Bob

This book was chock full of references to interesting and real math phenomena, game theories, speculative essays, institutes and historical trivia. And that's all just icing on the cake! The story was compelling and kept my interest all the way through. Characters behaved like real people, too, without the contrived idiocy that many novels employ to drive the plot forward.

This book is unconventional in that there is not as much action and combat compared to a typical fantasy book. However, the story still kept me riveted, and I'm usually the lots-of-explosions-or-else-zzz kind of guy. The setting, storytelling and immersion in an interesting culture all add a wonderful depth.

The only bad thing is that the sequel isn't available on Audible at this time. Tsk!

This book is addictive, engrossing and exciting. It initially roughly follows the "hero's journey" plot structure, but sets itself up to branch out quite a bit in scope in the subsequent novels. Can't wait for the sequel!

This books kicks off one of the most satisfying, epic fantasy series I've read in a very long time. The magic systems are creative and interesting, the characters are compelling and the plot is epic in scope. I can't wait for the next trilogy in this world, set 15 years after "Beyond the Shadows".

It sounds like the plot is too complicated for some people, and I'm not sure what to say. You could do more crossword puzzles to build up your cognition? Seriously though, prophecy is a powerful mechanism in this series and is used to shape the plot. This means a few characters know what's coming and work to shape future events. That may be awkward for some readers? That's my best guess at the few people who take issue with this series.