I will begin by saying that there is some pretty clear inspiration here from Gene Wolfe's Book of the New Sun. It doesn't approach copycat levels, and the story is very much its own thing, but it's enough to be worth mentioning. One obvious example is that, similar to the "destriers" in BotNS, this series has "horses" that are clearly not horses as we know them (though the way they are described is also different from Wolfe's destriers). Not "dying earth" in the same way, but the story takes place in what seems to be a very distant future, in a society that seems to have forgotten much of its early history. Humans may not be humans as we know ourselves today.
As I write this, I'm partway through the third (final) book of the series, and I would say that these books probably aren't for everyone. For one thing, there are mentions of SA and situations of a similar nature in more than one place, and while it isn't treated as a good or justified thing at all, it is enough part of the story that some people might want to avoid it. For another, and on a much lighter note, the series as a whole is generally a bit slow. Not in the sense of being poorly-written, it's just that kind of story. I wouldn't say it's boring, but I wouldn't describe it as action-packed either (not that everything needs to be, just pointing it out).
Overall, this series isn't among my favorites, though it has been an interesting read. This first book does a good job of setting the vibe for things to come, and I think it does a good job of putting you into the world. Speaking of which, that's probably my favorite part of these books. I'm not entirely sure I grasp everything that's going on with this setting, but at the same time, there were many times where I felt completely immersed in this strange place. That's a big part of my enjoyment of this kind of thing, so that's a big mark in favor of the series. On the other hand, I feel like a lot of what's being done here has been done better before. It never really felt particularly derivative to me or anything, but it does tread some familiar ground.
I feel like this is the kind of thing that would benefit from repeated reading, but I don't see myself coming back to this one with so many other books to read. There are some interesting ideas, and some great imagery, but overall it never really grabbed me.
If you like weird, kinda philosophical SF in a bleak, semi-fantastical setting, it could be worth checking this out. If you do (and some might disagree with me on this), I would say this is a series you might not want to stick with if this first one doesn't grab you. I wouldn't necessarily say it peaks here, but I do think it's a pretty good picture of what you can expect.
