In more ways than one, Raymond E. Feist has zipped up his boots and gone back to his roots. There are plenty of references, some subtle some a slap across the chops, to past fan favourites. Parallels, both natural feeling and a little forced, are drawn with favourite plot lines and vintage characters, such as Martin Longbow and Jimmy the Hand. There is a deliberate sense of history repeating in terms of what these characters are doing, but Feist neatly sidesteps the trap of writing them as if they were no more than alternate takes. Speaking of best loved characters, Pug is much more like his classic self, and as the only human major player left alive from the days of Magician, is nicely understated. One big problem with Pug, and the other, non-human, survivor from the old days, Tomas of Elvandar, has been their virtual invincibility. In A Kingdom Besieged this is addressed, giving readers back a sense that the mighty can be challenged. Away from the magic -- and this time around Feist has got the balance just right -- the main plot is invasion. What's going on revolves around what at first seems to be one of Great Kesh's periodic incursions, but is soon revealed as something far greater. A brewing world war in Midkemian terms. Mostly told through the perspectives of the spy Jim Dasher, wandering Knight Sandreena, and the young Martin conDoin of Crydee, what's presented is accomplished and highly entertaining. The purely human elements, which in some of Feist's more recent works have been dull, grabbed my attention right away and made me care. This time, effort has clearly been put into the characterisation and plotting, and it really pays off. Not since the days of Arutha has this side of Feist's work received such fine tuning. Also in the mix are a handful of sub-plots, which are not lobbed in for the purpose of distraction, but rather, are juicy fruits laden with promise. In particular the final sequence, which recalls two fan favourites and draws a pitch dark parallel to another.

A Kingdom Besieged is a long, long way from where Raymond E. Feist began. Yet it manages to feel fresh and bursting with energy, while simultaneously pulling off the trick of seeming familiar. It's an illusion worthy of Penn and Teller. This novel is the work of an author renewed, presenting the fifth and final Riftwar, determined to go out at the top of his game. I really hope that the momentum and quality continues, as the beginning is among the best that the author has written.