When I first started reading this book, I didn't care for it much at all. My initial reaction was to fling it away from me and start something else. The reason for this reaction, I think, was because the writing is somewhat rough and unpolished. Later it became clear (or at least possible) that the writing was supposed to be this way. The story is told in the first-person from the point of view of a soldier-physician in a mercenary army in some fantasy setting. On top of his other duties, he is in charge of writing the Annals, or keeping records of what this mercenary army does, and it turns out that the book you are reading is actually the Annals. Once this is explained so that I couldn't entirely blame the roughness on a young writer's ineptitude, I was able to tolerate the writing style. Or else I just got used to it.
As the story opens, the author writes as though you already know all the background, as though you've been reading hundreds of years worth of the Annals already. I found it hard to understand the politics behind the battles, who was fighting who, and even what each of the characters was supposed to be. Despite this, I managed to get pulled into the story. This story had an entirely unacceptable ending, and although this book didn't distinguish itself much at all, I find that I must read the sequel so I can find out what happens next. Perhaps this feeling will fade.
The most interesting aspect of the book was the main character. He doesn't tell us any of his past besides hinting that it's a bad one, but he seems to be a genuinely good-hearted guy mixed up in a world where everyone else is a scoundrel to the worst degree. Yet he manages to flourish and tell his stories from a somewhat original point of view. Unfortunately, although he cares about the other characters, I could never bring myself to.
Despite all of these drawbacks, this was definitely an action-packed adventure. As long as you're willing to not need to think much and as long as you have no actual desire for any character development or any actual description of a setting, this is not a bad book.
