Nortah looked at his men, his haunted eyes distant, no doubt picturing them in battle, hacked and bloodied. “They’ll fight,” he said eventually. “Poor bastards. They’ll fight all right.”

This is an extraordinary work, and as I read I really couldn't but help draw parallels to Hobb and Rothfuss. It's not that Vaelin is a Kvothe or a Fitz, but something about the atmosphere and Ryan's writing is very compelling and certainly on a par with these figures. I really need to reread to fully appreciate the subtleties, but a fine title and a brilliant way to start a series.