I was wondering about that -- the cover of this edition advertises it as a Hugo winner, and it's not clear which of the books was the honoree.

The thing that feels most fanfic-like to me, so far, is the seeming assumption that the reader already knows the background of the character's worlds. That would make sense in fic or a sequel, but not so much in the first story in a series. But I'm content to go with it for now.