Charlie asked Brian Staveley:

One of the biggest complaints I hear from other reviewers is that they expected Valyn to be a much smarter leader having been in special forces training for a number of years. The other is that considering Kadens importance to the future, he seems to be have his life placed in peril rather often which leads to the question what happens if he died??

Brian Staveley Hi Charlie. I have a very good friend who constantly hassles me about what he sees as Valyn's shortcomings, so I'll tell you what I tell him: Valyn (and the rest of his Wing) are pretty young. They're highly trained, but their real life experience is incredibly limited. And finally, the reader knows a lot more about the overall situation than Valyn himself. I think if you take these three factors into consideration, Valyn actually does quite well. He's certainly not an invincible warrior of genius, but don't lose hope -- there are two more books, after all...

As for Kaden, Ashk'lan is much safer than it looks. Granted, the monks dole out severe punishments, but look at the flip side: Hardly anyone knows where it is, so assassination is difficult. The monks are keen observers of human nature and willing to protect Kaden when necessary (as when Pyrre first arrives). The remote location means freedom from the disease that sweeps through the cities. Nothing is without risk, but I'm not sure Kaden would be all that much safer inside the Dawn Palace.

Do those answers strike you as convincing, or no? I'm always curious to learn which elements of the book readers find implausible...

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