The Shadow of What Was Lost (Licanius Trilogy Series #1)

by James Islington

Overview

A young man with forbidden magic finds himself drawn into an ancient war against a dangerous enemy in book one of the Licanius Trilogy, the series that fans are heralding as the next Wheel of Time.

As destiny calls, a journey begins.

It has been twenty years since the godlike Augurs were overthrown and killed. Now, those who once served them — the Gifted — are spared only because they have accepted the rebellion's Four Tenets, vastly limiting their powers.

As a Gifted, Davian suffers the consequences of a war lost before he was even born. He and others like him are despised. But when Davian discovers he wields the forbidden power of the Augurs, he and his friends Wirr and Asha set into motion a chain of events that will change everything.

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. . .

And in the far north, an ancient enemy long thought defeated begins to stir.

The Licanius Trilogy is a series readers will have a hard time putting down — a relentless coming-of-age epic from the very first page.

"Storytelling assurance rare for a debut . . . Fans of Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson will find much to admire."" — Guardian

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316274074
Publisher:	Orbit
Publication date:	05/09/2017
Series:	Licanius Trilogy Series , #1
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	736
Sales rank:	5,038
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 9.10(h) x 2.00(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

"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 as 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 fledgling love story is a charmer.... This sweeping and compelling epic is ripe for a sequel.—Booklist on The Shadow of What Was Lost

"Will appeal to anybody looking for a coming-of-age fantasy tale with likeable characters and strong world building."—Fantasy Faction on The Shadow of What Was Lost

"Action aplenty and an ample spattering of violence...this is a whole new world with a fresh fantasy streak."—SciFiNow on The Shadow of What Was Lost

"A relentless juggernaut of a book . . . Astoundingly intricate worldbuilding."—The Daily Mail on The Shadow of What Was Lost

From the Publisher

10/03/2016
An ancient evil’s reawakening threatens a fantasy land where magic has been proscribed in Islington’s epic fantasy debut. Fifteen-year-old Davian of Andarra is one of the Gifted, able to tap into magical essence. Unfortunately, Davian was born after the civil war that destroyed the powerful Augurs, and now the Gifted are bound by laws that prevent them from using their powers freely. As a mysterious figure threatens the protective boundary wall in the north, Davian learns he is the last of the Augurs, and it’s up to him to help repair the wall before it’s too late. Davian is joined in his quest by friends Wirr and Asha, who prove to be more than they seem. They’ll need all the luck they can muster, as various political and magical forces are trying to use them for their own purposes. 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. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

2016-10-05
This doorstopper epic fantasy and trilogy opener was originally self-published in 2014.The details that give this ingeniously plotted yarn its backbone emerge gradually—and are not always entirely clear. Twenty years ago, a war swept away and annihilated the tyrannical Augurs when their formidable magic inexplicably faltered. Their servants, the Gifted, whose lesser magic derives from Essence (Islington has an irritating habit of capitalizing things), were forcibly constrained to obey the Four Tenets, meaning they can no longer use their magic to cause harm even in self-defense. At a school-cum-sanctuary-cum-prison for the Gifted, three 16-year-old friends, Davian, Wirr, and Asha, face their final tests. Though an excellent student, Davian cannot use Essence and faces a cruel exile. He decides to abscond. Wirr believes Davian’s an Augur whose higher-order magic blocks his ability to channel Essence, and he insists on joining him. Ilseth Tenvar, a seemingly sympathetic Elder, gives Davian a mysterious magic box to guide his progress. The next morning Asha wakes to a nightmare of her own. On the road Davian encounters the strange, scarred Gifted Taeris Sarr, who three years ago saved his life (Davian doesn’t remember the incident) and supposedly was executed for his pains. In the far north an ancient evil stirs, while in a related development, Caeden wakes in a forest to find himself covered in blood and with no memory of anything. So, in time-honored fashion, nobody is what they seem to be, everybody has a secret agenda, and the key players all lack pivotal memories. And while there’s nothing much new here, Islington’s natural storytelling ability provides incessant plot twists and maintains a relentless pace. The characters have well-rounded personalities and don’t make decisions or errors merely to advance the plot, even if they all sound and act the same youngish age. A promising page-turner from a poised newcomer who’s well worth keeping tabs on.

Kirkus Reviews