This is the best book I've read in a long time. At first I was put off by the main character. You've seen him before in other books: the hero/magician/king/etc. who gave up a life of glory/power to hide from his past. But as soon as he began to tell his story, I began to like the guy, who was quick to admit his own faults in retrospect, and who is being changed in the now by the retelling of his own story. By halfway through, I was stealing moments to read a few more pages, and staying up past my bedtime every night until it was done.

To those interested in this book, be aware that this is the first in a series of books. I don't know how many there will be, but I can see three or four easily. At the end of this book, the main character is still young (late teens/early twenties?), and even after he is done telling his life story, up until the "present day," there is the plot line occuring "now" to contend with too.