That scene showing Rivalen weeping made me think that probably he could still be saved from his madness. But after reading Continuum, where he felt no compunction whatsoever after killing his mother, obstinately standing by and ignoring her mother's last request, I judged the probability turned nil.
The depiction of the ‘Shar-touched lands’ (I forget the precise circumstances, as I read the series a couple months ago – the destroyed area around the central void) evoked such despair and horror. It’s rare that a book draws me into its setting so completely.
The characters were full and real. The fact that I could empathize with a character as despicable as Rivalen is testament to the author’s skill - There’s a beautiful scene where a weeping Rivalen, in (as I interpreted it) a singular showing of remorse, tosses one of his prized coins into the void he helped create.