Reddit reviews Lord of Lies

The Lightstone series, particularly The Lord of Lies. I LOVED Zindell's Neverness series, but this one was difficult for me to get started with. The first chapter of this are characters talking about past events, but in context, so they are talking how they know them, out of order, their significance, which is harder for the recap - I really needed an objective recap, or even some poetic chronicler's recounting in italics in a prologue. And the same chapter is simultaneously throwing ALL THE FANTASY NAMES and ALL THE FANTASY POLITICS at you that it was just too much.

I finally stopped and grabbed another book from the other room, coincidentally called Lord of the Night. Though pulpier, that book had a fantastic first chapter. So dripping with mood that you could taste it and savor it as you gnawed the chapter down to the bone.