Servant of the Empire
core novel 1990 Riftwar Cycle
Record
| First published | 1990 |
|---|---|
| Original language |  EN |
| Work type | novel |
| Canon status | core |
| Reader rating | 4.32 (32,966 ratings, collected 2026-09-13) |
| Page count | 827 |
| First-edition ISBN | 0-385-24718-4 |
| First-edition date | 1990-10 |
| Internal chronology | 8 |
Synopsis
Servant of the Empire is the second volume of the Empire Trilogy, continuing directly from Mara of the Acoma's rise in the first book. Having strengthened her house's position on Kelewan, Mara purchases a group of Midkemian prisoners of war to work her estates, among them a captive named Kevin of Zun, who becomes an unexpectedly influential presence in her household and her strategic thinking. Her success has not gone unanswered: Lord Desio, son of her defeated enemy, swears to destroy the Acoma in his father's place, while his cousin Tasaio, a formidable strategist, becomes a far more dangerous adversary than Desio himself. As Mara's wealth and influence grow, she must balance the demands of Tsurani tradition and imperial politics against personal loyalties that put her further at odds with the rigid customs of her culture.
Where it sits
- Universe: Riftwar Cycle
- Series: The Empire Trilogy core; position 2 of 3 in the series' recorded order
- Author: Raymond E. Feist
- Author: Janny Wurts
Awards (verified)
- HOMer Award (Fantasy Novel), 1991: won
- Locus Award (Best Fantasy Novel), 1991: finalist; Locus reader-poll placement, ranked 8.
Notes
- From the series record (The Empire Trilogy): Co-written throughout with Janny Wurts; narrative runs concurrent with the Riftwar Saga and Riftwar Legacy.
Neighbouring works
Publication order and internal chronology are tracked as two separate orderings and are never conflated: a book's place in one says nothing about its place in the other.
- Publication order, within the series The Empire Trilogy: position 2 of 3: previous Daughter of the Empire (1987) · next Mistress of the Empire (1992)
- Internal chronology, within Riftwar Cycle: position 8 of 30: previous A Darkness at Sethanon (1986) · next Krondor: The Betrayal (1998)
Sources
- Crydee.com, Official Raymond E. Feist site
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Riftwar_Cycle
- https://www.isfdb.org
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Servant_of_the_Empire
- https://www.sfadb.com/Raymond_E_Feist
- Raymond E. Feist, official author site (HOMer Award record)
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