I am usually a little leery of debut novels. The books are good but the whole package needs some work. Peter Brett needs no polish. I loved this book.[return][return]Mankind has been beaten down. Man hides in his hovels at night and cringes in fear of the demons. Slowly mankind is dying. Arlen does not understand why man does not fight back. He determines that he is not going to be a coward. This is his first step towards becoming the Warded Man. A man who takes the fight to the demons. Through years of training and discovery, he turns his own body into a weapon against the dark tide of demondium.[return][return]A man who hates demons and kills them at every opportunity. But, is his distaste for cowardly humans just as powerful? Can a man live by himself and just live with hatred? Does man need companionship, love, strength from those around him?[return][return]A truly excellent first book from Peter Brett. I cannot wait for the next book in this series.[return][return][return]A must buy. Highly recommended.