The Licanius Trilogy
#924.22 in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 3 books Status Complete 2014–2019 Reading commitment Medium James Islington Last reviewed 2026-08-21
Overview
The Licanius Trilogy is James Islington's complete epic fantasy debut (originally self-published in 2014, later reissued by Orbit Books), following a young man haunted by a forgotten past as ancient prophecies, time-bending magic, and a looming invasion draw him back into a war he cannot remember starting. Islington self-published The Shadow of What Was Lost in August 2014, and its quality drew enough attention that he signed with Orbit within a year; the publisher then released the trilogy's remaining volumes, An Echo of Things to Come (2017) and The Light of All That Falls (2019), completing the arc under traditional publication. Critics praised the series for its complex, tightly plotted magic system, layered political intrigue and varied cast, marking it as a notable example of the self-published-to-traditionally-published pipeline that became more common in epic fantasy during the 2010s, even as some reviewers felt its foundational premise -- a hero without memory of his own past -- drew on familiar genre territory.
Epic fantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (3 works) counts toward ranking
The Licanius Trilogy James Islington
| Work | Year | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | The Shadow of What Was Lost | 2014 | core | 4.14 (101,433 ratings) |
 | An Echo of Things to Come | 2017 | core | 4.20 (60,412 ratings) |
 | The Light of All That Falls | 2019 | core | 4.40 (47,349 ratings) |
Complete epic-fantasy trilogy; originally self-published in 2014, later reissued by Orbit Books.
Quick answers
- How many books are in The Licanius Trilogy? The Licanius Trilogy's Core Canon is 3 books.
- What is the reading order for The Licanius Trilogy? Publication order, starting with The Shadow of What Was Lost. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is The Licanius Trilogy finished? Complete (2014–2019).
- How much reading does The Licanius Trilogy take? Medium reading commitment (estimated from 3 Core Canon books · ~595 pages).
- How is The Licanius Trilogy ranked? #92 in this site's official ranking, based on 209,194 reader ratings across 3 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #92?
Ranked #92 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 4.22 across 3 core books.
- Backed by 209k reader ratings.
- Less than 0.01 behind #91, World of the Five Gods (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Highly rated · 3 books · Complete · 209k ratings · Ranks #92 overall
Good choice if you want a moderate-length epic fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
Publication order (3 Core Canon books)
- The Shadow of What Was Lost (2014)
- An Echo of Things to Come (2017)
- The Light of All That Falls (2019)
Awards (verified)
- No independently-confirmed awards found.
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Suggestions computed from what The Licanius Trilogy and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
- The Bound and the Broken Epic fantasy · Ongoing · Medium commitment · 4.33
- Lightbringer Epic fantasy · Complete · Medium commitment · 4.33
- The Bloodsworn Saga Epic fantasy · Complete · Medium commitment · 4.33
- The Rigante Epic fantasy / Historical fantasy · Complete · Medium commitment · 4.31
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 4.22 across 209,194 ratings on 3 Core Canon books. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: The Licanius Trilogy admitted as a new universe accepted 2026-08-21
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Islington
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shadow_of_What_Was_Lost
- Rating-platform source ↗
Last reviewed: 2026-08-21
Rule: Core Canon = all three novels, one continuous story read in publication order.