Why read The Shadow of What Was Lost?

Book cover of The Shadow of What Was Lost

Book description

A young man with forbidden magic finds himself drawn into an ancient war against a dangerous enemy in book one of the Licanius Trilogy, the series that fans are heralding as the next Wheel of Time.

As destiny calls, a journey begins.

It has been twenty years since the godlike…

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Why read it?

2 authors picked The Shadow of What Was Lost as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Anderson W. Frost

Author

This one is the lighter of the bunch. It felt like stepping into familiar territory: A classic fantasy trilogy with echoes of Sanderson, and maybe even a serving of Orson Scott Card(?).

The magic system is layered, but nowhere near as intricate as something Sanderson would write, and that’s okay. What stood out to me was how it handled memory and moral complexity without leaning into grimdark or soul-crushing despair.

It struck a good middle ground. Not too light. Not too bleak. Just a well-written, accessible epic that still has emotional weight without overwhelming you.

From Anderson's list on fantasy books to get completely lost in.

Tim Facciola

Author

This book has this wonderful dichotomy of feeling both fully familiar with other great, classic epic fantasy stories while simultaneously standing proud in its own right.

I tore through this book and this trilogy because they toed the line of nostalgia for classics like Lord of the Rings and The Wheel of Time while maintaining a more modern voice and more accessible pacing. Any time an author can pack the same degree of epic-ness into a smaller (but by no means small) story, I am all in.

From Tim's list on epic fantasy with unforgettable characters.