Hm. I must say that this is one of the first fantasy books, on my short list of few, that I absolutely hated. The characters were incredibly forgettable, and I found no reason to be attached. It is a decent book, with incredibly long sentences that go on and describe every little detail on a random leaf in the forest that fell from a chipped maple tree that was slightly bent at the trunk.However, despite that, it is nicely written. But, don't waste your time. The cover is nice looking, but, spare yourself a few hours and don't read this book.Look out for new fantasy books that are scheduled to hit the markets in 2006.