I found this novel interesting to say the least, it's set back before the Gray-Gem (no dwarf's or kender) and we get the see the human's of Ansalon rise out of the mud and start becoming a nation of people in the first book of the Barbarian's Trilogy. The main characters seemed three dimensional, each having their own flaws and strengths, which was good to say the least. I found the character Amero to be the most interesting, and find myself wondering what's going to happen to him in the second part.
Overall this novel was a good clean read, and I liked it. Fight scenes were good, just enough description, so I'm happy I bought it. One thing I didn't like though was the villains. They were very underdeveloped and seemed shallow in this first volume, but I'm sure that Paul Thompson and Tonya Cook will fill out their characters in the next novel.
Final Thought: Buy it, it's good DL, and you won't be disappointed.