This is the players guide for the Shadows of Esteren game system. It gives you a background to the game world which is given in a series of letters and tales from characters in the world. This allows you to not only get a feel for the world, but also shows you the different attitudes of the peoples rather than just telling you. The guide is very well written and illustrated to a high level. I really can't say how good the artwork is in this book.

The second half of the book gives you character generation, a basic description of the game system and combat system as well as the details of the various magical character types. There is enough here to run a game in the world, however there are no GM details which is a downside. The various hints throughout the book show that there are deep secrets in the game world, ones that are not yet available to the GM. BUT don't let that put you off. This is still a brilliant game, with a fully worked out world that you can run adventures in.