Inconsistent
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I have a huge problem with this book which has been touched upon by other reviewers. It is glaringly inconsistent when reviewed alongside Feist's other works.
There are so many glaring errors in the story which also seem to include the actual editing. In several points they refer to Jimmy's age as being "anywhere between 13 and 15", "somewhere between 14 and 16", "anywhere between 13 and 15" ( Yes, it's repeated twice ) and finally "not quite 13".
Then you might turn your attention to pages 193, 254 and 295 where the exact same passage describing a storm is used three times.
A dull story with twists and turns you see coming a mile off combined with sloppy writing. It is said that everyone has a good novel in them but Feist seems to have had his and has little more to offer.
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A good yarn!
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Jimmy the Hand is virtually everyone's favourite charecter from the Midkemia serie's. His cheeky attitude and knack for finding trouble kept reader's entralled throughout the Riftwar and Serpentwar saga's and now he has his own seperate little adventure.
While this book is not in the same class as 'Honoured enemy' it is still miles better than the poor 'Murder in Lamut'.
I really enjoyed it, it's not going to blow you away but it kept me interested to the, albeit obvious, end. Decent plot, plenty of trouble, good and evil, all the usual ingredients to a Feist story.
Well worth a few hours of your time!
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Disappointing and inconsistent
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Like many others, I was rather excited to get a book about Jimmy, perhaps the most popular Feist character. I was disappointed however, since this is nothing that someone who has devoured the riftwar series and had a pleasant time with the serpentwar series should expect. At times it seemed that Feist was at his ranch relaxing, rather than writing this book. I know he isn't the most consistent of characters, but the mistakes made in this book take the prize: Discount for a moment the fact that Coe displays an understanding of events that even Pug doesn't reach until well into the serpentwar. Ignore for a while the other plotholes as you struggle through the pages. How could Feist miss the fact that one of the riftwar's main characters, Locklear, (who is around Jimmy's age) was mentioned in Silverthorn to be the son of the baron of Land's End? Once we stop hoping for good stories, I guess the next thing to go is consistency. Disappointing.
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Honour Among Thieves
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First of all completely ignore what is written on the back of the book--I've seen publishers get information wrong before, but never this spectacularly. It explains that after running afoul of Guy du Bas-Tyra's secret police Jimmy the Hand flees north to Sarth where he tries to set himself up in "business" but finds "a dark secret." Actually Jimmy goes south to Land's End--Sarth is never mentioned. I have enjoyed each of the collaborations of the Legends of the Riftwar series, and Jimmy the Hand was no exception. I'm sure Jimmy is a favourite of many readers of the Riftwar Saga, and I'm no exception. There is just something about the young thief that is endearing. However nice it was to see him in Prince of the Blood and the Serpentwar Saga it wasn't quite the same. Here Steve Stirling and Raymond Feist have managed to capture the youthful Jimmy and detail one of his adventures. The story opens right as Arutha and Anita are escaping from Krondor with the aid of the Mockers. For several subsequent chapters we see the aftermath of the Crydee Prince's exploits through the city and Jimmy, of course, takes center stage. After matters get a bit too hot Jimmy and Flora, a fellow Mocker, make their way to Land's End. She is searching for her grandfather and a respectable life, while Jimmy just needs to get out of town. The tale is well told and an engaging look at Jimmy. It does though switch perspective several times to Larrie (a young farming girl from near Land's End), the Baron of Land's End himself, and a couple others. These changes are disconcerting at first, but become understandable after a couple pages. Jimmy shows some flashes of nobility, perhaps inspired by Anita, but is still a pragmatic thief at heart, even when confronting dark magic. I was surprised at the level of magic in the book, but as it is something supposed to be used in Midkemia it was nice to see more than in Feist's other books where we generally just see Pug and others associated with him employ spells. This really is what I've enjoyed most about the Legends series--we get the chance to see a coherent view of Midkemia (aided by Feist's collaboration) that is nonetheless different from his usual tack. If you've enjoyed Feist's works then you should definately check out this trilogy, and you can't miss this chance to learn more about Jimmy the Hand!
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An old-fashioned adventure story.
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THE STORY:
Shortly after helping Prince Arutha and Princess Anita escape Krondor, during the Riftwar, Jimmy the Hand is temporarily exiled by the Upright Man. He finds himself in an out-of-the-way barony where there are sinister magics at work.WHAT'S GOOD:
This is an old-fashioned sort of story, in which an intrepid group of young heroes have to infiltrate a dark castle and defeat an insane noble. As such, it's a very enjoyable tale, full of tension and dramatic action sequences. It's also interesting to see Feist give a bit more background to what I think is the author's own favourite character. WHAT'S BAD:
The story, being old-fashioned, is also nothing particularly new. It won't take you long at all to figure out what's going on in the castle, having read similar tales a dozen times before. As for the 'revelation' about the Baron's son, well, I saw that one coming a mile off.
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