Oh, I adore the Empire series. One of my well-thumbed favourites that has been re-read so often it's falling apart. Mara is such a great character. I loved all the clever and scheming ways she used to defeat her enemies and foil their plots. And the complex society - which seemed predominently based on Japanese feudal culture - was fascinating.
I think you may be right on the division of labour. I tried to read the Riftwar saga after these but just couldn't get into it and the same was true of the novel I tried by Wurts alone.
Together, though, they definitely produced magic.
LabRat
Athos: If you'd told us what you were doing, we might have been able to plan this properly. Aramis: Yes, sorry. Athos: No, no, by all means, let's keep things suicidal.
