Silverthorn

Silverthorn, the much shorter yet still amazingly compelling sequel to Magician is the second novel in Raymond E. Feist’s Riftwar cycle.

The novel begins one year after the coronation of King Lyam, with he and his brothers returning from a tour of the kingdom. The novel, however, mainly focuses on his younger brother, Prince Arutha and his romance with the Princess Anita.

However, dark forces are at work when an assassins’ poisoned bolt, meant for Arutha, is embedded with his wife on their wedding day. Arutha, accompanied by the young thief, now Squire, Jimmy the Hand, Martin and the former Minstrel Laurie, is forced on a deadly quest to the northlands of the Moredhel (the dark elves) and their leader Murmandamus. A prophecy is uncovered claiming Arutha, Lord of the Western Realm is the one to defeat this dark prophet.

Meeting new characters, Roald, a childhood friend of Laurie’s and the Hadati Hillman Baru, the group race to Moraelin to get the antidote Anita needs to survive. More old characters are introduced as Tomas, Pug, Katala and the Elven Queen partake in the story and new characters are introduced including the mystically talented child Gamina, future compain of Jimmy, Squire Locklear and Acalia, one of Kelewan’s elves.

Silverthorn is fast-paced, and though not the best story the incompetent attitude of Jimmy keeps the story light-hearted all the way through, however Silverthorn then sets both Arutha and Murmandamus for the final conflict in A Darkness At Sethanon.