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Daughter of the Empire

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Daughter of the Empire

By: Raymond E. Feist, Janny Wurts
Narrated by: Tania Rodrigues
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About this listen

Book one in the magnificent Empire Trilogy by bestselling authors Raymond E. Feist and Janny Wurts.

Enter the mysterious and exotic world of Kelewan…

Mara, the youngest child of the ancient and noble Acoma family, is about to take her pledge of servitude to the goddess Lashima when the ceremony is disrupted by news of her father and brother’s death in battle.

Despite her grief, as the only surviving member of her house, Mara must now take up the mantles of Ruling Lady. But she soon discovers betrayal at the heart of her family’s loss, and the Acoma’s enemies have brought her house to the brink of utter destruction.

Mara, an inexperienced political player, must draw on all her wit, intelligence and cunning to navigate the ruthless Game of the Council, regain the honour of House Acoma and secure the future of her family. But with assassins waiting around every corner, it might take everything Mara has simply to survive.

Daughter of the Empire is the magnificent first book in The Empire Trilogy by Raymond E. Feist and Janny Wurts.

©1987 Raymond E. Feist and Janny Wurts (P)2014 HarperCollins Publishers Ltd Action & Adventure Anthologies & Short Stories Dark Fantasy Epic Fantasy Fiction Thought-Provoking Survival

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Critic reviews

“A gripping tale.”
The Times“

“Epic scope… vivid imagination… a significant contribution to the growth of the field of fantasy.”
Washington Post

“Well-written… intelligent… intriguing.”
Publishers Weekly
All stars
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I enjoyed the Riftwar Saga very much and was bereft once I’d finished the third book. At first I struggled to get into this new story partly because it was slow but mostly because I found the narrator’s voice to be a little flat and lacking energy and characterisation for some of the parts. However, it grew on me and after 4-5 chapters I found myself back into the that similar pattern of looking forward to when I could next listen.
Kelewan, it’s culture and politics are well imagined and this story is very intriguing. You find yourself very much in support of the heroine Mara and her journey in the game but I struggled with the cliff hanging parts because I knew in my mind that she would have to survive so it was more listening to find out exactly how.
So overall I thoroughly enjoyed this first book but not quite as much as The Magician.

January 2025 edit:
I am re-listening to the Riftwar Cycle books but in Chronological order, which places this book alongside Magician so listened to it straight after. Re-reading my review above, it seems I may have enjoyed it more upon second listening. I had forgotten about many of the twists and turns so it felt somewhat fresh but moreover, I understood the world of Kelewan better so was able to get more out of the book and absorb some of the subtleties. It works well to listen straight after Magician because part 2 of that story spends a large amount of time in the world so it is more fresh in your mind vs. waiting until after Darkness at Sethanon. Servant of the Empire is next in the chronological order.

Intriguing Story

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great story, shame the first hour is so bad you will want to quit the book, but stick with it. the only downside is the mixed emotion and sudden flip flop of mara and her actions. one moment strong followed by the expected release... then an explanation followed by a complete reversal of expectation and reason.

enjoyable

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first read the book 26 years ago and have reread it on countless occasions. Fabulous narration by Tanya Rodriguez brings the characters to life.

Outstanding

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I have to admit I liked this series of books a little more than the "Rift War Saga" though there was some cross over with that series happening. Feist & Wurts worked well together and the series seemed to me, not have the rough edges that Magician, Silverthorne & A darkness at Sethanon had. The characters are predominantly human with nary an Elf or for that matter (thank god) a thief to be seen, which made the series more, well, believable. (I know, a strange word to use in relation to works of fantasy...but) Personally I think Tania Rodrigues did a fantastic job in narrating all three books in the series. After all the central character in the series is a woman and to have a male reading the part would have just been ....odd. A great series and a good listen.

A great co-operation between authors.

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What made the experience of listening to Daughter of the Empire the most enjoyable?

I read this trilogy years ago and it was just as good listening to it the second time around.

Re-discovered story

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A wonderful story, filled with traditions and solid characters. A superb counter view if you want to know more about the strange race that come through the rift. As for the narrator, excellent work.

A story well told, a must for Feist fans!

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Wow a great story intertwined with the magician series. The story is well thought through, narrated very well and the plot was clear with a fantastic female lead.

It has taken me 30 years to hear this and i am lookin to listen to the rest of the saga.

I never knew that this series twinned

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I read this book over 20 years ago when I was around 14 and was simply delighted to find ot here! obviously I needed to see if I remembered the book and it turns out that not only did I remember every story beat but even the general feel of the book. It's written in a style I can't quite describe but I shall give it a try... basically its very focused on incidents and not so much on the everyday lives or character interactions. The storybeats can be months apart and anything in-between was just fluff... but the storybeats does stay with you. And as I recall Mara has quite the life ahead of her.

A classic

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Daughter of the Empire is a story rich in detail and intrigue. So many twists and turns in the plot makes it a total pleasure. It is a worthy companion to the Rift war saga.

A great start to the trilogy

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What does Tania Rodrigues bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

Not a lot TBH, I would like to see how Peter Joyce reads this book as he has done a great job on the Rift War Saga and Krondors Sons, they're in the same story so I think he should have continued. I do however understand with the lead being female the use of having a female narrator but Tania just didn't cut it for me.

Keep Peter Joyce please

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