The Light of All That Falls

The Licanius Trilogy, Book 3

By: James Islington

Narrated by: Michael Kramer

Length: 30 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's summary

The journey that began in The Shadow of What Was Lost and continued in An Echo of Things to Come now comes to its spectacular conclusion in The Light of All That Falls, the final chapter of the Licanius Trilogy by acclaimed epic fantasy author James Islington.

After a savage battle, the Boundary is whole again - but it may be too late. Banes now stalk the lands of Andarra, and the Venerate have gathered their armies for a final, crushing blow.

In Ilin Illan, Wirr fights to maintain a precarious alliance between Andarra's factions of power. With dark forces closing in on the capital, if he cannot succeed, the war is lost.

Imprisoned and alone in a strange land, Davian is pitted against the remaining Venerate. As he tries to keep them from undoing Asha's sacrifice, he struggles to come to terms with his own path and all he has learned about Caeden, the friend he chose to set free.

And finally, Caeden is confronted with the reality of a plan laid centuries ago - heartbroken at how it started and devastated by how it must end.

©2019 James Islington (P)2019 Podium Publishing

super

outstanding reader
outstanding writing
thought provoking

If you like fantasy this is worth your read!

Amazing, a new benchmark for greatness

I'm not sure how I can convey my thoughts on this book and the entire trilogy. To say it is my favorite series would be an understatement (and I have read or listened to hundreds of books over the years). I remember seeing some promos comparing book 1 to the Wheel of Time...having read that entire series, I can say that Wheel of Time is a pale comparison to Licanius in terms of depth, story telling, pacing and even world building.

Licanius deals with some deeper subjects such as: choice and free will, good vs. evil, inevitability, what makes someone who they are (their memories?), sacrifice and redemption. It also, interestingly enough makes some great theological arguments and touches on theological arguments in an interesting and relevant way. As someone who has always hated the anti-hero/flawed hero characters and motifs, I feel that Tal'Kamar has filled that role in a way that makes it compelling and interesting. He recognizes himself for what he is, he hates his flaws but struggles to be better despite his selfishness and his excuses. There are moments when you forget how flawed he is and moments where you truly feel sorry for him.

I also enjoy the fact that the story isn't spoon fed to the reader. The author assumes at times you are smart enough to put things together. Some things are left out (like the fate of Cyr) and others seem to be left open to allow for speculation (Davian's victory in the arena). I have read some reviews where readers have struggled with this. I think it's ok to miss some things, some things may be explained in a later book. I like a certain amount of mystery, it makes talking about the books more engaging.

I can not recommend this series enough, it has been fantastic from start to finish. It sets a new standard for the genre and a new benchmark for how good a series can be.

A Masterpiece!!

Rarely does a book bring me to tears and ever more rare is my desire to write a review...this book has accomplished both. An amazing ending to an amazing story! One of the best i has ever read or listened to. Thank you for this last book. It was the perfect conclusion. I don’t want to give anything away so I’ll just highly recommend the series to all who are looking for an amazing read!

Must read series!

I don’t often write reviews because largely speaking most books don’t deserve the added time needed.

This series is sophisticated, vividly detailed and absolutely awesome. In such a sprawling world, keeping places straight can be a little confusing - but it is easier if you have the map & glossary in the books as a reference, and if you listen a second time it comes together.

What I will say is that it is worth listening to twice to make the story come together, because the whole thing is beautifully crafted.

Tying together multiple time lines seamlessly

Every strand that you thought that had been lost and every detail that seemed inconsequential pulls together into a fast paced crescendo. I wanted to know more but I marvel at the work as it is

best ending I've ever experienced

this book falls in line with WoT and Sanderson and the trilogy is most definitely worth the read!

I loved it

once again another great book! He did a wonderful job finishing the story, and I will read his future works!

Incredible

I have no words that can infinitely describe how great this series is. I was absolutely captured by the characters, plot and mesmerizing threads of connection throughout the series. Honestly when I was getting close to the end of the book I started to feel a bit let down and then I read the epilogue. That was probably one of the best satisfying endings I’ve ever read in any genre of literature. That was my favorite chapter of the entire book plus the previous two. That SINGLE chapter made the entire series worth while and connected everything together. I was awestruck at how James Islington worked through everything and answered all the important questions. The epilogue made me cry which is very hard for me to do. I FELT everything in that chapter. This is one of my top five favorite fantasy series of all time. It’s absolutely incredible that this is James Islingtons first series. He did an amazing job and I commend him for his thoughtful attention to all the plot threads. I recommend this series to anyone who loves fantasy. It’s a slam dunk and will be a favorite of anyone who appreciates intense world building and character driven stories with great character development. The time travel is an A+ and I loved following the plot to where it eventually ended up.

Amazing

End to a great story. Truly loved this long ass book. Satisfying ending for me.

The conclusion!

This book is more about series totality and thinking of it that way, I was slightly disappointed. It was still good but I expected more... the first book is by far the best in the series. I would recommend the series but just know it really is just a big story and all stories must someway conclude or go in a direction... this is no different.