At the Gates of Darkness by R. Feist

I was asked to review At the Gates of Darkness by Raymond Feist, and since I usually enjoy a good fantasy novel and had never read this author, I was anxious to get started.

To protect their world from the savage demon hordes, the Black Sorcerer Pug and Midkemia’s clandestine protectors, the Conclave of Shadows, forged an uneasy alliance of formidable magical talents. Together, this brave band of wizards, demon masters, warriors, and elves defeated the brutal Demon King Maarg and turned back the onrushing death tide.

But Maarg’s fall has not stopped the demonic onslaught, and danger now looms greater than ever before. Amid the barren ridges of the Valley of Lost Men, in the shadows of an ancient Keshian fortress, the fearsome demon Dahun and the mad necromancer Belasco have joined forces, creating an unstoppable union of deathly black magics that even Pug and a united Conclave may not be strong enough to withstand.

Battling the Demon Legion has taken a heavy blood toll on the valiant and dedicated magician, claiming the lives of nearly all those he loves. Though he is racked by despair and rage, Pug knows that the time for mourning must wait. Putting aside his pain, he and the Conclave and their allies—the cold-blooded master spy Jim Dasher; the fearsome young Knight-Adamant Sandreena; her former lover the necromancer Amirantha; two renegade Star Elves; and Pug’s surviving son, Magnus—must marshal their resources against this latest threat. None can forget the dozens of worlds overrun by the demon plague and the millions of dead left behind in their wake. At the gates of darkness, where shadows hide even deeper shadows, these magical defenders will face what is sure to be the bloodiest, nastiest fight their land has ever seen. And as evil, mayhem, and dark magic are unleashed, none can predict if they—and Midkemia itself—will survive.

At the Gates of Darkness is the second book in the Demonwar Saga trilogy, so I actually wanted to read Book One Rides a Dread Legion beforehand so I could capture the essence of the series. I was not impressed with Book One, and I’m not going to review it here, but suffice it to say, it was a mishmash of plot situations, non-existent character development, and I could never get into the story.

I was hoping the series would pick up with At the Gates of Darkness, and as it began, there was much promise. The first few chapters grabbed my attention and I was drawn into the story as one usually is when reading a well written work. It seemed to be more focused than Rides a Dread Legion, and the story was developing nicely, with the characters interacting well with one another and with the reader.

Unfortunately, things began to go downhill after the third chapter. It felt as though the characters, both hero and demon, were trudging along with no momentum, and there was no development of the characters or the story. Rather than an exciting fantasy adventure, it fast became uninteresting and downright stale.

I plodded on and was thoroughly disappointed that even the battle scenes were dull. The same old magic spells and demon fights, and the characters, including the hero Pug of other Feist novels, did not seem to exert the emotions required to convey a truly exciting plot to the reader. My idea of a good fantasy adventure includes heroes and demons that are interesting and epitomize the essence of good and evil. Bottom line here is that boring wizards, warlocks and demons equate to a bad fantasy novel.

After reading At the Gates of Darkness, I probably would not recommend it. So far the Demonwar Saga does not live up to the true excitement of a fantasy adventure series, and I am probably not going to read the third book of the trilogy.

Read Order:
Rides a Dread Legion
At the Gates of Darkness