Into the Labyrinth by Tracy Hickman and Margeret Weis
Long ago, more than a decade, maybe not quite two, I read some of the earlier books of this ..I guess seven part series. I really liked Alfred the Sartan, because he had such a hidden ace up his sleeve. And yet he was dismissed as an incompetent idiot (subject to great injustice). That's what it's all generally about. That made up for the negatives for the most part. Years later I come back for the heck of it to I think book six. Same sort of stuff I guess.

Negatives are that just about everyone is a blundering idiot. But then that usually is the real fantasy part about fantasy fiction. There are dragons also and that sort of thing. Blundering idiots and few characters with hidden aces. Not really enough feeling of injustice though here in book six. Skimming through the final book now. Meh.

The book just isn't very consistent. I recall at the very beginning it didn't feel quite so lightweight as Hugh the Hand was being taken to be executed. But ultimately as we spend time with the main villain (Xar) it's really just a silly bunch of books. How does one make evil that isn't ridiculous anyway? Not so easy. Imagine writing about George Bush and Dick Cheney... Horrifically dark and not remotely something to escape to, or just ridiculous. Perhaps Terry Prachett has the right idea.