I'd heard a lot of good about these books and was finally pushed into starting this almost a week ago. Finally I've finished it, and I must admit to being very, very impressed.

Bildungsroman or not, or too early to tell, this is an epic in the true scope (I read that the series runs to 4,000,000 words). I enjoyed the earlier part of the novel more I think, which set the scene beautifully, and I especially enjoyed the royal family and the power evident there. I have absolutely no idea on what areas the other books will focus, but sincerely look forward to working my way through them over the next few months.