Fantasy Buddy Reads discussion

The LIght of All That Falls - James Islington

June 10, 2020.
Requested by Rob, Tammie, Veronica, Saar and more.

I might be in. I have another BR at the same time so we'll see. :)

Ready to finish!

I’m considering quitting my job to catch up on all my reads so I’ll be on time for this and the 3 others I’ve scheduled.

Niki Hawkes wrote: "I’m considering quitting my job to catch up on all my reads so I’ll be on time for this and the 3 others I’ve scheduled."

I know the feeling, Niki!

Mayim wrote: "Niki Hawkes wrote: "I’m considering quitting my job to catch up on all my reads so I’ll be on time for this and the 3 others I’ve scheduled."

I know the feeling, Niki!"

Thank you <3 - lol #firstworldproblems

Niki Hawkes wrote: "I’m considering quitting my job to catch up on all my reads so I’ll be on time for this and the 3 others I’ve scheduled."

Same thing there, Nikki :)

Will be starting tomorrow.

I would love to read this one, now, However, reading the first two volumes (could not participate in the last two months reading- too many other reads) in previous years, not sure if I can bring myself up to speed on the story, unless everyone is taking their time.

P.S. I wish I could quit my job and just read, well we can dream!!

Started listening today and this time actually listening to the recap this time.

Ch 31

I dunno if I’m in the minority here, but so far I’m finding this book to be rather dull, and overly complex. Too many infodumps. The time traveling elements oftentimes are difficult for me to sort out chronologically.

Barry wrote: "Ch 31

I dunno if I’m in the minority here, but so far I’m finding this book to be rather dull, and overly complex. Too many infodumps. The time traveling elements oftentimes are difficult for me t..."

I don't know if you are in a minority. Neither Veronica nor I were overly delighted with the previous part. I rather hoped the finale will be more like the first book: with relentless pacing and a straightforward story.

I’m hoping to start this week. Just finishing up a few other books. I liked the second book but found it slower than the first especially the Davian parts.

I'm in the second chapter, slow to start. I'm getting rather weary of the huge data dump-style and hope the author for future works evolves a bit in his style. It's about nuggets, not about and now I will bury you under so much stuff you don't remember half of it and I have to write summaries for the previous books at the beginning of each new book.

I’ve started tonight. Bless him for the recap. Barry have you finished already?

Yes, thank god for the recap for this one. I'm still a bit confused as I missed the bit where (view spoiler)[Wirr has control over the Gifted as well as administration? I must've been on autopilot late into book two. (hide spoiler)]

Almost finish. I'm on Ch 48. Sorry haven't been posting more regular updates. Even with the recap, almost half of the time I still kinda forgot what happened or who the character was before this book. So, I just wanna get to the end asap before I forget everything else lol.

@ Rob
(view spoiler)[Yeah, basically after his father died, Wirr changed the tenet using the official Oathstone. But, now he has another Oathstone that can influence every Gifted regardless of what the official Oathstone decreed. (hide spoiler)]

Well, I'm in a good mood just having finished a great novel by Tchaikovsky so let's hope this mood will carry me at least halfway through Licanius. :)

I should definitely read another book by him one of these days.

Anyway Ch 50

Davian (view spoiler)[
I do hope we get to know his true parents at the end of the book
(and there's only one more chapter + the epilogue ...). I thought Raeleth and Niha might be, but I think Caeden/Tal aborted the fetus before sending them back in Zvaelar?

I dunno the mechanism of becoming an Augur. Each Augur I believe is related to one of the 13 threads pulled by Alchesh from the Darklands. So, I assume it's pretty similar to how the Venerate is re-born in the Chamber again and again, except that each of the thread is reborn into another body. Kinda like the Dalai Lama? (hide spoiler)]

Wirr (view spoiler)[
miraculous save ... kinda annoyed me.

But, if I have to guess then the Neskia has something to do with Cyr? Since Cyr is the only Venerate whose whereabout is unknown. Maybe she imparted some knowledge on them before killing herself to prevent the Boundary from failing? (hide spoiler)]

Mayim wrote: "Barry wrote: "Ch 31

I dunno if I’m in the minority here, but so far I’m finding this book to be rather dull, and overly complex. Too many infodumps. The time traveling elements oftentimes are diff..."
I am in Chapter 30, but have to agree with Barry on the info dumps and time travel. Not sure at times which time version of Davian do we have?
With a bit less than half to go I am curious to see how Islington will tie up the storylines.

Frank wrote: "Not sure at times which time version of Davian do we have?"

oopsie, that doesn't sound too promising!

Done.

Overall, it was a struggle for the majority of the book, unfortunately. The last 15-20% was pretty good though once the actions got going.

Good things:
1. Still very good world-building. I especially enjoyed the Zvaelar. I really appreciate the fact that Islington was really meticulous in creating the places and the mechanisms depicted throughout the series. Although, as mentioned I think because he was really meticulous and very detailed, sometimes he tended to write more details than necessary.

2. Most of the loose ends tied up by the end of the book. A lot of the theories that I've read posted in the previous two books were finally answered quite satisfyingly I must add.

3. It's an ambitious project with very complex plots. Each character went through a lot of twists and turns to finally reach where they needed to be at the end. Again, I really appreciate Islington's efforts, considering this is his first published series. Although, there are some sections that could be cut out. Davian's parts in the second book could be edited out somewhat. For this book, I felt Wirr's sections could be trimmed out a little bit.

Can be better things:
1. I've mentioned the thing about Wirr (view spoiler)[being miraculously saved by Dezria. It really bothered me. But, at least Islington gave an explanation at the end on why he chose to write it that way. (hide spoiler)]
2. Uneven pacing due to too much infodump and characters having to recap things that had occurred to another character.

Overall, I thought it's meh until the final 15-20%. Pretty good but not great. But as a first effort, I commend his ambition to write such an expansive trilogy. 3.5 Star.

Davian (view spoiler)[
I was right! Davian was indeed Nahi and Raeleth's son. I thought Caeden aborted her pregnancy, but I guess what he did ultimately made Davian the way he was, an augur who's unable to draw Essence because essentially he had already died in the womb. (hide spoiler)]

Just finished the recap and although I remember most of it, it seems as if he clarifies things better in the recaps than in the books themselves (✷‿✷)

Choko wrote: "Just finished the recap and although I remember most of it, it seems as if he clarifies things better in the recaps than in the books themselves (✷‿✷)"

It is SO true! I had exactly the same feeling. I kept thinking: if this is so straightforward why was the previous book so convoluted?

Exactly! It really is straight forward when he sums it up, but in order to confuse the reader, he goes about telling the story in the most convoluted way! A lot of the side loops, as I call them, at least in the last book, were there only to complicate the story and make it more mysterious. I think of this as a new writer's idea that the more things happen, the more interesting the book, but that is a misconception in my opinion...

Mayim, I decided to get to this book first and then go to the Tchaikovsky book after. You saying it is good gives me something to look forward to◉‿◉

Choko, Tchaikovsky was just a funride and Loud Thunder is such a sweetheart! ❤️

Yay!!! I am so excited now◉‿◉

Up to Ch. 28... I am really hooked. I do wish he would speed up the process a bit, because we are definitely going to points the longest way possible!!! I usually love details in books of this type, but man, he finds ways to make the simplest concept convoluted... It is a good thing I like the characters and the world quite a bit. The creatures are pretty awesome. I find the prison realm very interesting. I am pretty much half way through, and it has taken me two days to get here, so I am guessing it will take me two more days to finish... This is slower than usual and I think it has to do with the pace, but I am hoping it picks up later on.