James Islington

James Islington (born c. 1981) is an Australian author best known for his high fantasy series The Licanius Trilogy. He is also the author of the 2023 novel The Will of the Many, the first book in the Hierarchy series.

Career
Prior to becoming a writer, Islington ran a tech startup. Though he always liked the idea of becoming an author, he only began writing seriously at the age of 30. Islington originally self-published The Shadow of What Was Lost in 2014. He signed a deal with Orbit Books less than a year later. He has published two sequel novels, entitled An Echo of Things to Come (2017) and The Light of All That Falls (2019). Islington stated that writing the second novel was much more stressful than writing his debut novel, in part because of the increased pressure that comes from being signed by a major publishing company.

The Licanius Trilogy
The first book in the series - The Shadow of What Was Lost - generally received positive reviews. Critics praised the novel's complex magic, political intrigue and varied cast of characters. Some critics, however, argued the premise was somewhat unoriginal. On Goodreads the book has an average rating of 4.14 / 5 based on 57.000 reviews. The second and third book in the series received even better reviews, and the series has been described as a "dense, suspenseful adventure".

Hierarchy
The Will of the Many is the first book in the Hierarchy book series. It is an epic fantasy novel and was published by Saga Press in 2023. The book has received very favorable reviews and currently has a Goodreads rating of over 4.6. The second book, The Strength of the Few, is expected to be released in 2025.

The Licanius Trilogy

 * 1) The Shadow of What Was Lost. (4 August 2014). Originally self-published, later Orbit Books. ISBN 9780992580209
 * 2) An Echo of Things to Come. (22 August 2017). Orbit. ISBN 9780316274111
 * 3) The Light of All That Falls. (10 December 2019). Orbit. ISBN 9780356507835

The Hierarchy

 * 1) The Will of the Many (23 May 2023). Gallery/Saga Press. ISBN 9781982141172
 * 2) The Strength of the Few (TBA)

Personal life
Islington was born and raised in Victoria, Australia. He and his wife live on the Mornington Peninsula. They have two children.