The Good & The Bad: The Licanius Trilogy by James Islington (Spoiler-Free)

Mike talks about the good parts and the not so good parts of the ambitious debut by James Islington; the Licanius trilogy.
You can purchase Licanius #1 here: amzn.to/368mMhU (physical) amzn.to/3a3kvpF (digital) amzn.to/3okT000 (audio)
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0:00 Introduction
0:32 Background Info & Spoiler Warning
3:24 The Good
10:33 The Bad
16:40 Why You Should Read It
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Music used: Epic (No Copyright Music)
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#MikesBookReviews #Licanius #JamesIslington

[@tkinsey3]

Yeah, my short and sweet summary of Licanius was basically "It's absolutely flawed, but the character arc of Caedan and the Epilogue of the final book catapults it into an all-time favorite for me"

[@mikesbookreviews]

It truly is incredible from a debut author.

[@tkinsey3]

@@mikesbookreviews Absolutely. Islington has become a day 1 purchase author for me.

[@JJJKKK445]

I JUST finished the last book and you mirrored my exact thoughts and feelings perfectly.

[@jamesmunn576]

It is absolutely one of best endings I've experienced in quite a longtime. The concepts of free will and fate displayed so well and in the middle a deep connection to both. Amazing stuff to think about.

[@eggbert6900]

'you'll notice he uses the same phrases throughout' *I inclined my head*

[@Ytnzy250]

You know Mike is doing well when he gets jealous troll haters immediately disliking his uploads. Go Mike 😍

[@djsuth7727]

Not trolls but cos-playing Aes Sedai ;)

[@jeremydanchuk1897]

I was going to give you a thumbs down so you could get trolled as well...but I am not a total jerk

[@callum7081]

Probably people still mad about the rhythm of war criticism haha

[@nickfoster9350]

I picked up book one two days ago, and am about 200 pages into it. So far, I’m really enjoying it.

[@jalledebest]

My copy of the book actually has a section "Author's Note: Aelric and Dezia". I assume yours has too. Here the author clearly states that their story was cut out of this book, his reasons why and that the story is definitely coming in a separate book. It was part of his original plan for the series, but adding it to the final book didn't work. It was way too long (an extra 150k words) and he didn't want to introduce new povs this late into the series and rush the worldbuilding in Nesk. Along with messing up the pacing for the final arc.

[@thejohnsanger]

Yeah I never got there with Davian as a character and he’s just hanging out for a lot of the third book. I liked the other main characters so much more but oh man that ending. It’s almost unbelievable that he pulled it off. Spectacular

[@nicodemogawronski2052]

I agree so much about the Forsaken. One of the things I hated about Wheel of Time was how stupid the bad guys were. In Licanius they definitely have weight

[@janhavi1977]

Uggh...the Forsaken are some of the most annoying villains. I thought I was the only one who felt this way. The main characters are infuriating because they would rather hide useful info from the lifelong best friends and people they should trust, instead of working with them. Rather than the villains making things difficult, the main characters make things difficult for themselves. And the villains are infuriating because they don't capitalise on the stupidity of the main characters.

[@nicodemogawronski2052]

@@janhavi1977 If we had Game of Thrones mixed up with Wheel of Time, the bad guys would win in book 2 or 3 and that would be it

[@melindagillen4058]

picking up book 1 and adding to my TBR! Thanks Mike

[@treygreenleaf7878]

Great take on the venerate comparison

[@gustaveriksson113]

Honestly loved these books. Such a well crafted story.

[@averydavis1012]

I'd bought the first book a couple of years ago and it sat in my to-read pile for quite a while. I finally decided to read it and couldn't put it down! Zipped through it, got the second and read it quickly too, ( I didn't do a whole lot of sleeping during the time period I was reading these books.) Had to wait a couple of months for the last one and read it as my first book of 2020. I haven't read a ton of fantasy but these books blew me away! The way the ending wrapped everything up was a work of art.

[@ScullyPopASMR]

Another video already. Very cool 🔥

[@kenbax7375]

Ahh, I'm on vacation get to wake up to a new MBR vid with a large cup of coffee. Life is good. (Absolutely loved Gardens of the Moon btw. Instantly shot up to one of my favorite books of all time.)

[@nicholasgerdak1672]

Love this series so so much man

[@hope_nk]

I just finished book one and I absolutely love it!😍 But unfortunately, the Russian publisher decided not to continue the series, so now I have to deal with all there strange new words once again but this time in English 😤

[@grahamcaunce5838]

100% right in the feeling that the bad guys were a competent version of the forsaken.

[@mikesbookreviews]

They kicked so much ass.

[@jenniferwood144]

Currently reading book 2 and so far am enjoying the series. Keeping in mind that these are his first books, he does have repeat issues. But I think he will evolve and become an fantasy writer to watch and read. Great review

[@chrismckenna101]

This was one my favourite series I read last year. Totally agree with some of your criticisms though. Good review

[@bymatthewansley]

It’s funny what you said about the book 1 epilogue. I actually found it super jarring and ended up not continuing the series even though book 1 is fantastic. It was almost too unexpected for me. It’s been on my mind to give it another go, there’s so much good stuff. You’ve motivated me to pick it back up two years later! Here we go.

[@Trosgustav]

One of my favorite series, if only for the way it handles time travel + the ending. The Ending was truly satisfying.

[@turtleanton6539]

This sounds really awesome.

[@txy9911]

I like the format of series reviews

[@jeremydanchuk1897]

I am halfway through An Echo of Things to come and I am really enjoying it.

[@levianderson5744]

Ayyy same

[@cynthiaholmes5124]

Will be reading the first book in may can't wait to start ☺️😁

[@jackmckenzie926]

Loved book one. Have just today ordered book three as the trade paperback was never released here in NZ and when it arrives I plan to read books two and three back to back, cause as I said I loved book one. It was even better as a re-read which I did late last year.

[@Zenketsu_00]

I loved this trilogy, but you had some very valid criticisms, and I agree with you except for 1 point - I personally really liked the flashbacks/off time line...I enjoyed the mystery and trying to put it together for myself. Edit: In retrospect, I might have had an easier time following along with the made up words and strange plot points cause I had just read Malazan shortly before this

[@DarrenHuckey]

I thoroughly enjoyed the first two books of this series. I have book 3 (and his newest release - The Will of the Many) cued up for consumption once I finish another couple of books I’m working on. Thanks for the info!

[@AndrewsWizardlyReads]

I’ve already purchased all three TP. Based on your recommendations

[@full-timehuman]

I’ve been meaning to pick this series up since I saw the first book at the bookstore

[@samanthamiller9453]

I appreciate your review of this series. After finishing it I went to see if there would be more if only to wrap up the lose ends. I think I recall the author himself saying it should have been at least a quartet but his contract was for a trilogy and the books were already labeled a trilogy. Lol.

[@bobhess2768]

Book one is honestly one of my favorites, the ending of 2 was an incredible hook for 3, thr last book definitely lagged a bit for me, not terrible but weaker book but that ending! It was an incredible ending, loved the payoff. Overall, I agree with you, it a good series, well worth the read.

[@bradkrick8254]

This video pretty much nailed it exactly on the head. Couldn’t have said it better. One other criticism is that when characters were using essence or kan, I had no freaking clue what was going on most of the time and it seemed the magic could either do anything or was always ALMOST running out, but never quite. Yea the action didn’t work for me a lot of the time.

[@mikesbookreviews]

Very fair. The magic is just okay.

[@janhavi1977]

I also loved how intriguing this series was. The worldbuilding was fantastic and it had such an ominous and mysterious atmosphere. With every new answer more questions were raised and I just love the twists and turns. The way the answers are revealed and everything comes together at the end was brilliant. I honestly feel like this is such an underrated series and I don't understand the hate for it. The only criticism I feel has any weight is that the characters are not super complex (except for Caeden). But it is more of a plot-driven book, which didn't bother me personally. I feel like the people calling it an objectively bad book series, don't have much valid criticism.

[@Griffinater3]

Hearing you talk about your problems with the Forsaken makes me exited for when you eventually get to The Ten Who Were Taken (of just the Taken) who are the lieutenants to the main villain in The Black Company. I feel like they come across as much more threatening and more richly drawn characters (relative to how sparse Cook's prose can be especially) than Jordan attempts with the majority of the Forsaken. I also think he writes some of the most believably/realistically evil characters.

[@72mje]

You're making my TBR groan quite painfully.

[@janhavi1977]

I loved this series! It's really hard to pull off time-travel stories. So many things could go wrong because the time travel trope would raise a lot of questions and might create plot holes, but the way Islington pulled it off was genius! I did feel Asha was a bit too OP and Davian isn't super interesting, but I loved Caeden and Wirr. Also, I agree this series has great villains. With a lot of sympathetic villains, you can only imagine what they are feeling. But with these villains, you can truly understand them. Because the things these villains feel and the questions they ask, is something pretty much everyone has had to deal with at some point of time.

[@everquill4275]

That ending made it for me. I also do love the sword cycle though.

[@JayySiii]

I think his emphasis of plot/timeline’s confusing nature is quite overblown. Now, I did listen to it on audiobook, but the author was very clearly intentional with when he placed the flashbacks and it seemed to flow very naturally for me. And true, you will be wondering “who is this new character?” with like every other flashback, but that’s typical, but no more intimidating than a Stormlight Archives. (And on a reread it’s been ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC to see all the foreshadowing), I didn’t bother putting to memory these flashback characters too much initially, but there’s enough reiteration of relationships and such that it really does not take “notes” or deep cognitive input lol. Again, I listened to it on audiobook and was multitasking most the time. I will say, also, as someone who can never guess where Sanderson is going (except Mistborn), this was really fun because the foreshadowing isn’t heavy-handed but it is very much there, and so natural, that you can absolutely guess a couple of key things and STILL be blown away every epilogue. Really satisfying.

[@ShyFly1000]

I appreciate the nod to romance and yet not the focus. It’s something I cherish in Brandon Sanderson and I think was executed very well.

[@nickfoster9350]

I finished the trilogy a couple days ago. Totally devoured it, and I highly recommend this sereis.

[@gustaveriksson113]

Also totally agree with the brand san comparison. Though I enjoyed this more than Mistborn and about as much as Stormlight archive. I finished the last book of Licanius about a year ago and I still get flashbacks, remembering a lot of emotional or cool events. No trilogy has made me do that before :S.

[@madisongoodyear5040]

All I can say right now is that they are for sure good looking books and they look great on my shelf haha! The rest will be RAFO for me 🙌🏼

[@mikesbookreviews]

Your audio boyfriend does the reading. You’ll fly through the audio in a week.

[@madisongoodyear5040]

How many times do I have to tell you - I could never look at Michael Kramer that way 🤣🤣🤣🤣 he’s too pure and precious

[@PnutButtaJllyMan]

I read the first one before you even read it. Bought book 2 shortly after and I haven't gotten to it yet. But I do plan on continuing. Prolly in March I would guess.

[@TokyoBlue587]

I just started Book One. I like it well enough so far despite the over-used tropes of “Magical Barrier is failing” and “character has Forbidden Magic”. Your enthusiasm and reviews have made me decide to read it.

[@OtherTheDave]

At this point, I’m not sure it’s possible to write a story that doesn’t involve over-used tropes.

[@Rajathon]

I have only read book one but I loved it.

[@CrapSandviche]

Yo Mike another look video!!! Let’s hit the Fox!!

[@saeedajaib]

Going to watch the video of the first book and i will be back to this one after i finish the series.

[@EdgeOfEntropy17]

Hey Mike, just a question. Haven't finished this series, so I haven't encountered any time travel. Are you saying it is flash backs, or actual time travel? I love time travel, btw.

[@b2ickwall978]

As someone who enjoyed the series I appreciate the balanced view you gave. I really appreciate you calling out the insta-haters over the WoT comparison. Completely true.

[@janehexum4093]

I hate it when fate is treated as a good thing

[@JamesI88]

I loved the venerate. For the sake of spoilers, I leave it at that, but I definitely understand the sentiment of them being what the forsaken could have been.

[@johngregorywynn6075]

Best ending i have read

[@EhsJaySaunders]

I've picked up the first one, but have yet to figure out where to squeeze it in. I'm definitely intrigued, however.

[@adamborst]

I've added this to my personal TBR because of your original video and this video. I think it's a great point to say, take this as it's own series (paraphrasing), because prior to your reviews, many that I saw on youtube were crushing it because it wasn't WoT. In retrospect, I find that trying to compare 3 book series and a 14 book series might be a bit aggressive in terms of one is *exactly* like the other or Licanius is WoT-lite or something like that. It's great to know what influences there may or may not be, but books are art and no 2 paintings are alike, just like no 2 authors are going to write exactly alike (excepting Sanderson aka Lord Ruler). In any case, thank you as always for the great content, and I hope everything is going well at the new job. Is it fun being back at it 40hrs per week?

[@mikesbookreviews]

No idea why WoT fans have such a hate boner for this series. It’s so weird.

[@THX-bz8bi]

Absolutely agreed, you said it better than anyone in this comment section.

[@curioussoundwave2275]

I liked it 👍

[@akellerhouse83]

I was looking at the first book on Amazon to buy for kindle. I ended up not getting it because the reviews were so divided, I didn't know what to think. So I put off buying it for a later time.

[@aaronaustin7760]

"Do not compare this series to the WOT" ... Immediately compares the Venerate to the Forsaken. JK. Loved this series and was surprised to hear that this work was James Islington's debut. I thouroughly enjoyed reading this series and am currently listening to the audiobooks during my commute.

[@mookrules5087]

Finishing book 2 now, tons of problems with the books but I am still loving them! I agree, the plusses out way the minuses.

[@annehelatrix4627]

Here comes Mike again making my TBR bigger and more ambitious than it is 😂

[@mikesbookreviews]

Always happy to help.

[@GenCavox]

Going to the Aelric/Dezia thing, I'm pretty sure he did write their scene/conclusion, but it would have been like if we followed the Aeil who went to stab the dark ones eye. Amazing concept and sounds like a story we would all want, but kind of irrelevant to the main plot. I agree though that without it some of it can feel cheap.

[@Estupendomagnifico1]

I tried the audiobook and I really loved the first one but got completely lost in the second one and gave up on it. I think this may be the kind of series that's better fit to read rather than listen to, so you can check the glossary or re-read some details from a previous chapter if you start losing track. That wouldn't fix the other problems I had with the series, though. I felt there was far too much "sitting around talking about politics" and hard, sciency magic and to me, that stuff is just excruciatingly boring. Too bad, because there are lots of great ideas in there.

[@aysseralwan]

About the Romance: Asha and Dav weren't often together in the trilogy but it was said that they were often spending time together in the school like before the book started so I'm ok with that. But I am someone that really doesn't enjoy romance so I liked it more because we saw less of it rather than felt there was something lacking so maybe my viewpoint isn't shared a lot. About Aelric and Dezia; he'll write a novel about their adventures but I felt like he should have made it a 4 book series and told what they were up to simultaneously rather than kinda bringing them back somewhat deus ex machina like Also I didn't have much problems with the timelines and/or terminology but I just don't like time travel in general because it'll never make sense and there'll always be some paradox involved

[@mikesbookreviews]

I criticize “instalove” in YA so I wasn’t going to let it slide here, even if it’s implied it began before the story did.

[@shadymaestro]

I had the first book but never read it. I will give it a chance eventually

[@cmmosher8035]

Those covers are really striking. I keep on checking them out but I never actually bought the first one.

[@ryanb3665]

Same!

[@craigpapworth9675]

To enjoy Licanius you need to read it back to back to back. The ending is one of the best.

[@jamesmunn576]

Literally just finished that, and the ending is one of the best I've read.

[@dpeady78]

Book 1: excellent Book 2: what the f**k is happening Book 3: cool story bro

[@mikesbookreviews]

Ha. This could be the abridged version.

[@kristen7623]

💯

[@justinrrizzo]

I'm on book 2 and I have no idea what's going on. There are skim resources for this book online.

[@jules4818]

this is my all time favorite series… such a phenomenal read

[@woodwest11]

Just finished the series it absolutely has its problems but I absolutely loved Caeden and wirr absolutely made this book worth it

[@jonc9772]

Can i ask where you got the paperback of the third book? I just ordered mine from amazon US and it's bout an inch shorter than the other two. But it's the only version available!

[@mikesbookreviews]

Target.

[@jonc9772]

@@mikesbookreviews TY!

[@TrafalgarL4wyer]

We have a street here in Toronto called Islington and we pronounce the 's' like a z

[@jeremydanchuk1897]

Nobody cares about Toronto...(I am from Alberta and am obligated to post this...lol)

[@TrafalgarL4wyer]

@@jeremydanchuk1897 LOL definitely more about Toronto than about Alberta for sure. Simply adding a line to ask if it's actually pronounced the way Mike says it or if that's just his guess. Grammar > personal preference/creator of the name.

[@OtherTheDave]

Drink when someone inclines their head! But like, just water… shots would give you alcohol poisoning within three chapters.

[@wjamimah7772]

I read the Extracted trilogy by RR Haywood and he does time travel AMAZINGLY. It is so easy to read. But yes, time travel can be a bitch to read for sure

[@Azrof]

I agree with this review completely. I enjoyed where James was going with the series. I enjoyed his ambition. But his pacing and prose were *way* off. Like many new authors, he just needed a strong line-edit with an eye for adjectives and re-used phrases. There's also a LOT of creative borrowing from Wheel of Time and Sanderson - but in creative, fun ways that didn't bug me once I got far enough into the series. My only gripe with this review is the ending. I saw the final pages coming a mile or two away and they left me feeling a little.... hum. Like, they were SOLID, the execution was OK (unlike the Lightbringer Finale), but this just felt like a hit rather than a homerun. Ya know?

[@craxanshards3139]

Which do you like better, Licanius or Greatcoats? Just a fun, general question.

[@mikesbookreviews]

Greatcoats for action and dialogue, Licanius for worldbuilding and lore.

[@Saucyboy1776]

My biggest complaint was underdeveloped characters but a lot of what was almost attempted character development that did nothing for the characters or for the plot I feel like the books could’ve been much shorter

[@brettmurray2473]

I got here when the video was posted a minute ago and I saw one dislike and no likes.... You have an impressively dedicated hater 🤣🤣🤣,. I have so many series to get through before this but its definitely on my "will read eventually list" As always great VID 👍

[@kostisth1436]

Notifications enabled just to dislike LOL

[@akent12]

I felt the ending was off. I felt he was building toward one last time twist. Regarding two characters that have so much in common, they should have been the same person at the end. I also found the first half of the first book too generic to be fun. But over all, great series

[@chrisfierro9738]

Where’d your Twitter go?

[@jennyjustjenny7634]

I really wanna read this books. But they're really expensive in english and not fully translated to german :( I can buy them on the kindle but somehow I really want them in my shelf.

[@nicholasgerdak1672]

Hot Take: better debut Trilogy than Mistborn

[@chaosinorderrr]

I hated and stopped after the first Mistborn..it was so painfully YA

[@shivashishdobhal6091]

Agreed 👍

[@dylanbennett41]

I do think I need to give this trilogy another shot. I did finish it in audiobook format but I think Kramer kind of ruined it for me. This trilogy confirmed for me that I don’t enjoy his narration. There were a lot of cool concepts in the books though so maybe I’ll try again this year.

[@puffymcfart7782]

Try reading the first Alien omnibus book

[@KellyQ123]

Which should I read first Licanius or Faithful and the Fallen?

[@mikesbookreviews]

FATF for sure

[@KellyQ123]

@@mikesbookreviews Thanks, I got them both for Christmas and couldn’t decide which one to start first.

[@JonahsWail]

Is the ending really worth it? I got the 1st book a year or so ago and I could not get it into gear.

[@mikesbookreviews]

The ending is one of the best I've read in modern fantasy.

[@JonahsWail]

@@mikesbookreviews phew, alright sign me up. Thanks for the reply!

[@Megaloathyou]

He’s one of the good ones

[@goldenspiral6008]

I recently finished The eye of the world and enjoyed it a lot. But i was disapointed hardcore by the Forsaken and the Fades. So hearing that you think the Forsaken are bad throughout the whole series really worries me.

[@shazbotsmash2422]

Does the name of the series remind anyone else of the movie, Gentlemen Broncos?

[@davidemmitt9439]

I loved it. Tal is my fav fantasy character of all time. Yeah that ending was epic.

[@Disti23]

If only Caeden could have said the words. Imagine any of the venerate with Shards.

[@annarien4333]

I have to say you rating this trilogy high on Goodreads is part of why I bought the three books and... I wish I could get my money back. I've only read books 1 and 2, fairly enjoyed the first but the second is a freaking trainwreck. And I'm trying to muster the patience and interest to finish the series. But it's hard. I hope the ending will make the effort worth it but heck, I didn't expect to totally dislike books that you enjoyed. 😖

[@mikesbookreviews]

LOL it certainly isn't for everyone and this is a reason I stopped giving rating on Goodreads. It's too simple and I feel like it isn't being fair without listing the pros and cons.

[@annarien4333]

@@mikesbookreviews yeah, those star ratings are far too simple, at best they can show the level of a reader's enjoyment but not the book's value. I'm on book 3 of the trilogy now, but it's absolutely not working for me and I doubt any ending can save it. This author feels like Jordan&Sanderson but only their puerile and tedious stuff, plus incomprehensible magic references. *shrug* I'm giving the books away after I fight my way through the last one.

[@thmuffinslayer]

First nineteen seconds.. all I need to know..sending it

[@Follownodobdy]

I just finished the trilogy today and I feel empty

[@MegaD96]

”Not as good of a writer as Brandon Sanderson”. Is Sanderson even all that great though? He’s certainly prolific, a damn writing machine. He can come up with some really interesting plots and he’s really good at writing spectacle. Other than that though? His characters are mostly good, not great, except for Dalinar, who I think is Sanderson’s strongest character. His prose is nothing to write home about. I personally don’t care about magic systems, but I can see them being a huge plus to other readers. I’ll also say that he does some interesting world building. It also feels like most of his writing is pretty surface level, there’s nothing deeper there to dig in to. It’s like the MCU, entertaining and fun, but not much else. These are of course only my opinions. And I’m not trying to shit on Sanderson either, I’m a fan of his. It just feels like he’s fairly overrated.

[@keirlafon7392]

Coming from my viewpoint of someone who has read and enjoyed hundreds of series, I have no desire to go beyond the first book. I do like this channel's honest reviews.

[@mikesbookreviews]

Thanks for watching!

[@justinthyme2666]

Ha...some reason I just saw the thumb down in the thumbnail. I was like...wow, he really doesn't like that trilogy.

[@noparkingtuesday4283]

Damn. It sounded pretty up my alley until the mention of time travel. Pretty much my only hard no in most stories.

[@uhm3487]

Assassins Apprentice review when?

[@mikesbookreviews]

Next week.

[@theradhattah1435]

The moment I realised I started skipping through Caeden chapters is the moment I realised these books aren’t for me. I loved the first book, but the second just killed it for me. Realising that the whole story sits on Caeden and discovering Caeden is a character I don’t like reading is why I put the book down.

[@zacharysammartino8037]

Great Video. I read the series at the end of 2019. I really enjoyed the plot twists to the story and overall I liked the series but I did have a few issues with it. SPOILERS... As you mentioned about the writing I did notice wording and phrases that just didn't feel right. I'm not too concerned about prose but when specific words are repeated too much it's distracting. For instance I felt that the author used the phrase 'companionable silence' a bit too much throughout the books. Additionally, the one-year time difference between books two and three could have been handled better. The one that stuck out to me was Wir. Instead of just stating the Wir grabbed his wound that he sustained off the page, the author could have used a flashback sequence in Wir's dream without the reader knowing it was in the past until Wir woke up. Just an idea I had while reading that section.

[@yadhukrishnana3545]

I loved this series when I read this last year after mike's first video. I have read WoT and most of cosmere. There are some similarities with those works. But that doesn't mean this can't stand on its own. In the end guys, I read a book to enjoy it not to review it. Judge a book by its story, not by the reviews.