Rating: 
Summary: the ending was a bit abrupt
Review: On the whole, this book was fairly well written. I have all Mr. Feist's books, with the exception of Faerie Tale. This one is very interesting, as he is focusing mainly on commerce. The book was fairly well paced, but I felt that the ending was very abrupt. It was as if he was running out of his page quota and felt that he had to end somewhere. I kept wondering when Roo would realise that his mistress, Sylvia was only using him and that his cousin Duncan is horrible. I actually thought that it would form a part of the ending. Seems it will be carried into the next book. I am a bit disappointed with this one, but would still recommend that readers buy it. This is mainly because you need to know what is going on before going on to the next book.
Rating: 
Summary: Feist shows his literary prowess
Review: When I first started reading this book, I was very put off by the subject. It seemed to be some sort of economic thesis, not at all in the vein of the first book in the series. But as I read on, I slowly became more and more enthralled, eventually reading for six hours straight to finish the book.
This is the second book in a four book cycle. The first, 'Shadow of a Dark Queen,' concentrated on more standard sword and sorcery fare, introducing us to two youths and following one, Eric von Darkmoor, on his adventures in a foreign land.
In 'Rise of the Merchant Prince,' we follow the second youth, Roo Avery, on his quest for economic dominance in the land of Midkemia. Roo himself is not a very likeable character. He marries a woman he finds unattractive and doesn't love for money, finds himself a mistress, engages in smuggling, and has a somewhat low sense of ethics. He reminds me of Thomas Covenant, Stephen Donaldson's leper character who was transported to a fantasy setting from Earth.
When you first start reading this book you are prone to say, "So? What do I care if this jerk gets rich?" It is only when viewed as the second part in a four part play that the importance of this novel truly shines. Feist again shows that he is THE master of fantasy, with well thought out characters, a wonderful setting, and enough technical know-how to come across as if he was standing in the city of Krondor, recording the actions as they unfold.
The only down side to the series is the fact that I am starting to experience deja vu. In 'A Darkness at Sethanon,' 'The King's Bucaneer,' and now 'The Serpentwar Saga' the stories are all somewhat similar. Fortunately, the differences in the stories make up for any repetitiveness and they all seem fresh.
Rating: 
Summary: Mediocore
Review: This book is a far cry from the empire series. While the main plot (the story of Roo) deserves respect (its nice to see someone write about the importance of economics in a fantasy novel), the various su-plots are just thrown haphazardly into the novel. The characters are almost all uni-dimensional and cardboard (with the exception of Roo). This is especially distressing in the case of Calis and Miranda who occupy critical roles in the story but are internalized in no way whatsoever. More imporatantly, the prelude (of the demon) and the conclusion (again, a demon) are obviously preludes to a The Rage of the Demon King, but hardly contribute to the tension in this story. Feist would have been better off is he had focued the story solely on Roo and held off the revelations of the last part of the novel until The Rage of the Demon King. I am inclined to agree with readers that Feist is loosing his touch. The Empire novels possessed a depth in plot and especially characterization which is absent in this series.
Rating:
Summary: Nice Change from the norm!!
Review: This is not my favourite from Feist but I think that the departure from the normal heroic battles into the life of the merchant is an interesting change. That's not to say that i don't want to follow Calis and Erik dealings a bit more but for one book, the difference was interesting. Hopefully the next book though will bring us back to more action and sorcery and more involvement from Pug and Thomas who can do no wrong in my book.
Rating: 
Summary: This is not Science Fiction Fantasy.
Review: This is basicly a cheap romance novel with a very minimal amount of fantasy, except for Roo's business acumen. Roo has few redeeming features. By far Feist's worse try. I am not sure I even wish to look at "Rage of a Demon King" now.
Rating:
Summary: EXELLENT BOOK, A MUST READ!
Review: This is one of Fiest's best books. The thrill of Roo becoming a Merchant Prince, becoming rich, getting married and having children. A must read for all book lovers.
Rating:
Summary: Simply Brilliant
Review: This book shows how brilliant Feist can write by changing the scene totally from one of fast paced adventure, to one of slow moving mind power!!
Rating:
Summary: It IS a great book, the action is just on a smaller scale!
Review: This isn't supposed to be about all the battle scenes - look at the title - it's about a merchant! I couldn't put this book down - it was brilliant, although I wish it had followed Calis and Erik more closely. Roo is a very interesting character and his exploits were ingenious, but he's not the best character to follow so closely! I'd also like to hang him for the way he treats his wife!! I'm glad there's a fourth part to be released soon!
Rating:
Summary: Another excellent adventure told by the Master
Review: Feist surperbly creates intrigue, lust, and suspense in this novel. The story is full with adventure as the reader endures victory and sadness with the characters. Another enthralling Feist novel which will hook readers and leave them anxious to read his NEXT novel.
Rating:
Summary: so -so
Review: I've been reading Raymond E. Feist's books since the Magician, and.. this book is the worst of all. The main characters, Roo and Erik , I think, are boring. Not exciting as the characters in other books like Pug, Jimmy . I was disappointed. To the AUTHOR :PLEASE write about the characters that have good characters, and interesting enough. Since this is a fantasy book, why not follow Prince or King or Magician, instead of following two very ordinary people.
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