TheWell Bookshop

Series · fantasy

Riftwar Legacy

by Raymond E. Feist

The Riftwar Legacy series by Raymond E. Feist has 4 known books (4 published) and is best read in publication order, starting with Krondor: The Betrayal (1998). The latest book with a fully recorded publication date is Jimmy and the Crawler.

Books
4 known books (3 novels + 1 novella)
Published
4
First published
1998
Status
completed
Shelved under
Fantasy
Last checked

Start here: Krondor: The Betrayal (1998) — then read straight through in publication order.

Book one

Cover of Krondor: The Betrayal

Krondor: The Betrayal (1998)

Reading order

The date order of published books and any announced future entries — the default way to read the series.

  1. Krondor: The Betrayal

    Novel

    At 497 pages, Krondor: The Betrayal is the longest entry in Riftwar Legacy, appearing in 1998 as a direct novelization of Sierra's Betrayal at Krondor video game. It follows Squire James, better known as Jimmy the Hand, the former street thief from the original Riftwar Saga, into palace intrigue and a citywide conspiracy set between that trilogy and Krondor's Sons.

    View book

  2. Krondor: The Assassins

    Novel

    Released in 1999, Krondor: The Assassins sits between Krondor: The Betrayal and Krondor: Tear of the Gods in the Riftwar Legacy reading order, continuing Jimmy the Hand's hunt for a lost artifact. Like the rest of the trilogy, it began life as a novelization of the Krondor video games, giving it a more plot-driven, puzzle-adventure feel than Feist's other Riftwar books.

    View book

  3. Krondor: Tear of the Gods

    Novel

    The third entry in the Riftwar Legacy series, Krondor: Tear of the Gods was published in 2000 and runs 383 pages, closing out the trilogy that novelized the Krondor video games. Jimmy the Hand's palace-intrigue adventure wraps up here, thirteen years before the closing novella Jimmy and the Crawler resolved its remaining loose threads.

    View book

  4. Jimmy and the Crawler

    Novella

    Jimmy and the Crawler is a novella in the Riftwar Legacy series, released in 2013 (149 pages), more than a decade after the trilogy that precedes it. It closes out plot threads originally intended for two further Krondor novels that were never written, giving the video-game-based storyline a proper ending as a coda for readers who already know the earlier books.

    View book

About the Riftwar Legacy series

Set between the Riftwar Saga and the events of Krondor's Sons, the Riftwar Legacy follows Squire James -- better known as Jimmy the Hand, the former street thief introduced in the original trilogy -- as he's drawn into palace intrigue, a citywide conspiracy, and a hunt for a lost artifact. The trilogy began life as a direct novelization of the bestselling Krondor video games (Betrayal at Krondor and Return to Krondor), giving it a more plot-driven, puzzle-adventure feel than Feist's other Riftwar books, before Feist later closed out unresolved plot threads from that video-game connection with the standalone novella Jimmy and the Crawler.

Published across two distinct bursts -- the trilogy in 1998-2000, then the closing novella more than a decade later in 2013 -- the Riftwar Legacy sits slightly outside the Cycle's main line, functioning more as a Jimmy the Hand spotlight than a chapter in the war between worlds. It rewards readers who already enjoyed Jimmy as a supporting character in the Riftwar Saga and want to follow him into his own adventures, and the closing novella specifically resolves a plot hole that had been left dangling since two further planned Krondor novels were quietly shelved.

Frequently asked questions

How many books are in the Riftwar Legacy?

Four: Krondor: The Betrayal (1998), Krondor: The Assassins (1999), Krondor: Tear of the Gods (2000), and the closing novella Jimmy and the Crawler (2013).

What order should I read the Riftwar Legacy in?

Publication order: the three Krondor novels, then Jimmy and the Crawler.

Is the Riftwar Legacy based on video games?

The first three novels began as novelizations of the Krondor computer games (Betrayal at Krondor and Return to Krondor).

Do I need to read the Riftwar Saga first?

Recommended -- the series follows Jimmy the Hand, a supporting character introduced there.

What is Jimmy and the Crawler?

A 2013 novella that wraps up plot threads left over from two further Krondor novels that were never completed, published as a standalone coda to the trilogy.

Reading order last verified .