For the story and setting, I originally thought that this series reminded me of the movie Braveheart. Certainly, the setting is a fantasy world that is similar to the Middle Ages. Power is obtained, and kept, through force. This translates to lots of medieval combat, which personally, is not my forte. But on further reads, things became clearer and I started picking up on the politics, magic/religion, and spirituality of the series. Artesia herself is a strong female character, and yet sensual when she wants to be. The magic is low key, consisting mostly of blessings and runes/sigils, and not pyrotechnics. This is obviously not Dungeons & Dragons.

The writing is intelligent, and it's here that I really began to enjoy the book. Characters are written with motives, not as good or evil. In Artesia's fully-developed world, there is political conflict not only due to physical boundaries (such as land disputes, or relations with other kingdoms), but also due to belief systems (old beliefs vs. newer ones). Characters plot and scheme and it leaves me with the feelings that this could easily be real.

Visually, I immediately loved the painted landscapes and the details of the character's armor and heraldry. It is simply beautiful and amazing. I can't imagine what it takes to draw & paint such art. The more I became familiar with the characters, the more I appreciated the way the faces & bodies of the characters were drawn as well. (Originally, I thought their features only mediocre.) I also appreciate the way magic effcts are handled; I almost didn't notice them.

I'd recommend this book to anyone who enjoys "realistic" fantasy novels, as this is as close as you can get to a novel and yet remain a work of graphical fiction. If you like medieval warfare, there is plenty for you here; if you like the scheming and politics of kings & queens, then you'll also be happy. Artesia is a book you can read several times and find new things each time.

It's the world that captivates though. Smylie has come up with a mythology at once original and familiar to anyone with passing knowledge of the Celtic and Judeo-Christian religions. As the story progresses (and this becomes more evident when one reads the second and third books after this one), one also gets to travel through the broader world Smylie has constructed. You get to see different, realistic cultures--many reminiscent of our own--with different (and often conflicting) views on life and morality.

There are "good" guys and "bad" guys, but, mercifully, Smylie avoids the cliche generalization of "good" and "bad" countries, focusing instead on individual virtue, honor, and merits. Artesia herself is larger than life to the Daradjans allied to her, but is in turn viewed as less than virtuous to their neighbors.

Best of all, the book is written intelligently. The dialogue is layed out in the same way that people speak. The characters assume that you have become familiar enough with them that (after their introduction) they don't necessarily exclaim each others' names every other sentence. Also, the author assumes that you read the nice essays on the mythos, history, religion, etc., so that when a character invokes a deity or a historical figure, he does so in a matter befitting his person, and not in a way that obviously caters to an invisible audience.

I would reccommend this book to someone who wants to invest some time in following a long-lasting story. If you are not familiar at all with Artesia, the collected trade paperbacks are a great way to catch up and to read the story as I truly think they were meant to be. Unless this is definitely not your cup of tea (and I don't think you'd be dropping $25 if this was the case), you'll probably find yourself waiting for the next collection to arrive as well.

A trully engrossing read and well worth the money.