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Legends of the Riftwar #2
Murder in LaMut
Available in the U.S. for the first time, ehre is the second volume in the exceptional Legends of the Riftwar series from “a master storyteller who weaves exciting, sweeping epic tales” (SF Site) Durine, Kethold, and Pirojil are mercenaries who have spent 20 years fighting other people’s battles, defeating the Tsurani and the Bugs and the goblins. Yet now it seems, there are no more enemies to vanquish, leaving them with a few months of welcomed garrison duty as the Riftwar rages on west in Crydee. When the trio are ordered to accompany a lady and her husband safely to the city of LaMut, it looks like an easy―even cushy―assignment. But in Midkemia, nothing is that simple. . . .
324 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
120 people are currently reading
3500 people want to read
About the author
Raymond E. Feist
289 books9,535 followersRaymond E. Feist was born Raymond E. Gonzales III, but took his adoptive step-father's surname when his mother remarried Felix E. Feist. He graduated with a B.A. in Communication Arts with Honors in 1977 from the University of California at San Diego. During that year Feist had some ideas for a novel about a boy who would be a magician. He wrote the novel two years later, and it was published in 1982 by Doubleday. Feist currently lives in San Diego with his children, where he collects fine wine, DVDs, and books on a variety of topics of personal interest: wine, biographies, history, and, especially, the history of American Professional Football.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 162 reviews
April 9, 2021
Alas, I have now found my least favorite novel in the Feist/Midkemia series. The section of the series I am in now has three co-authored books with the guest author giving the book a bit of their own flair. This worked with the first of the three books (Honored Enemy with Forstchen), but I was left lukewarm by this effort with Rosenberg.
The book can be described as Fantasy politics combined with a whodunnit. The descriptions of the characters and the events failed to pull me in and I was left not caring much when it got to the meat of the murder mystery - which took a loooooong time to get to and then was resolved very quickly. I guess that not all of them can be winners, but it was disappointing to finally get to one this mediocre compared to the other books after getting this far into the series.
You may enjoy this one if you have enjoyed the Midkemia series up to this point and enjoy whodunnit stories. I have seen some positive reviews. But, you may end up like me - ready to move on and recommending to other that they skip this one unless they want to make sure to complete the whole series.
Hopefully the final collaboration in the trilogy will be better!
The book can be described as Fantasy politics combined with a whodunnit. The descriptions of the characters and the events failed to pull me in and I was left not caring much when it got to the meat of the murder mystery - which took a loooooong time to get to and then was resolved very quickly. I guess that not all of them can be winners, but it was disappointing to finally get to one this mediocre compared to the other books after getting this far into the series.
You may enjoy this one if you have enjoyed the Midkemia series up to this point and enjoy whodunnit stories. I have seen some positive reviews. But, you may end up like me - ready to move on and recommending to other that they skip this one unless they want to make sure to complete the whole series.
Hopefully the final collaboration in the trilogy will be better!
May 2, 2019
What this book does very right:
It's almost a three musketeer's kind of tale without the humor, a close band of mercenaries working their way across Feist's world until they get trapped by circumstance and some nasty Baronial politics and a snowstorm. Much later on, it DOES become a murder mystery, but the title is misleading, masquerading as big plot point without ACTUALLY being the reason for the novel.
It is, however, a pretty damn delightful novel full of great details, very well developed characters, and a slow burn that reminds me of an enormously entertaining backstory for a series yet to come. I'd read a LOT more of these guys if I ever get the chance.
The murder mystery DOES make sense, however. Being a mercenary and keen on keeping one's skin really can be a job for someone bright and analytical, and I definitely saw a lot of that throughout the novel. You might say that this is the beginning of a great Mystery series that just happens to be set in a fantasy world.
The genre mix was really pleasing. It just might not have been packaged right. Or readers may have wanted something more LIKE the other Feist novels.
The bad, assuming you think it is bad:
This is almost nothing like the other Feist novels. There is no big magic, big battles, demon invasions, or recognizable characters... except in passing conversation. If I wanted nothing but Feist, I might be disappointed.
If I wanted good fantasy with a careful and slow progression of characterization and depth of story, then I really needed to look no further. :)
It's almost a three musketeer's kind of tale without the humor, a close band of mercenaries working their way across Feist's world until they get trapped by circumstance and some nasty Baronial politics and a snowstorm. Much later on, it DOES become a murder mystery, but the title is misleading, masquerading as big plot point without ACTUALLY being the reason for the novel.
It is, however, a pretty damn delightful novel full of great details, very well developed characters, and a slow burn that reminds me of an enormously entertaining backstory for a series yet to come. I'd read a LOT more of these guys if I ever get the chance.
The murder mystery DOES make sense, however. Being a mercenary and keen on keeping one's skin really can be a job for someone bright and analytical, and I definitely saw a lot of that throughout the novel. You might say that this is the beginning of a great Mystery series that just happens to be set in a fantasy world.
The genre mix was really pleasing. It just might not have been packaged right. Or readers may have wanted something more LIKE the other Feist novels.
The bad, assuming you think it is bad:
This is almost nothing like the other Feist novels. There is no big magic, big battles, demon invasions, or recognizable characters... except in passing conversation. If I wanted nothing but Feist, I might be disappointed.
If I wanted good fantasy with a careful and slow progression of characterization and depth of story, then I really needed to look no further. :)
November 24, 2015
Sorry to say that this book was a slog.
It's essentially a murder/mystery centered around three mercenaries. Problem is - the murder doesn't happen until 80 pages from the end. Then there is about 30 pages looking into the murder and then the wrap up. The first 250 pages (book is only 325 pages) is the setup and even that was mind numbing in it's boredom.
I have this categorized under fantasy but it's really just a book about soldiers and nobles. Could be set in europe in the middle ages and be the same book.
I didn't give the book one star mainly because I like the world and I liked some of the characters (sad to say they weren't the main characters).
Feist co-wrote this with Joel Rosenberg so I entirely blame the Rosenberg influence since I really really enjoy Feist's writing. Pretty happy they only wrote this one book together (it is a stand alone novel)
It's essentially a murder/mystery centered around three mercenaries. Problem is - the murder doesn't happen until 80 pages from the end. Then there is about 30 pages looking into the murder and then the wrap up. The first 250 pages (book is only 325 pages) is the setup and even that was mind numbing in it's boredom.
I have this categorized under fantasy but it's really just a book about soldiers and nobles. Could be set in europe in the middle ages and be the same book.
I didn't give the book one star mainly because I like the world and I liked some of the characters (sad to say they weren't the main characters).
Feist co-wrote this with Joel Rosenberg so I entirely blame the Rosenberg influence since I really really enjoy Feist's writing. Pretty happy they only wrote this one book together (it is a stand alone novel)
November 3, 2025
It is great to see Pirojil, Kethol, and Durine in Midkemia. Rosenberg is a great author and this collaboration fits right in to the Riftwar.
The main and important secondary characters are well fleshed out. The plot is good, although the titular murder happens pretty late in the book. The pacing is slow to medium, which supports the feeling of being snowed in. Not a lot of swordplay and minimal sorcery, this is more a political thriller. 3.75/5
The main and important secondary characters are well fleshed out. The plot is good, although the titular murder happens pretty late in the book. The pacing is slow to medium, which supports the feeling of being snowed in. Not a lot of swordplay and minimal sorcery, this is more a political thriller. 3.75/5
December 15, 2022
Nasmejacete se, uzivacete u jednoj zanimljivoj prici o trojici placenika ali vas ipak savetujem, preskocite ovaj VELIKI FILER.
January 16, 2020
Murder in LaMut is the second book in the Legends of the Riftwar subseries, a trilogy of books co-written with different authors and set during Feist’s original Magician. The co-author of this book is Joel Rosenberg, whose books I’ve never tried.
I’m hoping this was the low point of the larger Riftwar Cycle series, because I found it pretty boring. There just isn’t much going on for most of the book, at least not that interested me. Had I been invested in the characters, I wouldn’t have minded if the story was light on action or events, but I didn’t care for the characters either. I didn’t dislike them, but there wasn’t anything about them that grabbed me.
The title of the book implied to me that this would be a murder mystery, or something similar. I therefore expected the murder to happen or to be discovered near the beginning of the book and I expected the rest of the book to involve piecing together clues and/or dealing with the aftermath. That’s not how this book flowed at all. I often enjoy having my expectations thrown off and being surprised, but that didn’t do anything for me this time. We start off learning about a character who seems to have had a set of unlucky accidents, and some people think they might be more than just a coincidence. They assign three mercenaries to guard him, and those are the characters we follow for most of the book. There isn’t actually a “Murder in LaMut” until (putting the % in a spoiler tag for people who don’t want to know) into the book! Since the title proclaims there’s a “Murder in LaMut”, it wasn’t a surprise and felt very anti-climatic when it finally happened.
I’m not even a huge fan of murder mysteries, but I was so happy that something finally happened and it was finally time for our characters to solve the mystery that I found the rest of the story more interesting. However, I was pretty annoyed at the end.
From the author’s notes at the end it sounded like the three mercenary characters who featured in the story were based on characters from Rosenberg’s own work. Someone familiar with his work and those characters might appreciate this more than I did.
It wasn’t a horrible book, but my attention wandered a lot and the ending was a disappointment. One thing I did enjoy was how the author(s) phrased some things. I chuckled several times when a turn of phrase struck me funny. I’m giving this 2.5 stars based on my low interest in the story, but rounding up to 3 on Goodreads for the humor.
I’m hoping this was the low point of the larger Riftwar Cycle series, because I found it pretty boring. There just isn’t much going on for most of the book, at least not that interested me. Had I been invested in the characters, I wouldn’t have minded if the story was light on action or events, but I didn’t care for the characters either. I didn’t dislike them, but there wasn’t anything about them that grabbed me.
The title of the book implied to me that this would be a murder mystery, or something similar. I therefore expected the murder to happen or to be discovered near the beginning of the book and I expected the rest of the book to involve piecing together clues and/or dealing with the aftermath. That’s not how this book flowed at all. I often enjoy having my expectations thrown off and being surprised, but that didn’t do anything for me this time. We start off learning about a character who seems to have had a set of unlucky accidents, and some people think they might be more than just a coincidence. They assign three mercenaries to guard him, and those are the characters we follow for most of the book. There isn’t actually a “Murder in LaMut” until (putting the % in a spoiler tag for people who don’t want to know) into the book! Since the title proclaims there’s a “Murder in LaMut”, it wasn’t a surprise and felt very anti-climatic when it finally happened.
I’m not even a huge fan of murder mysteries, but I was so happy that something finally happened and it was finally time for our characters to solve the mystery that I found the rest of the story more interesting. However, I was pretty annoyed at the end.
From the author’s notes at the end it sounded like the three mercenary characters who featured in the story were based on characters from Rosenberg’s own work. Someone familiar with his work and those characters might appreciate this more than I did.
It wasn’t a horrible book, but my attention wandered a lot and the ending was a disappointment. One thing I did enjoy was how the author(s) phrased some things. I chuckled several times when a turn of phrase struck me funny. I’m giving this 2.5 stars based on my low interest in the story, but rounding up to 3 on Goodreads for the humor.
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May 2, 2020I tried several times to finish this one, but I just couldn't. It isn't a bad book, just not terribly exciting at all. Guess I'm just not a mystery lover. I might try it again someday, or I might not.
December 10, 2023
I’m done. I didn’t like it. It wasn’t Feist at all! I can say I don’t even really want to give a review because it feels wrong since it wasn’t a “normal” Feist book. I felt myself struggling to get through this book. I have never had a problem with that with a Feist book before. I did think the characters were enjoyable, but overall not what I was hoping for in this book.
November 2, 2025
The title is somewhat deceiving, as the murder doesn't happen until three quarters of the way through the book. Prior to that point it was a lot of politics, as a Council of Lords is gathered in LaMut, along with their guards.
March 25, 2024
Why Raymond E. Feist allows his name to be put on this pile is beyond me. The nicest thing I can say about it is, Joel Rosenberg is no Agatha Christie.
This could have been a really interesting read in the hands of a better writer. As it is, we get 4/5 of a story with verbose exposition that is repeated ad nauseam, inconsistent characterization of the three main characters, and thin, blink and you'll miss it, motivations for murder that doesn't happen until the last 30 or so pages of the book. The big sit down at the end was poorly written and stupid. The fact that none of the three could figure out the victims had to have been drugged before being murdered, until they drank said wine, just made me groan in frustration.
This was a plot-driven shitstorm of stupidity. So why did I finish it? Let's just say, I read it so you won't have to.
This could have been a really interesting read in the hands of a better writer. As it is, we get 4/5 of a story with verbose exposition that is repeated ad nauseam, inconsistent characterization of the three main characters, and thin, blink and you'll miss it, motivations for murder that doesn't happen until the last 30 or so pages of the book. The big sit down at the end was poorly written and stupid. The fact that none of the three could figure out the victims had to have been drugged before being murdered, until they drank said wine, just made me groan in frustration.
This was a plot-driven shitstorm of stupidity. So why did I finish it? Let's just say, I read it so you won't have to.
April 6, 2015
Very disappointing. If the title of your book is "Murder in La Mut" you expect the murder to take place before the twelfth chapter of a sixteen chapter book. I've read a lot of Feist's Midkemia novels recently so I'd like to think I'm familiar with the world he created, but I found the story to be often times confusing and somehwat lacking in interesting scenes. The characters spent a lot of time brooding and sulking, which doesn't make for a stimulating read. The solution to the murder was also rather easy to work out, and the twist wasn't that twisty. I can only assume that the book was written mostly by Feist's co-author because I found the tone to be quite different from Feist's usual work, with only a few action sequences giving a hint of what could have been.
June 14, 2022
5 sterren - Nederlandse hardcover
Dit boek is het tweede boek van de trilogie: legenden van de oorlog van de grote scheuring. Voor dit boek werd samengewerkt met Joel Rosenberg. Deze auteur is meer gekend voor zijn boeken over terrorisme en hoe deze gerelateerd zijn aan voorspellingen uit de bijbel. Niet ee vreemde keuze als je de inhoud vsn het boek kent. In ieder geval niet voor mij.
Het boek gaat over Durine, Pirojil en Kethol. Drie huurlingen die betrokken worden in een politiek spel. Ze moeten alles op alles zetten om zelf het hoofd boven water te houden en denken er meerdere keren aan om alles de rug toe te keren.
Zo worden ze zelfs betrokken in een moordonderzoek. Hoe ,wie ,wat en wanneer. Alle drie hebben hun eigen kenmerken. Waar de een goed kan praten is de andere beter met de vuisten en is de derde meer logisch van denken.
Het verhaal is vlot en spannend geschreven in de gekende stijl van Feist. Gedetaileerde omschrijvingen van omgevingen en personen. Ik werd als het ware meegezogen in de zoektocht naar de ontknoping. Waar je probeert alle details en intriges te koppelen aan de juiste daders.
Het las voor mij weer als een trein. Dit zijn boeken om in een dag uit te lezen met alleen de nodige stops naar de wc en de senseo. Het einde is jammer genoeg wel wat voorspelbaar. Het kwam niet echt als onverwachts.
Weer een spannend boek van een ware fantasy meester die de 5 sterren meer dan waard is.
Dit boek is het tweede boek van de trilogie: legenden van de oorlog van de grote scheuring. Voor dit boek werd samengewerkt met Joel Rosenberg. Deze auteur is meer gekend voor zijn boeken over terrorisme en hoe deze gerelateerd zijn aan voorspellingen uit de bijbel. Niet ee vreemde keuze als je de inhoud vsn het boek kent. In ieder geval niet voor mij.
Het boek gaat over Durine, Pirojil en Kethol. Drie huurlingen die betrokken worden in een politiek spel. Ze moeten alles op alles zetten om zelf het hoofd boven water te houden en denken er meerdere keren aan om alles de rug toe te keren.
Zo worden ze zelfs betrokken in een moordonderzoek. Hoe ,wie ,wat en wanneer. Alle drie hebben hun eigen kenmerken. Waar de een goed kan praten is de andere beter met de vuisten en is de derde meer logisch van denken.
Het verhaal is vlot en spannend geschreven in de gekende stijl van Feist. Gedetaileerde omschrijvingen van omgevingen en personen. Ik werd als het ware meegezogen in de zoektocht naar de ontknoping. Waar je probeert alle details en intriges te koppelen aan de juiste daders.
Het las voor mij weer als een trein. Dit zijn boeken om in een dag uit te lezen met alleen de nodige stops naar de wc en de senseo. Het einde is jammer genoeg wel wat voorspelbaar. Het kwam niet echt als onverwachts.
Weer een spannend boek van een ware fantasy meester die de 5 sterren meer dan waard is.
April 15, 2023
Neither terrible nor great, this book comes across as yet another side quest D&D campaign turned into a story. There's a lot of military related political manueveruing, and worrying about mercenary pay. The injection of the three main characters who came from Rosenberg's universe was fine in theory, but I didn't particularly have any attachment to them, and given Rosenberg's author blurb in the endcaps, and my tepid response to his influence on this book, I've got no reason to investigate his books any further. Comparing this to Feist's collaboration with Janny Wurts is once again a reason to lament that he did no more work with her. As many others have noted, the actual murder doesn't happen until page 247, and the investigation and solution are pretty boiler-plate, then again this is a pre-scientific era / fantasy. I didn't dislike this book, it was competent, and occupied my time pleasantly enough, but there's not a whole lot that's I think will stick with me in the long run.
November 24, 2023
For me, this was a rather mediocre entry into the riftwar cycle. Nothing so far has been as good as the empire trilogy, but I will get through the rest of the riftwar cycle, and hope it gets back to form.
April 12, 2016
I fell in love with the world of Midkemia in Magician: Apprentice, and Magician: Master really solidified it for me. Feist’s world is incredibly fleshed out and a pleasure to escape into. I am following the reading order recommended by a fellow blogger for this series, which is not the order they were published in, but rather chronological. It was a hard decision to make! But I can’t help it, I like reading things in the order they happen. Having started with the four books of the Riftwar Saga, I moved on to Legends of the Riftwar. Honored Enemy I enjoyed as a pure action/war novel. I love troop movements and crap so it held my interest. Murder in LaMut, however, has some qualifiers.
You really need to love the world Feist has created for us to get any joy out of this novel. The first third or so, I was just happy to be back with Dukes and Barons and the odd mention of Crydee always plastered a smile on my face. It became, unfortunately, an exercise in boring, small town politics. I even enjoy politics a little when it involves the fate of an entire realm, kings and princesses and all that good stuff. This was just an earldom though, with more talk of Guy du Bas-Tyra than Prince Erland.
Failing an intense interest in the setting, maybe some joy in the three exchanging narrative voices might be had. For me, however, while it didn’t fail utterly, this was unable to capture my curiosity. The three mercenaries were interchangeable. They became in my head the big but slow guy, the small but slow guy, and the ugly but smart guy. This story could have just as easily have been told with just one or two narrators, but instead we had to keep up as the inner voice would change from paragraph to paragraph.
A good murder is always fun, but unfortunately the crime promised us in the title happens a bare 80 pages from the end. It’s followed by a shambles of an investigation, which wraps up incredibly quickly but just isn’t satisfying.
Compared to the grand scale of the Riftwar Saga, these novels are meant to bring us closer to individuals the war has touched. While I can appreciate the sentiment, it’s because I was a fan of the original novels that brought me to this point. Unfortunately, no other characters make an appearance that we know; at least, none that I know from having read the Riftwar Saga and Honored Enemy. Fantus, the firedrake, does make an appearance, who I’ve always found endearing and hilarious, but is unable to really…TALK. That’s fine, we don’t have to have cameos, but if it’s the world and the people in it that I love so much, I would love to have them accidentally show up. My fangirlism would go crazy for sure!
I love Feist’s writing and his world, but I wouldn’t recommend this to anyone except diehard fans of the series.
You really need to love the world Feist has created for us to get any joy out of this novel. The first third or so, I was just happy to be back with Dukes and Barons and the odd mention of Crydee always plastered a smile on my face. It became, unfortunately, an exercise in boring, small town politics. I even enjoy politics a little when it involves the fate of an entire realm, kings and princesses and all that good stuff. This was just an earldom though, with more talk of Guy du Bas-Tyra than Prince Erland.
Failing an intense interest in the setting, maybe some joy in the three exchanging narrative voices might be had. For me, however, while it didn’t fail utterly, this was unable to capture my curiosity. The three mercenaries were interchangeable. They became in my head the big but slow guy, the small but slow guy, and the ugly but smart guy. This story could have just as easily have been told with just one or two narrators, but instead we had to keep up as the inner voice would change from paragraph to paragraph.
A good murder is always fun, but unfortunately the crime promised us in the title happens a bare 80 pages from the end. It’s followed by a shambles of an investigation, which wraps up incredibly quickly but just isn’t satisfying.
Compared to the grand scale of the Riftwar Saga, these novels are meant to bring us closer to individuals the war has touched. While I can appreciate the sentiment, it’s because I was a fan of the original novels that brought me to this point. Unfortunately, no other characters make an appearance that we know; at least, none that I know from having read the Riftwar Saga and Honored Enemy. Fantus, the firedrake, does make an appearance, who I’ve always found endearing and hilarious, but is unable to really…TALK. That’s fine, we don’t have to have cameos, but if it’s the world and the people in it that I love so much, I would love to have them accidentally show up. My fangirlism would go crazy for sure!
I love Feist’s writing and his world, but I wouldn’t recommend this to anyone except diehard fans of the series.
May 4, 2012
Disappointing compared to other Feist stories. Characters aren't as well-developed and engaging, storyline is forgettable. Borrows elements of the Feist universe but essentially a mediocre detective story.
October 25, 2020
Actual rating: 1.5 stars
What a waste of my time
What a waste of my time
March 24, 2019
Ik weet eigenlijk niet goed wat ik van dit boek moet vinden. Kon er niet goed inkomen, had geen duidelijk idee wie en wat in dit verhaal. Heb er dan ook langer over gedaan dan de andere boeken in deze serie.
In essentie was het een boek over een mysterie/moord/huurlingen. De moord werd echter zo'n 80 pagina's voor het einde van het boek gepleegd, dan zijn er de benodigde pagina's besteed aan het ontrafelen en het oplossen van de moord. De rest van het boek (zo'n 250 pagina's) is vooral besteed aan het opbouwen van het verhaal. Minimale actie.
Waarom dit boek onder de fantsasy-noemer valt is me een raadsel. Zou het eerder onder mysterie/suspense plaatsen, maar dan valt het weer te veel buiten de overige boeken van Feist.
Dit boek was geschreven in samenwerking met Joel Rosenberg, en misschien ligt daar het probleem wel.
In essentie was het een boek over een mysterie/moord/huurlingen. De moord werd echter zo'n 80 pagina's voor het einde van het boek gepleegd, dan zijn er de benodigde pagina's besteed aan het ontrafelen en het oplossen van de moord. De rest van het boek (zo'n 250 pagina's) is vooral besteed aan het opbouwen van het verhaal. Minimale actie.
Waarom dit boek onder de fantsasy-noemer valt is me een raadsel. Zou het eerder onder mysterie/suspense plaatsen, maar dan valt het weer te veel buiten de overige boeken van Feist.
Dit boek was geschreven in samenwerking met Joel Rosenberg, en misschien ligt daar het probleem wel.
February 4, 2021
En enkel Agatha Christie-pastisch. Boken följer tre legoknektar, som genom sin roll som utsocknes svärd utan lojaliteter ges uppdrag att hålla ordning i en stad som fruktar belägring. Detta omöjliggör och löser dem från deras tidigare uppgift att eskortera en adelsdam som deltar i en herredag. Hon och hennes älskare mördas, och legosoldaterna sätter dit en oskyldig för det, innan de upptäcker den faktiska mördaren - butlern naturligtvis, som felaktigt benämns huskarl istället för senescalk.
Inte vidare värd tiden, men åtminstone lättläst, och tillräckligt slumpmässig för att inte vara helt enkel att genomskåda i förväg.
Inte vidare värd tiden, men åtminstone lättläst, och tillräckligt slumpmässig för att inte vara helt enkel att genomskåda i förväg.
November 17, 2019
Three mercenaries who work together are hired to protect a nobleman, but keep getting coerced into more duties as tempers and tensions flare during a big blizzard that traps barons and soldiers into cramped quarters. The three kept their eye on the ball (the money and getting out of LaMut as soon as possible) as they navigated the tricky politics and murderous noblemen.
November 12, 2024
For a book about a murder, it takes an awfully long time getting to the murder... Luckily there's another author involved, so I'll just blame him for writing the worst book in the overall series so far.
August 9, 2024
Ever since finding a copy of Magician on audiobook, I have been on a mission to read this series in full but hopefully in chronological order; this is much easier said than done, though.
Legends Of The Riftwar is a 3 book series written with various others that just adds flavour to the original series.
I had a few problems with this story; pull up a seat and let me tell you why!
This novel follows three mercenaries who work together as a group; they get snowed in while on their latest mission and then fate conspires to see them become embroiled in city politics as the nobles vie for the Earldom or Dukedom.
Firstly, there are no known characters, other than the discussion between the Dukes in the prologue, so we get to figure out how this story actually fits into the main. Second, the title should have been something else instead since the Murder in question only happens near the end of the book although we have been expecting it since the beginning. Thirdly, I don't see the point of this story, at all.
That being said, I did enjoy the story even though I could have gone without reading it.
Legends Of The Riftwar is a 3 book series written with various others that just adds flavour to the original series.
I had a few problems with this story; pull up a seat and let me tell you why!
This novel follows three mercenaries who work together as a group; they get snowed in while on their latest mission and then fate conspires to see them become embroiled in city politics as the nobles vie for the Earldom or Dukedom.
Firstly, there are no known characters, other than the discussion between the Dukes in the prologue, so we get to figure out how this story actually fits into the main. Second, the title should have been something else instead since the Murder in question only happens near the end of the book although we have been expecting it since the beginning. Thirdly, I don't see the point of this story, at all.
That being said, I did enjoy the story even though I could have gone without reading it.
February 16, 2015
A genre mash-up is not an easy thing to pull off, but a murder mystery set in a fantasy world sounds like it should work and it does. However, whilst ‘Murder in Lamut’ by Raymond E Feist and Joel Rosenberg proves that crime fiction works in a fantasy setting, it also shows that bad crime fiction is bad anywhere. ‘Lamut’ tells the story of three mercenaries who become embroiled in local politics and murder. As the only neutral people around, they are given the task of investigating a gruesome case.
However, this case takes about 300 pages to start. The majority of the book is a slow build up as we are introduced to the world and the characters, who later become suspects. Call me old fashioned but I have little interest in learning in great depth the local politics of a city that does not even exist, but this does not stop Feist and Rosenberg doing just this. The book drags along at a snail’s pace at times.
Some of the basics that make for good crime fiction are missing; there is no pace and there is a confused narrative. It is a shame as the three mercenaries promise lots; one is intelligent but ugly, one is brutal but calm, the other is approachable but impulsive. In the right book these three characters would be excellent. I would probably try another book in the series if Feist and Rosenberg start by writing an intriguing murder mystery to begin with and then build the fantasy on top. As it is, this book feels like it lacks a solid foundation.
However, this case takes about 300 pages to start. The majority of the book is a slow build up as we are introduced to the world and the characters, who later become suspects. Call me old fashioned but I have little interest in learning in great depth the local politics of a city that does not even exist, but this does not stop Feist and Rosenberg doing just this. The book drags along at a snail’s pace at times.
Some of the basics that make for good crime fiction are missing; there is no pace and there is a confused narrative. It is a shame as the three mercenaries promise lots; one is intelligent but ugly, one is brutal but calm, the other is approachable but impulsive. In the right book these three characters would be excellent. I would probably try another book in the series if Feist and Rosenberg start by writing an intriguing murder mystery to begin with and then build the fantasy on top. As it is, this book feels like it lacks a solid foundation.
November 19, 2018
Dit boek is het tweede boek van de trilogie: legenden van de oorlog van de grote scheuring
Voor dit boek werd samengewerkt met Joel Rosenberg. Deze auteur is meer gekend voor zijn boeken over terrorisme en hoe deze gerelateerd zijn aan voorspellingen uit de bijbel
Het boek gaat over Durine, Pirojil en Kethol. Drie huurlingen die betrokken worden in een politiek spel. Ze moeten alles op alles zetten om zelf het hoofd boven water te houden en denken er meerdere keren aan om alles de rug toe te keren.
Zo worden ze zelfs betrokken in een moordonderzoek. Hoe ,wie ,wat en wanneer.
Alle drie hebben hun eigen kenmerken. Waar de een goed kan praten is de andere beter met de vuisten en is de derde meer logisch van denken.
Het verhaal is vlot en spannend geschreven in de gekende stijl van Feist. Gedetaileerde omschrijvingen van omgevingen en personen.
Je word als lezer als het ware meegezogen in de zoektocht naar de ontknoping. Waar je probeert alle details en intriges te koppelen aan de juiste daders.
Doordat er niet echt saaie stukken in het boek voorkomen leest het boek enorm vlot.
Het einde is jammer genoeg wel wat voorspelbaar. Het komt niet echt als onverwachts.
Conclusie: Weer een spannend boek van een ware fantasy meester die de 4sterren meer dan waard is.
Voor dit boek werd samengewerkt met Joel Rosenberg. Deze auteur is meer gekend voor zijn boeken over terrorisme en hoe deze gerelateerd zijn aan voorspellingen uit de bijbel
Het boek gaat over Durine, Pirojil en Kethol. Drie huurlingen die betrokken worden in een politiek spel. Ze moeten alles op alles zetten om zelf het hoofd boven water te houden en denken er meerdere keren aan om alles de rug toe te keren.
Zo worden ze zelfs betrokken in een moordonderzoek. Hoe ,wie ,wat en wanneer.
Alle drie hebben hun eigen kenmerken. Waar de een goed kan praten is de andere beter met de vuisten en is de derde meer logisch van denken.
Het verhaal is vlot en spannend geschreven in de gekende stijl van Feist. Gedetaileerde omschrijvingen van omgevingen en personen.
Je word als lezer als het ware meegezogen in de zoektocht naar de ontknoping. Waar je probeert alle details en intriges te koppelen aan de juiste daders.
Doordat er niet echt saaie stukken in het boek voorkomen leest het boek enorm vlot.
Het einde is jammer genoeg wel wat voorspelbaar. Het komt niet echt als onverwachts.
Conclusie: Weer een spannend boek van een ware fantasy meester die de 4sterren meer dan waard is.
June 15, 2021
I've been a fan of Feist for most of my life. To the point that I forced myself to read through this revolting piece of drivel that I can't imagine he had much hands on beyond the story. These characters we follow are scum, and they know it. The reader doesn't become invested in anyone except for one, possibly two, side characters. And a certain critter that adores attention...
The story was ponderous and predictable on pretty much every page. Characters do stupid things and make really stupid choices. I mean really stupid choices. And does it work out in the end? Well... we don't really know. The book ends abruptly, at a an event that was being awaited until then. But still, it feels like it should have continued on for a little longer, that there were too many threads left dangling.
I do not recommend this book for anyone except for die hard Feist fans, those who are completionist, and have to read the entire Riftwar Cycle. And even those of you: be warned, this is quite possibly the worst book in the entire Cycle.
And I'll refrain from letting my inner SJW talk about some shit I was offended to read, because I'm not a dick. That's so no Raymond E Feist's style, not this sort.
The story was ponderous and predictable on pretty much every page. Characters do stupid things and make really stupid choices. I mean really stupid choices. And does it work out in the end? Well... we don't really know. The book ends abruptly, at a an event that was being awaited until then. But still, it feels like it should have continued on for a little longer, that there were too many threads left dangling.
I do not recommend this book for anyone except for die hard Feist fans, those who are completionist, and have to read the entire Riftwar Cycle. And even those of you: be warned, this is quite possibly the worst book in the entire Cycle.
And I'll refrain from letting my inner SJW talk about some shit I was offended to read, because I'm not a dick. That's so no Raymond E Feist's style, not this sort.
June 24, 2023
Okay this is definitely 5 stars. This IMO is one of the most underrated novels in the riftwar universe.
First the character development was fantastic! Especially for Kethol and Perojil, although Durine does have his moments including a hilarious "step aside for your better man" scene 😉, I actually wish they'd written another story using these three anti-heros, would have been fun to get to know them more. I will also say that even some of the secondary characters and enough development to really make you care about them, such as the swordmaster and some of the barons. With that said, by the end of the book I really cared about the characters, and felt invested in the story.
I will say I figured out the mystery pretty early on (during Kethol's investigation of the murder room) but there were enough twists to throw me off until the very end. I loved how the trio all had different strengths that they played to, relying on each other to succeed, I wanted to be part of their crew!
One thing I did not understand was the last sentence in the book, can anyone explain it to me?
First the character development was fantastic! Especially for Kethol and Perojil, although Durine does have his moments including a hilarious "step aside for your better man" scene 😉, I actually wish they'd written another story using these three anti-heros, would have been fun to get to know them more. I will also say that even some of the secondary characters and enough development to really make you care about them, such as the swordmaster and some of the barons. With that said, by the end of the book I really cared about the characters, and felt invested in the story.
I will say I figured out the mystery pretty early on (during Kethol's investigation of the murder room) but there were enough twists to throw me off until the very end. I loved how the trio all had different strengths that they played to, relying on each other to succeed, I wanted to be part of their crew!
One thing I did not understand was the last sentence in the book, can anyone explain it to me?
February 14, 2020
This is a standalone story that takes place in the world of Midkemia, but without any of the main characters present. That in itself would be fine if the story and characters were interesting, but sadly they're not. The story follows 3 mercenaries during the Tsurani invasion who are hired to protect a baron whose life may be in danger from assassins, in LaMut. It's pretty much a basic whodunnit and I found it hard to get into and quite dull. I didn't particularly like the characters and some of the language and sexual innuendos felt out of place. I believe the main characters are Joel Rosenberg's and that's probably why they didn't quite fit, although Feist has co-written with other authors with excellent results. This one just wasn't for me.
October 25, 2010
This book was a lot of waiting for things to happen with a lot of rather boring stuff in between. The murder that is spoken of in the title doesn't even happen until less than 100 pages from the end of the book. The three mercenaries were entertaining and seeing events unfold through their eyes made for fantasy story the likes of which I have not seen before. The usual exciting fast pace story with bits of the nuts and bolts necessary for a story to work that I have come to expect from Feist was not present. It would seem that Feist gave a bit too much control of the story to Joel Rosenberg (the co-author). All in all, not my favorite Feist book.
June 20, 2015
Although I'm a big fan of Raymond E Feist's writing, I did not find this book very enjoyable. While I consider myself somewhat of an expert on the setting of Midkemia, there were many confusing names and the court dialogue was difficult to follow. In addition, most of the book was rising action without clear action scenes that become only more confusing when you have to follow the three viewpoints of the mercenary group. While a few humorous and intriguing scenes are present, they are few, and I was disappointed in this break in Feist's brilliant writing.
August 2, 2011
I thought this was the worst book of the series, by far! I knew that it wasn't part of the main storyline, but the previous one (Honoured Enemy) still kept my interest. I kept getting the 3 mercenaries mixed up, had difficulty keeping up with the other characters, and simply didn't care about them. It only sparked my interest when there actually was a murder in LaMut, which unfortunately didn't occur until the book was nearly over.
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