You don't have to read the author's biography - which says Mr. Cockayne's last published work was in a contest at the age of twelve, if I'm not mistaken - to realize that this is the work of a very inexperienced author. Cockayne's writing leaves much to be desired as far as structure, style and vocabulary go; apparently the man came up with a great story and was so anxious to get it published, he didn't bother much with proof-reading and rewrites. As a result, the characters are often underdeveloped and unconvincing, the pacing is far from perfect, and the book just fails to work as a whole.
The story, though, really is original and unique. Cockayne's imagination had created a fascinating fantasy, which tells three separate stories that run into and through each other in a very intriguing fashion. That's what causes him so much trouble - the story is far too ambitious and complex for a writer as inexperienced as him. Since there is practically no work on developing the characters' backgrounds or the fantasy world around them, Cockayne fails to create any sympathy in the reader towards any of them, and thus the whole work remains a rather abstract exercise and not a complete, satisfying novel.
Still - the story is original enough to be worth the time of experienced fantasy readers. Cockayne shows the potential of a creative and unique mind, and it's worth waiting for his next novel to see where the 'Legends of the Land' series goes, and whether or not the next one won't be as sloppy an effort.