Tetsujin, I am worried that I have hijacked your thread into a big advertisement for my Story Hour. Sorry, but the log of my campaign is my best case for buying the game.
The setting is based on an interesting idea but the execution of the idea, both in the rules and in the text is what really makes the setting stand out.
It is a world ruled by evil where highly powerful heroic NPC's are nearly non-existent, thus putting the spotlight on the PC's and their attempts to make a mark.
The rules: new classes, spell system, Heroic Paths, races and magic item rules all add to the dark-Tolkien feel.
I generally don't like published settings at all, being a fan of homebrewing, but this world is worth the ducats.
Please check it out and please post what you think here when you are done.