Kalin (Dumarest of Terra #4)

Now the template, the initiator, the seminal work. Everything before has been rather fun in a pulpy sort of way. In Kalin, Dumarest meets the love of his life only to lose her and the series takes on a new grandeur. The book is tightly plotted, from the planet Logos with its legal 'bloodtime' where the beautiful Kalin is nearly destroyed as a witch, to the final denouement on Solis. She has prescient powers as Dumarest quickly discovers but there are deeper layers to her being which will torture Dumarest for another 29 books. This is simply a must read as a stand alone volume or as a means of understanding the reflections in the rest of the series.

Here's your chance to read about one of the ladies you'll be hearing about for the rest of the series. Great writing that lays out much of the plot for future books.