Honestly, you are a bit right yes. But the entire series is good. There are a couple points that get annoying, at least to me, but still it is good. I originally read it in my late teens and thought it was great. As a near 35 year old now, I still enjoyed re-reading it again.
Compared to other novels I own(Star Wars,
40k, etc..) it probably isn't among the 'best' but I would still give it a 3 out of 5 stars for the series. If I were to rate the books individually the first(The Sleeping Dragon) is by far and away the best(5 of 5 for me on it) the 2nd and 3rd are probably more 3 of 5 each.
I am getting ready to start the second series that was written(The Heroes) which is 2 more novels, and then there are a few other single books that never got compiled into a series, at least that I know of. I will be writting reviews of all of them as I finish each part. So stay tuned.
If you don't own the novels already, but can get them used for 'used' book prices I would say grab em up for a good quick read. If you can't get them cheaply though, they are not a ground-breaking novel set that is a must own at any price(Not like Abnets Gaunts Ghosts for instance
)