In The Shadow of Lightening

 By: Brian McClellan

Location: FIC MCC

Genre: Epic Fantasy

Magic is a finite resource—and it’s running out.

Demir Grappo is an outcast—he fled a life of wealth and power, abandoning his responsibilities as a general, a governor, and a son. Now he will live out his days as a grifter, rootless, and alone. But when his mother is brutally murdered, Demir must return from exile to claim his seat at the head of the family and uncover the truth that got her killed: the very power that keeps civilization turning, godglass, is running out.

Now, Demir must find allies, old friends and rivals alike, confront the powerful guild-families who are only interested in making the most of the scraps left at the table and uncover the invisible hand that threatens the Empire. A war is coming, a war unlike any other. And Demir and his ragtag group of outcasts are the only thing that stands in the way of the end of life as the world knows it.

Review by Zak

In the Shadow of Lightning is an easy read with a clear destination that takes a surprising turn toward the end. Not the ending itself—that was everything you expected it to be, in a good way—but the direction of the world and series. There is a lot to enjoy about this book, but it is the promise of where the series is headed that excites me the most.

My favorite parts of this book were the pacing and the magic. Once again, McClellan has created a fully fleshed out magic system that interacts gracefully with the world, cultures, and economics. It's also just super cool, which, honestly, is also important. As an author, I found myself feeling similar pangs of jealousy as when I read Jade City, wishing I'd come up with it! And for the pacing, this really just kept me engaged throughout with the mysteries, investigations, engineering, and more.

While there were a few beautiful moments between characters, I do think that those readers looking for more character-driven books will find this one lacking. For me, I liked each of the characters and enjoyed this quite thoroughly.