This is a long and slow read taking place in a well thought out world. It's the first in a popular series so while it plays into cliche and tropes of the genre it may not have been a big deal when it was written. This makes the plot predictable and not very thrilling. 
 Characters are stereotypical but distinct from each other, however as often the case with many main characters only a few are really fleshed out and even then briefly. 
 If you like dungeon crawlers, campaign based stories (RPG) or classic fantasy it is worth a read.