Prince of the Blood

Following on from A Darkness at Sethanon, Raymond E. Feist introduces the second series of the Riftwar cycle, entitled “Krondor’s Sons”, with the unforgettable novel, Prince of the Blood.

The novel is featured around Borric and Erland conDoin, the twin sons of Prince Arutha, who have lived the luxurious life of royalty, though despite their education and inherited talents with the rapier prefer spending their time down the pub. Arutha, seeing the twins flaws as his own fault and fears Borric’s immaturity as he is the presumptive heir to the throne decides to send the pair on a diplomatic mission to the heart of unfamiliar neighboring Empire, Kesh, as representatives at the Empresses’ jubilee.

The pair, enthusiastic about the adventure to Kesh, take up the task, accompanied by the former Squires, Locklear and James. However, after a brief stop off at Stardock, where James finally weds, devastation hit’s the group when Borric is captured. Believed dead, Erland must take up the role of the presumptive heir whilst Borric battles to find his brother he uncovers a plot of the greatest treachery.

Though a fantasy novel, Prince of the Blood contains barely any of the usual fantasy elements, mainly only magic, which there is scant of compared to many of Feist’s other novels. However, where it lacks the dragons and prophecies of previous books set on Midkemia, the novel contains a lot of adult content as the women in Kesh are scarcely dressed and enjoy a fair amount of sexual activity. The novel also contains a lot of humour, particularly between the twins, James, Locklear and the newly introduced Nakor, who is a character nobody could dislike.

Though not necessarily as good a read as the Riftwar saga, Prince of the Blood is a quick, memorable read that will make you laugh and possibly cry.