In the Shadow of Lightning
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4.6 • 46 Ratings
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- $17.99
Publisher Description
From Brian McClellan, author of The Powder Mage trilogy, comes the first novel in the Glass Immortals series, In the Shadow of Lightning, an epic fantasy where magic is a finite resource—and it’s running out.
"Excellent worldbuilding and a truly epic narrative combine into Brian's finest work to date. Heartily recommended to anyone who wants a new favorite fantasy series to read."—Brandon Sanderson
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.
"Powerful rival families, murderous conspiracies, epic battles, larger-than-life characters, and magic."—Fonda Lee, author of The Green Bone Saga
"Engaging, fast-paced and epic."—James Islington, author of In The Shadow of What Was Lost
"Clever, fun, and by turns beautifully bloody, In the Shadow of Lightning hits like a bolt through a stained glass window."—Megan E. O'Keefe, author of Chaos Vector
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
McClellan (the Powder Mage trilogy) launches the Glass Immortals series with a satisfying and jam-packed epic fantasy. Nine years after a miscommunication sunk Demir Grappo's first military campaign, Demir returns to the capital of the Ossa empire following his mother's murder. He hires Kizzie Vorcien, a childhood friend, to uncover the motive for his mother's killing, even as one of her assassins, under torture, claims to have been working for a rival city-state. Demir braves the war zone between the two lands to find his mother's business partner, a "siliceer" who can create glass baubles that give humans extraordinary powers, and learns that the raw materials for this "godglass" are running out. The dying siliceer passed plans for a device that can recharge spent glass to his apprentice, Thessa Foleer, before she fled. Demir finds Thessa and sets her up to build the device before being called away by a commission to lead the Ossan army against powerful odds. As Kizzie's investigation hits dead ends, Thessa rushes to build the machine, and Demir balances military leadership with rehabilitating his family name, shocking secrets come to light. It's an involved plot, but readers will be sucked in by the vigorous battles, tense spycraft, and savvy political maneuvering. Epic fantasy fans will eagerly await future installments.
