Tomes of Spellcasting--The King's Buccaneer

Tomes of Spellcasting

Welcome to the land of mystery, where the impossible is possible, and the improbable the reality. Join me as I investigate worlds filled with magic and meet the souls that wield this wondrous powers.

W A R N I N G !

This review does not represent the opinions of the general public. It reflects my personal thoughts and opinions on the book.

That said, on to the review!

Title: The King's Buccaneer
Author: Raymond E. Feist
Publisher: Bantam Spectra
Format: Paperback
Copyright Date: 1992

Nicholas of the deformed foot, Prince Arutha's youngest son, has been sent to his father's childhood home in Crydee, where it is hoped he will become hardened and toughened as his father, uncles, and brothers were. But what should have been an innocent experience takes a tragic and deadly turn as marauders from far across the sea invade Crydee and other remote settlements, killing and destroying, but also capturing Kingdom citizens for some dark reason. Determined to rescue his cousin Margaret and Abigail, the girl he loves--and everyone else, of course--he sets off with Amos Trask (who helped his father), Ghuda Bule and Nakor the Isalani (who helped his brother), his cousin Marcus (who's also in love with Abigail), his friend Harry (who gets him into trouble more often than is desirable), and soldiers and survivors of the terrible raid on Crydee on a quest that will take them into a land of death, decay, and a darkness that those from Amos' time hoped had finally been laid to rest. Can they rescue the captives before a new plague of evil looses itself upon Midkemia?

The King's Buccaneer could stand alone without reference to any of the other books that precede it, but where would the fun be in that? Seriously, though, you could read this book all by itself and understand everything (since characters like Martin Longbow and Amos Trask fill in all the answers as necessary). However, for the most part events in the previous books are mostly irrelevant except in a very limited and negligible way. The main story takes place in the present, and everything that happens make for new experiences all around. The good part about having the background info, though, is that it makes what happens to Martin and his family much more poignant and affecting.

The one thing I might, perhaps, take issue with is how closely this book mirrors certain events in Magician: Master, namely how Arutha and Jimmy the Hand meet up. That Nicholas should encounter someone like Brisa--who could probably pass as a protege of Jimmy's--seems to be stretching the bounds of believability just a bit. Of course, who isn't to say that the whole thing isn't part of some destiny thing where the heroes of the conDoin line are doomed to end up with friends from the other side of the tracks? I mean, Arutha and Jimmy I could buy. Once. But to then have first Borric meet up with Suli Abul in Prince of the Blood and now Nicholas with Brisa? Coincidence? I think not.

The King's Buccaneer is an excellent book that explores further the land of Midkemia. As for Novindus...you visited it once in A Darkness at Sethanon, remember? But now we get to plunge deeper into its realities. I only wish the political and social situations in Novindus weren't so complex and confusing!

Rating: Thumbs up! A threat from across the sea and a prince to the rescue: what more could you ask for?

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