The Light of All That Falls (Licanius Trilogy #3)

by James Islington

Overview

The journey that began with The Shadow of What Was Lostreaches its spectacular conclusion in The Light of All That Falls, the final chapter of the Licanius Trilogy by acclaimed epic fantasy author James Islington.


After a savage battle, the Boundary is whole again — but it may be too late. Banes now stalk the lands of Andarra, and the Venerate have gathered their armies for a final, crushing blow.


In Ilin Illan, Wirr fights to maintain a precarious alliance between Andarra's factions of power. With dark forces closing in on the capital, if he cannot succeed, the war is lost.


Imprisoned and alone in a strange land, Davian is pitted against the remaining Venerate. As he desperately tries to keep them from undoing Asha's sacrifice, he struggles to come to terms with his own path and all he has learned about Caeden, the friend he chose to set free.


Finally, Caeden is confronted with the reality of a plan laid centuries ago — heartbroken at how it started and devastated by how it must end.





The Licanius Trilogy
The Shadow of What Was Lost
An Echo of Things to Come
The Light of All That Falls


"Love The Wheel of Time? This is about to become your new favorite series." - B&N SciFi & Fantasy Blog

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316274180
Publisher:	Orbit
Publication date:	12/10/2019
Series:	Licanius Trilogy Series , #3
Pages:	864
Sales rank:	87,017
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.30(h) x 2.50(d)

About the Author

James Islington was born and raised in southern Victoria, Australia. His influences growing up were the stories of Raymond E. Feist and Robert Jordan, but it wasn't until later, when he read Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn series — followed soon after by Patrick Rothfuss' Name of the Wind — that he was finally inspired to sit down and write something of his own. He now lives with his wife and daughter on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria.

Editorial Reviews

10/21/2019

Islington wraps up his saga of ancient evils, treachery, and time travelers in the dense final installment of his Licanius trilogy (after An Echo of Things to Come). With evil forces looming in the north of the land of Andarra, Northwarden Wirr faces the legacy of his father’s failures while keeping his own plans secret. Wirr’s friend, Asha, must hide her illicit powers as she fights to strengthen the magical Boundary that holds back the Northern monsters. Meanwhile, time traveler Davian struggles to escape the prison world that has held him captive since the end of the previous book in order to go back in time and set a series of events in motion, and Caeden, the legendary king called Tal’kamar, faces the consequences of his hapless past. Even with the inclusion of a 19-page refresher on the previous books in the series, new readers will be lost. Unnecessary intrigue drags down an already overstuffed story, and Islington’s tired characters are not dynamic enough to support the heavy burden of the plot. Devoted fans will be glad to see loose ends tied up but exhausted by the long trudge to the series’ ending. Agent: Paul Lucas, Janklow & Nesbit Associates. (Dec.)

Publishers Weekly

"Reminiscent of Robert Jordan or Brandon Sanderson, Islington's writing is refreshingly fast paced, with a light and clever touch."—Booklist on An Echo of Things to Come

"Islington's magic-soaked setting has plenty of opportunities for conflict between competing powers even as earth-shattering evil approaches. Epic fantasy fans will enjoy this dense, suspenseful adventure."—Publishers Weekly on An Echo of Things to Come

"Fans of this genre will find themselves immersed in the magical battles, suspense and backstabbing political intrigue."—RT Book Reviews on An Echo of Things to Come

"Ingeniously plotted...Islington's natural storytelling ability provides incessant plot twists and maintains a relentless pace...A promising page-turner from a poised newcomer."—Kirkus on The Shadow of What Was Lost

"Islington has built a world with all the right genre elements: complex magic, terrifying threats out of legend, political intrigue, and a large cast of characters whose motivations are seldom clear. Fans of doorstop epic fantasy will not be disappointed."—Publishers Weekly on The Shadow of What Was Lost

"Love The Wheel of Time? This is about to become your new favorite series."—B&N SF & Fantasy Blog on The Shadow of What Was Lost

"Storytelling assurance rare for a debut . . . Fans of Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson will find much to admire."—Guardian on The Shadow of What Was Lost

"The plot twists are unexpected, the world building is fascinating, and the fledgeling love story is a charmer.... This sweeping and compelling epic is ripe for a sequel."—Booklist on The Shadow of What Was Lost

"The Shadow of What was Lost is an engrossing fantasy debut.... The twisting and complex storylines, fascinating characters and inventive magic make for a fun read packed with plenty of mystery."—Book Reporter on The Shadow of What Was Lost

From the Publisher

2019-09-02
The final part of Islington's prodigious, sprawling fantasy trilogy (An Echo of Things To Come, 2017, etc.), in which the religious-philosophical-magical-temporal war reaches its conclusion.

Again Islington supplies a synopsis and glossary; they help, but not much. The Venerate, immortal shape-shifting wizards, wield a higher-order magic called kan, which emanates from the Darklands. However, they now serve an evil god and perhaps always have. Four friends have resolved to defeat them. Caeden, a Venerate who once did terrible wrongs in their service, bears the knowledge that he will, or already has, kill his friend and ally Davian. Davian, whose ability to use kan exceeds even Caeden's, becomes trapped in the past, where he must learn how to build kan-powered machines in order to escape. Asha channels the enormous power of her Essence, magic deriving from her personal life force, to maintain the Boundary confining the horrors of the Darklands; the heavy price she pays is entombment within a virtual-reality bubble. Wirr, now Prince Torin the Northwarden, must rally his people to hold off armies of religious fanatics and Darklands monsters long enough for the others to succeed. So what do we have here, a thaumaturgical-alchemical extravaganza? A teenage superpower fantasy to rival Marvel comics? What with the unflagging pace, so many moving parts, and so much intricate, lavish, and sometimes intimidating detail, it's nigh impossible to ascertain whether it all adds up. What matters is the author's unshakable conviction that it does—a conviction that eventually we come to share, if only by osmosis. One intractable flaw: Though there are so many immortals running around, we don't feel the weight of all their years and deeds. It's more like time's collapsed into a dimensionless present.

Fascinating, and not for the faint of heart.

Kirkus Reviews

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