Fantasy

King of Ashes

King of Ashes

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  • Create Date：2021-08-07 09:53:42
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Raymond E. Feist
  • ISBN：0061468460
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Summary

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。

For centuries， the five greatest kingdoms of North and South Tembria， twin continents on the world of Garn， have coexisted in peace。 But the balance of power is destroyed when four of the kingdoms violate an ancient covenant and betray the fifth: Ithrace， the Kingdom of Flames， ruled by Steveren Langene， known as "the Firemane" for his brilliant red hair。 As war engulfs the world， Ithrace is destroyed and the Greater Realms of Tembria are thrust into a dangerous struggle for supremacy。
As a Free Lord， Baron Daylon Dumarch owes allegiance to no king。 When an abandoned infant is found hidden in Daylon’s pavilion， he realizes that the child must be the missing heir of the slain Steveren。 The boy is valuable—and vulnerable。 A cunning and patient man， Daylon decides to keep the baby’s existence secret， and sends him to be raised on the Island of Coaltachin， home of the so-called Kingdom of Night， where the powerful and lethal Nocusara， the "Hidden Warriors，" legendary assassins and spies， are trained。

Years later， another orphan of mysterious provenance， a young man named Declan， earns his Masters rank as a weapons smith。 Blessed with intelligence and skill， he unlocks the secret to forging King’s Steel， the apex of a weapon maker’s trade known by very few。 Yet this precious knowledge is also deadly， and Declan is forced to leave his home to safeguard his life。 Landing in Lord Daylon’s provinces， he hopes to start anew。

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。

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Reviews

Alexander Draganov ，

Дори на почивка нямам сила да я прочета。 Бавна， тромава， досадна， дъвче стари неща。 Заминава за библиотеката на плажа。 Не е една звезда щото Фийст， нали。 Макар， че。。。 Ама хайде да не издребнявам。

Ee Cheng Ooi ，

There's something a little off about this one - the characters aren't quite believable， and their relationships don't always make sense。 I'm not convinced that they're real people， and I'm even less convinced that I like them。 The book is a far cry from Feist at his finest - his Empire series， and the Riftwar Saga， are some of the finest fantasy series I've read。 Or perhaps I've just gotten older？But still， I've been craving some light fiction and this filled that gap。 I'll look for the next one There's something a little off about this one - the characters aren't quite believable， and their relationships don't always make sense。 I'm not convinced that they're real people， and I'm even less convinced that I like them。 The book is a far cry from Feist at his finest - his Empire series， and the Riftwar Saga， are some of the finest fantasy series I've read。 Or perhaps I've just gotten older？But still， I've been craving some light fiction and this filled that gap。 I'll look for the next one in the series。 。。。more

Saskia ，

This is a wonderful start of a new series。 It took me a few chapters to get into the story and some chapters dragged a bit， but the world needed to be created and characters introduced。 This book is a set up for the rest of the series。 But once I got into the book I could't stop reading。 This is a wonderful start of a new series。 It took me a few chapters to get into the story and some chapters dragged a bit， but the world needed to be created and characters introduced。 This book is a set up for the rest of the series。 But once I got into the book I could't stop reading。 。。。more

Catherine ，

King of AshesI have always been a huge fan of Raymond E Feist but have not read anything from him for a long time。 I forgot his wordsmith abilities and excellent plot and character development。 Thank you sir。 Can"t wait to read more。 King of AshesI have always been a huge fan of Raymond E Feist but have not read anything from him for a long time。 I forgot his wordsmith abilities and excellent plot and character development。 Thank you sir。 Can"t wait to read more。 。。。more

Joan Williams ，

Finally！ Not the 'same old same old' cookie cutter fantasy novel。 This story unfolds at a realistic pace and is very intriguing with well developed characters that are solid and believable。 The plot lures the reader ever onward。 Finally！ Not the 'same old same old' cookie cutter fantasy novel。 This story unfolds at a realistic pace and is very intriguing with well developed characters that are solid and believable。 The plot lures the reader ever onward。 。。。more

Bill ，

An excellent first book in the new series。 Well developed characters。 A gripping story line。 I am straight onto the next one already。

Jeff ，

A Kingdom Will Burn King of Ashes is a brand new saga from Raymond E。 Feist， one of the modern masters of High Fantasy， set in an altogether new world from his long running Midkemia based series。The kingdom of Ithrace has been betrayed by its neighbours and its royal family slaughtered， a lone baby survives and is whisked away by a repentant but cunning Baron to be raised by a mysterious island nation of assassins and spies。 The remaining kingdoms simmer on the brink of war， terrified of an A Kingdom Will Burn King of Ashes is a brand new saga from Raymond E。 Feist， one of the modern masters of High Fantasy， set in an altogether new world from his long running Midkemia based series。The kingdom of Ithrace has been betrayed by its neighbours and its royal family slaughtered， a lone baby survives and is whisked away by a repentant but cunning Baron to be raised by a mysterious island nation of assassins and spies。 The remaining kingdoms simmer on the brink of war， terrified of an Ithrace heir destined to grow up with revenge in his heart。 In this fulcrum， four youths will come of age。 Declan， a gifted blacksmith’s apprentice， forced to flee from a deteriorating situation as kings and kingdoms get ready to act， Declan holds priceless knowledge for forging powerful weapons that may be vital in future conflict。 In the secret realm of the Queli Nascosti， Donte， Hava and Hatu are schooled as assassins and spies， yet Hatu is a young man burdened with unexpected fury whose hair is a bright and fiery shade of red…。King of Ashes’ narrative is the most quintessential high fantasy， the young orphan boy is really the one true king son， destined for greatness， perhaps it is a little old fashioned for modern Grimdark fantasy but the concept is quintessentially Feistian and his style of boys own adventure and coming off age stories are finely tuned after 30 Midkemia books。 King of Ashes is initially slow going。 There is a lot of world building， mostly conducted through exposition disguised as character introspection。 Characters sit alone， thinking about past events， other characters， dropping world lore or characterization on the audience…。the prose lacks dynamism being more tell rather than show。 The characterisation is also a little shallow。 Hatu for instance is described as having an unexpected fury， linked to his outsider origins and lineage yet this anger never has any real consequences and is， by the end of the book， seemingly done away with， anger is a destructive emotion and it could have been used to add some extra personal conflict to Hatu’s journey。 Declan the smith is also a clone of Erik Von Darkmoor from Feist’s Riftwar Saga， having the same background as a blacksmith and bastard son of a Baron。 I’m not complaining， Erik was one of my favourite characters and I was always a little disappointed when he faded out of the Riftwar novels。 Feist’s worlds are always well formed and though this forming made King of Ashes slow initially once the background lore and characters had been established I found the plot expanded， bringing to the fore a variety of threats and mysterious groups to trouble Feist’s young heroes。 A particularly shocking development leads to a possibly grim fate for one of the main characters， but it does inject some pace into the narrative。 From this point on I found myself more and more invested in the characters and the plot as revelations lead to more questions， more intrigue and more mysteries。 The motivations of all the various kingdoms， groups and individuals revolving around Hatu came together for an intriguing thematic based denouement。 War lurks upon the horizon and a time will soon come when personal loyalty will be pitted against duty， with possibly fatal consequence。King of Ashes is a solid start to a new fantasy saga by a modern master of high fantasy storytelling that holds much promise for the future books。 。。。more

Vicki ，

Good slow introduction to a series。 Well laid out and lots of rich content。 Got exciting towards the end and left me wanting more and wishing to move onto the next book。 Raymond E Feist never disappoints me。

Yagiz Erkan ，

The first part of the book was extremely gripping for me。 But throughout the book， I felt like the author had some ups and downs in his writing。 The pace picked up toward the end。 It ended like the first volume of a two-volume book。 It was good epic fantasy。 I’m looking forward to the second and last installment。

Kevin Crandall ，

Fairly common ‘run of the mill’ fantasy novel。 I enjoyed it enough to read the whole thing but I’m not gonna go out of my way to purchase the sequel。 Might be a good audiobook choice while I’m working in the garage。

Naithin ，

I can’t remember why， precisely， but I had it rather firmly planted in my mind that Feist was retiring after wrapping up his works set in Midkemia。 Firmly enough that I hadn’t even thought to look at what he has been up to， since at least 2018 it would appear。I’m not sure that the distance in time is a bad thing， however。 I probably benefited from having a little space， a little breathing room， from Pug， Miranda， and all the other characters。 Having that space meant I didn’t go into this brand n I can’t remember why， precisely， but I had it rather firmly planted in my mind that Feist was retiring after wrapping up his works set in Midkemia。 Firmly enough that I hadn’t even thought to look at what he has been up to， since at least 2018 it would appear。I’m not sure that the distance in time is a bad thing， however。 I probably benefited from having a little space， a little breathing room， from Pug， Miranda， and all the other characters。 Having that space meant I didn’t go into this brand new world of Garn with quite the same trepidation over whether it will hold up in comparison or not， after spending the course of some 30+ books in that other world。Still， some comparison is inevitable。One thing I found is that Feist evolved as a writer over the years。 Magician， the starting point of it all， is sprawling epic fantasy that some — not I， but braver people perhaps — might consider in the same breath as Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings。 Fast forward to the later works set in Midkemia， and they’re action novels by comparison。 They’re rapid-fire， snappy affairs that you can blast through very quickly。It’s up to personal preference， I suppose whether that change is considered a good one or not， but I’d love to know what drove the change。 Did Feist imagine by then， we all knew the characters？ Was it market forces demanding the snappier， quick-fire reads？ Did his publisher tire of printing gargantuan sized books that were troublesome to produce mass-market editions for？I don’t know。What I do know is that King of Ashes possibly occupies the worst mix of attributes in Feist’s writing。 The prose is a blunt-force instrument; there is no nuance or subtlety。 Characters — perspective characters at least， of which there are a few — will tell you exactly what they’re thinking。 There is no room to wonder whether the narrator may not be entirely reliable。 There is no ask of the reader to interpret， infer or otherwise exercise a single muscle in their mind to engage with the text。Which at times might be exactly what the Dr。 ordered — but for me， I found it made relating to the characters in any meaningful way impossible。So there’s that- but this book is also being tasked with establishing the world of Garn for us。 So where the blunt writing may have worked as a vehicle for a more action-orientated title， it floundered here。Lest I continue sounding overly harsh here — a reminder that I rated 3 of 5 stars for King of Ashes， using the Goodreads ranking， meaning ‘I liked it’。 Fiest isn’t going to win any character development or prose related rewards for this book， sure。 But he still sets up a hell of an intrigue。 Yep， the strands that connect at the end of the book you can see from a mile off。But there are enough questions that I want answers to， to propel me forward into the next book。 Machinations of the wider plot are starting to show by the end of the book。 Factions that are yet to enter the world stage， in a way clear to us as readers。At this stage， I feel that the ultimate strength of this book is going to have to be judged in the context of the rest of the trilogy it’s a part of。 Book two — Queen of Storms — is already out， and I’ve launched into it immediately。 It released last year， so I expect we’ll see the final entry， Master of Furies， sometime next year。Overall though， from what I know in the here and now — if you don’t mind a lighter， less demanding read for whatever reason （and I can think of plenty right now）， then Feist has you covered。 Provided， of course， you also don’t mind waiting for the last book in the trilogy to release。 *shakes fist in Rothfuss’ general direction*--- Originally posted at Time to Loot: https://www。timetoloot。com/books/revi。。。 --- 。。。more

BERNARD ANDREWS ，

An excellent beginning to the sagaGood character development and intriguing plot threads。 Lots of unresolved tensions。 I'm looking forward to reading more books in this fantasy series very soon。 An excellent beginning to the sagaGood character development and intriguing plot threads。 Lots of unresolved tensions。 I'm looking forward to reading more books in this fantasy series very soon。 。。。more

Andy Parratt ，

Excellent StoryI have always like Raymond's books ever since reading Magician many many years ago and I have all of his books。 Whether a deliberate act or not reading a good story and then suddenly having to stop because there is a typo is most annoying， to have the word "hut" instead of "but" or "arc" instead of "are" was making the read frustrating and it was several times throughout the book。 I feel the publisher has let Mr Feist down ruined a perfectly good story。 Having said all that the bo Excellent StoryI have always like Raymond's books ever since reading Magician many many years ago and I have all of his books。 Whether a deliberate act or not reading a good story and then suddenly having to stop because there is a typo is most annoying， to have the word "hut" instead of "but" or "arc" instead of "are" was making the read frustrating and it was several times throughout the book。 I feel the publisher has let Mr Feist down ruined a perfectly good story。 Having said all that the book was a good read and enjoyed it as always。 。。。more

Sebastien Rault ，

Absolutely brilliant

M。J。 Schwer ，

This is one of my past favorite authors but sad to say…not this book。 I read 38% of it and lost interest。

Fransisca Erica ，

The slow character development shown in Declan made me bored。 The only thing that kept me on the edge of my seat was Hatu's character and life。 The slow character development shown in Declan made me bored。 The only thing that kept me on the edge of my seat was Hatu's character and life。 。。。more

Katie Coren ，

That boy， Hatu， is a living embodiment of fire。 There is no magic more primal or more powerful。 There are 5 great kingdoms in Garn's northern Tembria， that is until 4 kingdoms unite to destroy the fifth， Ithrace， the "Kingdom of Flames"。 After the battles have ended， the entire royal household is executed save for one flame-haired child。 Secreted away by a chambermaid in the night， this last remaining Firemane heir is sent to live with and be trained by the Coaltachin， the much feared warriors a That boy， Hatu， is a living embodiment of fire。 There is no magic more primal or more powerful。 There are 5 great kingdoms in Garn's northern Tembria， that is until 4 kingdoms unite to destroy the fifth， Ithrace， the "Kingdom of Flames"。 After the battles have ended， the entire royal household is executed save for one flame-haired child。 Secreted away by a chambermaid in the night， this last remaining Firemane heir is sent to live with and be trained by the Coaltachin， the much feared warriors and spies of the Eastern isles。 Rumors the heir lives festers across kingdoms， but Hatu himself knows nothing of his past， that is until what can no longer remain hidden reveals itself。 On the other side of the world a nearly minted master Smith finishes his masterpiece， a jewel-steel sword that may or may not use a touch of magic， and， like Hatu， Declan has some secrets of his own that even he is yet aware of。 Even though years have passed since the end of the ​"Great Betrayal" war， nothern Tembria remains in a state of political and religious upheaval。 With the threat of another war looming， the lives of Declan and Hatu will come together， and Hatu will come to learn that what sets him apart may just reunite the Kingdoms of Tembria。。 or destroy everyone。This is a great world-building fantasy that mirrors our own world and it does a decent job of interweaving the stories of both primary and secondary characters alike。 As the POV changes between characters I came to really enjoy the storylines of some more than others （e。g。 I'd read a book just about Declan）。 The book had a really great start， but had way too many lagging moments that made finishing it a bit of a slog。 One of my biggest complaints about this was how the women characters were written and women （just in general） were portrayed。 There were some big time misogynistic moments whose sharp edges were attempted to be softened by （what felt like） editorial add-ins。 This back and forth of "women are only useful as mothers of sons vs。 some women are special and we should treat those women with respect vs。 all women are strong and essential" really just jerked the story around。 （Don't even get me started on the whole "Noconochi" training。。。 we'd be here all day） Given that views of women was brought up A LOT it seemed to be a very prevalent theme of the book， but I'm not sure it added all that much value to the story （especially at the length of which it was written）。 Additionally; though it was the A-plot， Hatu's story was meandering and filled with too much angsty-teenager inner monologues and yearnings。 It made the book feel like it was meant for a YA audience rather than a fully ripened fantasy book with one teenaged character， if that makes sense。。Overall， the general plot of King of Ashes was great， but I think it just wasn't executed well enough to make me love it。 I felt this book was longer than it needed to be: it was often stagnant with repetitions that didn't seem to add anything special in moving the plot forward。 3/5 ⭐I definitely didn't love this book or even really like it， but it was entertaining and getting back into fantasy book after a lot of lit fiction was a great change of pace。Magician: Apprentice was one of my favorites reads， but I don't think King of Ashes was nearly as good。 If you're looking for a new fantasy series， then maybe。。。 but that's only if you haven't read any of some of the great ones first:The Name of the WindThe Eye of the WorldTheft of SwordsThe Priory of the Orange TreeThose are fantasy done right。。 with women characters written properly。 Highly suggest all of the above。📚 For more， check out my Instagram 📚 。。。more

Adam Thompson ，

Far below standardsSo many typos， still not fixed after 3 years。 The publisher knows the typos are there but won't fix them。 The typos are just one problem from the lack of quality editing。 The book has a very long act one， almost episodic in nature， but slow， dragging and the main character having the same internal monologues multiple times。Then it picks up in act two half way through， really building up to a great act three but there isn't one。 It just finishes， and you need to buy the next bo Far below standardsSo many typos， still not fixed after 3 years。 The publisher knows the typos are there but won't fix them。 The typos are just one problem from the lack of quality editing。 The book has a very long act one， almost episodic in nature， but slow， dragging and the main character having the same internal monologues multiple times。Then it picks up in act two half way through， really building up to a great act three but there isn't one。 It just finishes， and you need to buy the next book。Also， many aspects of the story is reused from previous Feist stories， such as the smith who is the bastard son of a powerful noble。Another issue is the way swear words and sexual comments are just thrown in at random times and usually they jar with the style of the story。All in all， it really needed more work to be properly polished like all his other work。 。。。more

Ice Bear ，

A good start， some familiar themes， let's hope it does not turn into the book sprawl that was the rift war saga。 A good start， some familiar themes， let's hope it does not turn into the book sprawl that was the rift war saga。 。。。more

Phil ，

I have read every Feist book to date。 He enchanted me in my youth with Magician: Apprentice and through the first series。 I admit to being somewhat disappointed with some of the subsequent sequels but generally enjoyed them but this book makes me incredibly glad that I stuck with him。 I have read and enjoyed grittier fantasy novels but this is a much more mature Feist writing and coupled with his masterful story telling and relatable characters， it made for a great read！ Pick it up until you fin I have read every Feist book to date。 He enchanted me in my youth with Magician: Apprentice and through the first series。 I admit to being somewhat disappointed with some of the subsequent sequels but generally enjoyed them but this book makes me incredibly glad that I stuck with him。 I have read and enjoyed grittier fantasy novels but this is a much more mature Feist writing and coupled with his masterful story telling and relatable characters， it made for a great read！ Pick it up until you finish！！ 。。。more

DV ，

3。5 stars。It’s disappointing to see so many typos and errors in a published book。 Especially one from a name like Feist。 I was glad to have received this to read for free。 In the early parts of the story it was almost a chore to keep engaged。 Something just isn’t quite right about the pace of the character development or the jumps between character story lines and associated timelines。 The second half of the book picks up and the slow character development starts to pay off。 There’s a magic syst 3。5 stars。It’s disappointing to see so many typos and errors in a published book。 Especially one from a name like Feist。 I was glad to have received this to read for free。 In the early parts of the story it was almost a chore to keep engaged。 Something just isn’t quite right about the pace of the character development or the jumps between character story lines and associated timelines。 The second half of the book picks up and the slow character development starts to pay off。 There’s a magic system here that is flirting with the reader。。 it has so much promise but is only just touched on。 Certainly not explained。 This was almost shelved as a “DNF” early but was ultimately saved by a long airport delay where I had limited other options but to plow on… By the end of the book I had bought in on the series。 I hope the next is more polished。 。。。more

Stuart ，

As a long time fan of Feist I had to read his new series。 I found it so great。 A lovely new world to explore and learn all the history of。 I can't wait to see where the series will be going from here on out， As a long time fan of Feist I had to read his new series。 I found it so great。 A lovely new world to explore and learn all the history of。 I can't wait to see where the series will be going from here on out， 。。。more

Amaury Argwennic ，

The first half is painfully bad : repetitions， gross exposition even errors in continuity。。。 A very disappointing start to an otherwise interesting read。 The second half is better though still lacking the brilliance that Feist had me used to。 I will still read the following book， I've been told it is better。 The first half is painfully bad : repetitions， gross exposition even errors in continuity。。。 A very disappointing start to an otherwise interesting read。 The second half is better though still lacking the brilliance that Feist had me used to。 I will still read the following book， I've been told it is better。 。。。more

Emmanuel Chapot ，

A very interesting plot， and great characters whom I was hooked to from the beginning to the end。 The ending has quite a nice plot twist as well。 Sadly there is something about the writing style that set me off a bit （that’s why only 4 stars）。 I would say that the only problem I had， was the slow start as well as the long page and a half descriptions or explanations between two “action scenes” （or at least scenes with dialogue and/or a bit more movement）。 Despite this the beginning scene to set A very interesting plot， and great characters whom I was hooked to from the beginning to the end。 The ending has quite a nice plot twist as well。 Sadly there is something about the writing style that set me off a bit （that’s why only 4 stars）。 I would say that the only problem I had， was the slow start as well as the long page and a half descriptions or explanations between two “action scenes” （or at least scenes with dialogue and/or a bit more movement）。 Despite this the beginning scene to set the context with the battle is a nice way to launch the reader into a new fantasy world and story。 I will happily be reading the following books 。。。more

Dan McLachlan ，

Offtttt 😍 it took every ounce of will power I possess not to run out and purchase the sequel。

Tim Franks ，

One of his best books in years in my opinion。

Christine ，

I have proved to myself that I can't read sword and sorcery anymore。 Read the first two chapters and couldn't bear anymore。 The world may be brutal but I don't want to read about it for pleasure。Still adore Magician and Mistress of the Empire by the same author but my tastes have changed。 I have proved to myself that I can't read sword and sorcery anymore。 Read the first two chapters and couldn't bear anymore。 The world may be brutal but I don't want to read about it for pleasure。Still adore Magician and Mistress of the Empire by the same author but my tastes have changed。 。。。more

Mick ，

Fantastic。

Luke Hooper ，

A strong first book in a series。 Good action， with a fast plot in an interesting world。 No single aspect really takes the book to the next level but it was very enjoyable and readable。 The internal dialogue can be a bit on the nose at times and the love story takes too much of a front seat for me。 One of my favorite aspects of the book is the detailed blacksmithing。 A very common topic or job in fantasy books but this one really goes in depth and Declan was by far my favorite character， in part， A strong first book in a series。 Good action， with a fast plot in an interesting world。 No single aspect really takes the book to the next level but it was very enjoyable and readable。 The internal dialogue can be a bit on the nose at times and the love story takes too much of a front seat for me。 One of my favorite aspects of the book is the detailed blacksmithing。 A very common topic or job in fantasy books but this one really goes in depth and Declan was by far my favorite character， in part， because of the fun writing about blacksmithing。 。。。more

Justin Thomas O'Neill ，

I’m a huge Feist fan （a Feister？） having read everything in the Riftwar Cycle。 This new series was like returning to a familiar place， but with new sights and sounds。 It was a page-turner， with relatable characters that are easy to cheer on and a big world that is exciting to discover。 While his prose aren’t the most philosophic stuff， Feist always gives me the kind of spellbinding story I want to read on a vacation。 I never want to put down his tales and I can always get lost in his fiction。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=King of Ashes

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=King of Ashes&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,King of Ashes&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0