I think I read the third book in this serie over more than a year ago, and they have dense plots, so I'm a bit lost in these first few pages. I might need to dig up a plot summary or something somewhere online.

That said, man, it's hitting the spot. Now that I don't read a lot of them, it's easy to forget how much fun a really epic, slightly cheesy, fantasy doorstopper can be, with magic and knights, elves and dwarves and lots and lots of political intrigue. I'm enjoying myself.