This is one of Glen Cook's earlier books, and you can see his writing style evolving from a dark, victorian style to the edgier style that marked him as a mature writer. By the middle of the third book, it's a lot terser, and closer to the writing of the Black Company series. Both styles have their merit.

The first third of this omnibus is a shockingly good book, and the plot, which at first seems sprawling and confusing, wraps up as tight as a great mystery novel. The conclusion was jaw-dropping in its elegance even on a re-read.

This book can be occasional heavy going as strands in the narrative pop in and out, but is a great read for fantasy fans. This is a collected edition of the first three books in the series. Ignore the text on the back, the marketing copy is hilariously inaccurate.