Ok, bear with me, because what I type next is going to sound like a backhanded compliment, but I mean it super sincerely: If I was a teenager and this was my first epic fantasy, this would probably be my favorite book.
I’ve read a metric ton of fantasy in my day, so I cannot help but draw connections to other titles when tropes creep into the text. With The Shadow of What Was Lost, the connections abound. It is a classic hero’s journey in every sense:
* royalty slumming it with a secret identity
* a young man with a humble and half-forgotten backstory with a shockingly great destiny
* speaking of great destiny: prophecy
* anti-magic inquisition
* something is wrong with the magic… but also, the magic is coming back
* wise old mentors
* The dark lord is returning
Despite the fact that the setup walks a well-tread path through the enchanted literary wood, there is something I found very comforting about TSOWWL’s classic feel. So what if it’s been done before? Shadow is a well-executed story with action, mystery, and solid characters.
Let’s talk about it.
The Basics:
Title: The Shadow of What Was Lost (The Licanius Trilogy #1)
Author: James Islington
Genre: Epic Noblebright Fantasy
Published: 2014, Aslaradis Publishing; Later 2016, Orbit
Spoiler-Free Summary:
In the distant past, a Dark Lord was defeated and a magical barrier erected between the land of good, free people and his former holdings, which are now a wasteland filled with monsters and the damned.
More recently, the main kingdom of our setting experienced a revolution. They were once ruled by a caste of magic-users known as Augers. People were mostly happy to live under this oracle-ocracy until their predictions started going wrong… then the guillotines came out. A second type of magic-user, known as The Gifted, was subjugated as punishment for their alliance with the Augers, but allowed to live so long as they don’t break the magical Tenants which bind them.
But all this, at least in the beginning, has little to do with the lives of our four main plucky young protagonists. The Shadow of What Was Lost is very much a get-the-band-together book so by the end there is a healthy entourage of characters combating the Forces of Evil, but for purposes of this blog, let’s meet the ones that make chapter 1 and the epilogue:
Davian is the wrong type of mage. Despite spending nearly a decade at a school for The Gifted, he can’t seem to make magic work like he did when he was younger. Sure enough, he meets a Mysterious Stranger who explains that Davian is an Auger and needs to go on the run before Gifted Final Exams if he wants to live to see his 19th birthday. He and his best Friend Wirr follow the Mysterious Stranger’s instructions heading for what they hope will be a safe haven. Davian is hot-headed, but compassionate. A true paladin.
Wirr’s is royalty in disguise. As a Gifted, he would be a sure target for assassination if he grew up in his father’s court. As it is, he lives incognito at the school for The Gifted, before going on the lam with Davian. He brings a much-needed level-headed approach to balance Davian’s heart-first approach.
Asha is the only survivor of a terrible tragedy… but this twist of fate drops her squarely into court intrigue. As a Shadow – a former gifted with her magic forcibly removed – Asha is often overlooked, allowing her to go where others could not. She is soon walking a razor’s edge as a double-agent between the royal court and a guild of Shadows. Asha and Davian have what could very generously be called a very slow-burning romance… emphasis on the slow. Ok, I’ll cut them some slack, they are on opposite sides of the continent for the middle 80% of the novel. Perhaps their relationship will blossom in books 2 and 3.
Caeden is an accused murderer with amnesia. Did he slaughter an entire village? Probably. Did he mean to? We hope not. He knows unexplainable things and speaks an unusual variety of languages. The initially-quiet subplot of Caden’s identity may be the key to everything.
As the hero’s fates separate and converge again, an army of inhumanly strong soldiers emerges from the wastelands of the barrier and ravages the land. It’s intrigue and magic mystery and epic battles all the way to and ending with dangling questions which have me excited for book 2.
Why You Will Love This Book:
If you’re a fan of the pillars of the genre, you’ll love this book: Tolkien. Rothfuss. Brooks. Martin. Sanderson. The Shadow combines elements from all of these authors’ greatest works into something epic and homey. Good is good. Evil is evil. The good guys take principled, epic stands against the forces of darkness. Even though this book is barely over a decade old, I found it as comforting as it was exciting.
Where Can You Learn More?
The Licanius universe has a wiki, which I expect to come in handy soon – this is an epic fantasy, after all. Follow the author’s latest here.
Happy reading, folks.
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