This is an interesting fantasy world that doesn't really have magic.  There is a very large series of these books, including a couple of spin-off series.  It's a well-developed world and the books do have some good emotional impact. 

There is one note of caution here.  For some strange reason, the books in this series are NOT stand alone.  They end abruptly without warning and start right back up in the next book.  So be aware, that if you pick up this book and like it, you're looking down the barrel of 9 books to get the full story with them getting a little more book-like towards the end. 

Definitely an enjoyable series!