Raymond E. Feist's Rise of a Merchant Prince
Voyager. Paperback. £9.99

Another Midkemia book (Magician, Prince of the Blood etc), and the second in the Serpentwar Saga. We read Rise of a Merchant Prince and enjoyed it, but to be honest, we're at a bit of a loss to explain why.

In the book that preceded this, Shadow of A Dark Queen, there was no shortage of things happening - a new land discovered, secret military expedition to sort out the evil snake lords from another dimension plotting to bring back the rule of the ancient dark ones etc. (okay, we know the shape-shifting snake people have been done before & first in Conan, they even got a look-in one of Dave Gemmell's Jon Shannow series. So how come shape-shifting hedgehogs never get a foot in the door in the 'old evil from the shadows' stakes?)

But in Rise of a Merchant Prince, most the 'action' follows the adventures of hero Roo Avery, now demobbed from his 'Dirty Dozen'-style fantasy unit. And in this one he turns his hand to wine trading - you know the kind of thing, buys some wine, loses it, gets a job in a restaurant to earn enough for a second attempt, marries the bosses daughter, gets hit on by the local fantasy mafia for protection money, fills out some customs manifests. There weren't even any orcs!

If you're a fan, you'll buy this whatever we say. If you're not, wait till this one settles in your local library - for £9.99 it's a tad expensive for such a shapeless anti-climax (the second half of the book does pick up the action somewhat - Ed). We just hope the third one in the series gets back on form - Dark Elves and Income Tax Adjustments does not a good title make - nor a bedtime read!


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