This was very good - much as everyone's been saying on Youtube etc...
It's definitely a "first part", acting as an introduction to a bigger picture, but if I'm going to write it off for that, I'd be writing off Fellowship of the Ring.
It's gritty, fast paced, interesting (certainly beyond the first 50-70 pages) and ultimately ALL about characterisation.
The grimdark elements are celebrated a lot, and to be fair, they weren't necessarily the elements I liked the most but it's written well and the characterisation is superb.