Having not read the entire book, maybe my review doesn't count. But after the excerpt, I have no desire to read further. I nearly fell asleep twice. The idea of good liturature is to give the reader something to look forward to within the first couple of chapters. I couldn't tell if the characters were in England, Germany, Russia or some other location. Or whether they were in the future (due to mention of the millenium) or if they were in an alternative universe. There was no lead-in to clue me as to the circumstances of the characters' current situation.