Silverthorn

by Raymond E. Feist




This is sequel to the book 'Magician'

The story happens about a year after the riftwar in 'Magician'. Description as cut from wikipedia:

A year since Lyam's coronation, Arutha returned to his city as Prince of Krondor, to begin plans of his wedding. He met a young thief, the very same Jimmy the Hand, who warned him of an assassination attempt on Arutha. Arutha bought the cooperation of the Mockers guild of thieves to obtain more information on the assassins. Setting a trap, they captured two agents, who were revealed to be from the temple of Lims-Kragma, Goddess of Death. During interrogation, both prisoners willed themselves to death rather than divulge their plans. As the High Priestess of Lims-Kragma sought the truth from beyond the grave, one of the prisoner rose as a creature of the dead and begin slaughtering many royal guards, addressing Arutha as "Lord of the West" before being destroyed.
Injured in the attack, the High Priestess warned Arutha that the forces which opposes him were so powerful that they held the gods in contempt. Regardless, Arutha proceeded with his wedding. Another assassination attempt was foiled by Jimmy the Hand, but the poisoned bolt struck Anita.
With scant clues and a race against time for an antidote, Arutha led a party to the one place where any question may be answered, the great library at Sarth Abbey. Undeterred by Sarth's mighty defenses, two separate attacks were made with powerful sorcery, and both were barely repulsed. However, Arutha found that the poison was made by a plant, silverthorn, and that he must journey to the elves of Elvandar.
Now warned that Arutha's foes were formidable magicians, Pug asked the aid of one of his island's resident scryer. The vision of the future revealed a dark entity, speaking in ancient Tsurani, and was even capable of perceiving the scryer past the barriers of time and probability. With that knowledge, Pug recreated the rift to Kelewan, and with two companions, went to find out more about the enemy they face.
In Elvandar, the elven Spellweavers revealed that the silverthorn grows around the lake Moraelin, in moredhel-held territory. Nevertheless, Arutha and his band sneaked past sentries, picked several silverthorn shrubs, and made their escape, barely escaping a moredhel general and his horde of undead Black Slayers.
In Kelewan, Pug and his companions were captured in ambush by Great Ones of the Assembly of Magicians for his role in the destruction of the Imperial Arena a year ago. Tortured by Tsurani inquisitors, his Greater Path magic neutralized, Pug turned to Lesser Path magic, becoming the only magician ever to master both paths. Gaining time, he explained his reasons to the Emperor, and was given reprieve to continue his search in the Assembly's vast libraries. Following a clue, Pug travelled to the northern wastelands of Kelewan, and discovered a lost race of people living in a forest under the ice.
With the antidote made by the elven Spellweavers, Anita is saved, and Arutha's enemies set back by the death of one of their generals. But the leader of the moredhel, Murmandamus, vowed that in a year, the long-awaited invasion into the Kingdom would commence

This book is as nice as the Magician. Maybe because I find the characters familiar, thus quite happy to see them back in action, especially Pug who had to travel back to Tsurani to research on the origin of the dark forces and spotting Tomas who appeared for a few pages show how well he had been living among the elves. I also like the new characters such as Jimmy turn from a street thief to a Squire and got the chance to travel with the Prince in search for Silvethorn to save the princess. Nice..