I'm still trying to come to terms with my thoughts on this book. First of all, even though this story is set in the same universe as Magician, it couldn't be more different. While one could say that different is good because it means the author is not repeating itself, I really wanted him to repeat himself. Why? Because what draws me to fantasy is magic, and Magician and the other books in the Riftwar Saga are hard to beat in that department. Some of Feist's great characters, like Pug and Nakor, are less than sidekicks in this story, what was somewhat hard to get over. (They make very few short appearances.)
Although the plots are very different, a subtle parallel exists between Magician and Talon: both are coming of age tales. While Magician talks about a boy who turns into a great wizard, Talon talks about a boy who turns into a great warrior.
Putting aside all my feeling of nostalgia for Feist's magic and looking at this book for what it is, it is hard to deny that it is fluff. Fun, yes definitely, but just fluff. (Unless the tide turns on the last two volumes in this trilogy.) The element of revenge in the story and the personal development of the main character smell a bit like Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo, but only slightly. The story progresses nicely in the style you can expect of Feist: a good investment in character development and then good, fast-paced action. A lot of sword fighting and some military strategy in the end, but hardly any magic. And to end this review, I must ask: "What's up with realism in fantasy? I want MAGIC!"
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