Another excellent book by Brian McClellan. This is the start of a new and fascinating world that he has built around glass, which is imbued with sorcery to augment different qualities like strength or healing. Some can manipulate glass to use as a weapon. The worldbuilding is fantastic.

The characters are interesting, and I just want to wrap them up and look after them so that I know they are going to be okay.

I'm definitely looking forward to the next one.

Brian McClellan's IN THE SHADOW OF LIGHTNING is a solid epic fantasy entry from an author with a dedicated following. It's pretty much standard Brian McClellan fare; the characters felt similar to what I've read in other books, the stakes of the story, the types of problems. It was difficult to get through the prologue because the character was both melodramatic and somewhat unlikable. I found the magic system interesting until I realized it felt like a cribbed version of Brandon Sanderson's allomancy.
I won't continue the series, but I believe McClellan's fans will get exactly what they want in this book.

Thank you to Tor Books and NetGalley for providing me with this review copy!

In the Shadow of Lightning is the first work I’ve read by Brian McCellan. I picked up this book after reading the blurb from Brandon Sanderson, who recommended it to anyone looking for a “new favorite fantasy series.” Unfortunately, In the Shadow of Lightningwas not my new favorite series by any stretch. Though the novel had really interesting premises, like glass known as “godglass” that grants the bearer special abilities, I really didn’t care for the writing style or most of the characters.

The biggest hurdle for me in reading In the Shadow of Lightning was the writing style. I found the dialogue to be incredibly cheesy and like everyone delivering those unbelievable lines was simply trying too hard to be cool. I perhaps could have gotten over this cringe-inducing dialogue, if it weren’t that on top of it, everything is simply told to readers. Characters even talk to themselves to make their feelings even more abundantly clear than they already are, rather than them being hinted at or shown through actions. There is absolutely no subtlety whatsoever. What’s worse, is that events in In the Shadow of Lightning happen far too quickly. Conflicts, reveals, and reconciliations are never given any time to sink in, which ultimately robs these situations of any gravity.

‘“I am the greatest killer in this world,’ he declared, his voice rising as he spoke, his eyes taking on a terrifying fire. ‘I will not concede that title to a freak from an adventure novel. I am Baby Montego!’ He was roaring at the door now, shoulders thrown back, chest thrust out. ‘You hear that, Tall Man? I am Montego, and I will end you.’”


The previous quote gave me strong, “My name is Inigo Monoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die,” vibes, but without all that essential irony and humor of The Princess Bride. In the Shadow of Lightning is regrettably 100% serious with lines such as these, and they are unfortunately frequent. It doesn’t help matters that characters love referring to themselves as their titles, like the Lightning Prince. Other characters sincerely refer to people beneath their class or rank as "insignificant ants" and I wonder how I am supposed to believe anyone actually speaks this way.

The characters for me were similarly shallow. Though I enjoyed reading from the perspective of a female enforcer named Kizzie the most, I found that all of the characters, including her, were more examples of archetypes and tropes than actual developed characters. For instance, main protagonist Denmir is the former prodigal son of a powerful guild family who returns home for vengeance after running from his previous disgrace. Kizzie is the bastard daughter of a guild family who isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty, despite hating to lie, and not-so-secretly longs to be recognized as a legitimate member of the family. Thessa is an orphan from nowhere with a tragic past that is perhaps the greatest siliceer (godglass smith) to ever live and coincidentally, perfectly suited to help Denmir. Indrina is the killing machine who cares more about his fellow soldiers than his own personal well being. All of these characters read more like tropes than actual nuanced characters.

By far my favorite parts of In the Shadow of Lightning were the parts involving the godglass and glassdancers. I found the idea of a glass that granted so many different abilities quite unique. I also really thought glassdancers, mages born with the ability to control glass, (think Magneto from X-Men but with glass and not metal), pretty interesting as well. I think author Brian McCellan did a good job showing the fear and awe with which normal characters regarded glassdancers too.

Though I was also interested in some of the politics and conspiracies between guild families as well, I just could never quite manage to get truly invested in anything going on in the novel. Mysterious monsters appearing and leaving a trail of bodies in their wake? No. Secret organizations sending assassins? No. Denmir being vindicated of his past? No. Betrayal? No. Romantic feelings being acted on? No. It’s a shame, because I think In the Shadow of Lightning had a lot of good ideas, but was really held back by the writing.

Though I enjoyed the ideas of godglass and glassdancers, In the Shadow of Lightning really just wasn’t the book for me and I did consider DNF-ing it multiple times. I think that those that love reading about unique magical systems, political scheming, and battle scenes might enjoy this novel. But personally, I don’t see myself reading future entries in the series.

Thanks to the publisher for sending me an ARC of this for review. I've been a massive Brian McClellan fan, having reading the Powder Mage series multiple times. With multiple POVs, the author has truly grown from his other novels to provide unique views, personalities and problem solving from each character.

Throughout the books, I saw multiple influences from other authors, Brent Week's Lightbringer for the magic system, Anthony Ryan's Draconis for the "glass" world and the Powdermage Universe for some of the character personalities (and the technology of the time). I loved the warrior concept of the "Breacher", but Glassdancers could be fleshed out a little more on their limitations and really how they came to be (vs just accepted).

My only real criticism would be the cover itself, his other works have darker, sometimes thought provoking covers, this one seemed less thought out.

Nothing in this book truly felt unique if you've read his other work, but as a diehard fan of the Powdermage books (even if this is not set in that world), I loved it.

This was my first book by author Brian McClellan, and I'm happy to report that while anxiously waiting for the next book in this series to be published I will be eagerly plundering the authors already published work to help me pass the time. In the Shadow of Lightning won me over with the quality worldbuilding, great characters, and interesting plotlines that more then made up for the hour or so I spent near the start of the novel wondering if this book was for me. If you have any doubts at the start of the book, just keep reading and I promise you they will be quickly swept away by the incredible story that unfolds.

A definite must for fans of the author, and for collections with the author's previous works.

Another very entertaining read from Brian McClellan. This one is quite different from his legendary Powdermage series, but it still packs a lot of amazing magic and storytelling. If you are looking for a fantasy where big ideas rule and the author isn't afraid to take risks, you will find lots to like about this new series. A more detailed review will be going up on the blog in the coming days. Until then I will just say, very highly recommended!

A pretty good read. It's not the Powder Mage stuff but it's good.
The magic system confused me and sounded kind of silly to start with but it grew on me. Many layers that weave together with a sort of hunted at one in the background (the monsters) worked pretty well, but i could have done with a little more of seeing what that meant. More to come. Saved by good writing and great characters.

Absolutely fantastic fantasy. My first by this prolific author and it won’t be my last: intriguing magic system and plot. This was a lot of fun to read because it had everything I like in my fantasy books.

Brian McClellan is wonderful. The stories he writes are always so vividly detailed and reminiscent of Dungeons and Dragons. I'd read anything he wrote.

Such a unique book in a world unlike many that I have read in fantasy. The cliff hanger in this one will have you reeling for awhile, prepare thyself.

Glassdamn! This was a fantastic read! As a Brian McClellan virgin, I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this first book in his new series, or from him as a writer in general, but the sci-fi / fantasy nerd in me was definitely not disappointed!

This bad boy took me about 5 days to read, which is much longer than I will typically allow any single book to take me under for, but the book hangover is real!!! I’m a sucker for intense worldbuilding, ragtag groups of underdogs, coinciding timelines, and a bit of romance. This book had all of these things in spades!

What I liked about the book:
1. The worldbuilding was so well thought out and fantastical. There are several ongoing, linked storylines going at once, but they are done so well you don’t get confused by the jumps between characters.

Some things to expect while reading:

• A secret society that is particularly closed off to outsiders, but is down with the Assembly…

• Devia Kerite, aka the Purnian Dragon. The greatest battlefield commander in the world

• 1 traitor…2 traitor…3 traitor…GORE!

• A return to the battlefield

• Back-to-the-Future-style lighting powers

• A priest of Horuthe, a prominent death god

• Cthulhu-style monsters!

2. With worldbuilding and interconnected timelines this intense, the characters also have to be solid. I love a good ragtag, underdog team story and this one had all the great elements of that.

• Demir – I love how he have no intention of following tradition or the thoughts of the Assembly, he just wants to make the best life possible for his people. That is a true leader!

“The greater guild-families had tried to push him around when he was a young politician. They hadn’t succeeded then because he could outthink them. They wouldn’t success now because he had proper steel in his spine.”

With that said, he is definitely a flawed hero. He is cocky and arrogant at times, as well as plagued by deep self-doubt and PTSD because of the events of Holikan. He has this constant thought of wanting to abandon ship again when the going gets tough. Fortunately, he sticks it out and ends up finding himself / finding clarity on the battlefield again. He gets rid of his crutch on glass, thinks up something masterful without the use of witglass, and joins his soldiers in the melee like the great leader we know he can be.

• Thessa – I love that she is so brilliant!!! She is the true master!

Not only does she do a bunch of stuff that no other siliceers have been able to do, but SHE SAVES HIM! I love a good the-girl-saves-the-guy storyline.

I also love that she is kind to everyone she meets, but she is not weak.

“Do not mistake my compassion for weakness. If you whisper a word…you will have an accident. You might lose an eye, or a hand, or get locked in a furnace when no one can hear your screams. Test me, and you will lose bits of you. That’s a promise.” – Damn! Thessa is not playing around!

Like Demir, she is flawed for sure. She jumps to a lot of conclusions, especially with Demir, and she tends to not think things through fully. Both of these can get her in a lot of trouble if she isn’t careful…

• Kizzie – God, I love Kizzie. That’s what’s going to make my assumptions going into book 2 hurt so bad.

I love how much of a total fighter she is, metaphorically and physically. As the bastard Vorcien, she definitely gets dealt low blows that she constantly has to rise against. She hunts down weak links like Magnum PI, fights like Elektra, and solves riddles like Alan Turing. She is basically the older sister I always wanted.

• Idrian – I really love the harshness that Idrian and his viewpoint brings to the table. We see Idrian having to react mostly to battlefield and mental strategy situations, and the dude is FIT!...except the whole thing about hearing voices and whatnot…BUT OTHERWISE, HE IS FIT! He is the heart and soul of his warrior group, the Ironhorns, and a real key player throughout the book.

I’m so sad for him because of his abusive past and how he won’t allow himself to get close to anyone. I mean, I get it, but still….

“As was his habit, he would bury his feelings until the end of the conflict, at which time he would properly grieve.” – Awwww, boo!

However, I will say, as much as he tries to shut himself off from people, he can’t help but jump in wherever help is needed and put his life on the line in front of others.

I love his relationship with Braileer, his vastly underqualified armorer who he wants to fire for the first week he knows him. Once Braileer shows that he will not leave Idrian’s side, even in intense battle, Idrian knows that he will not dismiss him despite his greenness. Because of this, and despite Idrian’s tendency to shut himself off from people, they grow close. In fact, there comes a pivotal moment towards the end of the book where Idrian makes a personal sacrifice for Braileer. Let’s hope that one works out!

• Baby Montego – aka Demir’s adopted brother / best friend. Aka Kizzie’s childhood sweetheart. Aka world cudgeling champion.

Cudgeling – the national sport of the Empire. “Two contestants in the arena wore powerful foregeglass earrings to make them stronger and faster, and then beat the shit out of each other with weighted sticks until one of them forfeited. Or died.”

Dude is a beast! There is no other word for him. He is a normal person who scares people more than a glassdancer, which is badass. I wish we had more of him, but I have hope for this going into book 2!

3. This book really has so many great lines.

Why I knocked half a star off my rating:
1. This was super long. I should have known better when I saw that page count. It’s really not Brian’s fault. It’s not you, it’s me.

Assumptions going into book 2:
1. Baby Montego and Kizzie will get that tea date.

2. Thessa and Demir will definitely…(what’s the equivalent of Netflix and chill here?)…tempt fate and copulate? Eh, you get the gist.

3. Volos (hidden gem / reference for those who read the book!) actually is good and will probably die because of that.

4. I don’t think we’ve seen the last of Devia Kerite.

5. We definitely haven’t seen the worst of Papa Vorcien.

6. Please, Kizzie, don’t do it…I have minimal faith you won’t, but there is faith nonetheless.

7. I don’t think Braileer is going to play his fiddle anymore…

8. Idrian, I swear to god, I have a really bad feeling you are going to get hurt and it just might break me.

9. Godglass is the only glass a glassdancer cannot manipulate. So, that’s probably going to come back as a common theme for problems going forward.

10. That little girl Demir held in Holikan…yeah, I bet she’s Thessa’s little sister.

Special thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan-Tor/Forge, and Brian McClellan! I am leaving my review voluntarily.

4.5 stars!