Just reread the "Conclave" series

In article <bvto2kfe1h05.1mww18cp40jhy.dlg DeleteThis @40tude.net>, Christian
Klassen <usenet DeleteThis @ch-k.net> wrote:

> Warning: contains spoilers for "Exile's Return"
>
> While waiting for the first book of the next series to arrive, I reread the
> "Conclave of Shadows" series, and I just wanted to say, that I thoroughly
> enjoyed its "up-close" perspective, with few characters as the main focus -
> much as I liked "Rise of a merchant prince".
>
> The second book, "King of Foxes" was probably my favourite one, with its
> plot twist, that reminded me of that old "Count of Monte Cristo" movie I'd
> watched in my childhood quite a few times.
>
> I hope, I'll be excused for rolling my eyes a bit at the "super robots from
> hell" appearing out of nowhere, though.
>
> Anyway, I hope Amazon will deliver the next book soon. There seems to be a
> a small delay, as it had been announced for September 5th, IIRC.
>
> Regards,
>
> Chris

Oh, P.S. They're not "robots," as you will discover.

Best, R.E.F.
 >> Stay informed about: Just reread the "Conclave" series 

> Oh, P.S. They're not "robots," as you will discover.
>
> Best, R.E.F.

On top of having to wait a bit longer, I get to deal with author teasing
too.
 >> Stay informed about: Just reread the "Conclave" series 

On Thu, 08 Sep 2005 19:33:59 GMT Raymond Feist wrote:

Again, Spoiler warning for "Exile's return"...








>
> Oh, P.S. They're not "robots," as you will discover.

Yeah, my remark was meant to be ironic, as the souls involuntarily trapped
inside these creatures had been mentioned in "Exile's Return" already.

It's just that Tomas' description of the Valheru's experiences with the
Dasati and the Talnoy sounded a *tiny* bit, let's say, disproportionate
(i.e. I had a hard time imagining how the Valheru, that afterwards -
according to Tomas - apparently chewed through thousands of miles of solid
rock to destroy an entire planet, could lose against those creatures...).

Regards,

Chris
 >> Stay informed about: Just reread the "Conclave" series 

On 10/09/05 at 15:52:08 earthdog somehow managed to type:

> Christian Klassen wrote:
>
> > Yeah, my remark was meant to be ironic, as the souls involuntarily
> > trapped inside these creatures had been mentioned in "Exile's
> > Return" already.
> >
> > It's just that Tomas' description of the Valheru's experiences with
> > the Dasati and the Talnoy sounded a tiny bit, let's say,
> > disproportionate (i.e. I had a hard time imagining how the Valheru,
> > that afterwards - according to Tomas - apparently chewed through
> > thousands of miles of solid rock to destroy an entire planet, could
> > lose against those creatures...).
> >
> > Regards,
> >
> > Chris
>
> Yeah, I'm having the same problems with Thomas and the Valheru.
> These are creatures who challenged gods and very well nearly beat
> them; they are purported to be cruel beyond imagining. How could any
> mortal, or even immortal, race cause them to be afraid?

My bet is that they're truly nasty bastards... The very last line of
the book seems to convey cartloads of seriousness. Nakor, since we
first met him, seems to me to have treated everything like some sort of
game put on for his amusment but not this time - he's worried and if
the Talnoy worry Nakor I reckon that makes the Talnoy seriously nasty
bastards...

I bet Macros knew a bit about 'em... (maybe.....)

Oh, was that my first post to the group? Damn, my lurking cloak must
need cleaning...

--
Humbug
 >> Stay informed about: Just reread the "Conclave" series 

Spoilers...







Am Sun, 11 Sep 2005 04:49:27 +1200 schrieb ~misfit~:

> And exactly who is this other
> magician (I forget the name he went under when Tal met him) and what is he
> doing? I get the feeling that he's tied into Macros somehow.

Er, since I don't remember Tal meeting other magicians than members of
Pug's Conclave of Shadows and Leso Varen, you probably mean the latter. And
it has been made abundantly clear, that Varen is an agent of the ultimate
bad guy, the Nameless One.

BTW, from what Mr. Feist has said in the past, I don't think we'll ever
read anything about Macros again - at least not with him playing an active
role.

Regards,
Chris
 >> Stay informed about: Just reread the "Conclave" series 

Am Sat, 10 Sep 2005 21:04:47 +0200 schrieb Christian Klassen:

> Spoilers...
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Am Sun, 11 Sep 2005 04:49:27 +1200 schrieb ~misfit~:
>
>> And exactly who is this other
>> magician (I forget the name he went under when Tal met him) and what is he
>> doing? I get the feeling that he's tied into Macros somehow.
>
> Er, since I don't remember Tal meeting other magicians than members of
> Pug's Conclave of Shadows and Leso Varen, you probably mean the latter. And
> it has been made abundantly clear, that Varen is an agent of the ultimate
> bad guy, the Nameless One.

Oh and one more thing: what is he doing? There has been a fair bit of
exposition about that in the books, and I don't remember all of it, but the
gist of his plans is, I think, causing chaos and suffering and brining his
master back, who is a sleeping, imprisoned god, after all.

>
> BTW, from what Mr. Feist has said in the past, I don't think we'll ever
> read anything about Macros again - at least not with him playing an active
> role.
>
> Regards,
> Chris
 >> Stay informed about: Just reread the "Conclave" series 

"Christian Klassen" <usenet.DeleteThis@ch-k.net> wrote in message
news:gftaxlx4xdhr.1t8do5rvexxvu.dlg@40tude.net...
> Am Sat, 10 Sep 2005 21:04:47 +0200 schrieb Christian Klassen:
>
>> Spoilers...
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Am Sun, 11 Sep 2005 04:49:27 +1200 schrieb ~misfit~:
>>
>>> And exactly who is this other
>>> magician (I forget the name he went under when Tal met him) and what is
>>> he
>>> doing? I get the feeling that he's tied into Macros somehow.
>>
>> Er, since I don't remember Tal meeting other magicians than members of
>> Pug's Conclave of Shadows and Leso Varen, you probably mean the latter.
>> And
>> it has been made abundantly clear, that Varen is an agent of the ultimate
>> bad guy, the Nameless One.
>
> Oh and one more thing: what is he doing? There has been a fair bit of
> exposition about that in the books, and I don't remember all of it, but
> the
> gist of his plans is, I think, causing chaos and suffering and brining his
> master back, who is a sleeping, imprisoned god, after all.
>
>>
>> BTW, from what Mr. Feist has said in the past, I don't think we'll ever
>> read anything about Macros again - at least not with him playing an
>> active
>> role.
>>
>> Regards,
>> Chris

Well, there was a comment that Leso Varen is insane just like his Master.

--
*
Paul Howard
*
Drak Bibliophile (Bane Of Book Rustlers), Yahoo Id DrakBibliophile
*
Sometimes The Dragon Wins! (That's why there are still Dragons Around)
[Polite Dragon Smile]
*
 >> Stay informed about: Just reread the "Conclave" series 

Well, I've had Flight of the Nighthawk on pre-order for MONTHS, and
finally its on its way!!! I have to say, I'm about as excited as I've
ever been in awaiting for a book to come out. I've spent the past few
months re-reading my entire R.E.F collection and am ready to go!

Here's the synopsis from Amazon UK:

The first book in a brand new series from world-wide bestselling author
of MAGICIAN, Raymond E. Feist. The Conclave of Shadows have two
problems: the final destruction of Leso Varen and the neutralization of
the thousands of Talnoy discovered by Nakor in Novindus. Acting as the
go-between for the Conclave and the Great Ones on the world of Kelewan
whilst they study the alien Talnoy, Magnus realises that creature is
acting as a rift 'magnet' - attracting the same dangers as it did on
Midkemia, and could easily provide a doorway for the terrible Dasati to
invade and decimate Kelewan. In Novindus, whilst studying the host of
Talnoy secreted away in the cave, Nakor is ambushed by a small band of
bandits. Fortunately, Tomas accompanies the small Islani, and he
defeats the outlaws with ease. But, one of their number fights with
such ferocity that Tomas suspects him to be more than human. After
several near-disastrous conflicts Kaspar, Talwin and Amafi uncover the
new nest of Nighthawks plotting against the royal house of Kesh. But
when they attempt to warn the Emperor, it becomes clear that many of
the truebloods - nobles related by birth to the Emperor - are already
Varen's slaves, both willing and unwitting. FLIGHT OF THE NIGHTHAWKS
begins a brand new series from the master of fantasy, set on a grand
scale; revisiting the exotic political-intrigue of Great Kesh, (touched
upon in the classic Riftwar books) and carrying the reader into a dark
underworld of crime and black magic.
 >> Stay informed about: Just reread the "Conclave" series 

"Paul Howard" <ppaulshoward.DeleteThis@insightbb.com> wrote in message
news:Z9LUe.322893$_o.193229@attbi_s71...
> Well, there was a comment that Leso Varen is insane just like his Master.
>
> --
> *
> Paul Howard
> *

Insanity is frequently a copout in terms of motivation in bad fiction, just
like "evil". The bad guys never think of themselves as bad guys, and what an
insane person does makes perfect sense provided you understand and accept
the fundamental axioms of their worldview. In general, it can even be said
that "insanity" is the posession of a worldview that is considered
false-to-fact relative to the majority perspective, though I personally
think that definition is a little extreme.
The point is that either REF is a bad author (which he's not) or what
Varen is doing makes sense to him, just as the Valheru are not "Evil" - what
they do and how they act makes perfect sense provided you accept their
fundamental premise that they are the rightful owners of all creation. This
is essential if for consistancy of characterisation, if for no other reason.
Which is not to say that others might not consider him insane. Nor do I
intend to speculate on what he thinks he's doing - at least not without
explicit permission from REF - because any comments or speculations might
derail what he's thinking about and planning with respect to the character
and the resolution of the situation.

Mike Bourke
 >> Stay informed about: Just reread the "Conclave" series 

Am Tue, 13 Sep 2005 14:09:50 +1200 schrieb ~misfit~:

<snip>
>
> I have relations in the UK who I haven't had dealings with for 20 years or
> so. Would it be rude to contact one and ask them to post it to me do you
> think?

Heh. If I were you, I'd look for a UK retailer with international shipping.
Don't know if Amazon.co.uk does it (there only seems to be an option for
shipping to US), but on first look e.g. www.bookstore.co.uk seems to offer
that option.

Chris
 >> Stay informed about: Just reread the "Conclave" series 

~misfit~ wrote:

> Thanks. The biggest problem is a lack of a credit card....... Also I've
> just checked and the only other method of payment accepted is a cheque
> drawn on a UK bank. Bit hard for me here in NZ. They do ship here
> though, I just went through the registration process.
>
> Cheers,

Hey,

If you're looking for something a bit closer to home the Australian release
seems to be due for late september - early october from what I can tell.
http://www.galaxybooks.com.au/ has it listed for an October release and
accepts cheques as a payment option (though I'm not sure about cheques from
NZ banks). Shipping charges are a bit steep still, but at least its not
from the UK

Daniel
 >> Stay informed about: Just reread the "Conclave" series 

Sorry folks, gotta brag right now....

Your order #---------------------(received 01 February 2005, 02:35 GMT)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ordered Title Price Dispatched Subtotal
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 Flight of the Nighthawks: Dark 18.99 GBP 1 18.99 GBP
Sold by Amazon.com Int'l Sales, Inc.

Notice the order date, bout damn time
 >> Stay informed about: Just reread the "Conclave" series 

On 11/09/05 at 02:49:27 ~misfit~ somehow managed to type:

> HUMBUG wrote:

<snip>

> > worried and if the Talnoy worry Nakor I reckon that makes the
> > Talnoy seriously nasty bastards...
>
> Yep, I noticed that too. It takes a bit to rattle Nakor.
>
> > I bet Macros knew a bit about 'em... (maybe.....)
>
> Yes, methinks you are right. However I don't think he could be
> responsible for them being there. I mean, I know he is/was very

Oh, I don't suggest for a moment that Macros is responsible for
/putting/ them there but he was/is responsible for the wards
surrounding the place.

On second thoughts, perhaps he DID put 'em there as some sort of
insurance against some stray dragon host. They'd be good against a
dragon host - remember the Dasati and their Talnoy turned Ashen Shugars
bowels to water....

I just know that Macros knew/knows cartloads about 'em but there's a
severe case of "yes we have no Macros" happening...

> powerful, commanding power only hinted at thus far, but unless he was
> controlling them then I can't see how even he'd get them there. And

Who knows /how/ they got there - perhaps some remnant from ages past ??
The question now is WTF????? (( which encompasses the whole who, what,
when, how, where, why curiosity thing... ))


> exactly who is this other magician (I forget the name he went under

Leso Varen. We've previously met him as Sidi.

> when Tal met him) and what is he doing? I get the feeling that he's
> tied into Macros somehow.

By betting is leaning heavily towards him having a fair amount of
"Interaction(tm)" with some mad cult that's wooing the Dasati. The
dreaded Pantathians and all that entails, perhaps ??


>
> Arghhh! Speculation! I can't wait for the books!
>
> > Oh, was that my first post to the group? Damn, my lurking cloak must
> > need cleaning...
>
> Nah, we need knowledgable posters here, you'll do. Consider yourself
> conscripted. Welcome aboard.

Nah, not all that knowledgable - just reasonably well read, again and
again and again and again and again..........

--
Hum( the bloody cleaners are taking their time with that damn cloak )bug
 >> Stay informed about: Just reread the "Conclave" series