Well of Echoes

The Well of Echoes is a quartet of novels written by Ian Irvine and is the second arc of The Three Worlds Cycle series.

The Well of Echoes consists of four books:

The Well of Echoes quartet centres on new characters, set in the same world as The View from the Mirror.

Tiaan Liise-Mar is a highly skilled artisan. She works hard to maintain her position as she knows the alternative is the breeding factory. Her mother has worked in the breeding factory in Tiksi most of her life. She also doesn't know who her father is and has no history of her family from his side which is a disadvantage on Santhenar. However, she does have some extraordinary talents. She has a photographic memory and even more rare, if she can remember the mechanical workings of a machine, she can make them move in her mind and tell whether the machine will work and what flaws it has.

Irisis Stirm is another artisan and Tiaan's rival for promotion in the manufactory. She also comes from a well-respected family and uses this against Tiaan. The overseer of the manufactory is her second cousin although he does not favour her as much as she would like. She feels pressure from her family to become crafter, the chief artisan, as so many people in her family have held the position.

Cryl-Nish Hlar is an artificer of average skill and an inexperienced spy for his father, Jal-Nish Hlar. He is usually known as Nish though he doesn't like the nickname much. He comes from a well-respected family and was a scribe to a merchant but his father had him moved to the manufactory. He hates the work but works hard, despite his lack of any real ability.

Scrutator for the region of Einunar. One of few uncorrupt Scrutators. A member of the Council of Scrutators. When he is cast out he vows to bring down the corrupt Council and give Santhenar a chance of winning the war against the lyrinx.

The leader of Clan Inthis and of all the Aachim of Aachan. He is the foster-father of Minis and is constantly forcing his will on his foster-son. He is arrogant in his superiority.

Foster-son of Vithis. He is timid and weak-willed and completely in Vithis's thrall. He contacts Tiaan from Aachan and pleads with her to save the Aachim.

A brilliant, yet eccentric, geomancer who has a need to control everything and everyone in his life. When he loses control he has panic attacks. He has out lived his the normal life expectancy of a normal human, possibly by using his skills as a geomancer to prelong his life. He resides in Nyriandiol and takes Tiaan as his apprentice, shortly before being captured by the lyrinx. Once captured Gilhaelith is almost willing in his aid of them, Gilhaelith soon regrets this as it becomes clear that Matriarch Gyrull has no intention of letting him go. Though "almost willing" he stills keeps in mind his goal in life, to fully understand and control the forces of the world, by using his geomancers globe (a very detailed scaled model of Santhenar) to accomplish his life's aim.

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