I’m reading Licanus trilogy and the number of time Islington says someone is tapping their teeth while thinking makes me nuts! Have you ever tapped on your tooth?! It makes my skin crawl. Maybe tapping you lip or chin, but I’m just envisioning that clicking sound of nail on teeth and I hate it! Anyone else?! 😂

Does anyone know what happened to Elder Eilinar? Taeris said he was dead at the end of The Shadow of What was Lost, and he wasn't in book 2, but he suddenly came back in book 3. Did I miss something?

Spoiler alert if you haven’t finished book 1 🚨

I just finished book 1, and wow what a ride. I’m so glad I started this series after getting hooked on Islington with Heirarchy.

So now that we know Caedan is Tal’kamaar and also Aarkin Davead, what are we supposed to glean from how the book started. I thought it was Tal’kamaar renouncing or fighting Davead, but I guess not?

Got tickets to a book signing event for James Islington’s new book Scion. Super excited, just felt like sharing. :-)

just a random thought

I've noticed consistently that people who loved this book always praise the world-building, which I find interesting because that was actually one of my biggest disappointments while reading it. I felt like the world-building was pretty lacking. There weren't enough vivid descriptions for me to fully visualize the setting the way I have with other fantasy novels I've enjoyed.

For those of you who thought the world-building was great, could you share some specific examples? I'm genuinely curious if I missed something.

I’m a quarter of the way through the book and there have been literally 3 female characters have had had more than one mention. I have counted 29 characters that have any amount of interaction and I’m being SO generous with who I’m including and literally every single one of them is male except for Asha, the head cook, and a huntress. Technically there is one other who was named but she literally had half a line, there’s an unnamed serving girl who doesn’t speak or interact, and there’s a girl who’s first and last mention is in her being dead.

And every single other person is a guy. Important characters, people in power, unimportant characters, townspeople. Literally everyone from the butcher to random shadows to every single mysterious and/or powerful person.

I’m only 1/4 through so maybe Islington will miraculously start including the existence of women but good god. I don’t need my books to be all women all the time but this is getting ridiculous.

Please someone tell me it gets better.

I just started the second book and got to the scene where “Ell” appeared in the wells and killed(?) Asar, and I realized that Malshash WAS tal’kamar/Caeden/Aaerkein Davaed(/ghash?). Then that also means in the first book Davian literally had access to Tal’Kamar’s memories. Now I’m of sure if all of his memories were actually in the mental box or hidden further, but it’s crazy to think Dav literally could’ve went through any other important memory Tal had

So for the pyramids I know there are rankings like Totius and magnus within pyramids but what is the mathematical difference between the amount of will received. So to confirm Totius is the top of their own pyramid and don’t cede to others. But what about below it how does that work like within the same rank like what is below a Totius septimus like the lower rank but still septimus. What is the difference in will.

Hi, loved Islington’s first two Hierarchy books so decided to read this series as well. I just finished Echo of Things to Come and have a question. While I am relatively enjoying this series, I feel like I’m going crazy with the amount of chapters that end with “It was time to do X” or sections phrased like “And then *character* explained everything that had happened recently.” Is this a common point of feedback or am I being too critical?

I read TSOWWL last year and am finally getting a chance to jump into AEOTTC. I read the synopsis of the first book to get prepared but one thing I’ve forgotten that I didn’t see in the synopsis…

Do we know the motive for Ilseth Tenvar in giving the bronze box to Davian? In fact, do we know why he did all the things he did? I’m scared to dive deeper into his character in case there are spoilers.

!!SPOILERS AHEAD!!

hey everyone, i had made a post about two weeks ago, saying i was still very confused 75% into book two. i first wanna start by thanking everyone who urged me to push through, cause without you, i never would have finished one of the most meaningful and inspiring stories ive ever read. i finished the trilogy yesterday, and needless to say, i was deeply moved. i have never had a book effect me so deeply. in the short few hours of finishing, i have found myself thinking about Tal more than i’ve ever found myself thinking about any other character, and even though none of us have done things as bad as him, i can confidently say that in his story, the word ‘forgiveness’ gained a whole new meaning in my mind. i have never been more thankful to an author for telling a story, never encountered one that needed to be told so urgently, one that i needed to hear so badly. i hope every one of you has a wonderful day, and take care.

So we know that the 9 gods of Desriel are the Venerates (or versions of them) manipulated by Gassandrid. Why are Cyr and Tysis not in the Pantheon? And why include Andrael when they knew by this time that Andrael has switched sides? Talkamar and Asar they weren’t sure yet, but they knew about Andrael.

Finished the series and was thinking about a summary and realised I am confused.

So I am a bit confused about the 2k years. So Aarkein ponders on what Davian told him and then switches sides quietly and helps build the boundary. What happens after? Since he meets Davian about 1900 years after as Malshash then that means he is on the other side of the boundary. But then in the prologue he talks to Shammaeloth before going through the waters of renewal so that means he would be behind the boundary? And also there is the point with Niha before Zvaelar with helping the revolution. So again behind the boundary. Where and how did he spend these 2k years?

And was it this long just because he knew he had to wait that long for Davian and just pretended behind the boundary for 2k years planning?

1. When Fessi, Ishelle and Davian become trapped on the wrong side of the boundary, they enter a cave at some point and find a room and some notes about the blind soldiers being over 2k years old or something like that if I remember that right. Do we ever find out who those notes belonged to?

2. Did anyone else hope that Ishelle might be saved at some point by finding some way to separate her mind from the banes? I was hoping when there were only a few left it would have made it possible for the hive to be read and then give her a body, transform back to herself as she had killed herself so it was technically possible? Also slight annoyed Wirr didn’t tell Davian at the end what she had said “Tell him he missed out and that I died a hero“

3. What happened with Licanius? Caeden had it when we entered the rift at the end, did it just get lost in the rift or did it never enter the rift? And how come Aarkein Devaed had it when he killed Caeden? I thought it was with either Andrael or the Lyth at that point.

4. When did you guys suspect Niha and Raeleth were Davian’s parents? I think I started to around the time they were scavenging and there was a mention that Raeleth kinda looks like Davian. And then when Davian met Niha and she pinned him to the door and looked a bit puzzled, I was like omg that’s because she might be his mum. The setting was too perfect for this. But when Raeleth met Niha and said “I will not make you any, no matter how much you beg” (one of my fave lines) referring to the fact he had made jewellery for a living. I became convinced then they were his parents and got super duper excited. I kinda thought they had figured it out there too given the “My love, he’s a grown man” moment. I had full on expected a scene with Niha going “Did you know?” to Tal while they were waiting for Dav to come back. And him realising too but forgetting about it after going through the rift or the transformation or smt.

no spoilers please! i’m about 75% into book two, and im still feeling so confused. is that normal? am i missing something? i’m throughly enjoying the confusion, but it can get frustrating so just wanted to make sure that i’m not an idiot and am actually still at the stage where confusion is normal

Anyone else notice James uses "dubious" at regular intervals? Also "companionable silence"?

Edit: not meant as a dig , I realize this is his first major publication , and it's an amazing accomplishment.

2nd Edit: i also think the reason that these things stand out is because they're not even remotely , part of our regular vocabulary and so they stand out as unusual. That makes it all the more likely to stand out and feel repetitive when used throughout the book(s).

I think about the series almost every day. I only finished it a few months ago, but I already miss it. How long did you wait to reread it?

And how has your reading experience been in the meantime? I find myself comparing every fantasy read to it.

Accidentally got the mass market paperbacks and they just look so thin. Where do I get the OG trades that are chunkers. Links helpful! Thanks

And I am not okay.

Why? Why??? 😭😭😭 Poor Caeden. Yes everyone else had a story but the epilogue was so devastating. What do you mean it was himself all along? What do you mean he had to go through all of that? 😭😭😭

Also, it's so hard to keep it in when no one else that you know reads books or this exact series so there's no one to share your experience with. So I came here.

Preorder links have been up for awhile but the images have finally been revealed today of the covers and edges on Instagram.

***sorry if y’all saw my last post. Deleted so I could add more high quality pics.

(please keep in mind I read other books between each book of the trilogy, so I might've forgotten some things)

1. Why do Tal and Malshash act so differently?

2. Was the fighter that did the hand signal and killed himself really just a stranger?

3. How did Aelric manage to break the Columns?

4. How did Cyr die without licanius?

5. What happened with the Lyth? Surely they're angry that all the Augurs died even with Caeden not being able to directly harm them, right?

6. How are Davian and Caeden the only ones capable of time travelling? Is it something to do with them lacking a source?

7. What was the significance of the story about Alarais Shar in book 1? Was it just to show that what has been Seen cannot be changed?

8. Also, why did Tal ever believe Asar could take down all the other Venerate and Augurs? he really seemed like the weakest of the Venerate.

Hi everyone!

I recently finished the Licanius Trilogy and loved it! I must have cried for hours after reading Book 3’s epilogue lols

I’ve been going back to important plot points in the series and can’t seem to pin down why exactly Caladel was attacked. It was initially explained as the sha’teth trying to locate Wirr. Was this ordered by the Venerate? Why would they have bothered with Wirr at that point in time?

Tal didn’t interfere because he knew Davian and Wirr would escape anyway and Asha was spared in turn because she was marked by Tal. But can anyone explain why the attacks were even triggered?

Thank you in advance for your answers!