Very good world building. You really have to pay attention when reading many characters and it is easy to forget who belongs to which territory and what they do. Lots of planning and plotting on Mr. Hearn's part. Will be interesting to see what he does with this series.
Absolutely spectacular world-building with a novel pair of narrators - a bard who can speak to thousands because of his "kenning" which allows him to be heard clearly from miles away but also gives him perfect memory. Fintan, the bard, is explaining the causes of the current war and the motivations of the many players involved. Fintan is also being monitored and his words recorded by a scholar, Dervan, who is keeping a manuscript of the stories Fintan tells for the local leader. It's a triumph of storytelling but for those who want a fast pace, you may be disappointed. The kennings are fascinating as are all the people but hopping in and out of one narrator's story for another's can slow down the plot.
Excellent worldbuilding, good action, epic plotline. I didn't care for the format of the bard telling everyone's tale (yes, I know it's an ancient thing). I found it difficult to get into the flow with the narrative chopped into two and three page segments. Took me DAYS to finish it - granted it's 725 pages, but I should have had it done in two days tops. Still - I want to know what happens next, and that's the important thing for a story.
