In last week’s instalment of the Fantasy Friday bookshelf spotlight, I posted about The Riftwar Saga, the first trilogy in The Riftwar Cycle, by Raymond E Feist. I loved it so much that I immediately bought and read the second trilogy. These three books were a collaboration with Janny Wurts and went to a whole new level. The politics, the world building, the characters…

In The Empire trilogy, we see the other side of the rift war – the invading world. Mara is still, after all of these years, the best female main character I have read. She is strong, intelligent and a true warrior. And not in a muscles and mayhem kind of way. But in the way that women often need to be – especially when protecting their family.

The mysterious world of Kelewan is encircled by magic, mystery and murder. Here at the heart of the Tsurani empire, Mara, Ruling Lady of the Acoma, leads her people through terror and peril on a truly epic scale. She must contend with powerful rival houses, strike deals with the enigmatic Cho-ja – a race of alien insectoids. But in order to restore the honour of her house, Mara must marry the son of a deadly enemy – and carry the struggle of her people into the heart of his stronghold.

I have reread this series so many times through the years, but it has been 10-15 years since my last reread, so the main things I can remember about the series are serious spoilers. So alas, you’re stuck with just the book blurb. But knowing only that is the best way to go into a series, I find. This series is a must read. You can read it without having read the first trilogy, but I think having the context of the war from the other side before going in to this book makes it a richer read.