I picked this up in the hope of getting an introduction to Feist's writing, there is a chance I made a wee bit of an error in thinking this novella would do just that. This is not to say I didn't enjoy Jimmy and the Crawler, this is a good little story with just the right amount of action, mystery and romance and I think Jimmy is an interesting, well formed, vicious character. I am always a bit of a sucker for a rogue and Feist nails it.Why is this not a good introduction to the work of Feist then? One simple answer, Feist constantly refers to events from previous novels and characters that don't make an appearance in this one, I expected this at the start of the book but was disappointed to find it continued throughout. This is the reason for my rating, it would have been higher if I didn't feel quite so confused by the references. This is clearly one for Feist's fans, as he revisits a much loved character and celebrates Jimmy's previous achievements. This said, I was fond of this quick read and I now realise I need to start at the beginning, with Magician, and not try to cheat with a novella! I am a Feist fan. Really, I am. I have, however, felt for some time that the longer he's written the sloppier and less thought out his writing has gotten. Tacking "Jimmy and the Crawler" onto the end of "Krondor: Tears of the Gods" is, to me, probably the best example of this. I re-read the "Krondor: The Legacy" series in preparation for this book and was pleased to find that the first three stood up to re-reading, but "Jimmy and the Crawler"? If I had the right to return it and get a refund due to my lack of satisfaction with it I would. Both of my complaints hinge on continuity and yet my complaints go in opposite directions. The first is the narration of the tale. I read the preceding books before reading "Jimmy and the Crawler" it seems clear to me that Feist did no such thing. Throughout the novella Feist makes references to the three preceding stories and gets the feel of the chronology all wrong, referring to years that intervened between books that, according to themselves, took place scant days apart. There's also a perplexing reference to "since Jimmy had come to Krondor". Correct me if I'm wrong but this is meant to be Jimmy the Hand, the boy thief who GREW UP ON THE STREETS OF KRONDOR. Where did he come from exactly? Is there a childhood in Rillanon or Sarth we don't know about? Perversely, having dashed the continuity of the series he was adding to against the wall I find that "Jimmy and the Crawler" is quite literally Feist taking shears to what was previously an enjoyable and well-written series in order to shoe-horn his storytelling into the continuity that needs to exist between "A Darkness at Sethanon" and "Prince of the Blood" and in doing so neuters entirely what was, to repeat myself, a quality story that really just needed a conclusion or a neater, less ruinous and unsatisfactory, segue into "Krondor's Sons".
What do You think about Robbie En De Kruiper (2013)?
Short but sweet. To be read only by those familiar with Jimmy.
—nick
Best book of the legacy tetralogy by a MILE
—xoruby
And -2 stars for price to content ratio...
—bigbaby
