A Gathering of Shadows
core novel 2016 Shades of Magic
Record
| First published | 2016 |
|---|---|
| Original language |  EN |
| Work type | novel |
| Canon status | core |
| Reader rating | 4.19 (243,349 ratings, collected 2026-08-19) |
| Page count | 512 |
| First-edition ISBN | 9780765376473 |
| Internal chronology | 2 |
Synopsis
A Gathering of Shadows is the second book of V.E. Schwab's Shades of Magic trilogy, following Kell and Lila as a deadly magical tournament draws travelers from across the parallel Londons. Months after the events of the first novel, Kell is restless and chafing under new restrictions placed on him by the Maresh royal family, who fear the consequences of his abilities becoming known. Lila, meanwhile, has been living a different life at sea, honing her skills and searching for purpose beyond London. As Red London prepares to host the Element Games, an international magical tournament meant to showcase the empire's power and prestige, competitors and spectators from rival Londons converge on the city, and old tensions between Kell and forces beyond his control begin to resurface.
Where it sits
- Universe: Shades of Magic
- Series: Shades of Magic core; position 2 of 3 in the series' recorded order
- Author: V.E. Schwab
Notes
- From the series record (Shades of Magic): V.E. Schwab's 1st universe in this canon. A complete trilogy of parallel Londons (Grey, Red, White, and the sealed-off Black). Award record consists mostly of reader-vote ballot nominations on a popular rating platform (a high-volume open-nomination stage, not a juried shortlist); no confirmed Hugo, Nebula, World Fantasy, or British Fantasy recognition was found for this trilogy specifically.
Neighbouring works
Publication order and internal chronology are tracked as two separate orderings, but they resolve to the exact same sequence for this book, so one combined line is shown instead of two identical ones.
- Reading order, within the series Shades of Magic: position 2 of 3: previous A Darker Shade of Magic (2015) · next A Conjuring of Light (2017)
Sources
- veschwab.com (author's own site)
- Wikipedia (English)
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Gathering_of_Shadows
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