I am a voracious reader of all kinds of books and I must say this one truly suprised me. A lot of fantasy novels are quite predictable but this one was surely not. The ending made the entire trilogy worthwhile. Richard Awlinson, for those that don't know, is a pseudonym for the Avatar project for TSR. Troy Denning actually penned this book (published back in 89) setting the standard for the Forgotten Realms novels as well as the fantasy genre in general. Most likely, this will win the coveted Goochie Award for this year in the fantasy category and will be a major competitor for the big prize! My hat is off!