Assistant Adam recommends James Islington’s The Light of All that Falls
Those of you who pay attention to the blog have probably noticed a lot of recommendations coming from Brandon’s assistants over the last few months. First was Peter’s recommendation of Brent Week’s Burning White, the final volume in the Lightbringer series. Then, last week, Isaac and I wrote a little post for Blood of Empire by Brian McClellan, which is the final volume of his Gods of Blood and Powder trilogy. And today, we have The Light of All that Falls by James Islington (out today), which is the third volume of The Licanius Trilogy. So, needless to say, it has been a long-anticipated time of year for us here at Dragonsteel HQ with so many great stories wrapping up.
I was lucky enough to stumble across this series back when it first came out in 2015 while I was searching for books narrated by the great Michael Kramer who also narrates many of Brandon’s books (The Stormlight Archive, Mistborn, Arcanum Unbounded, The Rithmatist—you get it, he narrates a lot of Brandon’s books) and is one of my favorite narrators. And just like Brent Weeks and Brian McClellan, James Islington’s Licanius Trilogy is one of the first books I recommend to people who are searching for more works like Brandon’s.
I can’t tell you anything about The Light of all that Fall—except the fact that I love the title—because I haven’t read it yet. I am currently wrapping up my reread of the first two books in preparation for today’s release. If you’re not familiar with these stories, here is a snippet from the front flap of the first book in series, The Shadow of What Was Lost.
It has been 20 years since the end of the war. The dictatorial Augurs, once thought of almost as gods, were overthrown and wiped out during the conflict, their much-feared powers mysteriously failing them. Those who had ruled under them, men and women with a lesser ability known as the Gift, avoided the Augurs’ fate only by submitting themselves to the rebellion’s Four Tenets.
A representation of these laws is now written into the flesh of any who use the Gift, forcing those so marked into absolute obedience. As a student of the Gifted, Davian suffers the consequences of a war fought–and lost–before he was born. Despised by most beyond the school walls, he and those around him are all but prisoners as they attempt to learn control of the Gift. Worse, as Davian struggles with his lessons, he knows there is further to fall if he cannot pass his final tests. But when he discovers he has the ability to wield the forbidden power of the Augurs, he sets into motion a chain of events that will change everything.
To the north an ancient enemy, long thought defeated, begins to stir. And to the west, a young man whose fate is intertwined with Davian’s wakes up in the forest, covered in blood and with no memory of who he is….
The best thing about this recommendation is you don’t have to trust it alone. On Audible The Licanius Trilogy has a rating of over 4.5 with nearly 22,500 reviews!
So my hope is that you will give this series—and author—a try and love them just as much as I do.