The Shadow of What Was Lost

It has been a while since I’ve read ‘door-stopper’ fantasy, a term I just learned and have fallen in love with. For those who don’t know, door-stopper fantasy books are absolutely massive and are frequently part of series. The Wheel of Time series is probably the best example of door-stopper fantasy but in recent years Brandon Sanderson has become the king of this subgenre. I’ve always said that fantasy is my favorite genre and within the genre door-stopper may be my favorite type so going back to it was a real treat. Even as a fan of the genre I have to say that The Shadow of What Was Lost gave me more than I expected and I’m totally shocked by how much I liked it.

The main reason I’m shocked by the sheer joy that I got while reading The Shadow of What Was Lost is because it’s pretty unashamedly derivative. I mentioned The Wheel of Time and Brandon Sanderson earlier and Islington clearly takes influence from both of them in his own writing. There were about 50 times during this book when I thought ‘this is really similar to a Wheel of Time scene’. So much of this book feels like it’s trying to copy beloved works within its genre. This is generally not a good thing, especially from beginner writers.

And yet… Islington still got me. A lot of the reviews I saw for this book praised Islington’s storytelling and I have to agree with them. At its core, The Shadow of What Was Lost is a very interesting story that’s told in a compelling way. The chapters are well-paced. The book as a whole has a really nice flow to it with periods of high action and periods of exposition that never last too long. The POV jumps make total sense as we stay with certain POVs for extended periods of time when they’re at their most interesting but leave them when it is time to do so. The reader is always told just enough so as to be curious but not confused. Islington just has a knack for putting scenes where they need to go and to have them last as long as needed. That’s a genuine talent that is extremely important within this subgenre in particular. When you have hundreds of scenes spread across nearly 700 pages, the ability to construct and place each individual scene becomes vital for the success of a book and Islington nailed it.

This natural storytelling ability allows The Shadow of What Was Lost to succeed despite its relatively uninteresting characters. It’s not like the characters are bad, but the book is at its most derivative when it comes to them. The purposes they serve within the plot are well-handled and I felt compelled by them, but I do think that Islington’s inexperience is most prominent when it comes to them.

All in all The Shadow of What Was Lost gave me exactly what I wanted and more. I eagerly look forward to continuing with the Licanius Trilogy in the future.