In the Shadow of Lightning (Glass Immortals Book 1)

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When you have multiple POVs, stagger high tension and low tension scenes between the perspectives, so your reader doesn't overdose on too many high-tension or low-tension scenes in a row. THE EXCEPTION to this is at the very end of the story, when you have all the perspectives finish at a high point to make a memorable climax.

As an avid fan of Brian McClellan's previous works set in The Powder Mage universe, I was extremely excited to read his new foray into epic fantasy. By and large I thoroughly enjoyed my reading experience, and it definitely goes down as one of the best 2022 releases I have read. 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! He’s said a lot of good things about you.” “That’s because he has a ve Finally, about the Lovecraftian monsters. They were a significant part of the story, but went entirely unexplained. I have mixed feelings about them. I wanted some sort of explanation, but we got none; I have the feeling the author is keeping that secret in reserve for book 2. Ordinarily I'd say 'the spooky eldritch monsters are cool precisely because they remained mysterious. That's what makes Lovecraftian stuff cool: it's inexplicable.' This feels like a cop-out, using one of McClellan's own books as a reference, but it's accurate. That story involves a mystery, battle tactics, and strange magics. This book's narrative is outwardly very similar, in that it uses similar plotlines, but on the execution, 'Lightning' is better written.As for the Ram and Kizzie, I don't really feel like they had much in the way of character arcs. The Ram and Kizzie remained fairly static throughout. These outcomes are both fine; this is book 1 in a series, their character arcs will come later. It's unreasonable to expect an author to juggle four POV character arcs in a single book. 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 Special thanks to my Patrons on Patreon for giving me extra support towards my passion for reading and reviewing!

The fourth POV was the Ram (apologies, I forget his name). He was Demir's uncle, and a front-lines warrior as opposed to Demir being a military tactician. His perspective was the main perspective for the war. He also is a user/abuser of the magic system, using it to fight in battle. So where Thessa explores the creation of the magical glass, the Ram uses the glass in battle to kill people. This magic system causes people to rot away from the inside out, so the Ram was the perspective we used to explore that degradation. I enjoyed his perspective, because he's started going insane due to the glass rot. He's a good man, but is haunted by hallucinations. Thessa recreates, and improves upon, the machine her master invented. It's fueled by lightning, using that energy to recharge magical jewelry. 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 Lovecraftian aesthetic worked well here due to that contrast, but it would have worked even better if the everyday world of this setting was further fleshed out, to make the setting even more ordinary. What sort of breakfast do people eat? What tea do they drink? What sort of clothing do people wear? That sort of thing. 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. Haven't seen this book mentioned here besides one post closer to the release date, which only garnered a handful of responses. Figured I'd be the one to put my thoughts out there. Brian McClellan’s return to the epic fantasy scene is a good one, but it didn’t feel as explosive as his Powder Mage universe.