This book was a little dissapointing from the previous 4, It does enlarge the understanding of how the Midlands and its people think and feel, but I felt that these things could have been explained during the story told of Richard and Kahlen, instead of the reverse. The story is about political intrigue and one of the small nations of the Midlands with a secret power not quite understood. It is the first real battleground in the New World fought between Jagang and Richard, through diplomacy and intrigue.