Why read the Empire Trilogy by Raymond E. Feist and Janny Wurst

Introduction

The Empire Trilogy is part of a much larger series, called the Riftwar Cycle, and a great starting point to understand if one is interested in this world, as this story is self contained; it is a co-authored trilogy by Raymond E. Feist (who is the author of the rest of the Riftwar Cycle) and Janny Wurst (author of the epic fantasy series Wars of Light and Shadow and the subsequent arcs!) and it includes: Daughter of the Empire, Servant of the Empire and Mistress of the Empire.

What makes this an interesting read?

This story covers plenty of tropes and themes that are exciting for me in fantasy stories.

Asian inspired story

First comes the setting; while this is a vast world, this is a clearly Asian inspired story to me. There are a few different elements that contributed to this, in my opinion. There are elements of mannerisms and formalities that are more typical of certain Asian countries (such as Japan); the way the houses and described and used also feel quite inspired by Japanese culture, not to mention the reference to how Mara, the main character, dresses that remind me of China and Japan. Last but not least, there is also a strong deference to hierarchy that defines social interactions and decision making. Overall, I enjoyed everything about this setting.

Strong female lead

The other aspect that attracted me to the story is the fact that the story has a strong female lead, Mara of the Acoma needs to prove herself. She is the last survivor of her line, of a weak house now that she is left alone. The trilogy explores her struggles, choices, decisions, challenges and set-back. There is quite a lot of information about how Mara makes her decisions and it is incredibly interesting to follow this character, in my opinion!

Strong political intrigue

Strong political intrigue, starting with a smaller scale in book one and slowly extending to the wider region of Kelewan and beyond. Spy-masters are also key characters here and it is fascinating to see this role being used effectively here.

Complex world building

This story takes place in a continent that belongs to a wider world that can be reached through rifts. The rifts lead to wars between different places, cultures, technology development. While this trilogy does not focus on this, it still provides a flavor about it by having Kevin and his people involved in the second book in the series. This also opens up discussions around slavery and treatment of people that make Mara a more interesting character, open to understand different cultures and perspectives.

Further than the wide setting, there are also non-human races (such as cho-ja) included in the story and they are quite important to the success and the vision of Mara and her political choices.

Last but not least, there is magic; now it is not front and center but it certainly plays a relevant role in this story.

Less interesting aspects in this story that might appeal to others!

There is also romance, both as romance that the main protagonist pursues for her own purposes and romance for political (and it becomes more) reasons; it is interesting the sacrifices that people will do to allow others to pursue their actual love interest!

Motherhood is also a key element of the story, fueling many decisions. The raw emotions of a few scenes were very powerfully conveyed and I truly appreciated what the authors wanted to do and achieved.

Overall thoughts

This is a powerful series, showing the power of women in this world and the repercussions of poor decisions, especially when they are made selfishly.

Did you read this series? What are the things that you enjoyed the most? Do you plan to read the series? If so, why?