Barrenlands

While Ehren was away on a foolish errand for the First Level Ministry, Benlan, his king and best friend, was assassinated, along with most of the king's guard. Now, a member of the First Level, Varien, has ordered to stop his ongoing search for the king's murderers. Many years ago, King Benlan's brother, Dannel, set off across the Barrenlands, a near impossible feat for a man alone, to be with the woman he loved. Now, the First Level Ministry wants Ehren to find Dannel and his family and "neutralize" them. They want no one trying to make a claim for the throne. By now, Ehren is almost certain in his suspicions that there is a traitor among the First Level wizards. Ehren sets out to find Dannel and his family. When Ehren finds Dannel's children, Laine and Shette, in a merchant caravan, he doesn't tell them what his mission is. He just travels with them for a while. He grows quite attached to them on the trip. He's gathered a lot of information on his trip, and has grown even surer of Varien's involvement with Benlan's death. Now Ehren is determined to protect Dannel's family and get his revenge against Varien.Barrenlands is a good story with likable characters. You can feel Ehren's pain at his friend's death and determination to do what is right. Durgin keeps the story to the point, rather than branching out into plots and subplots. The story is fast-paced and exciting. Very enjoyable.

Likable people (including Ehren, the young brother and sister he seeks out, and secondary characters), physical and magical excitement, psychic visions, and secrets of the past. It may not be "deep", but I'll reread it sometime when I'm in the mood for a story I know I'll enjoy.