At the risk of offending, I will say that, while Tolkein probably must be credited as the greater story teller, Tad Williams' beatiful writing style is a treasure that not even Tolkein can rival.Besides a slow start, which is forgivable given the solid foundation that is created, this book is awesome. Having read the entire series, I can assure you that you will be so captivated by the story before the end, you may forget to read slowly enough to relish Williams mastery of the language. A must read.