City of the Beasts
fantasy
Series · fantasy
Conclave of Shadows
The Conclave of Shadows series by Raymond E. Feist has 3 known books (3 published). It is best read in publication order, starting with Talon of the Silver Hawk (2002).
- Books
- 3 known books (3 novels)
- Published
- 3
- First published
- 2002
- Status
- completed
- Shelved under
- Fantasy
Start here: Talon of the Silver Hawk (2002)
— then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The date order of published books and any announced future entries — the default way to read the series.
- Book 1:
Talon of the Silver Hawk
Talon of the Silver Hawk opens Raymond E. Feist's Conclave of Shadows trilogy in September 2002, following the sole survivor of a massacred tribe as the secretive Conclave of Shadows reshapes him -- under the name Tal Hawkins -- into a spy and warrior, across 390 pages. Alternative text for cover: Cover of Talon of the Silver Hawk - Book 2:
King of Foxes
King of Foxes carries the revenge plot forward in November 2003, matching its predecessor at 384 pages as Tal Hawkins is sent deep undercover to infiltrate the court of the men who destroyed his people. Alternative text for cover: Cover of King of Foxes - Book 3:
Exile's Return
Exile's Return closes the trilogy in September 2004, also running 384 pages, bringing Tal Hawkins' espionage-driven quest to its conclusion two years after the series began. Alternative text for cover: Cover of Exile's Return
Key facts about the Conclave of Shadows series
The Conclave of Shadows series has 3 books on our list. Since all 3 are out now, you can read the whole list today.
Start with Talon of the Silver Hawk, since it opens the publication order in 2002. King of Foxes is book 2, from 2003. Exile's Return is book 3, from 2004.
Each title links to its own page, while the list keeps them in date order. Each book page shows its dates and editions. Since the catalogue marks the series as complete, we list no next book.
The books came out between 2002 and 2004, while their length runs from 384 to 390 pages. That is a run of 2 years.
Raymond E. Feist has 35 books on our list. Additionally, they write Riftwar Saga, Empire Trilogy and Krondor's Sons, plus 8 more series. We shelve the books under fantasy.
About the Conclave of Shadows series
Talon of the Silver Hawk opens with a young tribesman, the sole survivor of his village's massacre, taken in and trained by the mysterious Conclave of Shadows -- a secret order pursuing a decades-long plan that stretches across the Kingdom's underworld, a foreign empire, and a criminal-turned-nobleman's court. Renamed Kaspar's ward Tal Hawkins, the boy is shaped into a spy and warrior in pursuit of the men responsible for destroying his people, in a trilogy that trades the earlier Riftwar books' large-army warfare for a tighter, more personal revenge-and-espionage story: infiltration, assassination plots, and political maneuvering in King of Foxes and Exile's Return rather than pitched battles.
Published across 2002-2004, Conclave of Shadows sits later in the Riftwar Cycle's internal chronology, following an isolated, mostly new cast rather than continuing the Pug/Kingdom storyline directly, which makes it more approachable as a semi-standalone entry point than most of Feist's other trilogies -- though it does connect back to the wider Cycle by its end, and threads from it feed into the Darkwar and Demonwar sagas that follow. Readers who want a smaller-scale, more personal revenge story within Feist's world, without the full weight of the Cycle's continuity, are well served here.
Frequently asked questions
How many books are in Conclave of Shadows?
Three: Talon of the Silver Hawk (2002), King of Foxes (2003), and Exile's Return (2004).
What order should I read Conclave of Shadows in?
Publication order -- the trilogy is one continuous story following Tal Hawkins.
Do I need to read earlier Riftwar books first?
It helps to know the Riftwar Saga and Midkemia's setting, but Conclave of Shadows follows a mostly new cast and is more standalone than most Feist trilogies.
Is Conclave of Shadows connected to the wider Riftwar Cycle?
Yes -- threads from its ending carry into the later Darkwar Saga.
Is Conclave of Shadows complete?
Yes, all three books were published between 2002 and 2004.
If you like the Conclave of Shadows series
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