In the Shadow of Lightning: Glass Immortals, Book 1

Brian McClellan is probably best known for the excellent "Powder Mage"series and its follow-ups. Here he embarks on an entirely new settingand magic system, and so far it is every bit as good as "Powder Mage".Demir Grappo is a glassdancer, which is to say he has the magicalability to manipulate ordinary glass to the extent that in battlehe can direct individual shards of glass into a specifically targetedbarrage of death. If he were only a deadly glassdancer, he wouldbe enough of an asset for the Ossan Empire, but he's also the scionof a powerful House, a strategic genius as a general and the youngestprovincial governor in Empire history. Seemingly Grappo has theworld at his feet until it goes tragically wrong and his greatestcampaign becomes his greatest shame. A broken man, he removeshimself from the board of state and retires to the hinterlands.Still, he is a loving son, and when his mother Adriana is brutally,and mysteriously, murdered he must, however reluctantly, shake offthe dust of the provinces, the assumed names and shady grifts, andonce more insert himself into the roil of the capital.Glassdancers manipulate what we would think of as "regular glass" withdeadly precision, but the world's economy actually rests on "godglass",that glass made from cindersand which they cannot control and which hasits own magical properties depending on how it was forged. "Witglass"enhances the intellect, "milkglass" suppresses pain, "forgeglass" increasesstrength and other varieties have their own important uses. Not just anyonecan make godglass from cindersand, that is the realm of the siliceer.Thessa is an apprentice siliceer. Sent to the city-state of Grentjust before an Ossan war-crime made her an orphan, she is learning thetrade from the strict but kindly Master Kastora. Grent abuts Ossaitself, but has never been part of the Empire as, like Venice, theterrain makes it too difficult to conquer and said enterprise has neverseemed worthwhile in the first place as there are advantages to Ossa inhaving an independent neighbor. Now however, shadowy forces areformenting a war between Ossa & Grent and Thessa once more finds herselforphaned as Master Kastora dies defending his glassworks, and bequeathsher his greatest project which he charges her to go to Ossa and overseewith the help of his financeer, Adriana Grappo. The whole world isat stake because of the secret Kastora has discovered: Cindersand isrunning out.This is a very entertaining book, and a great start for a series.Apart from the two leads, there are a number of other colorful viewpointcharacters, and the redoubtable Baby Montego, the all time champion ofthe brutal Ossan sort of "Cudgeling" (which is what it sounds like), Demir'sbest friend, and possibly the most deadly man in the world.If you think of the Ossan Empire as Roman, you won't go too far wrong,though the tech level is considerably higher, and McClellan seems to bedoing some interesting things with the human inhabitants of its world(which is not Earth, and may not be the origin of humanity in this setting).In particular there seems to be less sexual dimorphism in that women andmen are equally likely to be in any role without regards to upper bodystrength or indeed to body size at all. I get the impression that wewould consider most women in the setting to be amazons, but its neverexplicitly called out or explained, so if there is an explanation, wedon't yet have it.I mentioned "shadowy forces" above, and the denouement here suggests thatthings are even more complicated than we expected, and that Demir andThessa are up against more than just some sort of trans-national cabal.This is my favorite book of the year so far, and I am eagerly lookingforward to volume two which unfortunately I'm sure we won't see untilmid next year.

A delightful tale of betrayal, longed for love and a twist on a branch of the magic tree. Well done sir.

McClellan's new series is off to a wonderful start - fantastic characters, a wonderful world, twisty conspiracies and stakes ranging from the personal to the existential all blend together to delight.

I have been waiting to see what was next after the powder mage saga. This was at least as good. Brian's next book can't come soon enough.

Really enjoyed this book. Totally unexpected twists and turns...can't wait for the next one! Very excited to continue the journey.

Original story, creative world, and compelling characters. I'm going to buy book 2 now. Don't miss out on this exciting tale.

OK, having consumed (snorted, like a powder mage, gaining speed and exhilaration with each capsule of powder) the Powder Mage series, I am now in a new world of glass magic. And Brian delivers again! After a little orientation getting used to the new glass construction and magical use universe, I could not put it down. The author, a truly skilled author, manages to create full characters very quickly and makes them characters--people--we believe in and care about as we begin to absorb as reality the new magical world he has put us in. A detailed plot (both the author's and the villains!) keeps one engrossed and engaged. You lurch from chapter to chapter, desperate to find out what happens next with all the twists and turns and heroism, treachery, and angst. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has read the powder mage series, or, for that matter, anyone who hasn't read it! It's a new world and I can't (no, can't) wait for the next volume. I am currently looking into time travel theories to see if I can't skip ahead another 6-8 months to get it. That's how serious I am! Read, enjoy, care, panic, and get ready to be left on a bit of cliffhanger as all the characters work together to try and save their world while rich fops and monsters try to end it!

I would have read it the first day, but a multi hour power failure thwarted me, and reading by headlamp at midnight just doesn't have the same appeal as it did when I was a child reading by a flashlight. So thi is written for a book only half read.The BAD first. Too much smoking for sure. This new series has branched out from the Powder Mage's fetishization of Civil War combat and gunpowder into a world that also fetishises glass. I got about halfway through before power failed, and it still jars me a little when someone says "glassdammit" in the book. The magic system is novel and unique, by which I mean it is weird and difficult to relate to.The GOOD, on the other hand, is that the Mr. McClellan is a good author. The front of the book has two maps so that you can keep track of the musket, cannon, and magical glass infantry maneuvers, plus a page with chemical formulas for what I presume are glass, plus some pictures of the various glass charms that are most talked about.Overall the story seems to be "yet another" tale of oil and corporate greed. In the real world, the end of big oil would be a major catastrophe for the world. Here, the end of magical sand to make magical glass will be major catastrophe for the world. The hope for clean infinite energy in real life has turned to a quest for the alchemist's stone of rechargeable glass. Just as the oil industry poisoned most of the world with leaded gasoline for decades, excessive use of glass leads to physical side effects.

Brain McClellan has again captured my imagination with a world ripe with sorcery and characters with which you'll increasingly care for their well-being.

This is by far Brian McClellan’s best book yet. An epic story told skilfully through multiple perspectives, weaving a constantly exciting plot with interesting characters and an amazing world build.I’ve never said this before - but this book is approaching Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive. I can’t wait to read book two.

This is a great book with interesting twists and turns. I would recommend this book as you will not be able to put it down once you start it

Always a great author… but this is one of the best things I’ve read in decades. Couldn’t put it down, and highly HIGHLY recommended.

An amazing new cast of characters (Kizzie is definitely one of my favourites), a cool new magic system, some fascinating and believable world building, and a great plot to bring it all together!There were some unexpected and really cool surprises that elevated this to my favourite book so far this year.