Book Review - THE LIGHT OF ALL THAT FALLS by James Islington

(Title: The Light of All That Falls / Author: James Islington / Publisher: Orbit / Publication Date: December 12, 2019)


Before I begin my review, I'd first like to mention how absolutely thrilled I was to finally have this book in my hands.  The Licanius Trilogy is one of my top 10 all-time fantasy series and in my opinion is a masterwork that stands out among the majority of its peers.  I eagerly awaited the release of this book for over two years and when I finally finished reading it, I sat and stared into space to process the amazingness of what I just absorbed.  But enough about that, let's get to my review shall we?

THE LIGHT OF ALL THAT FALLS concludes the story that was begun in the previous two installments beautifully in my opinion and just solidifies it as one of the great fantasy series in recent memory.  Andarra is threatened on its northern border by evil forces that are determined to conquer and overthrow it.  The only way these horrific beasts can be held back is through Asha's special magic as she attempts to strengthen the boundary.  But is her magic enough to keep the invading hordes at bay?  

Meanwhile Davian finds himself still a prisoner of his own doing.  Held captive in an unfamiliar land, his ability to time travel proves to be both a boon and a curse as he struggles to find an escape so that he may be able to help his friends.  And help his friends he must as they find themselves trapped in a vice between fanatical religious zealots on one side and frighteningly heinous monsters born of nightmares on the other.  If he doesn't find an answer soon, all could be lost to devastating effect.

Will the boundary break and unleash hell on an already weakened land, or can the four friends Davian, Wirr, Asha, and Caeden muster the courage and will that it will take to win the ultimate battle of good versus evil?  Will the only thing that may be able to save them all be a forbidden magic that was once all but snuffed out of Andarran society?  All will be answered in this exciting and riveting final book in The Licanius Trilogy.

Well that was totally worth the wait!  Simply put I was enthralled by THE LIGHT OF ALL THAT FALLS to the point that I got really emotional as the events leading up to the finale began to take shape.  I was left feeling like I had just read a really important work of fantasy that more people need to discover.  This series is truly masterful and is a great substitute for those waiting on the new Stormlight book by Brandon Sanderson.  It contains a lot of the same magic and world-building that makes Sanderson such a success and I believe fans of his work would adore this series if they gave it a chance.

It also has the complexity of Steven Erikson's Malazan but is a bit more accessible and easy to follow than Erikson's lengthy opus.  I compare it to those authors only to give a feel for the style but make no mistake, this series is completely original and stands proudly on its own merits.  The characters withstand challenge after challenge and are tested to the brink of their limits.  The world-building is some of the best you will encounter in the genre.  

But what sets this series apart for me is the different types of magic found throughout.  This series has everything from time travelling to shape-shifting to sorcery and evil dark magic.  The way that this magic is so vividly described and manifested through the characters is something that reminded me again of the reasons why I got into reading fantasy to begin with.  Islington has a skill that not many authors can match in that regard.

If you have never read these books, you should really pick up the first book The Shadow of What was Lost immediately.   By the time you get to this third book you will see why this should be regarded as one of the very best fantasy series out there.  It most-certainly is for me.  In closing I would just like to recommend THE LIGHT OF ALL THAT FALLS whole-heartedly to anyone who feels like there hasn't been anything new or challenging written in the fantasy genre lately.  This series will happily prove you wrong.  The book is due to be released on December 10, 2019, which is less than a week from now.

(My Rating: 10/10)