There is little I can say about this series as a whole that has not been said before, and by more articulate persons than myself. This is probably one of the best sequences of fantasy literature written in the 20th century. Taken individually, some of the books are stronger then others, but fundamentally they function together to create a more-perfect whole. Cooper has always been one of my favorite authors because her prose is so tight, but not so much so that it becomes dry. Her pacing is impeccable, and her characters fully realized. She creates a world and a mythos that the reader can fully believe in. ( )