane of many fantasy books. Feist’s characters tend to speak like humans and have human reactions. Honestly, Raymond Feist is a master at this kind of fantasy. You would think that a lost child destined to save the world, might be a little tropey. In any other hands, it probably would be. But this is Feist, and he could write a phone book and have it be engaging. Years later, another orphan named Declan earns his Masters rank as a weapons smith in a small section of the continent known as the Covenant. It's been a protected part of the continents for centuries, but that peace is coming to an end. Declan is smart and capable and must use all of his skills to save his life when he is forced to leave the only home he's ever known. He lands in Daylon's provinces and starts his life anew. But with the continents in unrest and mysterious forces making their moves, Declan's life takes another unexpected turn for the worst. The King of Ashes was the working title for a new series of books, not related to the Riftwar Cycle. There are currently planned 3 books, the titles of which will be made known at a future time.