The Light of All That Falls
| Company type | Novel |
|---|---|
| Industry | Publishing |
| Founded | 2019 |
| Founder | James Islington |
| Products | Epic fantasy novel |
The Light of All That Falls is an epic fantasy novel released in 2019 by James Islington, serving as the final installment in his Licanius Trilogy. It follows the events of The Shadow of What Was Lost and An Echo of Things to Come and garnered a range of critical responses.
Background
Millennia ago, Aarkein Devaed annihilated the Shining Lands, the homeland of the Darecians, prompting the survivors to establish Deilannis and develop a device capable of time travel. The demon Shammaeloth seeks to exploit this invention to merge the Darklands with Andarra. The Venerate revere Shammaeloth under the name El, convinced that reaching Deilannis will redeem their past transgressions. Upon uncovering this truth, Devaed defected and created the Boundary as a barrier against Shammaeloth. Following Deilannis's destruction, its survivors became known as the Lyth. Caeden intends to seal the Rift between worlds by eliminating all Augurs and Venerate, including himself. Licanius, detained north of the Boundary, remains the sole individual capable of slaying the Venerate.
The Light of All That Falls
Davian, held captive beyond the Boundary, is transported to Zvaelar, a timeless city where he encounters Tal’kamar/Caeden—who has yet to experience certain events familiar to Davian. Among the prisoners compelled to serve the Venerate are philosopher Raeleth and Gifted Niha, whom Davian assists in escaping back to their original timeline.
With assistance from Caeden and the Lyth, Asha manages to flee her Tributary without causing the Boundary’s collapse. Wirr discovers that Ilin Illan is under threat; his uncle King Andras perishes during a monster assault. Caeden defeats these creatures but at the cost of destroying Ilin Illan. Alongside Wirr and Asha, Caeden thwarts an invasion launched by Desriel’s forces. He rescues Licanius from Shammaeloth’s grasp and kills Nethgalla but suffers an injury inflicted by Licanius that shortens his life expectancy.
The Boundary falls due to attacks by the Venerate and Desriel’s army. Caeden eliminates the surviving Venerate; all Augurs perish in combat except for Davian. Asha, Davian, and Caeden journey to Deilannis with the aim of sealing the Rift before Shammaeloth can arrive. Utilizing a Vessel, Caeden removes Davian’s Augur abilities before entering the Rift himself to travel back in time and close it.
Caeden visits significant moments in history: he meets Niha and her infant son—Davian’s parents—and arranges for Davian’s education in Caladel. He takes leave of his deceased wife Eliavia prior to returning to a point where he believed he had killed Davian. Transforming into Davian’s likeness, Caeden attempts to convince his former self to change allegiances; however, his past self kills him. Despite this, Davian survives and continues life alongside Asha and Wirr in the present day.
Reception
Kirkus Reviews commended the book for its "intricate, lavish, and sometimes intimidating detail" but expressed doubts about whether all narrative threads fully integrate and criticized the frequent presence of immortal characters. Conversely, Publishers Weekly provided a less favorable review, highlighting concerns over its length and complexity while noting that characters lacked sufficient dynamism to carry such an elaborate plot.