Daughter of the Empire

"We seek the Lady of the Acoma!"
The Lady of the Acoma. Like a cold knife plunkged into the pit of her stomach, the words cut through Mara's soul. That one sentence forever changed her life. her mind rebelled, screaming denial, but she willed herself to remain calm. Never would she shame her ancestors by a public display of grief. She controlled her voice as she slowly rose to her feet. "I am here, Keyoke."

The story:
In the war against the Midkemians, warriors of Tsuranuanni leave their own world to fight on foreign soil. Lord Sezu of the Acoma, and his son and heir, Lanokota are killed in a carefully planned trap made by their ancient enemies, the Minwanabi.

Mara is about to enter the Order of Lashima, forever forsaking the material world, when word reaches her of her father's and brother's deaths. Now she alone carries the blood of the Acoma, and she will be the Ruling Lady of an ancient family.

At her side, she has loyal servants; Keyoke, Force Commander of the Acoma; Papewaio, companion and body servant to Keyoke, and Nacoya, her old nurse. Together they must enter the Game of the Council, and unless they can succeed, the Acoma family with all its servants and soldiers and slaves faces total destruction.

Thoughts about the book:
Politics and intrigues are central in this series. The culture has a lot in common with feudal Japan, and for anyone who loves the oriental culture and tradition, this book is a must.

Feist and Wurts create a fantastic world with this; this is the Riftwar as seen from the Tsuranuanni point of view. Also, it steps away from the classical fantasy literature. The society itself becomes central, as does the political situation.

In Daughter of the Empire, the enemy isn't one to be fought by sword or magic, but by wits and guile. It is comfortably free of quests and magic swords.

About the authors Raymond E. Feist and Janny Wurts
About the next book, Servant of the Empire
About the third book, Mistress of the Empire

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