I'm also surprised that there is not more talk about the Starter Set adventure on enworld. I'll try to help you out (excuse any typos- not proofed for time). My overall impressions are very positive. I think it is the best starter set of the recent editions. I even like it better than the Pathfinder starter set.
SPOILERS
The Lost Mine of Phandelver is for 4 to 5 1st level characters. 5 Pre-gens come in the starter set (Elf Wizard, Dwarf Cleric, Human Fighter (noble), Human Fighter (folk hero / archer), and Rogue). All of the Pre-gens have detailed backgrounds that tie into the adventure which is great.
The suggested adventure hook is that the PCs start in Neverwinter and a dwarf Gundren Rockseeker hires them to guard a wagon of supplies on the road to Phandelver. Gundren goes ahead on horse with a human warrior named Sildar Hallwinter. Gundren tells the PCs he has found "something big". The secret which he does not tell the PCs is that Gundren and his brothers found a map to the lost mine known as Wave Echo Cave. Five hundred years ago, clans of dwarves and gnomes made an agreement to share the mine's riches known as Phandelver's Pact. They created a great forge known as the Forge of Spells. However, a powerful force of orcs swept across the North and the cave collapsed and its location was lost ever since.
Play starts on the road from Neverwinter when the PCs find two dead horses riddled with black feathered arrows. If they investigate, they discover the horses belong to Gundren and Sildar, but the dwarf and human warrior are gone. Then four goblins hiding in the woods attack.
After the battle, the PCs can find a goblin trail which shows signs two bodies were dragged from the ambush site. There is also a side bar for "What the Goblins Know" if the PCs capture and interrogate a goblin.
The goblin trail leads to a cave. This is the first dungeon, Cragmaw Hideout which has 8 locations. There is a neat flood trap the goblins can unleash. The BBG is a bugbear named Klarg. The PCs must also rescue Sildar Hallwinter. There is a potentially interesting roleplaying opportunity during combat when a goblin leader grabs Sildar and threatens to kill Sildar unless the PCs yield and enter into a truce whereby they help the goblin, Yeemik, kill Klarg, so Yeemik can become the new leader.
After the PCs rescue Sildar, Sildar can give them information about the Rockseeker brothers and the map to Wave Echo Cave. He says the goblins took Gundren and his map to a place called Cragmaw Castle.
After this first dungeon, the PCs level up to level 2. The Pre-gens have details on the back how to level up. Since the proficiency bonus does not change, its pretty easy to do- just roll hit points and a few classes gain an extra spell slot or special ability.
Part Two details the Town of Phandalin. After the railroad of Part 1 (though this is necessary for new players), here things finally open up. There are great roleplaying opportunities and there is a nice list of important NPCs and what they know. I think this town is really well done and has help info for DMs. The town locations that are described include the Stonehill Inn, Barthen's Provisions, Edermath Orchard, Lionshield Coster, Phandalin Miner's Exchange, Alderleaf Farm, Shrine of Luck, the Sleeping Giant, Townmaster's Hall, and Tresendar Manor.
There are multiple mini-quests that the PCs can get in town from various NPCs. They will likely first deliver the wagon supplies to Barthen's Provisions where they will hear from the shopkeeper Elmar Barthan that a gang of thugs called the Redbrands is controlling Phandalin and shaking down businesses. It is likely that confronting the Redbrands is the first quest that PCs go on. There is an encounter with the Redbrands at the Sleeping Giant taproom. This leads to the second "dungeon" the Redbrands hideout under the ruins of Tresandar Manor.
The other quests the PCs may get in town from various NPCs are: Trouble at the Old Owl Well; Halia's Job Offer (Halia is a secret member of the Zhentarim who would like to control the Redbrands, she asks the PCs to kill the leader of the Redbrands, Glasstaff, finding Reidoth the Druid, the Banshee's Bargain, Orc Trouble, Finding Cragmaw Castle, and Finding Iarno. I like these quests because it makes the adventure a big sandbox with various wilderness locations the PCs will travel to in no set order.
These quests are detailed in Part 3. The Ruins of Thundertree has 12 locations, and includes a young green dragon. The other quests are just single locations. The final two dungeons are the goblin stronghold, Cragmaw Castle. The BBG of Cragmaw Castle is King Grol, a bugbear with 45 hp, a doppelgänger disguised as a female crow. The dungeon also features a owl bear and a brick. After rescuing Grundren, he asks them to venture to Wave Echo Cave.
Part 4 details Wave Echo Cave a 19 room dungeon. I have not finished reading this section, but in brief it features some undead including ghouls, a wraith, the the BBG Nezznar the Black Spider, a drow wizard. By the end of the adventure the PCs should be level 5.
I have played through Part 1 with my 9 year old son and we both had a blast. The human fighter was knocked unconscious by two hits from a goblin, but was quickly cured from dying by the cleric. Other than that, the PCs handled the goblins fairly easily. Still that moment gave me a bit of nostalgia to 1st edition, where I went "wow 1st level feels dangerous again." At only 12 hit points the fighter, it only takes a couple of hits from goblins to get in trouble (he did not have time to use second wind).
My first impressions if I had to rate it is 5 out of 5 stars. I'll post more as my son and I play more.
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