War of Three Waters

In Book Three of the Watershed Trilogy, Douglas Niles weaves a tale that has no peer. In a land ruled by Faerines and threatened by The Heart of Darkblood, the Man and Woman of Three Waters seek to destroy the evil heart that spreads poisonous blood and disease over the land. Men of weak character drink the darkblood that flows from an underground spring driven by Darkblood. Minions overrun the land, coming in endless hordes to destroy The Watershed, joined, by brutox, which sound like a combination of brutes and oxen. Nothing can stop the evil except the Aura, a faerine liquid that gives sorcery powers to children who drink it and heals the wounds and illnesses of adults who sip it. Aura is the only weapon the inhabitants of The Watershed have against Darkblood, and all hopes for redemption rest with Rudy and Raine, as they struggle towards the evil mountain that houses The Heart of Darkblood and the Nameless One who guards it. Much of the obvious entertainment in this classy tale rests with not only the actions and counteractions in the fight against evil, but in the names of the characters themselves. Bristyn Duftrall is the lovely Duchy of Castle Shalloth, kidnaped by swamp men turned beasts by the Darkblood, en route to her husband Takians side at Carillonn. There is action at every turn of the page, contributing to the overall synthesis of the plot. Mr. Niles employs a masterful and poetic prose that flows as silvery as the Aura he describes:
"Throughout the night the city of white marble was ghostly and silent, brightened by a full moon until the silvery orb was obscured by the billowing cloud of pollution that continually surged into the western sky. Dawn
came as a murky affair, with a blanket of smoke lying in the valley of the
Ariak, obscuring the water and leaving the island of Carilonn like a city
afloat on a very dark and menacing cloud."
Prose as gorgeous and enticing as the above quote adds to wonderful depth of emotion in the characters, light-heartedness from the creatures of Faerine as they turn the tide with well orchestrated magic, and touching love stories embedded in the grisly business of war. "War Of Three Waters" is able to stand alone as a crowning achievement, even as it provides eager readers with the exciting conclusion of the trilogy. It is an absolutely magnificent read, and this reviewer would sit down and read the entire story again without a thought. Mr. Niles work stands among the giants of fantasy.Niles, Douglas is the author of 'War of Three Waters', published 1998 under ISBN 9780441005321 and ISBN 0441005322.