A new evil threatens Midkemia, its web stretching from
the deepest criminal underworld all the way up to the
highest seats of power in ancient Kesh. And the Conclave of
Shadows, charged unexpectedly with the training of two
apprentices, must also best powerful agents of the darkest
magic . . . for the fate of two worlds lies in the balance.
The New York Times bestselling author and
master of fantasy Raymond E. Feist returns to his signature
world of Midkemia in this first book in a gripping new
trilogy that ushers in the third, and most dramatic, Riftwar
yet: the Darkwar.
In the middle of the night on
Sorcerer's Isle, the powerful sorcerer Pug is awakened from
a nightmare that portends destruction for all of Midkemia.
Disturbed by the dream, Pug calls for a convening of the
Conclave of Shadows. Though Pug does not yet know it, his
son Magnus has discovered the cause of Pug's prophetic
dream: a beacon has been unleashed, directing a vast army of
alien invaders to Midkemia, an army so formidable that even
the might of the Tsurani Empire might fall before its fury.
Meanwhile, in far Stardock town, two boys are
coming of age. But on the dusty path that leads them from
home they are thrust by fate into a life undreamed of,
becoming enmeshed in intrigue, murder, and treason. Though
untrained and unready, they are called upon by the
mysterious Conclave to travel deep into the heart of the
Empire of Great Kesh, to confront a plot so dark and twisted
it will implicate even the highest-ranking nobles of the
Empire, even members of the royal family itself. And behind
this plot they discover the ancient Brotherhood of Death,
the clan of assassins known as the Nighthawks.
And
Pug will find himself once again facing his old nemesis, the
evil wizard formerly known as Sidi, now Leso Varen, in a
confrontation with everything at stake: his honor, his life,
and the future of Midkemia.