Insurrection by Thomas M. Reid is a Forgotten Realms novel and the second book in the six part War of the Spider Queen saga. It begins a couple weeks after the events at the end of Dissolution, with five of the main characters we met in the previous book sent to investigate whether Lolth's silence extends beyond Menzoberranzan to other cities of the drow. Specifically, they are heading towards the nearest such city, a trading centre called Ched Nasad the City of Shimmering Webs, so named because the entire place is built in a chasm on huge calcified strands of webbing.
The characters taking part in the trek are: Quenthal Baenre (who is nominally in charge of the expedition), Jeggred (who has been appointed by Triel to guard Quenthel and obeys her without question), Faeryl Zauvirr (returning to her home city and acting as a guide), Ryld Argith (the muscle) and Pharaun Mizz'rym (whose magics give him more destructive power than all the rest combined and who chafes under Quenthal's leadership, doing his best to undermine her at every turn). Joining them is Valas Hune, a male scout who fights with twin kukri's and who can travel through shadows.
As we join the group they are fighting a running battle against the forces of a half-demon warlord called Kaanyr Vhok. His soldiers are demon/orc hybrids called Tannarukk's. He both has a lot of these troops and they are fanatically devoted to him. They are attacking the drow as the drow have trespassed in Vhok's terriotory. Leading them is Aliisza, an alu-fiend (the daughter of a human male and a succubus) and Vhok's consort who takes an immediate (and carnal) interest in Pharaun.
Battling their way past the Tannarukk's brings the group eventually to Ched Nasad, where they find the city on the brink of a revolution. Lolth's silence is indeed all pervasive and Pharaun soon discovers that it is not only the drow who have lost contact with her, other races that venerate the spider queen receive no spells from her either. While the males are off exploring the city (and getting into fights), Quenthal and Jeggred find themselves caught up in some treacherous politics between the noble houses and are betrayed by Faeryl.
This leads the group into contact with two other new characters, the priestess Hallistra Melarn and her battle captive/servant Danifae Yhauntyrr. Hallistra is implicated in a conspiracy to betray Ched Nasad, but has been set up as a scapegoat by Faeryl's mother. Danifae is bound to Hallistra's service by means of a powerful binding spell, but she yearns to be free. Extremely beautiful and very clever to boot, she schemes to win her release from slavery, as before she fell captive, she was a priestess herself. When the plot to frame Hallistra blows up in their face, Faeryl and her mother launch their fall back plan.
What follows is nothing less than all out chaos, as a huge force of mercenary Duergar (gray dwarves) at the behest of Faeryl's mother (who herself is being manipulated by an outside agency. Drow plots are nothing if not machiavellian!), attacks the city from within. What makes things worse is that they make heavy use of a strange kind of alchemical weapon, which creates a fire that actually burns stone. Ched Nasad is a city built on a vast criss-crossed network of stone webbing. I'm sure you can imagine the carnage that happens as a result of this!
The last hundred pages of this book are one long running battle, that is exhilirating to read as things go from bad to worse seemingly with every turn of the page. This is a really well written book and as with part one of the saga, it gets full marks from me, 5/5. The new characters of Valas and Aliisza are a lot of fun to read, Valas because his abilities continually surprise his travelling companions; Aliisza because she is a fun character. She likes to laugh and a good time in bed (she's not exactly very loyal to her lord), while at the same time being evil to the core. I'm very happy to have read that Mr Reid is writing a trilogy, in which Kaanyr and Aliisza will feature heavily.
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