The Licanius Trilogy

A young man with forbidden magic finds himself drawn into an ancient war against a dangerous enemy in this gripping trilogy.
 

A student bearing a magical gift, Davian suffers under the Four Tenets imposed after a war that ended 20 years ago with the defeat of the supposedly godlike Augurs. With Augurs overthrown and wiped out, the Gifted under them were spared by submitting to the rebellion’s laws. In the walls of the school, Davian finds the only acceptance the world seems to offer among his fellow Gifted, who are all but prisoners. Struggling to learn, with the knowledge that failing his final tests leaves only further to fall, Davian discovers something that will change everything: he wields the power of the Augurs. Meanwhile, an ancient enemy to the north stirs. And to the west, a young man whose fate is intertwined with Davian’s wakes up in the forest, covered in blood and with no memory of who he is.
 

Michael Kramer narrates this stunning fantasy series with unrivaled performance. An accomplished voice actor who is also the narrator of Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series and Brandon Sanderson’s The Stormlight Archives and Mistborn series, Kramer breathes life into the world of The Licanius Trilogy in a deep, strong, and soothing voice. With Kramer deftly navigating the story’s twists and turns while bringing the emotions of every scene to the forefront, The Licanius Trilogy is almost impossible to pause.
 

Author James Islington cites Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn and Patrick Rothfuss' Name of the Wind, the debut novel in the Kingkiller Chronicles, among his inspirations.
 

Of the first book, The Shadow of What Was Lost, Publishers Weekly proclaimed, “Fans of doorstop epic fantasy will not be disappointed,” while The Daily Mail praised it as, "A relentless juggernaut of a book,” with, “[A]stoundingly intricate worldbuilding." Of the second book, An Echo of Things to Come, Booklist declared, "Reminiscent of Robert Jordan or Brandon Sanderson, Islington's writing is refreshingly fast paced, with a light and clever touch".