When this book first opens, it seems like it will be standard sword-and-sorcery -- heroes, villains, quests, and magic. But the deeper one gets into the book, the clearer it becomes that this is something special. Imagine a world in which the deity is not a matter of faith but of fact, because everyone has met her. Imagine a world in which who one loves is not important, as long as one does love. Imagine as hero not the usual charming but amoral rogue but a thoroughly decent, kind and generous man. Imagine a book that teaches us that our own fears are the biggest obstacles of life and that overcoming our pasts and accepting our true selves are the truest victories. It's main character is Herewiss, a man who has the potential to wield great magic but cannot break through to connect with it and manifest his magic. He joins forces with Freelorn, the exiled heir of a neighboring kingdom and his lifelong love, Segnbora, a mysterious troubled woman, and some of Freelorn's faithful friends (Harald, Moris, and Dritt) in an adventure that leads them to the edges of their world, and involves door into other worlds and the mastering of a fire elemental whose favored form is that of a horse!