How disappointing. 
 The first chapters were 4 stars awesome. I was hooked instantly and delightfully surprised. Seeing as this book was written in the 70's, I expected the usual LOTR fantasy style novel. Slow start, simple heroes, old-fashioned setting. Instead, I got a fast paced beginning with a modern unusual protagonist. At first, I enjoyed his aloof tone and the mystery. 
 However, as the mystery unraveled, really quickly I might add, the detached dialogue started getting on my nerves. The fast pace also bothered me. As a novella, I might understand why the author would rush, but this is fantasy epic spanning a number of books. The rushed confusing scenes dampened my interests. And I remained uninterested until the end of the book. 
 A number of things the characters did, didn't make sense to me. All of them. The characterization was terrible. Really bad. They did not seem like real people and their actions were not supported by any concrete motivations, it made the whole thing seem unrealistic and weak. 
 I have given it a 3 star due to the promising start. I still have hopes for this series. Will pick up the second book and make my final judgment then.