Mistress of Empire
Empire #3
Raymond Feist & Jannie Wurts
Fantasy
3 Stars
Epub, 656 pages
the conclusion to the Empire trilogy. Turns out the Black Robes are keeping the Empire stagnant so that they can do as they please. Mara loses her son, another child and her father in law to the machinations. Ends up going outside of Kelewan to other nations to find magic to combat the Assembly. Comes back, puts her son on the throne, [the Emperor had been killed by rivals], stares down the Assembly and gets on with her life. Has to separate from her husband for political reasons but Kevin comes back as an Ambassador and it is obvious they will comfort each other.
This was almost ALL Wurts. Felt like Feist just rubberstamped his name on the cover. Very elaborate, flowing descriptions and we know how characters feel, not because we are shown, but because Wurts will spend a page in an indepth monologue detailing every little thing so the reader, no matter how dumb, CAN’T miss her point. Lots of descriptiveness of surroundings and feelings and everything. I doubt I’ll ever read anything by Wurts again.
I was glad that this was done. The “happy” ending tacked on at the end really didn’t fit with the Tsuranuanni world though. Mara should have been alone until her death, just like she was alone at the beginning. Kevin being dragged back into the storyline jarred.
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