Book one of this series introduced two characters. Zach represented popular, mainstream opinion and, frankly, idiocracy. Ryun represented individual freedom, strength and personal ethics. Zach was introduced in this story as a reprehensible and awful man. I hated him. Sadly, the series went on to follow Zach’s story as much as Ryun’s. All the way through book three Zach never got good. I hated every scene with him in it.
Book four seems to be finally fixing this. It still follows Zach as much as Ryun, but gradually Zach is becoming less awful. I don’t quite hate him as much.
Another major flaw of the series is that through book three Zach got the Monty Hall approach of getting all his powers as gifts, unearned and undeserved. Book four is starting to fix this.
Negative aspects aside, I love the writing, the politics and interactions, most of the characters and the world itself.
While the series began as the Atlas Shrugged of Literary RPG, it’s finally finding its own voice, no longer a rewrite of an Ayn Rand novel. I have already progressed to book five of the series and am happy with both the author and the narrator.