So, take a few fantasy tropes (wizards, dragons, barbarians...), twist them a bit (two smart women travelling together, one of them a barbarian), add an interesting take on magic and knowledge and who has it and shares it -- or not, and you would have already a pretty interesting novel. But the author adds a deeper layer with hints and unsettling details, and a few more obvious clues near the end, and suddenly you're not entirely sure what story you've been reading. I think I'll get on the three following books, because I've grown very curious about how it will all be explained. So no, there won't be a lot of answers at the end of this one, which is frustrating. But it's a quite brilliant introduction to something very very original.