Like most lengthy titles and series it is a good long look into the lives of the characters and the world the author has created, rather than the simple telling of a series of entertaining events that we find in shorter stories. The characters have depth and their individual stories are fully fleshed. The layers to the narrative are also their own fully realized features.
The Good and “Evil” of the book is also the old scenario of morality v. ethics. A moral individual tries to follow the guidelines or rules they believe to be true. An ethical individual will do as they wish while always trying to make the right(or “least wrong”) choice in doing so. A useful analog for the main character is likely anyone getting the chance to live out a childhood Darth Vader(or any similar villain of choice) fantasy. When given the chance to play the role, I am sure we would want to appear as villainous as possible to serve whatever we feel is a greater good. That is the perspective upon which my rating is based.
The only critique I have for the series and warning for some readers is that the author is sparing when it comes to truly punishing the real antagonists. Some people may find this frustrating. Also some plot devices take multiple volumes to be resolved, others are still in limbo at the end of this entry. When these two issues are combined………
Not quite worth the deduction of a star. The author has kept faith and we trust the series will continue for quite some time and these resolutions will come as they can be woven in, given Travis Bagwell’s style of story telling.
Authors, remember that your fans are your fans because of the way you tell your stories. Your critics are critics because they wish to share their opinions(valid or not). Choose your influences wisely.