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

Very bemused...

Look, I get that it’s difficult to build a world this huge, and James Islington does a pretty good job all said and done. I mean I listened to all three of these books and this review is really for the entire series. Here are my main qualms about this trilogy. One, the dude reuses words to the point that it takes me out of the story. Specifically his use and misuse of the word bemused. I know it’s kind of a small thing but seriously is everyone in this story constantly bemused at each other??? Also melange, great word, when it’s used once. Use it more than once and you’ve just reminded me how much I love the dune series and how my time might be better spent in that world. My second big issue is the use of Mcguffins, I mean come on, every single impossible challenge is almost always met with a new magic ability or Vessel. I’m not gonna go into details because I don’t wanna spoil anything for everyone else. It’s just a bit of a downer when every seemingly impossible obstacle is almost always solved with a new thing, or they have to get the “thing” to be able to make this other “thing” happen. It takes away from the story and let’s the characters off the hook more often than not. Finally my last gripe, if your going to make an ending so obvious, maybe the epilogue is unnecessary? Maybe, working that ending into the climax instead of using it for your entire falling action is a bit more cogent? That said, the world system works pretty well and I’ve gotta say there are startling few plot holes throughout this epic. I’d recommend it for anyone with a huge love of fantasy and world building and about 90 hours of their life to kill.

Ummm...

So, I'm kind of surprised by all of the positive reviews, honestly... Not only did the author continue to put the protagonists through horrible garbage, even to the very end, but there were so SO many questions left unanswered that it boggles the mind to try and understand just how he could have thought this story was primed enough for its conclusion; Questions that I doubt could be answered in a side novel, or the like. I just don't get it... And here, I had such high hopes for the final installment of the series.

A Trumpth

I am worried that if I express my true praise for this book it would come off as hyperbolic and excessive. And on the other hand, I don't think I could even put into words how much I was captivated by the final book in an fantasy worthy of the term "epic". The Light of All That Falls completes James Islington's debut series I a way I was worried that he could never deliver on. Islington wrote his series with such ambition, such scope, and with intense moral weight that I doubted a satisfactory conclusion could be reached. But he did it anyway. Character arcs with such gravity I have rarely read outside of what is now regarded as the classics. I am not ashamed to say that while reading my throat chocked and my eyes watered; that is how powerful Islington's dialogue, prose, and narrative captivated me. He also writes with respect to the reader, allowing mysteries to develop and leave clues in the writing that while are not bold will allow attentive readers to uncover truths before characters that possess the lack of the reader's insight. I don't think that Michael Kramer is possible of having a bad performance and his work elevates the text. He captures the emotion and soul of the characters. If I must state any negatives for the sake of being honest it would only be a slight distaste for some 11th hours developments that solve problems. But that ending... I won't even try to capture amazement. Islington has made it almost a staple of the series that the ending provides a mass revelation that changes the entire reading of the series to that point. And for the conclusion to the story, Islington perhaps delivers one his best in the epilogue. In 2019, the year that brought us many great fantasy; I will remember The Light of All That Falls as my favorite of the year. I eagerly await Mr. Islington's next work and would happily recommend the Licanious Trilogy to all interested in the newest voices in fantasy.

Disappointed

This series was very difficult to follow. I enjoyed the writing but the story had too much going on. One huge issue I had with the story is that it felt like the characters aged too quickly. I'm still not sure how old they were supposed to be but they seemed to be children in the beginning of the series and older adults at the end. The ending was predictable. I almost never get it right because I'm not a great storyteller so I was surprised at how easily I figured it out. There was no twists or turns. No surprises at all. I'm not sure I'd recommend this book. It's worth reading if you like time travel fantasy religious books. The story, although confusing, isn't bad and has some original magical elements.

Mind Blowing!!!

For such a complex and detailed series to come to an end, I was worried. I was worried about how on earth it all would come down to a happy, fulfilling ending, without falling short of several unanswered questions or setting straight a great deal of confusion. I worried needlessly. This book flowed so neatly and precise into the first two for an ending that -I can not say enough- was absolutely perfect! This story flowed so perfectly into an ending that I should have seen coming, but for the life of me, never fathomed. Bravo, Mr. Islington, this series is a MUST READ for any fantasy lover out there and reaches to the top alongside Sanderson, Rothfuss, Lynch, and Jordan as one of the best series that I have ever read. Mr. Kramer, you blew this book out of the water with your narration. The ups and downs of the emotion that you gave each character was heartwrenching. I can't help but think that you had to come down a little after dedicating so much talent to narrate this story. Thank you, sir, for bringing this tale alive for me.

Very good

Very good. Worth the wait. Was looking forward to this one for a long time and was not disappointed.

The best time travel story of all time - essentially flawless

Most stories involving any time travel stuffer from logical inconsistencies because their authors cannot accept inevitability— their arrogance causes them to commit atrocities (usually by creating a horrible story rather than releasing the dark lands on world). The fact the characters struggles with fate vs. free will with the reader is what makes The Light of All That Falls so good!

Flawless conclusion

Hands down one of the greatest fantasy books of all time. Every single moment is keyed to resolve into one of the most satisfying experiences you could ever have.

Just WOW.... what an intricately woven plot

This book makes the trilogy so so much better. The way the author plays with time is just fantastic. I also love how he does not explain everything in detail but the answer is so evident. A lot of stories I read don't have a very satisfying conclusion. The author ended this perfectly. If you have read books 1 & 2 then you have to pick this one up. if you haven't then go read them and come read this one. the payoff will be that much more satisfying.

super

outstanding reader outstanding writing thought provoking If you like fantasy this is worth your read!

Just... Wow, incredible.

I read half of the first book a year or two ago and gave up on it. I'm so, so glad that I decided to give this trilogy another chance. This story is right up there with some of the best fantasy I have had the pleasure of ever reading. And I've read a LOT. James Islington, you should be proud of that and I hope you get the recognition you deserve. The ending absolutely blew my mind apart and just left me in stunned wonderment. There's not been many books that have done that. In fact this is the first Audible review I'm writing and I have over 200 titles in my collection since I began listening a few years back. You need to read this story. And also credit to Michael Kramer on yet another stunning performance. I will never get bored of the sound of your voice.

Wonderful, and a perf performance from Michael.

Loved it! Can get a little confusing at times, but def glad I found these fantastic books.

Too much space between maybe???

Loved the first 2 books, complex characters and well written so couldnt wait to get this. Unfortunately it just doesn't do justice to the first 2 at all. Feels drawn out and unnecessarily long, instead of the twists and turns and complex character interactions its almost like the author lost passion or something.

I like the series

very good series and unlike most comes to a good ending not leaving you with too many unanswered questions

the best emotional rollercoaster 2020 has offered

this series has been fantastic. i cant recomend this series Enough. the narration and performance was fantastic from the start.

Stick with it.

Long listen that for me was difficult to stick with in the middle but a satisfying ending.

A great conclusion

The story ends in an amazing and emotional way, and the performance of the narrator is great!

An amazing end to an amazing journey

Books like this: Wheel of Time, Stormlight Archive, Mistborn. TLDR: A perfect ending to an awesome epic fantasy series. You need to have read the first two, but if you enjoyed them then this will be the icing on the cake that you have been praying for. Fantastic book. I was exited for this book. Way more excited than I had thought I would be until I was downloading it. Books 1 and 2 were brilliant, those unicorns that so many writers strive for but so few manage to achieve: epic fantasy done perfectly. They found that exact balance of pacing, deep lore, and the obligatory ridiculous names that sound like elven sneezes. I knew this was going to be the final instalment, and so I went in expecting good things. I wasn’t disappointed. The first thing that I need to get out of the way is this: you should only read/listen to these books if you are going to do all three back to back. I, however, did not do this, as I have listened to each shortly after their release. There are a lot of characters in these books, a lot of places with weird and hard to pronounce names, and a hell of a lot of core concepts around the politics, societies, and the magic system that are hard to remember when you haven’t reacquainted yourself with the universe in a couple of years. However, by halfway through the book I was reacquainted enough with all the minutia of this world to understand just about all that was going on, and I am going to write this review and score it as if I had read them all back to back and had that understanding from the beginning. I know that’s cheating a little, but this is my review and I’ll do what I damned well please. This book deserves it. Now, Islington gets around the issue of a lot to catch up on somewhat by having an extremely helpful recap at the start of the book. Some people might say that this is cheating and that if you can’t explain two books worth of key concepts and information within the narrative itself, then the book is likely overcomplicated. To those people I say go screw yourselves. Great writing should not be constrained by the fact that previous iterations have been painstakingly crafted in their complexity. When epic fantasy has been done well previously, you’d be a fool to risk ruining the latest instalment with excessive exposition. Bring on the recaps I say, especially when they are done this well. So this book is the dramatic conclusion to the trilogy, where our heroes Davian, Wirr, Asha, and Caeden are forced to fulfil the prophesised fates that we have been glimpsing throughout the previous novels. This sense of inevitability permeates the entire novel, yet at no point am I left bored because I think I know the outcomes. Our characters use the fact that certain future events are inevitable to constantly outwit their adversaries in manners that are both intelligent and often unpredictable, despite us already thinking we know exactly what is going to happen. We also get some outstanding character growth in our main characters and (more importantly for the nerdy little pedant that I am) believable explanations as to how they get so much stronger over what seems to be such short amounts of time. There are no Rocky-style montages of a week’s worth of training resulting in god-like mastery, not when time travel, knowledge transfer, and internalised mental training grounds are available. Additionally, because we know that this the last book in the series, there is a constant threat over every one of the remaining characters. People are going to die in this book, and it leaves you constantly on edge in the best possible way. Now on to a negative point, which in itself could be construed as a positive. Simply put, why the hell was this only a trilogy! Islington has produced one of the best high fantasy universes I have come across in a long, long time, and yet he has constrained himself to three books. Book 3 itself takes place one years after the dramatic events of Book 2, and in that year a lot of really interesting events have happened. There was easily at least another book’s worth in that year gap alone, let alone all the extra awesomeness that could have been pumped into the series if Islington had stretched it to five, six, or seven books instead of just three. This is an incredibly complex story with deep, rich lore that is all brought together to craft something wonderful, but we only get fleeting glimpses at some aspects which I (and I expect many others) would have loved Islington to explore in more detail. On top of this, there are a number of great characters from previous books that are either hardly in Book 3 or completely absent, and I am assuming the reason for this is that the book itself was already on the long side just keeping up with the exploits of the main characters. There is one example in particular which, when it happens, you know for a fact that Islington had written an entire other storyline for and then been forced to cut it and just say that it all happened ‘off screen’ in order to keep the word count down. It just seems a waste to me. We could have been looking at another Wheel of Time here, and I genuinely think that Islington has the skill to have pulled it off. I know this has always been billed as a trilogy, but not a one of us reader/listeners would have minded if at the end he simple went, ‘Sorry, guys, but I think this story is going to take a few more novels to tell properly. See you in Book 4.’ This requirement to squeeze everything into three books also creates another issue, which is that there really is a lot of lore and background to remember in order to keep pace. There is a lot of explanation of aspects that are essential, but beyond this a lot of things are mentioned briefly and not given a huge amount of backstory. These things exist, and I can believe very well that they exist within the rules Islington has established for this universe, but if we had been given some more context about them then they would have stuck in my mind a lot easier or it would have made some of the items or abilities seem a little less MacGuffin-esque. Aside from these minor complaints, I found this book a gratifying and worthy end to the Licanius trilogy. It may not have quite reach my top five fantasy series, but there are a lot of people for whom it will. As I said, this is damned good high fantasy, and that is something to be cherished wherever it is found. I can’t give it five stars because Islington’s style lacks that very specific flare that I require to give a book a perfect score, but that is just a personal preference issue. For a lot of people this will be a five star, and for them it is well deserved. As for narration, well, it’s Michael Kramer, the OG of epic fantasy narration. This man did Wheel of Time and Stormlight Archive. To me, his voice is the voice of epic fantasy and likely always will be. He simply is the best at what he does. Personal Score. 4.75 stars Professional Score: 5 stars

Much better than the last two!

So much better than the first two books! And Michael Kramer's performance is just perfect.

Spot on.

Beautiful finishing book to the trilogy. Have both read and listened to this trilogy now.