It bugs me to discover after I've started reading that I've picked up a series at least one book in. It can leave one somewhat off balance. This one isn't terrible in that respect. THere were a few references to past events and characters that I didn't understand. THe bigger problem was its tendency to be rather shallow. There is more telling than showing, to exploration of character. It's not particularly engaging.

This book reminds me of the Saturday morning cartoons I watched growing up. Stereotyped characters without a lot of depth fighting bad guys and winning. This isn't great literature but it's fun.