Fantasy | 736 pages | First published: May 9th, 2017

This was a reread from two years ago, and it was a strange experience with how much I couldn’t remember initially but then the familiarity as the plot progressed. My enjoyment of this first book in The Licanius Trilogy hasn’t faded from my first read. You can most definitely tell that Islington was inspired by Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time series, and while there are strong parallels, I didn’t feel overly annoyed or that it was a blatant copy of everything. I can also see where Islington pulled inspiration from Patrick Rothfuss and Brandon Sanderson, but it’s a touch more subtle. Islington injected enough of his own spin and world-building that I was still able to thoroughly enjoy his version of a classic fantasy trope and setting.

While the dialogue is clunky at times, Islington’s characters feel authentic. They become smitten; they overstep; they get angry. We watch our “boy saviour” make stupid decisions that creates a more realistic character than a young boy being thrust into a battle of epic proportions and reacting to everything rationally; not to say that it’s all that way, Davian definitely embraces his fate easy and without fuss, but that blind faith is acknowledged and slightly brought into check.

One major counterpoint to this authenticity, however, is that our main protagonists – Davian, Asha, Wirr, and Caedan – haven’t reacted to the trauma they’ve experienced. Since a lot of world-building had to happen in Book One, I’m hoping Islington’s gaze shifts to character development and progression with Book Two and Three. As well, there have been losses thus far, and a foreshadowed but epic twist at the end, but I’m also hoping that Islington raises the cost and consequences in tandem with the stakes.

Overall, The Shadow of What Was Lost is a fantastic debut. It’s not reinventing the Wheel (pun intended) but it does introduce a rich, epic fantasy with multiple perspectives as they journey towards a final battle against an ancient god-like enemy that has returned after thousands of years. I enjoyed all of the diverging storylines and eagerly anticipate this trilogy’s conclusion.