Honoured Enemy

[Kulgan]

I'm currently re-reading HE for the third time and I'm still amazed at how well this book was written. IMO Feist is one of the few authors in the genre who can collaborate with another and make it work flawlessly.

This is one of two books that I wanted so much that I bit the bullet and ordered it from the UK when it was still unavailable in the US (the other being Jimmy the Hand) and it was worth every penny.

I assume that most of you have reaed this and I just wondering how it impacted other Feist fans.

I think that with the addition of a foreword or a first chapter outlining the basics of the riftwar this book could actually stand alone, and be enjoyed by any fant fan, even those who aren't all that familiar with REF.

A lot of the joy of this novel for me is in its strong characters, and the depth to which the authors explore their varied personalities as well as the interaction between them - and the plot is really great. The reluctant 'truce' (and eventual bonding) between the Marauders and the Tsuranni troops in the face of the Mordehl - an even more dangerous enemy - is actually believable.

While living with Dennis and Asayuga thru the book I was also visualizing what might happen between an elite Allied force and a crack Japanese unit deposited on a south pacific island during WW2, and finding that they had to work together to overcome a rabid population of fanatic headhunters bent on killing them all. It would be as believable set here as it is on Midkemia, and if properly done, either one would make a great TV miniseries.

The authors opened the hearts and minds of the characters to us, and I found myself sharing their emotions and appreciating their varied viewpoints as I read - even the bitterness and anger between the Mordhel leader Bovai and his now-Elven brother.

IMO this is definitely one of Feist's better works, and gave us all an invaluable insight into the kind of men on all sides who fought the Riftwar. Comments, anyone?

 

[Culhwch]

It's been awhile since I read this, but from memory I enjoyed it. I wonder though how much of it Feist actually wrote. I always got the impression with these 'Well Known Author and Never Heard Of Him/Her' collaborations it tended to be that the secondary author did all the work, and the big name served merely as a brand - and in this case, probably provided the story. It would be interesting to know...

 

[Fat DeMon]

well its gat a feist-y kind of style to it, along with the other riftwar series books

 

[Fake Vencar]

I've only read this book once but enjoyed it tremendously. I think the attribute that made me like it was the fact that in Magician, they were fighting each other but all got together and fought a common enemy when they had no other choice. Something the world should do more in my opinion.

 

[Kulgan]

Well said, Vencar. If more people would try to see their similarities rather than their diferences, it would be a better world, and we could devote more of our time fighting those who are truly evil.

I think this is one of the main points Feist was trying to make and it wasn't lost on me.

As far as who did most of the writing, it does indeed have the Feist style. I have to reming myself that it's a collaboration, unlike the empire books. There it was obvious that JW was doing most (if not all) of the writing and the style was quite different.

When a book is so well done that I can grok the subtle interplay of emotions between characters and 'live in the book' along with them, it's wonderful, regardless of who made the larger contribution.

 

[Fake Vencar]

I agree fully Kulgan. Honoured Enemy, in my opinion, is better than Jimmy the Hand and Murder in LaMut. Partly because the blurb on Jimmy says they go to Sarth and not Land's End

 

[Pyan]

It's been awhile since I read this, but from memory I enjoyed it. I wonder though how much of it Feist actually wrote. I always got the impression with these 'Well Known Author and Never Heard Of Him/Her' collaborations it tended to be that the secondary author did all the work, and the big name served merely as a brand - and in this case, probably provided the story. It would be interesting to know...

How would you regard the Feist/Wurts collaborations then, Cul?

 

[Culhwch]

How would you regard the Feist/Wurts collaborations then, Cul?

Never read them, I'm afraid. The whole Kelewan (is that right?) side of things never interested me.

 

[Kulgan]

Cul, I felt the same way when I first saw 'em - they looked boring. However, with my love of REFs writings and anything to do with Midkemia, I bought them anyway and then let them sit around until M'lady read them first.

She gave me a little nudge (read that kick in the butt) till I finally started on one. While I wasn't riveted to the page as I usually am with Feist, I found myself really enjoying them. They're definitely worth a look, tho as I said before, I believe Werts really did most of the writing, as they don't have Ray's style.

 

[nixie]

Honoured Enemy, a while since I read it but I remember it being better than the other two in the series.

 

[Fake Vencar]

The Empire series are the next on my ever shortening list of books i haven't read, after Into a Dark Realm. Is it better than Legends?

 

[Aleksei]

Oh yes, it is definatly better. Probably the series I have read the most times.

 

[Kulgan]

At first I found it hard to get into the intricasies of Turanuai politics, but the longer I read, the better it got - just the sociologist in me, plus a love of new and uncharted realms.

 

[Fake Vencar]

The Tsurani politics have never interested me either. Just gets me confused, with all those long complex names and so forth. Still, it will be a good read when i reread them all again after Wrath of a Mad God.

*made a mistake in 4th post. I meant WoaMG not ItaDR

 

[Kulgan]

I may just tackle the Empire series again after I finish my latest re-read, which currently is 'Murder In LaMut', which is, IMO a much maligned book that's really a lot of fun if one is willing to read it for what it is rather than expecting it to be a 'typical' REF.

As well as an in-depth look at Kingdom politics, there are some real laughs in this book too, with the Three Stooges fighting as mercenaries in the riftwar...

 

[Kulgan]

I may just tackle the Empire series again after I finish my latest re-read, which currently is 'Murder In LaMut', which is, IMO a much maligned book that's really a lot of fun if one is willing to read it for what it is rather than expecting it to be a 'typical' REF.

As well as an in-depth look at Kingdom politics, there are some real laughs in this book too, with the Three Stooges fighting as mercenaries in the riftwar...

 

[Fake Vencar]

I never liked Murder in LaMut when i read it. Just a bad plot was my conclusion, but i'll have to read it again. I usually miss important things out the first time around

 

[Kulgan]

MIM has some things to offer, but U have to really take it out of the context of the 'usual' Feist feast and just look at it for itself. The humorous interplay among three guys who just 'wanna stick a sword in somebody and get paid for it' and find themselves in over their heads, can be really funny at times.

Getting back to the original topic tho - HE - among other things that makes this book so good is the classic battle of brother against brother between Morvai and Tinuvuiel (once Bovai) and the depths of emotion that the authors draw from both of them. Good stuff.

 

[Morvai_]

MIM has some things to offer, but U have to really take it out of the context of the 'usual' Feist feast and just look at it for itself. The humorous interplay among three guys who just 'wanna stick a sword in somebody and get paid for it' and find themselves in over their heads, can be really funny at times.

Getting back to the original topic tho - HE - among other things that makes this book so good is the classic battle of brother against brother between Morvai and Tinuvuiel (once Bovai) and the depths of emotion that the authors draw from both of them. Good stuff.

I found Murder in Lamut to be the weakest of the 3 legends of the riftwar novels IMO, the plot was weaker, that said its not without redeaming features and its yet another perspective of what was going on in the kingdom during the riftwar.

Honoured enemy was probably the most well written of the lot, As you says the conflict between Morvai and Tinuva was the most intreaguing (tho i am refering to the inner conflict between Morvai's moredhel nature and Tinuvas eledhel nature) the conflict with Bovai his brother was fascinating (Especially how deep the shame a moredhel feels when a relative becomes one of the Eledhel) The ritualistic scarring Bovai performs to cope with the betrayal of his brother was extremley well described.

To be honest i think this was the best book out of all feists amazing works, ive collected every book hes written and i find the long running conflicts between the different castes of Edhel the best part.

Anyone else psyched about A Kingdom Besieiged next year?

 

[Hekateras]

Loved Honored Enemy. The Kingdom soldiers and the Tsurani bonding, despite being so different... Tinuva and Morvai killing each other, despite being brothers by blood..

One of my favourite scenes is where Tinuva goes off to face Morvai and has to "convince" Gregory to let him go alone. The eledhel in the books are, generally very one-dimensional, cliche goody-two-shoes. Tinuva in that book had almost unfailingly (barring his troubled "I enjoyed killing Old Enemy X") been considerate, gentle and open-minded, helping resolve disputes on more than one occasion...

And then he lets his inner moredhel out, so to speak, deliberately cranking intimidation up to eleven and being all viciously terrifying... Like a wolf that's been tamed or reared in captivity going feral again, tearing out your throat without warning. It was absolutely thrilling. It also illustrated wonderfully how thin the line between moredhel and eledhel can sometimes be (even though no eledhel ever convert to moredhel, presumably because of Spellweaver brainwashing), and how distinct the two cultures are - how the moredhel rely on intimidation and being terrifying in communication and body language.