This is the first book a new series and it once again provides the story of a young man growing up and getting to grips with great ability. (Ie the usual L E Modesitt Jnr storyline).
The setting is crafted well and provides a delightful mix of magic and technology and the characters are well written.
What lets this down a little is the complexity of the political intrigue, it can be a little hard to follow at times and once the discussions of morality are overlain it can become downright confusing as to why certain events are occurring.
That said this is a minor issue and overall the book is a good solid read and if you enjoyed other books by the same author you are unlikely to be disappointed by thisĀ one.