Unlike Magician, where the central character vanishes for a few hundred pages, there is not enough going on with the supporting cast in King of Foxes to allow the same leeway. It's also a plot with far less magic, as a story element, than in previous works. Talwin Hawkins very rarely encounters of practices magic. In some ways, sword over sorcery is a welcome change, in other ways I got a feeling of incompleteness. As if a part of the world was missing. It's a point that is most apparent than when magic wielders, such as Pug or Nakor, arrive on a scene. When they do, the anticipation level rises dramatically, and their stature as characters suppresses everyone around them.

The Conclave of Shadows themselves remain largely in the background, masterminding everything that Tal is and does. Their long term agenda stays vague, and the reader is required to mirror the blind faith showed by the lead character, and accept that the Conclave knows best. Without any real proof or reason to believe, we're left to assume that there are good reasons for the lives that are twisted or ruined on Conclave orders. Awkward questions as to whether the end really justifies the means are either ignored or sidestepped, which had me wondering if power in Midkemia corrupts as it does in the real world. I also had a problem with some plot elements not making sense, such as a device which has Tal placed in a very bad position for some time, apparently as part of his learning curve. However, while he is detained, he is clearly unable to serve the Conclave to full effect, and beside the experience gained from overcoming personal trauma and hardship -- and setting up a future alliance -- it seemed like time wasted. Particularly when there are at least four high powered Conclave members who could have rescued their man and his cats-paw via teleportation.

As with its predecessor, King of Foxes lacks the complexity and grand sweep which Raymond E. Feist has delivered in other series, and has too much reliance on one character. However, its pace and purview are a big improvement on Talon of the Silver Hawk, and there's better development of supporting characters intended to progress the series. In particular, Kaspar of Olasko, whose franchise extending fate enthused me enough to want book three. As a series, Conclave of Shadows is proving to be a slow burner, but if books one and two are the set-up, the suggested pay off strongly hints that it may yet carry the depth and dynamism that permeates the author's classic works.