Feist expands the uber -saga of Midkemia again with a new trilogy, The Darkwar Saga. In it eventual arch-mage Pug (see Exile's Return, 2005) is much younger, his vast powers are still forming, and he hasn't yet acquired the array of family ties that will make him so wonderfully human later on. Right now he is trying to contend with evil sorcery and win the tolerance, if not allegiance, of the emperor. Reinforcing him are two fugitive farm boys, Tad and Zane, and their mentor, Caleb, whose aid proves invaluable as all three youngsters mature, the farm boys with the additional help of another mage's daughters.The boys' growth entails some of Feist's most notable feats of characterization, feats that testify to the substantial improvement he has made as a writer during a career now approaching the 20-year mark.
