An Echo of Things to Come

June 19, 2017
This weighty epic fantasy sequel to The Shadow of What Was Lost finds the heroes preparing to take on the forces massing beyond the magical boundary wall that protects the land of Andarra. Wirr, the newly minted Northwarden, and his friends Davian, a magic-wielding augur, and Asha, a corrupted augur known as a Shadow, have their hands full convincing anyone to take the threat seriously. Wirr has repealed the laws that condemned augurs to death, but many in Andarra still distrust those who use magic, especially the ones who are hiding unseemly secrets. Caeden, an amnesiac young man Wirr and Davian saved from a death sentence, is finally regaining his memories, and he struggles to deal with the unpleasant truths they contain. Asha needs to investigate the suspicious disappearance of other Shadows, and Davian is learning to control his growing powers, but the threat at the wall eventually forces everyone to drop their other plans and meet the enemy. Islington’s magic-soaked setting has plenty of opportunities for conflict between competing powers even as earth-shattering evil approaches. Epic fantasy fans will enjoy this dense, suspenseful adventure.

June 15, 2017
Second part of Islington's doorstopper epic fantasy trilogy (The Shadow of What Was Lost, 2016), set in a world of the Gifted, whose magic lies in being able to tap into their own life force, and the Augurs, who wield a higher-order magic.Islington supplies a "refresher" of the events of Book 1 that isn't as helpful as you might suppose for reasons that will soon become clear. The laws that kept the Augurs and the Gifted constrained have been changed to allow them to defend Andarra against mysterious invaders. Three 16-year-olds who became friends at a school for the Gifted, Davian, Wirr, and Asha, now face different futures. Davian must learn to control his Augur powers and determine why the Boundary, put in place many years ago to keep out an invader called Aarkein Devaed, is weakening. Wirr, who, following his father's death, is now Prince Torin the Northwarden, suspects that the story his father told him was false and must also deal with his interfering mother. By means of treachery, Asha's Gifted powers have been suppressed, turning her into a Shadow; determined to find out how and why, she may discover more than she bargained for. Their friend Caeden has learned he's an immortal; worse, he was once Aarkein Devaed but could not bear the crushing guilt and deleted his memories. Now he finds he needs them back; but is he really as evil as everybody says and he himself believes? With the narrative lacking the clear theme usually found in epic fantasy, the particulars assume critical importance; without them readers will be unable to decipher such magnificently gnomic passages as: "Andrael's ridiculous weapon did its job and took my Reserve, so the Siphon is now bonded to Ashalia rather than me. If you want to seal the ilshara, she will need to find the final Tributary. The one that you set aside for Gassandrid, until he began to suspect and split himself." Though the book is vastly overelaborate, the steady pace and intricately fascinating details are relentlessly gripping; fans of the first volume won't be disappointed.

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July 1, 2017
Dark and destructive forces are smothering Andarra piece by piece, as the newly empowered Gifted are learning to tap into Essence to desperately stem the tide against them. Caeden must struggle with his guilt and despair over the murders in Desriel as well as his own mysterious identity. He is determined to save his friends, but his shameful secrets only serve to tighten the noose around his own neck. Davian, meanwhile, is using his magical kan to strengthen the Boundary in order to prevent the horrors that are leaking into their world. Asha is pursuing the Shadows with her sharply honed detective skills, but she has wandered into a treacherous trap, and Wirr must play his political game flawlessly or risk losing everything. This second book in the series does not disappoint with its breathtaking plot, twisted and barbaric battles, and devastating betrayals. Reminiscent of Robert Jordan or Brandon Sanderson, Islington's writing is refreshingly fast paced, with a light and clever touch.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)