The backlog pile of these reviews is slowly but surely decreasing. Lies of Light by Phillip Athans is a Forgotten Realms novel and the second book in The Watercourse Trilogy, which details one visionary's attempt to build a canal that would link the Sea of Fallen Stars (the landlocked Inner Sea of Faerun) to the Lake of Steam (which then connects into the various outer seas & oceans). The canal would forever alter trade routes, and so for every group/nation that wants to see it built, there's another that doesn't... and many of those who don't are prepared to do anything to stop it being finished.
As with the previous book in the trilogy (Whisper of Waves), each chapter (of which there are many, 68 in all in a book 308 pages in length) is short and is also given a precise date. This is handy in keeping track of the story because the book covers several years worth of events (though nowhere near as many as the first book did).
The book follows Ivar Devorast as he works on his canal, aided by his dwarf stonemason friends Hrothgar & Vrengarl, and then later by the alchemist Surero whose experiments in smokepower, produce amazing results. Unfortunately for Devorast, back in the nearby city-state of Innarlith change is in the air. The Red Wizard Marek Rymut doesn't want the canal built, as he makes a tidy sum of money using magic to shift goods and people from one sea to the other. To that extent he engineers a coup, replacing the Ransar (ruler of the city) who supported & funded the canal project, with one who views it as a huge waste of money and resources.
Undeterred by the sudden lack of funding coming from Innarlith (and not really surprised by it either), Devorast has already secured alternate sources of funding from foreign governments & agencies who are eager to have a shipping route to the outer seas. With the money come men too, and with the explosive power of Surero's smokepowder to boot, if anything the canal is now being built faster than before.
While a power struggle over the canal goes on, Willem's star rises in society whilst he slides into despair, having already been promoted beyond his ability, his sham of a marriage to the beautiful (and haunted) Phyrea (who actually desires Devorast), loses him the woman he truly loves. And all the while the genasi senator Pristoleph rises to power, unnoticed and unchecked.
The book is filled with genuinely interesting characters, even the ones you will despise (and if you're anything like me, then both Willem Korvan and Marek Rymut will be high on that list!) are fascinating to read about. There are many plot threads interweaving, spread over years of time and I am very interested to see how Mr. Athans is going to resolve all of this in the third and final book Scream Of Stone which is out in June 2007.
I'm going to award this book 4/5. It is a good read, but not quite as good as the first part I felt, in large because it is the middle part of the story and so there is no real beginning or ending to the tale, just a lot of plots continuing. There is very little resolution to anything in this book, and the parts where it seem like something is being resolved, really only serve to spur another plot element onwards. One thing is certain though, I really hope that Devorast gets to finish his canal, but I get the feeling that this trilogy isn't going to have a happy ending.
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