Editors Reads Verdict
A satisfying conclusion to the Riftwar Saga that wisely expands the cosmic stakes beyond the Midkemian-Tsurani conflict — the revelation of the real threat changes the series' scale significantly.
What We Loved
- The expansion of scope from political war to cosmic threat is well-managed
- Jimmy the Hand is the most engaging new character Feist has introduced
- The conclusion resolves the immediate crisis while leaving room for the decades of subsequent novels
Minor Drawbacks
- The villain Murmandamus is less interesting than the earlier Tsurani antagonists
- Some of the magical resolutions rely on powers that feel incompletely established
Key Takeaways
- → The most dangerous threats are not the ones that want to conquer a world but the ones that want to unmake it
- → Political conflicts are often proxies for deeper forces that the political actors don't fully understand
- → The expansion from local to cosmic stakes in a series requires careful management to avoid the original stakes feeling trivial
| Author | Raymond E. Feist |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Bantam Spectra |
| Pages | 527 |
| Published | January 1, 1986 |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Fantasy, Epic Fantasy |
A Darkness at Sethanon Review
A Darkness at Sethanon is the fourth and final volume of Raymond Feist’s original Riftwar Saga, concluding the story begun in Magician while simultaneously expanding the scale of the threat in ways that reframe what the first three books were about. It is, in retrospect, the hinge on which Feist’s long career pivots: the Riftwar proper ends here, but the revelation of what was behind it opens the larger Riftwar Cycle that would occupy him for decades.
The immediate plot follows Pug and his companions as they pursue the Pantathian serpent priests who are working to resurrect Murmandamus — a dark being whose existence represents a threat not just to the Kingdom of the Isles but to the fabric of reality between worlds. Jimmy the Hand, the thief-turned-spy who appeared in Silverthorn, continues his development into one of Feist’s most engaging characters: a young man of exceptional intelligence and adaptability who navigates between worlds with more ease than most people manage in a single one.
The novel’s key narrative move is the revelation that the Tsurani invasion — the conflict that defined the first two books — was not the real threat but a proximate cause engineered by forces with cosmic ambitions. This recontextualization is managed well: it doesn’t make the earlier conflict feel trivial but gives it a dimension that wasn’t visible at the time.
The climax at the city of Sethanon is the Riftwar Saga’s most ambitious set-piece — a battle that operates simultaneously at the military, magical, and cosmological levels. Feist handles the multiple scales with more confidence than might be expected of a writer in only his third novel. A Darkness at Sethanon ends the saga properly while pointing clearly at what comes next.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is "A Darkness at Sethanon" about?
The conclusion of the original Riftwar Saga — Pug and Jimmy the Hand must stop the Pantathian serpent priests from resurrecting Murmandamus and unleashing a catastrophe that could destroy both worlds. The book that concludes one arc while opening the larger Riftwar Cycle.
What are the key takeaways from "A Darkness at Sethanon"?
The most dangerous threats are not the ones that want to conquer a world but the ones that want to unmake it Political conflicts are often proxies for deeper forces that the political actors don't fully understand The expansion from local to cosmic stakes in a series requires careful management to avoid the original stakes feeling trivial
Is "A Darkness at Sethanon" worth reading?
A satisfying conclusion to the Riftwar Saga that wisely expands the cosmic stakes beyond the Midkemian-Tsurani conflict — the revelation of the real threat changes the series' scale significantly.
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