Plot summary
Erik von Darkmoor and Rupert Avery (Roo), have returned to Krondor after serving in Calis special unit that was sent down to the continent of Novindus. Erik plans on staying in the army as a corporal in the coming war, and Roo states that he plans on becoming a rich trader. After being pardoned of their crimes by Borric, King of the Kingdom of the Isles, Erik and Roo begin a journey to visit their family in the town of Ravensburg. In an inn along the way, they meet one of Roo's cousins, Duncan, who decides to travel with Roo on the promise of becoming rich. Once in Ravensburg, Erik visits his mother, who faints on the sight of him, as they were told that Erik and Roo were hanged. After a quick explanation, Erik learns from his childhood friend, Rosalyn, that Stefan von Darkmoor, who raped her, is the father of her young child. Roo meets up with his father while buying a wagon, and it is quickly apparent that Roo's father cannot bully him around anymore, and rents out his services as a teamster to Roo. The plot centers primarily on the rise of Roo as an important merchant in Krondor. In the background we see a little of the progression of the war: Erik leaves with a group of special forces to re-infiltrate the den of the Pantathian Serpent Priests, Duke James follows Roo's rise from the sidelines, and steps in from time to time to help. Erik invested his share of the bounty with Roo who tried to parallel import wine from his native Ravensburg into Krondor. Running afoul of the underworld guild of the Mockers, Roo lost everything and had to start from scratch again by working in Barret's Coffee House, an establishment similar to the real-worldReception
Dean Evans reviewed ''Rise of a Merchant Prince'' for ''Arcane'' magazine, rating it a 7 out of 10 overall. Evans comments that "the book is excellently written but, like an old car on a winter's morn, it takes a while to get going. But when Feist does eventually get into his narrative stride, he writes with a colourful verbosity. I'm a sucker for his sagas and this one is far from the expected gap-filling potboiler. All in all, it's a great read."Reviews
*Review by Carolyn Cushman (1995) in '' Locus'', #416 September 1995 *Review by Jon Wallace (1954 -) (1996) in '' Vector'' 188 *Review by Alan Fraser (1996) in '' Vector'' 189 *Review by Don D'Ammassa (1997) in '' Science Fiction Chronicle'', #192 June 1997References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rise Of A Merchant Prince 1995 novels 1995 fantasy novels American fantasy novels Voyager Books books Novels by Raymond E. Feist