An Echo of Things to Come (The Licanius Trilogy #2) -

James Islington

Orbit

2017

704 páginas

23h 28m

ISBN-13: 9780316274111

In the wake of the devastating attack on Ilin Illan, an amnesty has been declared for all Augurs - finally allowing them to emerge from hiding and openly oppose the dark forces massing against Andarra. However as Davian and his new allies hurry north toward the ever-weakening Boundary, fresh horrors along their path suggest that their reprieve may have come far too late.

In the capital, Wirr is forced to contend with assassins and an increasingly hostile Administration as he controversially assumes the mantle of Northwarden, uncovering a mystery that draws into question everything commonly believed about the rebellion his father led twenty years ago. Meanwhile, Asha begins a secret investigation into the disappearance of the Shadows, determined to discover not only where they went but the origin of the Vessels that created them - and, ultimately, a cure.

And with time against him as he races to fulfill the treacherous bargain with the Lyth, Caeden continues to wrestle with the impossibly heavy burdens of his past. Yet as more and more of his memories return, he begins to realise that the motivations of the two sides in this ancient war may not be as clear-cut as they first seemed...

Resenhas (9)

3.5 (Bom)

"My words are promise, Tal’kamar. My words are truth."

"An Echo of Things to Come" é o segundo volume da trilogia Licanius, de James Islington.

Neste livro, reencontramos os protagonistas já conhecidos e somos apresentados a novos personagens que acrescentam mais camadas à trama. Apesar de ainda ter um papel de desenvolvimento dentro da série, esta obra consegue superar o volume anterior. Há avanços significativos tanto na construção quanto no desenvolvimento dos personagens, e a escrita do autor demonstra mais segurança e refinamento.

James Islington mostra, aqui, o enorme potencial de seu universo, apresentando um sistema de magia envolvente — embora com elementos que lembram outras obras de fantasia épica. O enredo é marcado por personagens intrigantes, reviravoltas bem construídas, revelações surpreendentes e missões que testam constantemente os protagonistas. O resultado é um livro que cumpre o que promete e se revela surpreendentemente bom.

Se no primeiro volume minhas partes favoritas eram centradas em Asha, neste segundo destaquei-me especialmente com Caeden. Suas cenas de recuperação de memória foram extremamente envolventes, e acompanhar seu conflito interno entre o que foi e o que é atualmente tornou a leitura ainda mais instigante.

Há uma evolução perceptível entre o primeiro e o segundo livro, o que me deixa ainda mais ansiosa para descobrir como tudo será concluído no terceiro e último volume da trilogia...

• SPOILERS | Quotes, Notes & Highlights •

“A friend of mine once told me that when I got my memories back, I would have a choice. That no matter what I’d done, who I’d been… that I had a decision to make, moving forward. That the man I have been since I woke up in the forest, the one I want to be, doesn’t have to be erased by what I remember. Shouldn’t be erased.” He kept his gaze locked on Asar’s, but he could still feel his hands quivering as unwanted echoes of memory crashed around in his head. “But I killed people. Murdered them. Fates, I was Aarkein Devaed.”

"What you remember will change you. The knowledge you gain will change you. Understanding what is at stake will change you, change how easy it is for you to be the man you aspire to be. It will be easier to make choices you might believe unthinkable now. It will be harder to choose what is right over what is expedient, when you know how many times that has resulted in failure, and how important it is to succeed."

“But all of us who live long enough face that problem, Tal’kamar. Sometimes it’s what’s right against what lets us win. Sometimes it’s what’s right against what lets us survive. But it is always a choice.”

"In some ways we are slaves to our memories."

“I remember… I remember renouncing the name Aarkein Devaed,” he said quietly, heart pounding. “I was glad that I would not remember the things I’d done as him.”

"If it helps, you had stopped being Aarkein Devaed long before you lost your memory."

"(...) sometimes we need to choose the greater good."

"(...) do not let that fear dictate your actions,"

"(...) you are a god, Tal’kamar. You are immortal. You are more powerful than any normal man could ever dare dream of becoming. Your knowledge and experience is more vast than other men can even imagine."

“There is only one reason to be passionate about a lack of faith — and that is fear,” said Caeden quietly. “Fear that you are wrong. An innate need for others to share your opinion, so that you can be less afraid.” He shook his head. “I do not feel the need to argue, to cajole, to threaten or accuse."

“I am not a god, Gassandrid. We are not gods.”

“I have seen more bad gods than good men venerated during my travels, Gassandrid. I have seen the Three Gods of Rel worshipped — one for mind, one for body, one for spirit — where men take three wives and force each one to embody those aspects, on penalty of death. I have seen the people of Drash deify the Field of One Hundred Statues, each icon a different god for a different purpose. That field is filled with mounds of gold and silver where people throw their offerings, within sight of the slums where the poor live in squalor until they starve.
“I have seen religions that sacrifice animals. Religions that sacrifice humans, children. I have seen the City of Portaeus, where they worship the No God, where only the worship of self is allowed.” He leaned forward. “I have seen mankind making up stories to make themselves feel safe at night. Or for power. Or for glory. Or for respect. Or for control. But I have never known a god, Gassandrid. The wise among us understand that they are fantasies. That they do not exist except in our own minds.”

“A way to make all things right,” he said softly.

"There is a way to make… all things right. All things."

"A man who believes is the worst of enemies. A man who believes is more dangerous than anything."

"This is now a world where only the ends matter."

"Honesty was easiest, but honesty could also get him killed."

"(...) I understand what it is to sacrifice for the greater good.” That was clearly directed at him, a bitter jibe. “Because better to let a monster live than to condemn the world.”

“And you’re right. The man that you just showed me? He was a monster.” Meldier blinked, his brow furrowing.
“But?”
“But that wasn’t me.” A surge of determination ran through him. “You can call me Aarkein Devaed all you like. You can show me my past — things that turn my stomach to even think about. But that isn’t me now.”

"Devaed had been a monster — Meldier wasn’t wrong about that much.
But Devaed was also the past."

“We have to be better than this. Don’t you see? The way that the Gifted have been treating us, the way everyone fears us, is justified if we take this path.”

“I’ve killed people, Erran. But where does it stop? What gives us the right to act this way? Our abilities?” He was abruptly reminded of a similar conversation with Wirr, what felt like a lifetime ago now. “We can’t start mistaking what we can do for what we have the right to do.”

"My words are promise, Tal’kamar. My words are truth. You need never fear that. El’s voice was calm, soothing. But it is still as I forewarned— the path that we take must be the one that best diverges from Shammaeloth’s. This is no simple battle, no mere case of preventing evil. He broke this world, but he understood enough to leave some of its beauty. Some of its joy. He knew enough to realize that sometimes, beauty is a temptation, and joy is a call for inaction. He knows to use good for his own ends also, Tal’kamar. He knows how to turn our own hearts against us."

“I know it’s dangerous, but let’s face it. We’re not here to enjoy ourselves.”

“Nobody and nothing made you do what you did, Tal. Inevitable or not, you chose to believe. You chose to follow. You chose to act.”
Caeden flinched at the rebuke. “I take ownership of my actions,” he said defensively. “But it does not mean that I—”
“That’s not what you need to do, Tal’kamar,” Asar interrupted gently. “You know this. The true evil is always in the reason and the excuse, not the act. I was fooled. I was angry. I wasn’t thinking. I had to do it, else worse things would have happened. It didn’t hurt anyone. It hurt less people than it would have if I hadn’t. It was to protect myself. It was to protect others. It was in my nature. It was necessary. It was right.” He said the words softly. “We have both been alive long enough to know that evil only wins when it spreads. It can cause destruction, it can cause death— but those are consequences of its nature, not its victory. Not its goal. The danger of evil, the purpose of evil, is that it causes those who would oppose it to become evil also.” He looked Caeden in the eye. “And that, my friend, is what happened to you.”

"The people with whom we are friends should never affect our morality; rather, our morality should affect with whom we are friends."

“You are not alone there, Tal,” he eventually sighed. “But we knew one day that we would die. Then we knew that we were alone, unique. Then we knew that there was no one out there that was more powerful than us.” He shook his head slowly. “Then El found us, and we knew that we were on the side of good. We knew that we were doing the right thing. We knew that we were protecting people and fighting to save the world. We knew that our actions were not our own, that we were merely “the blade.” Each time, we knew these things.” He paused, then walked forward, sitting on the edge of the wall next to Caeden. “Certainty is hubris, Tal. It is arrogance and bluster and those who claim it deserve nothing but to be mocked.”