This is a truly great book. In one volume Kay has managed to create a world, its divisions, its cultures and emotions and carry the reader through an entire era of its development. It is not rushed and yet the irrelevant periods of time are bypassed in order to allow far more attention to detail in the critical areas. It is a story of love, song, war and tragedy which is totally absorbing from start to finish. The characters and their countries are truly believable and obviously based on the real world. This is a must read for any fan of fantasy fiction and be warned, once you pick it up you will not put it down!