I feel like not much happens in this book, but it does setup some interesting plot lines going forward. Instead this book is basically a 500 page table setter and introduction into the world Abercrombie has created. So much of the world is enjoyable and he does a really great job giving the reader a feel for the setting of the different parts of the world. I will say it sort of fizzled out for me in the end and the meat of the book was the first 4/5. The fight scene at the end was too long and kind of came out of nowhere. Other than that though I really got hooked on some of the characters. My characters ratings below

Best Characters (aka my favorite)
1. Longfoot -- This guys dialogue is the best. I find myself talking like him in my head after each one of his appearances. Love me some Longfoot!
2. Glotka -- one of the great book characters. I very rarely laugh out loud while reading books but Glotka had some lines, or rather italicized thoughts, that had me legit laugh out loud. Really well done character
3. Bayaz -- I'm into him. The "wizard" role can be corny but Bayaz is awesome, mysterious, witty and interesting.
4. Ninefingers -- might have been slightly ahead of Bayaz until that last lame, predictable, drawn out fight scene. We get it
5. Frost -- GOAT albino giant
6. Ferro -- she has the most potential to plummet to the top of this list or the bottom. The seed is the big mystery for me and she's obviously going to be a major player
7. Sulfur -- this dude was cool as a subtle background guy. I'm sure there's more to come from him


Worst Characters (aka most insufferable to me)
1. Jezal -- gosh I can't stand this guy. Like not even the character, but every passage he's in just leaves me longing for some Glotka or Longfoot. Funny how Glotka can just be walking around doing nothing important and his parts are page turners whereas Jezal could be having a major moment in the development of the book and it's a slog to get through. Abercrombie really made sure we knew he didn't like fencing either, when he was obviously going to win the contest
2. West
3. Ardee -- book was going well until the requisite sappy love story
4. Quai -- not as bad as the first 3 but meh

The worldbuilding is phenomenal, Ende really knows how to paint a scene. The story doesn't really kick in until late into the book and then it becomes a little too on the nose in my opinion. It turns out that something sinister is going on in our world (the matrix) where the time thieves (agent Smiths) are tricking people to spend their hours doing tasks they don't enjoy in order to give the agent Smiths an opportunity to steal their time. Momo travels to a place hidden in time to learn the secret. Cassiopeia, a turtle who is able to see 30 minutes into the future, guides Momo there much like the iconic scene in the Matrix where Neo avoids the agent Smiths. Once they get past that, Momo meets Professor Hora (Morpheus) who tells her how to save the world. She then goes back, with her eyes opened, and sees how the time thieves have really done some damage and she decides to end it once and for all.

I really do think this was one of the last bridging points between stories like The Wizard of Oz, It's a Wonderful Life etc and The Matrix.