Lord of Lies

Lord of Lies The world of Ea is a fascinating place. The quest for the mythical Lightstone had brought more trouble to the kindgom. Valashu Elahad, the 7th prince of the house of Mesh, forsook his quest for knowledge for the sword and leadership of his companions. The Dark Angel Morijin has battled against Val, only to lose the object he sought. The sacred cup of Light is desired by Morijin, and yet guarded by Val. As the forces build against him, he begins to understand the magnitude of the battle he must face. His strength of character and judgement must be sound to survive what must come, the final conflict over the cup of Light. Power is nothing without temptation! David Zindell weaves a magical tale bursting with narrative energy. His deeply hypnotic style turns the literary into imaginary, `live' images dancing on the tapestry of our imagination. I was drawn into the battle as the family of Mesh, led by Val (and the sword of sight) finally overcomes Morijin, but losing the stone. Remembering Morijin as a `man with golden eyes and a smile like the sun, beautiful in form and face.', he learns that the contrast between deception and the truth is strong Lessons can sometimes only be taught through loss. Such are those that Valashu learns. Compassion and Revenge are two sides of the same wolf. Feed one, and that side will thrive, feed the other, and the other suffers. The 3rd book of the world of Ea sets up the next series. The quest for the Lord of Light and the Lightstone (again) will be a marvelous search, and three more delightful novels. Look for these at your local book store or online at www.tor-forge.com. Tim Lasiuta

The seventh son of the King of Mesh, Valashu "Val" Elahad uses the ancient sword Alakaladur. However, he and his bone tired friends come home for some needed rest and recuperation after their traumatic but successful adventures to recover the powerful LIGHTSTONE golden cup. They hope the outcome of their quest leads to peace and prosperity for the kingdoms of Ea as prophesized. Now that he is home, Val knows the next step is to figure out how to release the power of the Lightstone. He knows that something or someone named Maitreya is the source, but who or what remains an enigma while he has doubts about his inner strength to remain virtuous; failure to do so by him or his inner circle means defeat. While he and his team begin the second part of their quest to find a prophet who can either point them to Maitreya or better yet release the power, the dark lord Morjin, angry over his recent loss to Val, plans to steal the Lightstone and kill those who recently defeated him. The third Ea fantasy (see THE LIGHTSTONE and THE SILVER SWORD) is an entertaining Tolkien (some might say early Robert Jordan) quest thriller. The keys, as with the previous entries, are the vivid details that make the Ea continent seem genuine and the hero; especially the latter although he comes out of the fantasy quest type casting. Although the rest of the players are one dimensional including Morjin the angry who lost some depth since his previous appearances, fans will appreciate the well written LORD OF LIES. Harriet Klausner

Another great book in the Lightstone series! Wonderful characters and a unique story made this a most enjoyable book and as in all great books I was distressed to have it end. I am eagerly awaiting the next book in the series having ordered it shortly after finishing the Lightstone. I cannot say enough about this author and am still puzzled that I could have missed his work for so long. This series goes to the top of my favorites.

The Lord of Lies is the second book in Zindell's ambitious epic fantasy. It leads straight on from the Lightstone and though it's a much shorter book than LS, it doesn't lack any of the imagery and story. The plot of the series seems one that's been done before, obviously Lord of the Rings has an influence and so do many other books in the genre seem to ring a tune throughout, but, Zindell still brings a richness of original story and imagination not to mention brilliant characterization that he weaves into one of the most ripping epics I've ever read. I could tell you more, but am afraid to spoil the plot. As I write this, I'm just getting into the 3rd book Black Jade, and it is blowing me away. This series is NOT becoming bland or stale like some other epics floating around at the moment and it appears that it may finish in 4 installments. That would be enough I'd think. So get into it, I insist, you'll not be disappointed.