Wells is very specific with the weapons in particular, which makes sense one of the protagonists is the captain of the Queen's Guard. I love the way she makes those weapons integral to his character even when he's not using them. Weapons hang on the walls of his bedroom, his servant cleans his wheel-lock pistol for him, after a battle he habitually checks his rapier to make sure it hasn't been bent. It's awesome.
Also, this time around I made fresh note of the female characters. Two are protagonists, who do quite a lot of things, one appears useless at the beginning but begins to show growth by the end - she's more complex than she appears at first mention - and even a minor female character shows hints of depth. This is pretty cool in a novel overflowing with named male warriors and wizards.
I have Wells' two newest books, but am holding onto them a bit, so I can read them at leisure.
