The King's Buccaneer
Encyclopedia
The King's Buccaneer is a fantasy novel by Raymond E. Feist. It is the second book of the Krondor's Sons
series and was published in 1992. It was preceded by Prince of the Blood
which was published in 1989.
of Krondor and his squire Harry are sent north to Crydee
to learn more about life outside the palace walls.
Not long after their arrival in Crydee, the town is attacked by unknown forces. The castle is ruined, many people slaughtered, and two noblewomen are among those abducted. The survivors discover that the invaders have come from the Sunset Islands, a stronghold of cut-throats, and have gathered to make war on the Kingdom of the Isles. But this is more than simple raids with the cut-throats serving a dark force threatening to end the entire world of Midkemia
, something which Nicholas must confront.
Nicholas is accompanied by his faithful squire and friend Harry, and sails on the Royal Eagle, captained by Admiral Amos Trask, to the small town of Crydee. While there, the boys become friends with two girls of the court, Martin's daughter Margaret, and Abigal, daughter of the Baron of Carse. However, after about a month, Crydee is attacked, along with the other coastal towns of Carse and Tulan, by a well-organized army of pirates, hired Tsurani assassins, and Durbin slavers. All three towns are destroyed, and many are taken prisoner during the attack, including Margaret and Abigail. With Martin injured in an accident following the attack, Nicholas vows to rescue the prisoners and takes command. He is accompanied by Trask, Harry, Martin's son Marcus, Calis, son of Tomas
and elf queen Aglaranna, the magicians Nakor and Anthony, Ghuda the mercenary, and a company of sailors and soldiers of the Kingdom that survived the attacks. They sail to the island city of Freeport, where Nicholas kills his first man, a pirate named Render who was involved in the attack. Through the encounter with Render, and with the help of a girl thief named Brisa, they learn that the captives were taken on a giant ship to the southwest, across the Endless Sea.
The crew of the Royal Eagle, now disguised to hide its origin and renamed the Raptor, follows the captives across the sea with guidance from Anthony, who can sense the whereabouts of Margaret. After two months at sea, they nearly overtake the slave ship, but through magic are first becalmed and then sunk. The survivors wash up on the shore of the distant, unfamiliar continent of Novindus.
The crew first must find a way up the cliffs that surround the northeastern edge of Novindus before they starve. After a few days, Calis, Marcus, and Nicholas find a way up the cliffs, but their men are tired and hungry, and many have died. At the top is an oasis, and the last water to be seen for miles. After some deliberation, Nicholas decides to head southeast, in the direction the captives' ship was heading.
After crossing the Hotlands, Nicholas and his company stumble upon a plot that appears to be intended to overthrow the Overlord of the City of the Serpent River. However, it turns out that the Overlord is a pawn of the wizard Dahakon and the Lady Clovis, who in turn are in league with the Pantathian Serpent Priests. After some time, Nicholas gains the trust of one of the clans of the City, Calis learns of the whereabouts of the prisoners, and Nakor is able to learn more about the Overlord, Dahakon, and Lady Clovis.
When Nicholas's men infiltrate the compound where the prisoners are being held, Anthony makes a terrible discovery: the Pantathians have devised a plague that will kill over half of the people in the Kingdom, throwing it into turmoil, allowing them to reach the Lifestone below Sethanon and accomplish their master plan which will destroy Midkemia. The Pantathians have made copies of the Kingdom prisoners, which are infected with the plague and are to be returned on nearly perfect replicas of two Kingdom ships, including the Royal Eagle. Nicholas and his allies, both those from Crydee and those that joined during their time in Novindus, manage to free the prisoners, capture the copy of the Eagle, and begin the journey home following its sister ship, a replica of the Royal Gull. As Trask is seriously wounded during the capture of the Eagle, Nicholas takes command, despite his relative inexperience at sea.
After trailing the Gull closely for the long journey back to the Kingdom, Nicholas and his crew finally engage the ship in battle, burning it and sinking it to destroy the plague-carrying copies. During the battle, a bireme driven by the wizard Dahakon appears, and when all attempts to defeat him fail, Anthony summons the magician Pug
, who appears riding the great dragon Ryana and destroys the evil necromancer and his ship and crew of undead minions.
Nicholas returns home with his crew to a heroes' welcome, having saved the Kingdom from destruction, and proven his worth as Prince as well.
Note: Australia, New Zealand and South Africa have the same release dates as the UK.
Krondor's Sons
Krondor's Sons is a series of fantasy novels written by Raymond E. Feist. The books are part of The Riftwar Cycle and set on the fictional world of Midkemia. The two novels are set between riftwars and explores Midkemia beyond the borders of the Kingdom of the Isles. The main characters are the...
series and was published in 1992. It was preceded by Prince of the Blood
Prince of the Blood (novel)
Prince of the Blood is a fantasy novel by Raymond E. Feist. It is the first book of the Krondor's Sons series and was published in 1989. It was later followed by The King's Buccaneer in 1992. A 15th anniversary "author's preferred" edition with portions of the book significantly rewritten was...
which was published in 1989.
Plot introduction
Nicholas, third son of Prince AruthaArutha ConDoin
Arutha conDoin is a fictional character appearing in the novels of Raymond E. Feist. He is a point of view character in Magician and is the protagonist of Silverthorn and A Darkness at Sethanon...
of Krondor and his squire Harry are sent north to Crydee
Crydee
In the novels of Raymond E. Feist, Crydee is a frontier town situated in the west of Midkemia. The town has been heavily mentioned in the Riftwar Saga and also in slightly in The King's Buccaneer. Crydee was also the primary setting for Magician and was Pug and Tomas’ home town...
to learn more about life outside the palace walls.
Not long after their arrival in Crydee, the town is attacked by unknown forces. The castle is ruined, many people slaughtered, and two noblewomen are among those abducted. The survivors discover that the invaders have come from the Sunset Islands, a stronghold of cut-throats, and have gathered to make war on the Kingdom of the Isles. But this is more than simple raids with the cut-throats serving a dark force threatening to end the entire world of Midkemia
Midkemia
Midkemia is a fictional world created by a fantasy role-playing group and popularized by Raymond E. Feist where most of the Riftwar books take place...
, something which Nicholas must confront.
Plot summary
Nicholas, as third son, is third in the line of succession of the Kingdom of the Isles. However, due to his gentle nature and a deformity, an underdeveloped left foot, his father, Prince Arutha, decides that Nicholas would benefit from a rougher lifestyle than he is used to in Krondor. Arutha sends Nicholas to stay with Martin, Duke of Crydee, Warden of the West, and brother to Arutha and King Lyam. Nicholas is to learn what life is like outside the comforts he is used to as son of the Prince of Krondor, and Arutha deems that the distant town of Crydee, though twice the size of when he was a prince there, is rough enough living to make Nicholas learn to think for himself.Nicholas is accompanied by his faithful squire and friend Harry, and sails on the Royal Eagle, captained by Admiral Amos Trask, to the small town of Crydee. While there, the boys become friends with two girls of the court, Martin's daughter Margaret, and Abigal, daughter of the Baron of Carse. However, after about a month, Crydee is attacked, along with the other coastal towns of Carse and Tulan, by a well-organized army of pirates, hired Tsurani assassins, and Durbin slavers. All three towns are destroyed, and many are taken prisoner during the attack, including Margaret and Abigail. With Martin injured in an accident following the attack, Nicholas vows to rescue the prisoners and takes command. He is accompanied by Trask, Harry, Martin's son Marcus, Calis, son of Tomas
Ashen-Shugar/Tomas
Ashen-Shugar and Tomas are two of the main fictional characters from the Riftwar Cycle series of books by Raymond E. Feist. According to the books, Tomas, a human teenager from the city of Crydee, was gifted a set of gold and white armour. The armor once belonged to Ashen-Shugar, who was a Valheru...
and elf queen Aglaranna, the magicians Nakor and Anthony, Ghuda the mercenary, and a company of sailors and soldiers of the Kingdom that survived the attacks. They sail to the island city of Freeport, where Nicholas kills his first man, a pirate named Render who was involved in the attack. Through the encounter with Render, and with the help of a girl thief named Brisa, they learn that the captives were taken on a giant ship to the southwest, across the Endless Sea.
The crew of the Royal Eagle, now disguised to hide its origin and renamed the Raptor, follows the captives across the sea with guidance from Anthony, who can sense the whereabouts of Margaret. After two months at sea, they nearly overtake the slave ship, but through magic are first becalmed and then sunk. The survivors wash up on the shore of the distant, unfamiliar continent of Novindus.
The crew first must find a way up the cliffs that surround the northeastern edge of Novindus before they starve. After a few days, Calis, Marcus, and Nicholas find a way up the cliffs, but their men are tired and hungry, and many have died. At the top is an oasis, and the last water to be seen for miles. After some deliberation, Nicholas decides to head southeast, in the direction the captives' ship was heading.
After crossing the Hotlands, Nicholas and his company stumble upon a plot that appears to be intended to overthrow the Overlord of the City of the Serpent River. However, it turns out that the Overlord is a pawn of the wizard Dahakon and the Lady Clovis, who in turn are in league with the Pantathian Serpent Priests. After some time, Nicholas gains the trust of one of the clans of the City, Calis learns of the whereabouts of the prisoners, and Nakor is able to learn more about the Overlord, Dahakon, and Lady Clovis.
When Nicholas's men infiltrate the compound where the prisoners are being held, Anthony makes a terrible discovery: the Pantathians have devised a plague that will kill over half of the people in the Kingdom, throwing it into turmoil, allowing them to reach the Lifestone below Sethanon and accomplish their master plan which will destroy Midkemia. The Pantathians have made copies of the Kingdom prisoners, which are infected with the plague and are to be returned on nearly perfect replicas of two Kingdom ships, including the Royal Eagle. Nicholas and his allies, both those from Crydee and those that joined during their time in Novindus, manage to free the prisoners, capture the copy of the Eagle, and begin the journey home following its sister ship, a replica of the Royal Gull. As Trask is seriously wounded during the capture of the Eagle, Nicholas takes command, despite his relative inexperience at sea.
After trailing the Gull closely for the long journey back to the Kingdom, Nicholas and his crew finally engage the ship in battle, burning it and sinking it to destroy the plague-carrying copies. During the battle, a bireme driven by the wizard Dahakon appears, and when all attempts to defeat him fail, Anthony summons the magician Pug
Pug (fictional character)
Pug, also known as Milamber , is a fictional character appearing in the novels of Raymond E. Feist. He is the protagonist in Feist's first novel, and the first novel of the Riftwar Saga, Magician...
, who appears riding the great dragon Ryana and destroys the evil necromancer and his ship and crew of undead minions.
Nicholas returns home with his crew to a heroes' welcome, having saved the Kingdom from destruction, and proven his worth as Prince as well.
Publication history
Since its release Prince of the Blood has been published in over 15 countries.Note: Australia, New Zealand and South Africa have the same release dates as the UK.
- 1992, USA, Doubleday ISBN 0385236255, Pub date October 1992, Hardback
- 1992, USA, Bantam ISBN 0553563734, Pub date January 1994, Paperback
- 1992, UKUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, HarperCollins ISBN 0246133287 Pub date December 1992, Hardback - 1992, UK, Grafton ISBN 0246133295 Pub date June 1993, Trade paperback
- 1993, UK, HarperCollins ISBN 0586203222 Pub date December 13, 1993, Paperback
- 1995, DEUGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Goldman Wilhelm ISBN 3442246512 Pub date October 1995, Paperback - 1996, JPNJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Hayakawa ISBN 415020215X Pub date January 31, 1996, Paperback (Part 1) - 1996, JPN, Hayakawa ISBN 4150202168 Pub date January 31, 1996, Paperback (Part 2)
- 1998, CZECzech RepublicThe Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
, Poutnik ISBN 8086129179 Pub date 1998, Paperback - 1998, POLPolandPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, Zysk i S-ka Wydawnictwo sc ISBN 8371505019 Pub date 1998, Trade paperback - 1998, RUSRussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, Azbuka ISBN 576840564X Pub date 1998, Hardback - 1999, HUNHungaryHungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, Beholder ISBN 9639047419 Pub date 1999, Paperback - 1999, NLDNetherlandsThe Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, J.M. Meulenhoff ISBN 9029068299 Pub date 1999, Hardback - 1999, NLD, Meulenhoff M ISBN 9029059168 Pub date April, 1999, Trade paperback
- 2003, CHNChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, ISBN 9867531175 Pub date February 4, 2003, Paperback (Part 1) - 2003, CHN, ISBN 9867531167 Pub date February 4, 2003, Paperback (Part 2)
- 2003, FRAFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Bragelonne Pub date November 26, 2003, Paperback - 2005, TURTurkeyTurkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, Ithaki Yayinlari ISBN 9752731422 Pub date 2005, Paperback - 2006, SWESwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, Wahlstroms Fantasy ISBN 9132332173 Pub date May 9, 2006, Hardback - 2007, SWE, Wahlstroms Fantasy ISBN 9132436017 Pub date March 9, 2007, Paperback
- BGRBulgariaBulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
, ISBN 9545851546, Krondors Sons omnibus