The book was a good read, the heroes of the book were instantly likeable and followed a decent journey through to the end. It wasn't all easy for them and there was a large amount of pain and suffering along the way. The main protagonist, Mar, is easy to relate to and a genuine care for what happens to him builds from the very start of the novel. The action begins right at the start of the novel and leaves the reader asking questions and wanting to know more about whats going on. The other 'hero' type character is introduced when he saves Mar from certain doom in the first chapter. Although not as likeable as the hero, he certainly has an air of mystery about him which keeps a reader interested and wanting to know more.
The world building in this novel is very good and a credit to the author, it seems complete and some of the desert setting made a nice change to read about. I certainly enjoy reading about different settings and the ruins in this novel made for a nice change. It had an Indiana Jones feel to it and was a pleasure to learn about. The general plot of the book was decent as well, interesting enough to keep me interested and yet different enough to have its own unique take on things.
However, this novel is far from perfect. Aside from a couple of spelling errors - which I am coming to accept as a fact of life with all novels - there are a few things that could have made this book a lot better. Overly complicated names began to be a bit of a bugbear with this novel. They seem other worldly and may add a fantasy feel to the book but they are also a pain to actually read. For example 'Ihthyrl Magics' would be much easier to read as Ethereal; names also get this sort of treatment, 'Rynthrahl, Freghth and Karhle' are all examples of those that would be better off simplified. Just makes it easier to read. The other aspect that made this book a bit difficult to follow in places was the narrative, towards the end, it jumps from side to side without much warning and at times it made it hard to understand which side was which. Again, something that could have been simplified to make it easier to read
My final point is on the magic of the world. How it works was explained as scientifically as such a thing could be and that worked well. What I found hard to believe that the street thief Mar could learn in half a day, by trial and error no less, what took magicians years to perfect. It was the only thing I found grating in the novel and although it is a central point to the plot, could have been altered to be more 'realistic'.
Other than these points, this is a very good novel and I shall be on the look out for the sequel in the near future.
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