Another thing that makes this book stand out among the multitudes of adventure/quest/fantasy books is that Rokey is gay, and so is the elf, Flaskamper. In the world of Firma, most cultures are fairly open and accepting of anyone's sexuality, so this is treated (somewhat too blatantly) as a non-issue. Occasionally I felt as though Childs might be preaching to the choir, but for the most part, Rokey's and Flaskamper's sexuality is not the focus of the story.
The mini-arc of this book came to a satisfactory conclusion, but there are still many questions left unanswered. I was surprised to realize that as I closed the book, I was wishing that I had waited to read it until the other two were published so that I would not have to wait so long to find out what happens next. Childs has inserted enough foreshadowing to indicate that he knows where the story is going, and this book is written well enough for me to want to read the rest.
I recommend this book to fantasy fans who are interested in a book that will surprise the reader with the occasional unanticipated plot twist or characterization. It is an unexpectedly well-written first novel and the author shows tremendous promise.
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