King of Foxes (Conclave of Shadows, Book 2)

Book Description

In the mountains of Midkemia,
a boy came brutally of age in blood and
in terror. And now he lives for one
purpose alone ... revenge!

An exceptionally skilled swordsman, young Tal Hawkins was the only survivor of the massacre of his village -- rescued, recruited, and trained by the mysterious order of magicians and spies, the Conclave of Shadows. Now one of the secret society's most valuable agents, he gains entrance into the court of Duke Olasko, the bloodthirsty and powerful despot whose armies put Tal's village to the sword, by posing as a nobleman from the distant Kingdom of the Isles. But the enemy is cunning and well protected -- in league with the foul necromancer Leso Varen, dark master of death-magic -- and to gain the Duke's trust and confidence, Tal Hawkins must first sell his soul.

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Young Tal Hawkins was the only survivor of the massacre of his village -- rescued, recruited, and trained by the mysterious order of magicians and spies, the Conclave of Shadows. Already exceptionally skilled in swordsmanship, he has since developed into one of the secret society's most valuable agents, keeping ever alert for the opportunity to arise when he can avenge the craven slaughter of his family and friends.

That time is now.

Posing as a nobleman from the distant Kingdom of the Isles, he gains entrance into the court of the Duke of Olasko, the bloodthirsty and powerful despot whose armies put Tal's village to the sword. But the enemy is cunning and well protected -- in league with the foul necromancer Leso Varen, dark master of death-magic -- and to gain the Duke's trust and confidence, Tal Hawkins must first sell his soul.

Only by swearing an oath of allegiance to his hated nemesis can Tal hope to get close enough to kill the Duke and bring his empire crashing down. But the tyrant demands that his new acolyte prove his loyalty with blood. Sent off to do his ""master's"" malevolent bidding -- each depraved mission more odious than the last -- the Talon of the Silver Hawk faces a spirit-crushing dilemma. Only through evil can his vengeance succeed, yet his alternatives are more terrible still: madness, torture, damnation, and a slow, lingering death in the Fortress of Despair.

Customer Reviews:

He did it again.......2006-10-05

Wow is all I can say. Feist did it again. He keeps the book so intresting that you can't stop turning the pages until you are done. This book had one of the best and most touching endings of all the books so far (Talons ending).

The new characters where once again outstanding. Everytime I find out the books are about new characters I'm kind of bummed because I like the other characters so much and want to hear more about them. As I read on in the new books I find I come to like the new characters just as much and want to hear more about them. Its really a vicious cycle. I have come to enjoy all of Feists main characters, Pug, Thomas, Borric, Arutha, Nicholas, Erland, Nakor, James, Eric, Roo, Dashle, Jimmy, Talon, and the list goes on and just keeps being added to.

Bravo Feist. I look forward to more.

A Solid Novel.......2006-09-29

The second novel in this series has the arch type hero Tal serving Kasper, the man he has vowed to destroy. But with betrayal around every corner and issues beyond a man hungry for power, there are plenty of things to keep this novel interesting. Feist as always writes and interesting story. While I don't think it is his best, I did enjoy it and read the entire thing in little more than a week, which is fast for me. This book wraps up Tals story and the third book shifts focus to Kasper. So if you are waiting for all 3 books before reading, you can safely read the first two and get a story from start to finish.

Fighting Galore.......2006-09-09

King of the Foxes is a most compelling sequel to Talon of the Silver Hawk.

I would even go so far as to say that King of the Foxes is one of Feist's best work yet. Though I still like The Serpentwar Saga best. Talwin is a character at least as complex and well developed as Jimmy the Hand or Arutha were in the Riftwar saga.

It seems to me that the Conclave of Shadows is indeed an example of classic Feist, the Feist we all know and love. With his classic talents for keeping his readers unaware of the next twist or turn his novel will take, and his uncanny ability to create and develope characters we all connect with on many levels, Feist once again reclaims his title as the best.

Decent bridge novel.......2006-06-13

King of Foxes by Raymond Feist is the second book in the Conclave of Shadows trilogy with the first being, Talon of the Silver Hawk and the third being Exile's Return. This book continues to focus on Talon or Talwin as he is later known. However, towards the end of the books Pug again forces his way into the story. I wish there would be a story where those `super power' characters would have very little to no involvement. It just seems that every time they show up you know things will work out for the good guy's side. As I said in my review of Talon of the Silver Hawk, if you are contemplating reading this series I highly recommend going back and reading Magician: Apprentice and those books first. The story is much more enjoyable with all that background knowledge.

The plot of this book is fairly straight forward and continues right off of where the first book left us. Tal inserts himself into the entourage of Kaspar. Of course Tal has many reasons for being there, which I will not say here because I don't want to post spoilers like others have done. There are really very few side quests in this book. It mostly centers on Tal and his quest to avenge his destroyed people that we learned about in the first book. There is not much deviation in what the reader can expect to happen. Even though I had never read this book, I anticipated about 80% of what eventually happened. The pace of the book was fine, but I didn't feel the urgency to know what happened next as I did in previous books by Feist. I don't mean this wasn't a good book just that suspense was not as present as I have come to expect from Feist.

The characters in this book are mostly the same as the first book, and they have not changed all that much either. They are still rather bland and uneventful. There was really nothing about the characters that made me want to see them succeed or fail. In past Feist books the characters were so captivating that I either rooted for them or despised them along with the characters. The characters often drove the plot, not the plot pulling the characters. To me reading this book I just felt the characters were there and along for the ride. I can easily see how these characters could have been great, but I think Feist faltered a little in this category.

Overall, I got out of this book what I expected. A solid story with some fighting and some political intrigue. Like I said above, it's not a bad book by any stretch of the imagination. Maybe Feist is a victim of his own success here. After writing several gems the well had to run a little dry for a period of time. Feist includes a decent cliff-hanger at the end to almost make sure the reader will finish off the trilogy (which I will certainly do). Most fans of fantasy will find this book enjoyable. There are no huge magical battles, or monsters, so if that is what you are looking for you may want to look somewhere else. However, if you are looking for a solid tale that will keep you turning pages this will certainly suffice. I would certainly not hesitate to recommend any of the Feist books to fantasy fans.

Doesn't dissapoint.......2006-06-10

Keeps a good pace and doesn't dissapoint. It is exactly what you would expect from Feist. You may want to buy the third one at the same time because you will want to continue on to finish the series by the end of the book.

Give Us a King!: Samuel, Saul, and David

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Careful what you wish for...
The Stories of Saul, Samuel and David Spring to Life
Don't miss it!
Authoritative
Another fine work from a master translator.

Give Us a King!: Samuel, Saul, and David
Everett Dr Fox
Manufacturer: Schocken
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0805241604
Release Date: 1999-11-02

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Give Us a King! Samuel, Saul, and David is Everett Fox's new translation of Saul I and II. Fox, whose translation of The Five Books of Moses is by far the best contemporary rendering of Hebrew Scripture, has performed another literary miracle with Give Us a King!. His style presumes that "the reader of the Bible should ideally recite the text aloud, allowing himself or herself to be led by its sound rather than presupposing what is to be found there," as Fox explains in this book's introduction. Consequently, Fox's translation (which appears on the page in the form of free verse, not as prose) preserves the strangeness of the Hebrew text, rather than smoothing it over with English euphemisms and elegant transitions. The style of Fox's translation, one hopes, will bring new readers to consider the perennially urgent matters described by Samuel I and II. According to Fox, the central themes of these stories are personal responsibility and leadership--"a people's struggle with what it means to ask for leadership, how the leaders measure up to the task, and how the ideals of a culture fare in that process." This book might be most productively read along with Robert Alter's very different but equally impressive translation of the same texts, The David Story. --Michael Joseph Gross

Book Description

Everett Fox's translation of the biblical books from Genesis through Deuteronomy has been widely acclaimed as a scholarly, religious, and literary masterpiece. Praising its unique and authoritative approach, the New York Times Book Review said, "It makes it possible for us to take up the Scripture as if we had never seen it before."

In Give Us a King! Fox turns to the two books of Samuel, which contain some of the Bible's most famous stories and most unforgettable personalities: the barren Hannah, who will be mother to the prophet Samuel; the tragic King Saul; Bathsheba, the object of King David's illicit desire and the future mother of King Solomon; and King David himself, the romantic hero who becomes a legendary but morally compromised monarch.

Accompanied by illuminating commentary and notes, Fox's masterful translation re-creates the echoes, allusions, alliterations, and wordplays of the Hebrew original, so that the reader is finally able to experience in English the full power of the ancient saga of the original once and future king.

Customer Reviews:

Careful what you wish for..........2003-06-28

Perhaps the phrase, be careful what you ask for, should have been coined for this early story. In the books of Samuel, the nation of Israel essentially 'comes of age', and enters the arena of other nations by forming a central hierarchical structure.

The politics of Israel was interesting at this point. From the time of the Exodus (after Moses and Joshua) to the time of Samuel (some 400+ years later, if the Biblical account of years can be trusted -- the exact meaning of some time phrasings is still in doubt), Israel had no central authority, no hierarchy. The people lived in a mostly agrarian culture, with small farming, flocks and herds as the norm. Cities were rare, and generally despised. For instance, the Philistines and the Egyptians were both known primarily as city-dwellers, and both were considered enemies in many respects.

Israel was guided by judges, who recognised God as King. This, however, was unsatisfactory to the people of Israel. The other nations had kings, to lead the battles and to rule and adjudicate. Samuel (and God, through Samuel) warned against having kings, but (interestingly) did not forbid the institution of a kingly dynasty to the people of Israel. Samuel selected Saul to be king. Of course, his kingship was a rocky one, and ended badly, not least of which because David was a challenger to the throne through most of Saul's reign, presumably based upon Samuel's (and God's) decision to take legitimacy away from Saul.

Finally, David succeeds to the kingship, and has a rather stormy reign himself, made however into the glorious reign that is still considered the model of God-sanctioned kingship under God by many Jews and Christians.

Everet Fox, who did a remarkable job at translating 'The Five Books of Moses' a few years ago (please see my review of that), turned next to the stories in the books of Samuel, and retranslated them as part of the new Schocken Bible Series, which his book entitled 'Give Us A King! Samuel, Saul, and David'. Fox had as one of his intentions in the retranslation of the Torah, which carries forward as a theme in this work, the adherence to the oral and aural aspects of the original Hebrew, sacrificing the scholarly-clarity issues that guide translations such as the New Revised Standard Version and others that are meant to be read, for this that is meant to be read aloud. One gets a greater sense of the way in which the Hebrew stories would have been conveyed.

Now David sand-dirge (with) this dirge
over Sha'ul and over Yehonatan his son,
he said:
To teach the Children of Judah the Bow,
here, it is written in the Book of the Upright:
O beauty of Israel, on your heights are the slain:
how have the mighty fallen!
Tell it not in Gat,
spread not the news in Ashkelon's streets,
lest they rejoice, the daughters of the Philistines,
lest they exult, the daughters of the foreskinned-ones!
Ohills of Gilbo'a, let there be no dew, no rain upon you,
or surging of the (watery) deeps,
for there lies-soiled the shield of the mighty, the shield of Sha'ul,
no more anointed with oil.

Fox accompanies his new translation with an interesting introductory essay setting context and meanings in place, as well as notes that explain both translation textual issues as well as interpretive issues in the text.

Included in this volume are drawings, paintings and etchings by the artist Schwebel. While these works are intriguing and inspired works of modern art with an influence from various historical patterns and themes, I found some of the art work, having modern settings in high streets with cars, shop signs, etc., hard to merge thematically with the ancient texts sometimes.

This is a fascinating text, a wonderful new translation, which gives new insight and fresh meaning to an ancient story.

The Stories of Saul, Samuel and David Spring to Life.......2002-09-20

I am not a Hebrew Scholar; I do not even qualify as a Hebrew Student. Yet this Biblical translation infuses new life into the Old Testament books of I and II Samuel. The meter, the poetry, the nuisances lost in other English translations have been magically restored by Everett Fox.

Mix in an insightful commentary and you have what is rapidly becoming the translation I reach for when I read or study the stories of Saul, Samuel and David. Hopefully Fox is fast at work on a translation of David's poetry - The Psalms.

Don't miss it!.......2001-11-14

You have NEVER read the old testament till you read Everett Fox's translations of it. It is a veritable revelation to see whole new meanings in the words, phraseology, and syntax. Now, Mr. Fox, how 'bout the rest of the OT. After teasing us with the Pentateuch and 1 & 2 Samuel, I am ITCHING to read the Psalms this way, as well as Isaiah, Ezra-Nehemiah, etc.

Authoritative.......2001-07-27

Hebrew is a famously difficult language to translate. Multiple meanings and a tendency towards non-humerous revealing puns add to the richness of ancient jewish texts that is rarely found in english versions. Like with Fox's Five Books, Give Us a King, brings his enromous ability to bear and gives the reader a window into the hebrew. Not only does he point out where words can have multiple meansing, he keeps the names in the hebrew form with a definition of the names meaning. This adds greatly to the text.

Another reviewer said that this is begging to be read aloud. He or she is absolutely correct. The translation is lyrical, maintaining a 3000 year old jewish tradition of chanting these works. Many of the english translations attempt to turn these texts into thick prose, which goes directly against the way they are treated in the Hebrew.

Fox plans on releasing a translation of everything from Joshua through Kings. This is a wonderful apetizer for what is destined to be one of history's great works of biblical scholarship.

Another fine work from a master translator........2000-04-04

In my very positive review of Everett Fox's _The Five Books of Moses_, I wrote in an affectionate parody of his style that not all readers seem to have found "helpful." So here I'll play it straight.

This translation lives up to every standard Fox set in his earlier work. As with _The Five Books_, the text begs to be read aloud -- the more so as it deals with a crucial moment in the history of Israel and includes some of the Bible's most memorable characters.

A sample may be in order. From 1 Samuel 17:45-47: "But David said to the Philistine: You come at me with a sword and a scimitar and a spear, but I come at you with the name of YHWH of the Heavenly-Armies, the God of the ranks of Israel, whom you have mocked! This day, YHWH will turn you over to my hand, so that I will strike-you-down and will remove your head from you; I will give your carcass and the carcass of the Philistine camp this day to the fowl of the heavens and to the wildlife of the earth, so that all the earth may know that Israel has a God, and that all this assembly may know that it is not with a sword or with a spear that YHWH delivers -- for the battle is YHWH'S, and he will give (all of) you into our hand!"

Go ahead. _Try_ reading that without at least moving your lips. Can't do it, can you?

Martin Buber and Franz Rosenzweig, by whose principles of translation Fox is inspired, would have been delighted with this work. And -- not incidentally -- the paintings, etchings, and drawings by American-Israeli artist Schwebel are lovely too.

You will love, yes, love this way-cool-book. Even if the use-of-hyphens (is) a little-funny! (Sorry -- I know I said I'd play it straight. And, darn, I almost made it, too.)

Average customer rating:

An unfunny, out of date story about a kindhearted, grammatically-challenged country farmer and his unintelligent dog

Smasher (Stepping Stone, paper)
Dick King-Smith , and Fox Busters Ltd
Manufacturer: Random House Books for Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0679883304
Release Date: 2006-05-23

Book Description

Dick King-Smith brings his signature wit and charm to the Stepping Stone line with a lovable new puppy who's sure to capture readers' hearts. Smasher is always getting into trouble, whether it's chasing chickens, chewing up Mrs. Buzzard's slippers, or breaking all her china. Now she wants to get rid of him. Can Farmer Buzzard find a way to save him? Or is Smasher in the doghouse...for good?

Customer Reviews:

An unfunny, out of date story about a kindhearted, grammatically-challenged country farmer and his unintelligent dog.......2006-11-30

Farmer Buzzard and his wife are a hick-talking couple whose silly unintelligent dog provides little entertainment and zero laughs in this outdated chapter book designated, of all things, as "Humor." When a litter of pups is born, Smasher, looking nothing like the others, is told by Mr. Buzzard, "Kindest thing I could do for you...would be to knock you on the head," and is described as looking like a "freak." He reiterates his plans to his wife, "I shall have to knock him on the head," and explains the dog's primary flaw as being, "Ugly as sin." Later, after Smasher's first bout of naughtiness, Mrs. Buzzard informs her husband, "He wants a beating, he does, to teach him a lesson," and although no beating is given, Mr. Buzzard tells Smasher's mother, "You ought to have learned him better." Smasher again shows his colors true colors when he steals a leg of lamb (which he takes to the sofa to consume), urinates on the sofa (the armchairs too), chews the baubles off the bedspread fringe, and commits other infractions too numerous to include, after which the farmer secretly imprisons the dog in a field barn, where he attempts to teach him some manners. Through dumb luck, Smasher eventually saves the day. This book is inappropriate for its target audience, probably second grade level readers. In addition to the constant use of offensive, stereotypical hillbilly-like speech, violence (in thought if not in action), and ridiculous dog behavior, a word that rhymes with "witch," meaning "female dog," and used twice, should provide the ultimate deterrent.

Kings in Calderón: A Study in Characterization and Political Theory (Monografías A)

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Kings in Calderón: A Study in Characterization and Political Theory (Monografías A)
Dian Fox
Manufacturer: Tamesis Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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The Quest of the Fish-Dog Skin: A Novel (Schultz, James Willard, James Willard Schultz Reprint Series.)

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Book from when I was a kid

The Quest of the Fish-Dog Skin: A Novel (Schultz, James Willard, James Willard Schultz Reprint Series.)
James Willard Schultz
Manufacturer: Beaufort Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0825303265

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Book from when I was a kid.......2007-06-15

Read this book when I was a teen and love it even more now

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An Introduction to Anglo-Saxon Kingship
Peter Fox
Manufacturer: David Brown Book Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1898281351

Book Description

Contents: The Theory of Kingship - How did kingship manifest itself pre and post conversion and what theories underpinned early Anglo-Saxon kingship? Evidence for the impact of conversion on kingship - What were the implications of conversion on the practicalities of kingship? How did Christianity interact with kings, was it passive tool, or did it challenge kings? - Politicising from the Church, politicising from the king and spiritual challenges to royal power Conclusion - What was the impact of conversion to Christianity on Anglo-Saxon kingship

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The Consolation Of Philosophy
King Alfred's Anglo-Saxon Version , and Samuel Fox
Manufacturer: Kessinger Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1419157515

Book Description

This text is King Alfred's Anglo-Saxon version Of Boethius' work.

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This text is King Alfred's Anglo-Saxon version Of Boethius' work.

A Queen Named King: Henrietta of the King Ranch

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A Queen Named King: Henrietta of the King Ranch
Mary Virginia Fox
Manufacturer: Eakin Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 157168137X

In the Service of the King: Officialdom in Ancient and Judah (Monographs of the Hebrew Union College, No 23)

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In the Service of the King: Officialdom in Ancient and Judah (Monographs of the Hebrew Union College, No 23)
Nili Sacher Fox
Manufacturer: Wayne State University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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The Merman
Dick King-Smith , and Fox Busters Ltd
Manufacturer: Yearling
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 044041718X
Release Date: 2001-03-13

Book Description

From the beloved author of Babe: The Gallant Pig comes a charming fantasy about 10-year-old Zeta, who befriends a merman while on vacation in Scotland.

While vacationing in Scotland, Zeta meets a rather unusual fellow. He's a terrific swimmer. He chats with seals. And he has a fish tail. Marinus is a merman -- definitely not your average summer friend. Who else could teach Zeta everything from swimming to astronomy to French? Everything's an adventure when Marinus is around, and as the summer ends, Zeta knows she'll miss her new friend terribly.

Luckily, Marinus has one last surprise in store for her -- one that will last a lifetime. . . .

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