This is a captivating fantasy adventure with an explosive start and a decent finish. While the author skips to and fro in his enormous fantasy world, glossing over seemingly interesting potential adventures from time to time, the ones he includes are generally impressive. This is a world where the last of the Dwarven kingdom is falling, and where the effete, magical elves of the standard fantasy character pantheon, have taken over. Characters are fairly well developed, although I've yet to really really develop a concern for the main character (which may be in part due to his anti-hero nature). This is well worth a read, and I am excited to read the next book in a series for the first time in a long time. I'd actually give this a 3.5.