What do you think?
Rate this book
Forgotten Realms: Watercourse #2
Lies of Light
Philip Athans, the New York times best-selling author of Annihilation , continues the epic saga begun in Whisper of Waves of a man consumed by his obsession and driven by an overwhelming vision of what might be.
The Wizard Furthering the plots of the Red Wizards of Thay while spinning his own webs, he works in the shadows, manipulating the highest reaches of power.
The Woman Tormented by the ghosts of the past and her own passions, she walks the fine line between sanity and madness, and her obsession may destroy the one thing she loves most.
The Man A visionary who cares nothing for the petty squabbling of those in power, his one desire is to accomplish his greatest work.
The Wizard Furthering the plots of the Red Wizards of Thay while spinning his own webs, he works in the shadows, manipulating the highest reaches of power.
The Woman Tormented by the ghosts of the past and her own passions, she walks the fine line between sanity and madness, and her obsession may destroy the one thing she loves most.
The Man A visionary who cares nothing for the petty squabbling of those in power, his one desire is to accomplish his greatest work.
314 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published September 12, 2006
2 people are currently reading
309 people want to read
About the author
Philip Athans
55 books245 followersI 100% support AUTHORS AGAINST BOOK BANS
https://www.authorsagainstbookbans.com
I give every book 5 stars in protest against the concept of star ratings in general and the ever-unfolding algorithm dystopia!
Philip Athans, an anti-AI, anti-book bans liberal, is the founding partner of Athans & Associates Creative Consulting (www.athansassociates.com), and the New York Times best-selling author of Annihilation and more than a dozen other fantasy and horror books including The Best of Fantasy Authors Handbook Vol. I 2009-2013, The Guide to Writing Fantasy & Science Fiction, and Writing Monsters. Born in Rochester, New York he grew up in suburban Chicago, where he published the literary magazine Alternative Fiction & Poetry. His blog, Fantasy Author’s Handbook, is updated every Tuesday (https://fantasyhandbook.wordpress.com), less regularly on the FAH YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/@FantasyAutho...), and you can follow him on Twitter @PhilAthans. He makes his home in the foothills of the Washington Cascades, east of Seattle.
https://www.authorsagainstbookbans.com
I give every book 5 stars in protest against the concept of star ratings in general and the ever-unfolding algorithm dystopia!
Philip Athans, an anti-AI, anti-book bans liberal, is the founding partner of Athans & Associates Creative Consulting (www.athansassociates.com), and the New York Times best-selling author of Annihilation and more than a dozen other fantasy and horror books including The Best of Fantasy Authors Handbook Vol. I 2009-2013, The Guide to Writing Fantasy & Science Fiction, and Writing Monsters. Born in Rochester, New York he grew up in suburban Chicago, where he published the literary magazine Alternative Fiction & Poetry. His blog, Fantasy Author’s Handbook, is updated every Tuesday (https://fantasyhandbook.wordpress.com), less regularly on the FAH YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/@FantasyAutho...), and you can follow him on Twitter @PhilAthans. He makes his home in the foothills of the Washington Cascades, east of Seattle.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
November 7, 2014
This book really drives home the realization that Forgotten Realms novels have gotten so much more sophisticated than what they were back in the 80's and 90's that it's scary.
This second book in a trilogy is....Jesus, is it perfect? My mind wants to say perfect. But let's just say it's really, really, really, really, really, REALLY good.
There is so very little of the normal, clichéd fantasy tropes here. And even the small spatterings of the traditional fare (the crotchety but affable dwarf character, for instance, or the dragon that thinks so little of mankind) are done so well, with such a masterful hand, that they feel like something new.
The characters are deep, troubled, nuanced, and flawed-like-a-muthafucka. There's no "battling the monster to save the girl." Hell, sometimes the girl IS the monster. There's no "good overcoming evil." As in real life, there is no one truly good, there's a bit of evil in everyone, and motives are deep, dark, personal things. Altruism and stoicism are thrown away. These characters are more real than some actual real people I know.
The action-y parts are written in a no-nonsense style, and they're just to push the plot along to the REAL showcase, which is the squabbling and intriguing and fucking-the-fuck-over that these terrible, wonderful people and creatures do to each other.
I could go on and on typing gushing compliments for this book and series and author and genre, but instead, I'll just hope that someone reads this review, perhaps someone who has never read a Forgotten Realms fantasy novel, perhaps someone who doesn't even WANT to, and that they'll give it a try, and have their mind made love to.
In fact, that shall be the last line of my review:
This series makes love to your mind.
This second book in a trilogy is....Jesus, is it perfect? My mind wants to say perfect. But let's just say it's really, really, really, really, really, REALLY good.
There is so very little of the normal, clichéd fantasy tropes here. And even the small spatterings of the traditional fare (the crotchety but affable dwarf character, for instance, or the dragon that thinks so little of mankind) are done so well, with such a masterful hand, that they feel like something new.
The characters are deep, troubled, nuanced, and flawed-like-a-muthafucka. There's no "battling the monster to save the girl." Hell, sometimes the girl IS the monster. There's no "good overcoming evil." As in real life, there is no one truly good, there's a bit of evil in everyone, and motives are deep, dark, personal things. Altruism and stoicism are thrown away. These characters are more real than some actual real people I know.
The action-y parts are written in a no-nonsense style, and they're just to push the plot along to the REAL showcase, which is the squabbling and intriguing and fucking-the-fuck-over that these terrible, wonderful people and creatures do to each other.
I could go on and on typing gushing compliments for this book and series and author and genre, but instead, I'll just hope that someone reads this review, perhaps someone who has never read a Forgotten Realms fantasy novel, perhaps someone who doesn't even WANT to, and that they'll give it a try, and have their mind made love to.
In fact, that shall be the last line of my review:
This series makes love to your mind.
July 30, 2015
The middle part of a trilogy is often the weakest. All the important players have already been introduced and the stage has been set, but it is not yet time for the climax.
I previously reviewed the first book of the series, and most of the general criticisms I presented there apply here as well.
Most of Lies of Light concentrates on describing the intrigue and conniving of the Innarlan nobility and the Red Wizard Marek Rymiit. It reminds me of House of Cards except it isn't compelling in the least. Our protagonist Ivar Devorast makes few appearances in the story, except when one of the myriad plotters wants a word with him and he gets to be all dismissive of them. The reader sympathizes and not a lot happens. Some characters die, some take up page count while remaining uninteresting and irrelevant, presumably to build them up as characters before they're killed off in the third novel, most likely by the genasi Pristoleph. He's maintained a presence for two books without really doing much and we know he's evil, so that's the likely payoff.
All in all, Lies of Light reads like an exercise in bloating out the middle book to a publishable length without actually advancing the plot. Rand did it with pseudophilosophy, which we are fortunately not subjected to here. Instead, we're given pseudostory, stuff that looks like something is happening while the plot is treading water.
I am not sure if it is intentional or just the Rand's hysteria about communism pushing through, but I thought the sideplot with a trade union as a front for a zombie-raising necromancy operation was rather amusing.
I previously reviewed the first book of the series, and most of the general criticisms I presented there apply here as well.
Most of Lies of Light concentrates on describing the intrigue and conniving of the Innarlan nobility and the Red Wizard Marek Rymiit. It reminds me of House of Cards except it isn't compelling in the least. Our protagonist Ivar Devorast makes few appearances in the story, except when one of the myriad plotters wants a word with him and he gets to be all dismissive of them. The reader sympathizes and not a lot happens. Some characters die, some take up page count while remaining uninteresting and irrelevant, presumably to build them up as characters before they're killed off in the third novel, most likely by the genasi Pristoleph. He's maintained a presence for two books without really doing much and we know he's evil, so that's the likely payoff.
All in all, Lies of Light reads like an exercise in bloating out the middle book to a publishable length without actually advancing the plot. Rand did it with pseudophilosophy, which we are fortunately not subjected to here. Instead, we're given pseudostory, stuff that looks like something is happening while the plot is treading water.
I am not sure if it is intentional or just the Rand's hysteria about communism pushing through, but I thought the sideplot with a trade union as a front for a zombie-raising necromancy operation was rather amusing.
March 13, 2022
Fast paced and intriguing. I'll admit there's a lot of plot holes but the author gives just enough so you're not asking yourself what is going on. The way he does this is actually pretty impressive being as how much time passes in the book and the one before it, which I saw as kind of a setup for the actual story to start in full swing in the second and third books. In very short chapters, some only a couple pages, a month can go by. Sometimes days, sometimes weeks, sometimes even a whole month goes by between very short chapters. Interesting way of writing but I still loved it
May 16, 2017
"if you can find a way to benefit from it...it isn't chaos."
"Crying is not a legitimate form of expression."
"Crying is not a legitimate form of expression."
October 1, 2021
If you've ever felt Ayn Rand's novels were too subtle, this is the series for you.
March 9, 2017
Episode 2 in good book A$$hole characters continues with more of the same. Fun writing, fun not often explored corner of the realms, and I actively want every character dead.
March 27, 2013
I really liked the first book in this series, but this one was not as compelling.
Too often Athans is repeating himself with scenes involving the haunted character, Phyrea. We understand that she is going insane because an evil sword allows her to see a bunch of ghosts, who follow her around all the time and talk smack...they always want her to cut herself and go home. While some of these scenes are really well written and creepy, there are simply too many of them. I think that I'm not alone when I say "the readers get the point". There is also a strange relationship between this character and another main character, Devorast. He is the man obsessed with building a channal between the land locked inner sea, and the harbor that thier city is on. In the first book, I really liked this concept, but I have to say, as we realize how full of magic this place is, why is this such and issue? Transportation can all be done by magic, I mean, you have to have money and all that, but you'd have to have money to use a cannal, right? However, Athans continues to tell us that Devorast is just a really driven individual, so we just believe that this project is important to HIM...but back to what I was saying about the relationship...it's silly. She loves him, he loves his project, she keeps running to him, and he says that he can't commit, and they sleep together, and she leaves. This repeats 3 times in the book. I, for one, understood the dynamic of their relationship within the first scene. I don't know why he felt like he needed to repeat it...unless he just needed fill some pages. And it get weirder, because she loves him so much she decides that she must destroy him. I don't really get it, I mean I understand "hell hath no fury", but she sets out to destroy him, then comes back to him, then tries to help him out of the mess she created but it's too late and he's doomed. It's too convoluted, and there is not enough time to make this kind of plot work (this isn't a Russian Romance).
Other stuff happens too.
With all that bashing, I still gave the book 3 stars. Even with all the repetition, the plot still moved forward and kept me interested; I started the third book right away. So, I guess I liked enough to keep going.
Too often Athans is repeating himself with scenes involving the haunted character, Phyrea. We understand that she is going insane because an evil sword allows her to see a bunch of ghosts, who follow her around all the time and talk smack...they always want her to cut herself and go home. While some of these scenes are really well written and creepy, there are simply too many of them. I think that I'm not alone when I say "the readers get the point". There is also a strange relationship between this character and another main character, Devorast. He is the man obsessed with building a channal between the land locked inner sea, and the harbor that thier city is on. In the first book, I really liked this concept, but I have to say, as we realize how full of magic this place is, why is this such and issue? Transportation can all be done by magic, I mean, you have to have money and all that, but you'd have to have money to use a cannal, right? However, Athans continues to tell us that Devorast is just a really driven individual, so we just believe that this project is important to HIM...but back to what I was saying about the relationship...it's silly. She loves him, he loves his project, she keeps running to him, and he says that he can't commit, and they sleep together, and she leaves. This repeats 3 times in the book. I, for one, understood the dynamic of their relationship within the first scene. I don't know why he felt like he needed to repeat it...unless he just needed fill some pages. And it get weirder, because she loves him so much she decides that she must destroy him. I don't really get it, I mean I understand "hell hath no fury", but she sets out to destroy him, then comes back to him, then tries to help him out of the mess she created but it's too late and he's doomed. It's too convoluted, and there is not enough time to make this kind of plot work (this isn't a Russian Romance).
Other stuff happens too.
With all that bashing, I still gave the book 3 stars. Even with all the repetition, the plot still moved forward and kept me interested; I started the third book right away. So, I guess I liked enough to keep going.
June 20, 2007
Lies of Light is the second book in The Watercourse Trilogy and revolves around a diverse cast of characters all pursuing their own ambitions in the remote city of Innarlith. The book picks up right where the first book Whisper of Waves left off with Ivar Devorast beginning his canal and the red wizard Marek Rymut beginning to make a play for power in the city of Innarlith. The book finally begins to include the genasi Pristoleph near the end of the book and includes more of the female Phyrea. One thing that I felt was missing from this book is any sort of rivalry between Willem and Ivar. The red wizard Marek is the primary character that is involved in the book and he starts to play a bigger role in Innarlith as the book progresses. the author makes it clearly evident that Marek is the one pulling all the strings in every aspect of Innarlith life and there is nothing in the city that is done without him knowing, manipulating or initiating it.
To read the full review click on the link.
[http://www.thefantasyreview.com/2007/...]
To read the full review click on the link.
[http://www.thefantasyreview.com/2007/...]
January 20, 2008
this series the watercourse trilogy is prolly the worst trilogy in the entire forgotten realms setting
September 23, 2012
This is the second novel in the Watercourse trilogy, a series set in the Forgotten Realms fantasy setting. Worth reading, but not exceptional.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews