First time a book forces me to read slowly, one sentence, one word at a time. Mostly for good reasons (the vocabulary is elaborate, and it’s all so fast and precise that you get lost as soon as you skip a sentence), more occasionally for bad (some bits are surprisingly confudsed for such a meticulous writer). And the third chapter is quite irritating, not having been rewritten enough after the first two were added (which goes to show the word “meticulous” wasn’t that appropriate). But, apart from that, the story is very good, the characters well defined and likeable, the narrative works, and you don’t get bored for a second. Oh, and I forgot: the characters are intelligent, cynical and witty. I had missed that lately.

I only have a little trouble with the idea the group’s historian, who’s also the medic (that makes sense), and isn’t a bad soldier either (well, why not, seeing as there’s no point in electing an annalist if he’s gonna die first time he has to fight), is also a flawless sniper. But then, it’s an elite corps, isn’t it?

Can’t wait for the second volume.

Hasn’t anybody considered making a big-budget TV series out of it? Considering the success of LoTR, it’s the right time.