Licanius Trilogy
For a long time Andarra was governed by the Augers, a small group of individuals with two large advantages. Firstly, they were able to channel Essence, a form of natural energy produced by every living thing, to power a gigantic barrier called the Ilshara. This huge wall of energy stretches across the whole north of Andarra, sealing away a dark power that threatened the destruction of Andarra. The second advantage is their ability to see important future events through intermittent visions. This combination of powers enabled the Augers to assume benevolent control of the country and reduced the monarchy to symbolic figureheads. Working alongside the Augers was another group known, as the Gifted, identified as children by their ability to channel Essence into superhuman strength, healing powers and destructive blasts.
Twenty years before the events of this trilogy, the Augers foresight began to fail, they retreated from their leadership role to investigate the cause, leaving a vacuum into which the Gifted stepped. Unfortunately, the Gifted rule was somewhat less benign, they began to abuse their powers and subjugate the non-Gifted into servitude. Eventually, led by the previously redundant monarchy, the non-Gifted rebelled, they overthrew and killed any Auger’s they could find, the Gifted surrendered and agreed to be bound by a set of restrictive Tenets, which prevented the use of their powers against non-Gifted and bound them to the control of a new group of Administrators. The remit of the Administrators was ostensibly to ensure compliance with the Tenets, but also to protect the Gifted from a resentful populace, most applicants rigidly policed the former and tolerated breaches of the latter.
In the present period, the Gifted are poorly protected by the lop-sided Tenets, and they still face the lingering bitterness of non-Gifted. Once a child exhibits Gifted abilities, a tattoo like mark appears on their forearm and they are packed off to a Gifted school. Students spend their time attempting to master control of essence, to ensure that they are not a danger to non-Gifted. Formal tests must be passed to demonstrate competence, anyone failing the tests has their power removed and becomes a Shadow, just as detested as the Gifted, but outside the protection conferred by the Tenets.
Davian (an orphan, would you believe) is studying, with his friends Wirr and Asha, for the Gifted tests. Things are not looking great, he’s all over the theory side of things, but he’s having serious problems with the practical application of his powers, insomuch as, he just can’t use them. He’s in serious danger of failing his test, which is rapidly approaching. On the eve of the test, Davian is approached covertly by one of the examiners, they convince him that he alone has been selected to deliver a mysterious object. The examiner can’t tell him who the object should be delivered to, or indeed where that person might be, beyond a vague instruction to head in a certain direction (really helpful), oh and by the way the barrier in the north is failing, so if you don’t deliver this item it’s your fault if it fails completely (I’m paraphrasing a little there).
Striking out with a new series, particularly from an author you’re unfamiliar with, is always a bit of a risk, in this case the gamble has unreservedly paid off. The series starts in familiar fashion, there’s a protagonist from humble beginnings, an orphan no less; there’s a massive wall (of energy in this case) somewhere in the north which is holding an evil force at bay; enough time has passed that people are starting to doubt that the threat is still present, or in some cases existed at all; there’s a magical object that needs to be delivered.
From the point Davian accepts the task of delivering the item, it becomes clear that the situation is not quite as straightforward as it may have seemed, a number of intriguing plotlines emerge and by the end of the first book the author has introduced a time travel element and the concept of unavoidable fate. The actual act of time travel occurs infrequently, but the effects on the narrative are hugely consequential. It is to the authors credit that the result is not a confusing mess and while the effects are significant, they are central to the plot, rather than a convenient solution to an insurmountable problem.
I cannot overstate just how cleverly put together this series is, the care and attention paid to the development of the world and the characters is evident throughout. The various plotlines and intrigue escalated steadily through the course of the series, culminating in one of the most satisfying conclusions I have read in a long time. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this series to anyone who enjoys epic fantasy.
- The Shadow of What Was Lost (2014) – Amazon – Book Depository
- An Echo of Things to Come (2017) – Amazon – Book Depository
- The Light of All That Falls (2019) – Amazon – Book Depository