Rape, murder, pillage, violence this is not a positive view of the world. Donaldson seems to like bringing out the worst in his characters, and I find myself putting the book down every few chapters to read something else. But I keep coming back, Donaldson is a good writer and the books do fly along. The series is modeled on Wagner's Ring Cycle and there are many links between the two works.
I will keep reading, I want to finish the series and I do recommend it to others, just don't be surprised if you need a shower afterwards.