Welcome back to the reread of Mistress of the Empire by Raymond E. Feist and Janny Wurts. This is it, last post, we’re done!
This was totally not going to be a separate post to the last chapter, but turned out I had a LOT to say about both the final chapter and this epilogue. I know, right? Last week, everything was tied up with a big imperial ribbon—every single plot thread was made shiny and perfect and happy (or happysad) and resolved.
So what’s left?
Oh look, it’s a time jump!
Epilogue
Summary: TWO YEARS LATER…
It’s Appeals Day, which I think is like that West Wing trope where anyone can come and petition the government on any matter, sometimes involving alien conspiracies and cheese?
Anyway, it’s been a long day and Mara is tired, but satisfied that her son is coming into his own as far as political machinations and other imperial duties are concerned.
Cute side note: Justin never has mastered the Tsurani blank face, and has sparked a trend of random grinning among his court.
Hokanu arrives to present his new children—twin boys—to the Emperor, and the Mistress of the Empire. Mara is overjoyed for Hokanu and his sweet young wife, especially when she learns one of the boys has been named after her.
It’s all a bit emotional, and she’s busy hiding her happy-sad tears behind a fan when a bunch of barbarian rowdies diplomatic delegation of Midkemians turn up.
The entire court figures out what is going on before Mara does, because she’s busy trying not to look at the red-haired member of their party who reminds her a lot of the lover she sent away 14 or so years ago…
IT’S KEVIN HE’S BACK!
Imagine this from Kevin’s point of view. He’s pretty much got it figured out that his ex-girlfriend is this Mistress of the Empire woman that everyone’s going on about, because come on, who else would it be?
Having spent his entire career fighting in the borderlands, he has suddenly been pushed into court fancy clothes and sent off to be an Ambassador, not knowing why (apparently Prince Arutha is a total matchmaker) only to discover in front of the entire Tsurani Imperial Court that he has a teenage son, who rules a vast Empire.
Whoa!
(Also apparently the whole court is well aware of the Mara/Kevin tragic romance which suggests to me a community of fanfic writers may well have developed to keep the ship alive, not unlike the trend among Georgian & Regency aristocratic women of writing long letters and stories as a form of social media to keep each other amused.)
Mara, Kevin and Justin have a family breakdown including some very personal conversations, in front of everyone, because the imperial family has no secrets.
This includes, by the way, Mara and Kevin both employing Complete And Total Subtlety to discover that they are both currently single and available.
At which point, Arakasi attempts to close the court down and give the family some privacy…
But Mara, who never does things by halves, takes the opportunity to present the Light of Heaven to his Dad, in front of everyone.
The court, who know which side their bread is buttered on, happily cheer the reunion even though it doesn’t take basic maths to figure out that their beloved Emperor must have been sired by a slave and prisoner of war.
Mara realises how much the Empire has changed, that this public declaration is something to celebrate rather than to hide in shame.
Cue: adorable three-way family hug, and some discreet flirtation happening between Justin’s parents as they enjoy the joyous reunion.
That’s a wrap!
Peace out, Tsurani Empire.
COMMENTARY: Awwwwwwwww.
You know, I’ve been super cynical at this book’s obsession with the absentee romance between Kevin and Mara, but now that we’re here, I ship it.
Both of Mara’s key romantic relationships were defined by some measure inequality—Kevin because of her culture’s inability to recognise his social status, and Hokanu because he always seemed far more invested in his romantic relationship with Mara than she was.
Which is not entirely fair—Mara definitely loved Hokanu—but that doesn’t make it inaccurate. Hokanu didn’t need Mara to be the doting, ‘my husband is everything’ traditional wife—indeed, he loved her more because of all the ways in which she was not that person. Still, Mara’s attention and commitment was always divided in ways that his (mostly) was not—not least because she had such a powerful love affair which ended shortly before their marriage.
It’s interesting, isn’t it, that it was easier to overturn an entire society’s traditions than to overcome the simpler problem of a marriage where one spouse was a little bit more in love than the other. I don’t envy Hokanu’s wife at all, living in the shadow of his love for Mara, just as he lived in the shadow of Mara’s love for Kevin. I’m not convinced that the magical babies were really sufficient substitute, especially given Hokanu’s proven ability to love children not of his bloodline, but hey, it’s not my book.
As soon as Kevin returned—a slightly more grizzled and far less temperamental Kevin than when he first arrived—I remembered all over again why Mara liked him. The focus on his connection to Justin is particularly pleasing, and the emphasis (which has not really been discussed a lot before now) on how Justin has been taught who his birth father was. Plus he got a chance to be angry (rightfully) about Mara taking the choice of being a father away from him, but not too angry, because he’s too interested in creating a relationship with Justin now.
(Nice touch to name the kid after Kevin’s Dad, Mara, that was thinking ahead.)
As with Hokanu, Mara had a clear image of the future that she had allowed Kevin to have, by relinquishing him—a family of his own, secure in the status he enjoyed as a Midkemian nobleman—so it’s faintly amusing to see that while Hokanu followed the perfect post-Mara script, Kevin of course had his own ideas.
Mara has fully earned her happy ending in every way—losing Kevin inspired her to bring change to Tsuranuanni and its relations with outsiders as well as its more rigid traditions. Now she gets to reap the benefit because in this new world she has helped to shape, Kevin is not only allowed to be with her as an honoured foreign dignitary, but can be acknowledged publicly as her son’s father.
Gosh, but isn’t it convenient that the slave Mara fell for was a nobleman in his own land? And not, like, a farmer or something?
I do wonder how many people secretly conspired to make this happy ending happen. Did Arakasi and Chumaka have feelers out in Midkemia? Was someone sending secret telegrams to Prince Arutha with heavy hints about who he should choose as the next ambassador? Who made this happen?
In any case, I’m all for drawing the curtain on Mara’s epic adventure, knowing that once the book is done, she might have half a chance at a peaceful, productive life with no more trilogy-induced drama. Like when Buffy the Vampire Slayer got a monster-free summer at the end of every season!
It’s been wonderful to revisit these books, comparing my memories and my teenage reading experience with my current self. And while I often made fun of the crinklier edges along the way, I’m impressed at how well the Empire series holds up as a different kind of epic fantasy, prioritising the domestic and political machinations over quests and forests.
Considering how often I recommend these books to others, it’s been a big relief to discover that so much of what I remembered them doing well are still very, very good.
Plenty of problematic bits and pieces along the way, of course, but that’s fantasy fiction for you.
Thank you so much for joining me on this long adventure. If, like me, you love or loved these books, what other works would you recommend to readers next? There’s other epic fantasy out there which is more about court and espionage than magic objects and long travelogues (though the Empire series, of course, had its share of travel and magic). There’s other epic fantasy which centres women as the most important protagonists.
Which are your favourites? What books and authors, new or old, do you think an avid reader of Daughter, Servant and Mistress of the Empire, would enjoy picking up next?
Or should we just reread these ones all over again?
Tansy Rayner Roberts is an Australian SF & fantasy author, and a Hugo Award winning blogger and podcaster. Tansy recently completed a serialised novel, Musketeer Space, available to read for free on her blog, and her latest piece of published short fiction is “Fake Geek Girl” at the Review of Australian Fiction. She writes crime fiction under the pen-name of Livia Day. Come and find TansyRR on Twitter & Tumblr, sign up for her Author Newsletter, and listen to her on Galactic Suburbia or the Verity! podcast.
Thanks for the great reread, Tansy. It was very nostalgic for me too reading along with you, although I didn’t comment very much.
I’ve been rereading Pride of Chanur by C.J. Cherryh lately and have been struck by similarities to the Empire Trilogy in that we look at an alien culture that the female protagonist is a part of and we see how change is wrought upon this culture by her having to challenge its preconceived notions. Like the Empire Trilogy, this change is triggered by the appearance of a completely alien race shaking up the existing status quo. The focus of Chanur is on diplomacy, intrigue and economics, like the Empire Trilogy.
At the same time, it’s completely different from the Empire Trilogy and not just because it’s a space opera. For one, our protagonist is already well-established and already has a team of people assembled at the start of the series, so we don’t see a build-up from nothing the way we do with Mara. It’s as if we passed over the events of Servant and we’re at Daughter with Mara well established and Kevin coming into her life; our protagonist is no spring chicken. For another, our protagonist is in a culture where females are dominant, managing affairs and flying spaceships while males really don’t do very much. Moreover, the relationship between her and our disrupting element is not romantic. And finally, there is a lot more intrigue in Chanur than there is in Empire. Part of this is due to Cherryh having a completely different writing style than Feist… Cherryh prefers to show rather than tell and you spend a lot of time reading between the lines. But generally, our protagonist’s erstwhile allies are a lot less trustworthy than Mara’s are and you don’t have such clear cut bad guys like Tasaio or Jingu.
I loved loved loved this series back in the day. Thanks for the reread, i enjoyed the posts since i am the only person i know that reads sci-fi and fantasy. (i know, right?!!)
I will suggest Kushiel’s Dart by Jacqueline Carey. Strong female, intrigue, plots, epic world (just close enough to ours to feel familiar) Parts are admittedly strongly sexual, but so central to the character and her place in the world.
I highly recommend the current series by Janny Wurts: Wars of Light and Shadow. This series is beautiful and constantly shifts my perceptions. The narrative is complex and rich with many layers hidden in plain view that only become apparent after reading through a second or third time. The characters are well drawn and complex with their own agendas. While the two main characters are male, there are plenty of complex female supporting characters. I can’t recommend this series enough.If you enjoyed the Empire Series, then this is one to definitely check out.
Thanks for the recommendations so far, keep them coming!
And thanks so much to those who have been reading and commenting all along, even though the collective wordcount of these posts is suspiciously similar to that of the books themselves…
Thanks. I really enjoyed the reread. Pity it had to end.
Haven’t commented but have been reading along for quite some time. I loved this series when I was a teenager and have reread several times as an adult. I enjoyed the early Feist books but these have always had a special place in my heart.
Scott Lynch’s Gentleman Bastards series is pretty heavily focused on espionage type storytelling. The main characters aren’t female but there are strong female characters in each of the currently published books. Definitely recommend.
This has been a joy to read, this is one of favorite series of books. Something you may not have known is that Raymond E Feist disallowed all fanfiction of his books. To me, that was a mistake.
I would recommend reading Cervante’s Don Quixote. That’s a send-up of the Mediaeval Quest literature and it’s hilarious as well.
Thanks for rereading this. I’ve always loved the Empire series and it was nice to revisit it again and reread along with you.
I also shipped Kevin and Mara because he’s always the one that’s pushed Mara and shoved her just a little bit outside her confort zone and forced her to grow. Hokanu, while nice, was always a bit bland and I felt he tended to be in Mara’s shadow.
I would also be interested if you read Janny Wurts: Wars of Light and Shadow. Mainly because… well, I find them terrible. They remind me a little of Wheel of Time, but while WoT started with a tight story and started to disolve into mushy tangle of plot lines that cumulates in Crossroads of Twilight, the Wars of Light and Shadow start with a mushy tangle of plot lines and then goes downhill from there.
As for court fantasy, I do love The Goblin Emperor.
I’ve seen the Sun Sword series by Michelle West recommended for court intrigue and Japanese-inspired setting, but haven’t read it. Anyone want to chime in on this one?
@1: Thanks for that, I’ve been wanting to read Cherryh for a while now and now I’m really intrigued. Chanur sounds fascinating.
@Megaduck.
Interesting you so dislike the Wars of Light and Shadow. I’m completely the opposite – they really do scratch a particular itch very well. I think it is the combination of deep time and actual consequences for the world.
However I can’t demand a reread yet as it isn’t quite finished. Definitely we need one in a few years when the last book is due to be released.
Her standalone work on the other hand suffers somewhat from not getting enough room to breathe – they all wrap up somewhat abruptly given the plot buildup.
Interestingly I did a full reread of all of Feist’s Riftwar books recently. It is significantly weaker than I recall, and he suffers from the reverse of Wurts – his characters are very thin, and the plots tend to be more and more absurd.
The Empire series really was the rare case of two authors combining their strengths and cancelling out their weaknesses.
As for other suggestions, sticking with the same feeling of rising against the odds, the Kushiel series is definitely a frontrunner.
Lois McMaster Bujold’s Vorkosigan saga despite being SF has much of the same speed chess between adversaries, especially The Vor Game and Cetaganda.
L.E. Modesitt Jr has a nicely political background in the Imager series, the second series is more focussed on intrigue and empire building.
I am so overdue for a reread of these, they’re such favourites! I’ve loved your posts about your rereads!
I also only read the Chanur books by CJ Cherryh fairly recently, and really enjoyed them. Less fantasy and more space opera but I think that the tone of some of the Liaden books are similar to the Empire series in terms of political intrigue.
My favourite fantasy series at the moment is the Chronicles of Elantra by Michelle Sagara – the central character is so interesting, as are the support characters and she as an individual grows so much over the books. It is heavily driven by magic, somewhat by questing but it’s also rooted in the ideas of home and family too. The new book ‘Cast in Honour’ is just out now and I can’t wait to get my hands on it!
@11 Mayhem
I will definatly agree that the Empire series combined the strengths of both authors. Having read both Fiest and Wurts alone I think I can see how both of their writing combined to make the empire series so good.
Thanks for the re-read Tansy! I look forward for future re-reads or reads by you.
I loved this reread. I love these books, and desperately want them to be available in ebook format in the US (my paperback copies bit the dust in a water-related disaster).
@11 Mayhem:
When I first read this trilogy, I tried to find more by these authors, but when I read other books I was disappointed. Thank you for describing so accurately their flaws.
Fiest + Wurts is more than the sum of the authors. I wonder why they never wrote anything else together? Does anyone know?
@15
All three books are available through Amazon in the UK, can you purchase them through there?
Failing that you can try Australia, which has a bundle deal, though it may be cheaper as individual titles from the same links.
They never wrote anything else together because both felt that the story had been told, and Janny Wurts has been far far too busy since with her own work to do anything else. Feist did a lot of badgering to get her to agree in the first place, she took a lot of persuading. There is a good writeup on the process in the FAQ at her website.
I really like her other work, but her early books like Sorcerer’s Legacy is definitely someone refining how to write. Master of Whitestorm is really good, but feels a bit “this place exists for that particular story and no other reason”, whereas To Ride Hell’s Chasm has a living breathing world, but for some reason the story just misses a bit for me. I don’t know why exactly.
The Wars of Light and Shadow are very unlike anything else being written, and I really appreciate the craft that goes in – it’s a bit like Steven Erikson in that there are a lot of layers going on, even if much of it doesn’t get revealed for a while yet. Fortunately it isn’t at Malazan levels of postmodernism, so you don’t have to read it obsessively closely :)
Apparently she’s had the story floating around in her head since 1972, but had to wait till she had enough skill to start putting it together on the page.
Feist on the other hand. Magician is fantastic. All the early Riftwars are rather good, up until The King’s Buccaneer, when the threats turned supernatural. From the Serpentwar series on, he gets weaker and weaker, probably because none of the remaining main characters really have much depth. Pug also has the problem of being too overpowered, so has to keep getting shoved in a variety of fridges. And I still haven’t forgiven him for destroying Kelewan as an afterthought in one of the later books, condemning the Cho-ja to death as they are bound to the world and couldn’t leave. They did go out well though, Lensman style.
Thanks for the highly enjoyable re-read! Yea, it is a pity that the authors never cooperated again, because personally I bounced off Feist’s “The Magician” and read a couple of books by Wurts, but couldn’t really get into her work either. Definitely, in this case the whole is greater than the sum of it’s parts.
Mayhem @16:
What? Kelewan destroyed?! All of Mara’s reforming has been for nothing?!! Feist has much to answer for :(.
What could be next for a re-read is tricky. I too am a huge fan of Chanur series, but it is SF/space opera and also, while political and economical considerations are important in it, they aren’t quite as central to the plot as in the Empire series, IIRC. Hm… I remember that the Deverry series by Katharina Kerr had some political intrigue in it, but derring-do and magic predominated. Still, it was an interesting fantasy series from the same period…
I would surely recommend Wurts’s solo work to any reader of the Empire Trilogy, particularly her standalones. Actually, I picked Daughter of the Empire because I am a fan of Wurts and I wanted to try the collaboration…I found it stunning, the plot is linear but the characters and story absolutely engaging! Different strengths, yet very similar for characters depth, intrigue and plot twists.
Sure enough, while I think Empire is a read for all ages and surely my pick should I introduce someone to fantasy, her other books favor layered plots and a less linear storytelling, there is a distinct difference in focus to them. That’s especially true for her more nuanced work, The Wars of Light and Shadow, which I would not necessarily recommend for a transition off Empire.
Also, Empire has more romance and a single female lead. While I’ve always liked the quality and variety of the many women portrayed in Wurts books, her main protagonists are usually men (but for Sorcerer’s Legacy where the protagonist is a widow) or mixed groups. It was great to discover Mara and I hope she’ll write more books with female protagonists.
To Ride Hell’s Chasm was my first Wurts book, it surprised me because there are all the elements I could love, action, intrigue, a well-rounded cast of characters, a mystery, a tight plot, superb worldbuiling and an intriguing magic system. One of the protagonists is dark skinned, and I liked the way the theme of diversity and prejudice played in the story. And the prose, oh, what a lush style!
Master of the White Storm is big on action, it’s sword & sorcery with a psychological bent and a peculiar narrative structure. The Cycle of Fire is a coming of age story, not YA in outlook, deceptively classic fantasy with sci-fi surprises.
Both older and newer works have a similar rhythm: a slower start for the story setup, then a half-point climax and from there full-speed convergence and no letup until the end (no cliffhangers, either). I’ve noticed pace and beginnings are carefully studied, as it is the delivery. One of the elements I appreciate the most in her books is the design, that’s particularly evident in her longer series where the plot deepens and heightens in a spiral fashion, and you cannot pull it off if you have not planned every single detail beforehand.
The Wars of Light and Shadow is an unsurpassed epic fantasy masterpiece of the slow-burning kind, full of layers of complexity and intricacy. It requires more thought and attention and it’s totally rewarding. One of the most engaging reading experiences I’ve ever had. This series don’t tip its hand quickly: there are unreliable narrators and the reader’s prejudices are meant to throw him off-balance (I would call it a clever upending of common tropes) as the story explains itself over time.
@16 compared it to Malazan, I’ve heard that often and I’m really curious to try it, if it’s anywhere as good as tWoLaS I’ll probably love it. I’m a fan of kind of narrative and that’s probably why I feel so strongly for Wurts storytelling. The draft of the upcoming book, Destiny’s Conflict, is complete, I’m so looking forward to it!
Early on, I read a very interesting article here on Tor, http://www.tor.com/2013/12/19/under-the-radar-janny-wurts/ and I agree with most of what it’s said. Highly recommended!
First of all, a thousand thank-yous for this re-read, Tansy. And a thousand thank-yous to all of the wonderful folks who’ve provided such entertaining and enlightening discussions in the comments threads. It’s all been a ball to read, and wonderful to experience one of my favourite series with you all.
Secondly… recommendations. I’d like to second (third? fourth?) the request for a Kushiel re-read. It hits a lot of the same notes: female protagonist, lots of intrigue and politics, romance with someone who on the face of it is a complete mismatch but is actually perfectly suited, building up from rock bottom to a place of power… yep, I can see where folks who enjoyed one would have a good chance of enjoying the other. Very different style of story, of course, but that too is part of the appeal. (Plus I was hugely disappointed with the cursory six-post “reread” that’s already been done on Tor and would love to see someone do it properly. I think you could do it justice.)