At The Gates Of Darkness

Following on directly from Rides a Dread Legion, At the Gates of Darkness is the second and concluding book in the Demonwar Saga and the 26th novel chronologically in the expansive Riftwar Cycle. It's remarkable that Feist has managed to keep this series alive with such a strong following over so many years. And, while it's true that his Riftwar Cycle does tend to rely on the invasion plot device to set up each new saga, his epic fantasy style, strong character development and sharp eye for the dramatic moment keep his fans coming back time and time again.

Set 10 years after the events of Wrath of a Mad God, the Demonwar Saga unfolds as an advanced race of elves, known as the taredhel or 'people of the stars' invade Midkemia, convinced it is their ancient homeland of legend and determined to take on their rightful position as leaders of the planet. Arrogant and ruthless, they pose a significant threat to the Conclave. But Pug and the Conclave realise that the true threat is not from the taredhel but their demon horde that has driven them from their home planet and pursues them relentlessly across the galaxy.

Now, in At the Gates of Darkness, they are about to find themselves fighting war on three fronts. The taredhel have established themselves in Midkemia and look to take control before the demon hordes arrive. Meanwhile the mad magician Belasco has come from nowhere with formidable power and a very dark agenda. And all the while the demons, more cunning than anyone first believed, are on their way. But, most disturbing of all is the hidden hand that is becoming more and more apparent in each move against the peoples of Midkemia.

It's too much to ask a new reader to jump in this far into the series - there is just far too much back story and character development to catch up on. In fact, it's one of the weaknesses of the Demonwar Saga that it relies a little too heavily on all the work done in previous novels. There are some interesting new characters but on the whole this is a series designed to tie up loose ends rather than win over new fans.