Murder in Lamut (Legends of the Riftwar)

Rosenberg successfully exports Kethol, Piroji, and Durine from his Guardians of the Flame series and they are unlike any of Feist's normal characters. Most of the original Riftwar cast consists of nobles, Elves, and honourable folk. These three however, are only in it for the money. It is refreshing to realize that there are more than just despicable villians and honourable hereoes in Midkemia--we get a close view into the life of three commoners (albeit well traveled mercenary commoners ;-)).

Now that I think about it I believe I would have been disappointed if this novel had followed the usual Feist fantasy "formula" (not that his writing is truly formulaic) and been some sort of a grand quest. This novel was meant to be a divergent view into Midkemia and it succeeds admirably in my view. It isn't just the books that I enjoy, it is the worlds Feist has shown us and Murder in LaMut exposes an entirely new dimension of Midkemia.

One last point, the murder mystery proper doesn't show up until the end of the book--however I believe this is a mistake on the publisher's part when they wrote the description for the back of the book. Really this book is about Kethol, Pirojil, and Durine more than just the murder. Furthermore, the mystery may not be polished--but this isn't a world of precise police procedure, or modern investigative methods, and the three mercenaries aren't professional detectives. :-)

I would also reccomend The Empire Trilogy written with Janny Wurts for a similarly expansive and different view of Feist's world.


Better than the reviews I read before the book.   January 24, 2005
 7 out of 9 found this review helpful

THE STORY:
Durine, Kethol and Pirojil find themselves stuck in LaMut during an especially harsh winter of the Riftwar. When a Kingdom noble and his wife are murdered in their beds, the three mercenaries have to find the killer or face dire consequences.

WHAT'S GOOD:
I know this is an unpopular book, but I think that's largely because it's such a radical change of pace and scale to Feist's other books, which puts Feist fans off. Personally, I was interested to see how a very different type of story could be played out against the familiar background of the Riftwar. What we get is a classically-styled murder mystery, but where the sleuth's aren't Poirot or Miss Marple, but a trio of cynical, self-interested mercenaries. This clever twist is capped nicely by the final result of the investigations (I won't tell you whodunnit). .

WHAT'S BAD:
To be honest, apart from being set on Midkemia, there's very little fantasy to this story, which will put off those looking for wizards and dragons etc. Similarly, fans of 'Magician' will find this book too small scale and differently styled.