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The Cycle of Galand #4
The Light of Life
After a year of fighting across three different lands, Dante and Blays have finally brought Gladdic to justice—and in the process, they've unleashed a horror beyond all reckoning.
The enemy is known as the White Lich. He is ancient. He is immensely powerful. And Gladdic believes he will soon enslave all of Tanar Atain.
Their only chance to defeat him is to strike fast, before the lich has regained his power. But attacking him directly would be suicide. Instead, Gladdic has an alternative. Once upon a time, the lich was human, with a mortal body. Gladdic believes that original body is still out there, hidden somewhere in the swamps.
If they can find it and kill it, then the lich should die with it. But if they fail, the White Lich will rip the souls from the people of Tanar Atain—and turn his gaze on the rest of the world.
The enemy is known as the White Lich. He is ancient. He is immensely powerful. And Gladdic believes he will soon enslave all of Tanar Atain.
Their only chance to defeat him is to strike fast, before the lich has regained his power. But attacking him directly would be suicide. Instead, Gladdic has an alternative. Once upon a time, the lich was human, with a mortal body. Gladdic believes that original body is still out there, hidden somewhere in the swamps.
If they can find it and kill it, then the lich should die with it. But if they fail, the White Lich will rip the souls from the people of Tanar Atain—and turn his gaze on the rest of the world.
560 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 1, 2017
124 people are currently reading
538 people want to read
About the author
Edward W. Robertson
73 books1,234 followersEd is the author of the post-apocalyptic Breakers series and the epic fantasy series The Cycle of Arawn. A former New Yorker and Idaho-guy, he currently lives in the LA area. His short fiction has appeared in a whole bunch of magazines and anthologies.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews
March 8, 2018
It felt like I had waited too long for this book... and I was hesitant to read it too fast. I already can't wait for book 5.
I feel like in this book in particular, there is a lot of self-reflection and soul searching done by Dante and Blays. Even though they are up to the same old antics, they are faced with challenges that require them to dig deep into their morals and who they are.
I've slowly noticed that these books fell away from the rotating character perspectives not long ago. I don't feel this series needs it to be good, but I do miss the "on the edge of your seat" feeling that I would often get in earlier installments. I hope to encounter this writing style again, even if it's very brief. I enjoy that there are typically a few words that I get to look up using my Kindle dictionary while reading this series.
The visuals in book 4, just like in book 3, are incredible. The setting of the swamp and the geography and nature that takes place is such a perfect setting for this part in the story.
And I am still hoping that this series goes on forever! I gave this book 5 stars, because I am completely in love with these characters, their world, the plot, their history, and their past and futures. The elements of magic are just the right balance of fictional/believable. I have no complaints about this book, and I am always ecstatic when I find out the next one is soon on it's way.
I feel like in this book in particular, there is a lot of self-reflection and soul searching done by Dante and Blays. Even though they are up to the same old antics, they are faced with challenges that require them to dig deep into their morals and who they are.
I've slowly noticed that these books fell away from the rotating character perspectives not long ago. I don't feel this series needs it to be good, but I do miss the "on the edge of your seat" feeling that I would often get in earlier installments. I hope to encounter this writing style again, even if it's very brief. I enjoy that there are typically a few words that I get to look up using my Kindle dictionary while reading this series.
The visuals in book 4, just like in book 3, are incredible. The setting of the swamp and the geography and nature that takes place is such a perfect setting for this part in the story.
And I am still hoping that this series goes on forever! I gave this book 5 stars, because I am completely in love with these characters, their world, the plot, their history, and their past and futures. The elements of magic are just the right balance of fictional/believable. I have no complaints about this book, and I am always ecstatic when I find out the next one is soon on it's way.
March 15, 2023
This one was too dark and bleak for me and I also didn't like the way he completely dropped the side story with the thief from the first two books in the series. The writing was as good as always, but it's such a departure from the other books that it was hard to read and not nearly as enjoyable. I actually had to peek at the end of the book because I had to be sure it wasn't going down too dark a road.
July 7, 2017
Amazing as always!
Robertson comes back with another amazing addition to the saga of Dante and Blays. I read more than anyone I know, and recommend this and the White Tree as often as I do Sanderson. Thank you Ed for another amazing tale!!!
Robertson comes back with another amazing addition to the saga of Dante and Blays. I read more than anyone I know, and recommend this and the White Tree as often as I do Sanderson. Thank you Ed for another amazing tale!!!
June 13, 2017
My favorite in this cycle yet! The Dante and Blays banter was in fine form, and Gladdic was a surprisingly entertaining addition to the party dynamic. I never thought I could end up tolerating the guy after everything he's done but by the end of TLoL I was almost worrying about his survival.
I love the inventive way the magic of this setting is wielded and how the mythology gets expanded with every novel in this series, and this book was no exception. And the uniquely swampy setting of Tanar Atain complicated the characters' movements in interesting ways (though I'm glad they're moving on from that area in the next book as it was borderline claustrophobic at times.)
Highlights that are spoilers:
I love the inventive way the magic of this setting is wielded and how the mythology gets expanded with every novel in this series, and this book was no exception. And the uniquely swampy setting of Tanar Atain complicated the characters' movements in interesting ways (though I'm glad they're moving on from that area in the next book as it was borderline claustrophobic at times.)
Highlights that are spoilers:
August 10, 2017
A great edition to the series. It was also a nice change up in the plot/eventual ending. I liked the previous book in the series a bit better, but this one is still a great read. There of course is the same old wonderful banter between Dante and Blays but the edition of Gleric added both strain and extra hilarity. Dante FINALLY has a few things go right for him in a way that he hasn't been successful the whole series so far, which is a nice change as well. (I don't want to say though as it is a bit of a spoiler). Morality and right and wrong of each character was delved into a bit in this series which helped to further add depth to them, which is a bit surprising as usually by the 7th book a series the characters are fully developed, but it's nice that the characters keep growing along with the story.
October 5, 2024
I did not expect this trio but I'm here for it. And Blays Buckler might be the one character that I would always choose to be around in a fight.
July 26, 2017
These books are amazing. I first met Dante and Blays in Cycle of Arwan and they've returned in Cycle of Galand. Totally love these guys. Edward Robertson is a master storyteller and Tim Reynolds is a great narrator. I highly recommend these books if you enjoy swords and sorcery. Can't wait for the next book in the series.
July 26, 2017
The series continues to be engaging and well paced, this book was definitely a good read. Without getting into spoilers I would have liked to see one of two things for this book to be 5 stars. The book either needed more main plot-line progression or more character & relationship evolution.
June 17, 2017
Great addition to series
Yet another great addition to the series. One of the things I enjoy most about this series is watching the characters develop. Not only seeing their highpoint but their low point as well!
Yet another great addition to the series. One of the things I enjoy most about this series is watching the characters develop. Not only seeing their highpoint but their low point as well!
June 6, 2017
Oh My Gods! So far from disappointed in this book! If Dante and Blays wasn't enough, adding Gladdic into the mix was pure genius. The banter between the three of them had me laughing out loud, earning strange looks from my family, on several occasions. I have to say that this book may be my favorite of the series. Even though Blays and Dante have been faced with 'not so good odds' at coming out on top all throughout the series, only in the end to conquer, dont let that fool you. This book had my jaw dropping open, with well disguised curses all through it. Thank you, Edward Robertson, for another phenomenal adventure with Blays and Dante (yes, I put Blays first. Im totally in love with him). My only complaint would be that I read it too fast.
September 27, 2019
This is by far the bleakest book of all the books about Dante and Blays so far. But it is a good read/listen because, well, inquiring minds want to know….
Almost all the story takes place in the swamps of Tanar Atain and the nearby dangerous Hell-Painted Hills. As usual, Dante and Blays, and now Gladdic, who is working with them, learn a lot and expand their powers, both from working together and from traveling to a place called the Silent Spires where they hope to learn how to suppress other sorcerers’ ability to access the ether and the nether. But this time they don’t learn enough to defeat the dreaded White Lich – yet.
I was a little disappointed that we hardly heard from Raxa and Sorrowen at all in this book.
Almost all the story takes place in the swamps of Tanar Atain and the nearby dangerous Hell-Painted Hills. As usual, Dante and Blays, and now Gladdic, who is working with them, learn a lot and expand their powers, both from working together and from traveling to a place called the Silent Spires where they hope to learn how to suppress other sorcerers’ ability to access the ether and the nether. But this time they don’t learn enough to defeat the dreaded White Lich – yet.
I was a little disappointed that we hardly heard from Raxa and Sorrowen at all in this book.
July 21, 2017
As always a trilling ride of deep character development and witty banter. His world building and cultures are just as amazing as the beginning, The White Tree.
July 27, 2017
Of the 4 books in the series, I enjoyed this one the least.
April 11, 2019
I knew I was going to enjoy this book from the very start. The union of two worst enemies? Two opposing religious leaders forced to work together? This couldn't be any better. And the book delivers. There's banter, fury, disagreements, and constant troubles. The enemies act like they are enemies forced to work together. Sometimes they can put their differences aside, and sometimes it's too much.
What happened near the end was surprising, but also somewhat expected. It's Dante we're talking about here. He's proud and confident, believing that he can face the world by himself. This time it wasn't fully his fault, but I'm sure it would have happened anyway.
It was also fascinating to watch Gladdic interact with the main characters. He was a bastard, no doubt about that, but he was unapologetic about it. He had done what he thought was right, and he stood by his actions. Even if he joined the good side (good being a relative term, since Dante isn't really one of the warm-hearted and kind protagonists), he kept to his ways of doing anything for what he thought had to be done. Yet at the same time, he wasn't a one-dimensional being. Throughout the story, he grew to become a little different.
All in all, I really enjoyed the book. The last last event puzzled me a bit, since it seemed to come out of nowhere, but I didn't mind it too much. We're talking about Dante again. Everyone knows that he's been long married to his magic.
What happened near the end was surprising, but also somewhat expected. It's Dante we're talking about here. He's proud and confident, believing that he can face the world by himself. This time it wasn't fully his fault, but I'm sure it would have happened anyway.
It was also fascinating to watch Gladdic interact with the main characters. He was a bastard, no doubt about that, but he was unapologetic about it. He had done what he thought was right, and he stood by his actions. Even if he joined the good side (good being a relative term, since Dante isn't really one of the warm-hearted and kind protagonists), he kept to his ways of doing anything for what he thought had to be done. Yet at the same time, he wasn't a one-dimensional being. Throughout the story, he grew to become a little different.
All in all, I really enjoyed the book. The last last event puzzled me a bit, since it seemed to come out of nowhere, but I didn't mind it too much. We're talking about Dante again. Everyone knows that he's been long married to his magic.
July 26, 2025
My opinions: The first “quest” of the book (approx. first four chapters) was EXTREMELY interesting to me, the rest of the book less so but ultimately only by comparison to the strong start so I really can’t complain.
No Raxa content in this one which is a bit of a shame on principle but ultimately the implication is that she’s not doing much in this book compared to the boys (who are my preferred POV guys anyway) so it wouldn’t make much sense to clog the narrative by shoe-horning her in if she’s not up to anything interesting yet.
I had faith that Gladdic wasn’t going to be too annoying to have around, and I was rewarded that he did not drag the story down (even when he was being The Worst, which is his trademark). He seems pretty sincere about his new goals in life, despite everything, which I wasn’t sure could be pulled off in a non-eyeroll-inducing bid for including him as a protagonist after everything from the last few books. I also liked the side characters we met in this one, which is also a win. Plenty of Naran screentime is always a bonus (he is still my fave, even if his name isn’t Narren like the previous 3 audiobooks made me imagine). All in all, I’m just shocked so far that this series doesn’t seem to have an even bigger following / more publicity.
No Raxa content in this one which is a bit of a shame on principle but ultimately the implication is that she’s not doing much in this book compared to the boys (who are my preferred POV guys anyway) so it wouldn’t make much sense to clog the narrative by shoe-horning her in if she’s not up to anything interesting yet.
I had faith that Gladdic wasn’t going to be too annoying to have around, and I was rewarded that he did not drag the story down (even when he was being The Worst, which is his trademark). He seems pretty sincere about his new goals in life, despite everything, which I wasn’t sure could be pulled off in a non-eyeroll-inducing bid for including him as a protagonist after everything from the last few books. I also liked the side characters we met in this one, which is also a win. Plenty of Naran screentime is always a bonus (he is still my fave, even if his name isn’t Narren like the previous 3 audiobooks made me imagine). All in all, I’m just shocked so far that this series doesn’t seem to have an even bigger following / more publicity.
June 10, 2024
Book 4 finds our erstwhile heroes battle the White Lich which was released at the end of book 3. The Lich was previously guarded by the Knights of Odo Sein whose mysterious ability to close of Ethermancers and Nethermances from the source of their power enable them to imprison the Lich years before. Dante, Blays and company track down and head of the Odo Sein training base in order to attempt to bring back more knights to help in the fight. Of course things are not that simple and they are left with trying to learn the skill themselves, from teachers who don't tell them anything but expect them to learn it all for themselves.
Things start to look really bad for the crew when Dante is captured by the Lich and turned into a 'loyal' servant. Can Blays and Gladdick find a way to release Dante or its the end of everything?
Things start to look really bad for the crew when Dante is captured by the Lich and turned into a 'loyal' servant. Can Blays and Gladdick find a way to release Dante or its the end of everything?
October 26, 2017
After the 2nd book in the Cycle of Galand, I was a little fed up with Dante and Company acting as if they just set out on their first adventure instead of their one millionth adventure. They talked so much about all the stuff they have gone through and yet when someone double crosses them or pulls one over on them, they act surprised as if they didn't expect it. It just made them come off as buffoons and considering that Dante is the head of a small country...that was just ridiculous. To be honest there were still moments like that in "The Light of Life" but the story was so engrossing that I overlooked it. And Tim Gerard Reynolds is a wonderful reader that I was totally lost in the story, I don't think I've listened to anything he's read that wasn't amazing.
August 4, 2017
A direct continuation from the previous book, and I can't help but feel it's a bit of a right turn to the plot line. This White Lich stuff came in so late in the last book and is such a drastic departure from all the events before it that it feels a bit like the narrative suddenly got T-Boned mid flow and has crammed off randomly.
Which isn't to say the story isn't good. Things are tense, the character interactions are the best he's done so far, and the story is compelling, I just keep feeling like this is such a departure from the original narrative. I'm just not a fan of "SUDDENLY APOCALYPSE" thing four books into a story, with zero foreshadowing or setup.
Which isn't to say the story isn't good. Things are tense, the character interactions are the best he's done so far, and the story is compelling, I just keep feeling like this is such a departure from the original narrative. I'm just not a fan of "SUDDENLY APOCALYPSE" thing four books into a story, with zero foreshadowing or setup.
July 2, 2020
I liked this book but the swamp people argue as a tradition but they are so bad at it. For a writer that keeps witty banter going for books on end I expected him to write better arguments. Dante is supposed to be smart yet his argument to be taught the special magic was awful. The swamp people act so superior to everyone else which is annoying but that’s what the author seems to like to do. Every culture Dante runs into are just awful. The swamp people say they chase truth but when any outsider says something different to what they think they just say stupid outsider. It’s every character from the swamps. I feel like each one was just a copy of the last and it was infuriating to read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 3, 2024
Audiobook
Whole series review since I'm reviewing after the fact.
While not terrible, the continuation of the Cycle of Arawn series, the Cycle of Galland, does not live up to the same standard as it predecessor and starts to feel like a cash cow the author is milking for its last few drops by the later books. The first few here were ok, but the stakes just keep rising and rising, and the characters keep doing less and less. I quit after The Light of Life which is book 4 of 10 in this new series.
Whole series review since I'm reviewing after the fact.
While not terrible, the continuation of the Cycle of Arawn series, the Cycle of Galland, does not live up to the same standard as it predecessor and starts to feel like a cash cow the author is milking for its last few drops by the later books. The first few here were ok, but the stakes just keep rising and rising, and the characters keep doing less and less. I quit after The Light of Life which is book 4 of 10 in this new series.
September 6, 2017
The premise of this installment is that Dante and Blays have to team up with the homicidal old kreeper Gladdic to prevent the Lich from taking over the world. The story unfolds and it's as entertaining and well thought out as always. If you've liked the previous books then this is a worthy continuation that you'll like as well. Just don't expect it to wrap everything up because it's not the last entry in the series.
December 12, 2018
I am obsessed with this series and hope Edward continues to find ways to have Blays and Dante continue their adventures forever. I had originally thought of listening to this series as a holdover until another series started, but this has turned into so much more. The level of enemy keeps getting stronger and stronger with more variables being added to the mix. The humor is the best part of it as it keeps their adventures uplifting. I will continue to read on.
February 16, 2018
I have really enjoyed this series. This book picked up immediately where the last book left off and it took me a while to remember where the story was and what everyone was doing. I had a love-hate reaction to Gladdic the whole book long. I am glad he stuck around, but at the same time I want Blays to kill him already, and I want Dante to stop healing him. I really felt bad for Volo and I really, really liked Ara. I hope to see more of her in future books.
December 26, 2019
The plot slowed significantly in this book and the focus narrowed to just the two characters. They achieved no import milestones or goals, no story arc. It's like it's only part of a book (e.g. the second act). They're still in the same land they were in the last book and stay there for pretty much the entire book. No new places to explore, no new characters to meet and no follow-up with existing characters and places. Hoping the next one is better.
August 9, 2017
The best in the series so far!
I enjoyed this book very much, the suspense worked well, the narration was fantastic and really contributed to the enjoyment for me. I thought this book would be the last one in the series, but no, there are two more to come says the author. Not sure if they are published yet, I need to look around!
I enjoyed this book very much, the suspense worked well, the narration was fantastic and really contributed to the enjoyment for me. I thought this book would be the last one in the series, but no, there are two more to come says the author. Not sure if they are published yet, I need to look around!
August 23, 2019
Once again Edward writes an amazing continuation
As the saga continues so does my love of Blays. Even the mostly despicable Gladdic is growing on me. As always, the dialogue is superb and the characters full and well described. Edward has a way of capturing the nuance of the moment and enabling one to become a part of this fantastic world. Well done!
As the saga continues so does my love of Blays. Even the mostly despicable Gladdic is growing on me. As always, the dialogue is superb and the characters full and well described. Edward has a way of capturing the nuance of the moment and enabling one to become a part of this fantastic world. Well done!
August 25, 2019
Edward Robinson writes compelling fantasy. It is not terribly interesting in its world-building or style, but it is the plot that keeps you reading. It is one adventure after another for Galand and Blays. Indeed the entire series is a buddy cop movie with setbacks, new cases, changes of scenery, wisecracking banter, and always a more badass villan just out of reach.
September 11, 2017
The culture of the land Dante and Blays are in forces them to analyze everything, making this the most introspective book. As Robertson is best at dialogue, character interaction, and rationalization, that probably makes this the best of the series yet.
November 10, 2017
Best one yet!
I had grown disillusioned with this series after the first two or so books in the new series, but this one really hit the spot. Simply excellent on just about every level. I’m eagerly anticipating the next installment!
I had grown disillusioned with this series after the first two or so books in the new series, but this one really hit the spot. Simply excellent on just about every level. I’m eagerly anticipating the next installment!
January 31, 2018
Amazing
This book is amazing. J can't wait for the next one to come out. Robertson makes an amazing world where lines are blurred but sturdy and the people you would typically see as villains become the best hero's of any story. Hardest part is putting the book down.
This book is amazing. J can't wait for the next one to come out. Robertson makes an amazing world where lines are blurred but sturdy and the people you would typically see as villains become the best hero's of any story. Hardest part is putting the book down.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews