This is epic, dramatic, political fantasy literature at it's best. It's raw, bloody, brutal and does a great job of showing how mean human being can be to each other. My only complaint is that I often feel in over my head because there are so many different characters. Since I read it as an ebook and never bothered to check the tabel of contents, I discovered the appendix at the end of the book. It's a great read but if it catches you, it will consume your life for the next few weeks.