Favorite Fiction: Honored Enemy by Raymond E. Feist and William R. Forstchen

Honored Enemy was my first Raymond E. Feist novel and of his roughly 40 published works, I’m glad it was. Though this novel is the first in the Legends of Riftwar, the story itself falls near the end of a decade-long battle between two worlds, Kelewan and Midkemia. It opens with a group called the Marauders led by Captain Dennis Hartraft who are caught behind enemy lines. After losing many of his men and caring for several wounded, they set out for a border garrison called Brendan’s Stockade to settle down before winter arrives. It is unknown to Hartraft ​and his men that the Kingdom’s sworn enemy, the Tsuarni led by Force Leader Asayagsa are also attempting to occupy the same garrison.

When both groups arrive at the outpost, they find that it is already taken by a faction of dark elves called the Moredhel. Through a tentative agreement both forces work together to avoid thier own annihilation and temporarily band together to defeat thier common enemy. ​

“A shrieking battle cry echoed on the wind, a spine-tingling scream that sounded like the baying of the wolves closing in on their prey.”

Honored Enemy is a fantastic military fantasy with Feist and Forstchen setting you right into battle and right behind enemy lines in a world rich with danger, culturally unique races, and underlying family and political conflicts. The world is vast and expansive, even if this particular novel focuses less on the overarching riftwar and more on character relationships and the struggle of friendship through adversity. Can one truly trust their enemy when both need each other to survive?

Read More