The Well of Darkness

This book is a bad trip. The Well of Darkness is the name of a Gandalaran geographical feature; but it also turns out to be a forewarning of what you're in for here.

Things keep going badly wrong for our hero, and in addition he starts behaving strangely and badly from time to time. There turns out to be an explanation for this, but meanwhile he fails to engage the sympathy of the reader; in fact, it's hard to understand how his girlfriend puts up with him.

I was tempted to give the book one star, because I didn't enjoy it. On the other hand, it's not an incompetent book, it's just not enjoyable; and, after a good deal of messing about, it advances the plot of the series in a somewhat constructive direction.

However, if I ever read through this series again, I think I'd prefer to read a condensed summary of this particular episode than to struggle through it all in full.