I've always more or less loved this fantasy series and I'm finally getting back to it, and even though all the novels are good, the last few weren't quite as great as the young Vlad I'd grown to love. 
 That's why this one is such a treat. We've got a young kid in his prime doing stupid things for powers he only vaguely understands. Just because these powers happen to later become his closest friends doesn't diminish the sheer foolhardiness of his actions, though. :) 
 Vlad Goes To War. Hilarity ensues. Well, sort of. The hilarity is all on his dragon' part, I'm sure, and Vlad is all straight-man. 
 I vaguely remember these events being spoken of in passing during some future reminiscence in an older novel, so it's *again* a treat to drill down into his past and have him surrounded by all the things he grew up with, even if he goes off to enlist in the next moment. Does hindsight make things easier for us? No, not really. The events and the horror of war is still pretty graphic and immediate, and besides, things will always seem to go wrong when we're dealing with the legendary weapons. 
 Right? Oh yeah. Definitely right. 
 I'm stoked about this book and I'm ready to just go ahead an plow through the rest immediately. It's been way too long and I'm completely in the mood. :)