Fantasy readers are a picky bunch. We want magic systems that make sense, world-building that doesn't feel like a cheap Tolkien rip-off, and characters who actually have a pulse. James Islington’s debut, Shadows of What Was Lost, hit the scene back in 2014 and basically did the impossible. It managed to feel like a love letter to 90s epic fantasy while simultaneously deconstructing everything we thought we knew about the genre.
It’s the first book in the Licanius Trilogy. Most people start it and think, "Oh, I've seen this before." You've got the young protagonist, the school for magic, and an ancient evil waking up. But honestly? That’s just the bait. Islington is playing a much longer game than you realize in those first fifty pages.
The Magic System in Shadows of What Was Lost Actually Matters
Most fantasy books treat magic like a superpower. You have it or you don't. In the world of Andarra, magic—or Essence—is tied to a brutal history of war and systemic oppression. The Gifted, people who can channel Essence, are bound by the Four Tenets. These are magical "laws" enforced by a device called a Caan. If a Gifted person breaks a law, they die. It’s pretty dark when you think about it. Imagine living every second of your life with a literal kill-switch in your brain.
Then you have the Augurs. These were the elite, the ones who could see the future and manipulate the world on a level the Gifted couldn't dream of. But the Augurs were overthrown. They were hunted down and killed decades before the book even starts.
Davian is our main guy. He’s a student who can’t seem to touch Essence, which is a major problem if you want to avoid being "shadowed"—a process that wipes your magic and basically turns you into a second-class citizen. But Davian has a secret. He can sense when people are lying. It's a small spark of the Augur powers that everyone thought were extinct.
Time Travel That Doesn't Break the Plot
James Islington is obsessed with fate. If you've read Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time, you’ll see the DNA here, but Islington is much more surgical with his plotting. He uses time as a weapon. In Shadows of What Was Lost, time travel isn't a "get out of jail free" card. It’s a closed loop. If something is going to happen, it happens. The tragedy comes from the characters trying to fight against a destiny that is already etched in stone.
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This creates a sense of dread that most modern fantasy lacks. You’re not just wondering if the hero will win. You’re wondering if the hero winning is actually the worst possible outcome for the world.
The Mystery of Caeden and Why He’s the Best Character
If Davian is the heart of the story, Caeden is the soul. We meet him covered in blood, with no memory of who he is or what he’s done. It’s a classic trope, sure. But as the layers peel back, Caeden’s backstory becomes the most compelling part of the entire trilogy.
Caeden represents the moral gray area. As he recovers his memories, he realizes he might have been the villain of someone else's story. Maybe even his own. Is a person responsible for the sins of a past life if they literally cannot remember committing them? It’s a heavy question. Islington doesn't give you an easy answer. He makes you sit with the discomfort.
The relationship between Caeden and the younger protagonists provides a necessary bridge. You have the idealism of Davian and Asha pitted against the weary, blood-soaked cynicism of a man who has lived too many lives.
Breaking Down the Political Landscape
Andarra isn't a happy place. The "Administration" runs things with an iron fist, and the tension between the Gifted and the "un-Gifted" (the Normals) is at a breaking point.
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- The Gifted: Oppressed, bound by the Tenets, but still feared.
- The Shadowed: People who have had their magic stripped. They are treated as sub-human.
- The Blind: Those who cannot see or use Essence at all, who now hold political power.
This power dynamic is fascinating because it flips the "chosen one" narrative. In most books, the magic users are the kings. Here, they are the ones wearing the leashes. When the boundary in the north—the Blind—starts to fail, the very people who have been oppressed are the only ones who can save the people holding their leashes. It’s messy. It’s realistic.
Why Some Readers Struggle With the First Half
Let's be real for a second. Shadows of What Was Lost is dense. Really dense.
Islington loves names. He loves geography. He loves intricate details about ancient treaties that happened two thousand years ago. For the first two hundred pages, you might feel like you need a spreadsheet to keep track of the different factions. The prose is functional, not poetic. It’s not Patrick Rothfuss. It’s not "look at how beautiful this sentence is." It’s "pay attention because this specific coin mentioned on page 40 is going to change everything on page 600."
If you like "hard" magic and "hard" world-building, you'll love it. If you're looking for a light, breezy read to take to the beach, this isn't it. This is a "keep a notebook on your nightstand" kind of book.
The Influence of Brandon Sanderson and Robert Jordan
It’s impossible to talk about this book without mentioning the giants of the genre. Islington has admitted that Sanderson’s approach to magic and Jordan’s approach to world-scale were huge influences.
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However, where Jordan would spend thirty pages describing the lace on a dress, Islington spends thirty pages on the mechanics of a memory-erasing artifact. It's a more modern, streamlined version of the "Big Fat Fantasy" genre. It moves faster than Wheel of Time but has more philosophical weight than some of Sanderson’s earlier work.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Ending
People often finish Shadows of What Was Lost and complain that there are too many unanswered questions. That's sort of the point.
The Licanius Trilogy is one of the most tightly plotted series in history. Every single "plot hole" you think you find in book one is actually a deliberate setup for a payoff in book three, The Light of All That Falls.
The ending of the first book provides a massive reveal regarding Caeden’s identity and the true nature of the "enemy" beyond the wall. It recontextualizes the entire journey. You realize that the quest Davian thought he was on was actually a side-quest in a much larger, much more terrifying game being played by immortal beings.
Actionable Insights for New Readers
If you're planning to dive into this series, don't just skim. The "Payoff-to-Setup" ratio in this book is incredibly high. Here is how to actually enjoy it without getting overwhelmed:
- Focus on Caeden. While Davian is the "main character" by word count, Caeden is the anchor of the mystery. Pay close attention to his dreams and flashbacks.
- Trust the author. If a scene feels weird or a character acts out of alignment, it’s probably not a mistake. There’s likely a time-loop or a memory-wipe explanation coming.
- Don't ignore the epigraphs. Those little snippets at the start of chapters? They contain the history of the world that explains why the present-day politics are so broken.
- Get the physical map. Or keep a digital one open. The geography of Andarra and the surrounding territories like Ilin Illan is crucial for understanding the military stakes in the second half of the book.
Shadows of What Was Lost is a masterclass in plotting. It takes the tropes we grew up with—the orphan with a destiny, the ancient wall, the lost memories—and weaves them into a complex web of predestination and free will. It's a challenging read, but for those who value a story that treats its audience like they're smart enough to keep up, it's one of the best debuts in the last twenty years.
To get the most out of your reading experience, pick up the audiobook narrated by Michael Kramer if you can. He's the voice of modern epic fantasy, and his performance helps distinguish the vast cast of characters. Start keeping a mental (or physical) note of every time a "Venerate" is mentioned—those names will be vital sooner than you think. Once you finish the final page, go back and read the prologue again. It will hit completely differently.