Talon of the Silver Hawk

Feist makes a triumphant return to the fantasy book shelves with the start of another major new saga. Talon of the Silver Hawk is the first volume of Conclave of Shadows and opens dramatically with initiation, murder and a vow for vengeance. Young Keili is fasting and meditating in the wilderness, waiting for the sign from the gods that will herald his ascent to manhood. Just when he is ready to give up, he is granted a momentous visitation from a rare silver hawk, and his name becomes Talon. But his attention is immediately diverted by the horrific events occurring in his beloved village. In his absence a massacre is taking place and it is only by sheer fluke that Talon survives. When he finally comes to, it is an awakening of immeasurable grief and the realization that he is the sole remaining member of his tribe, the Orosini. Delivered to the sanctuary of a country inn, he convalesces with the aid of his rescuers, Robert and Pasko, two travellers who just happened to be passing. Tradition demands that he owes a life debt to Robert and he begins what could be a lifetime's service, soon becoming part of the community at the inn. Continually tested and instructed by his new master, Talon quickly learns new skills and ways of thinking, breaking out from the hidebound customs of his tribe. As he graduates from kitchen boy to expert swordsman, it becomes apparent that high expectations of him will demand discipline and endurance that even Talon will find daunting. While he becomes the deadly weapon that his master intends, he remains true to his vow of retribution for the annihilation of his people. As the purpose behind his training is slowly revealed, it seems that these two missions may be more closely linked than he had thought. Can Talon fulfil his life debt while avenging his kinfolk? The pace and depth of Feist's writing transports the reader to a world of magic and mayhem, where life can be short and bloody and things are not always as they appear to be.... (Kirkus UK)