Meet James Islington

James Islington’s fantasy teased me throughout my days at college. During the years I spent at school, I rarely had the time I wanted to dig into the thousand-page fantasy novels that beckoned from bookshelves at friends’ houses, bookstores, or the university library. The Will of the Many and The Shadow of What Was Lost both flirted with my attention until I received my own copy of Will as a Christmas gift. The holiday break from school gave me the time I needed to tear into it, and I was hooked.

I brought the book with me everywhere, and I was reading on airplanes and before bed—sometimes even on bathroom breaks. The story starts with a familiar fantasy flavor, but James starts turning expectations on their heads early. Vivid characters and a setting drenched in Roman Empire vibes made certain that I could not put this book down until I had finished it.

The Will of the Many is part of James’ Hierarchy series. Hierarchy takes place in the Catenan Republic, a society where citizens of the Empire cede their strength to their higher-ups, who in turn wield incredible power from the citizens who sustain them—a magic system reminiscent of Dave Farland’s Runelords series.

The hero of the story is Vis Telimus, a young noble from an enemy state of the Catenans. His people are conquered and after years in hiding, he is thrust into a precarious position among the children of the elite. His struggle is reflected by other conflicts within and without the Republic. Intricate character dynamics unfold alongside the development of the magic system and story chapter by chapter.

Islington's story of academic and political intrigue is excellent, and I am still reeling from the conclusion of the second novel. Every aspect of the first book is dialed up to eleven, and Islington takes turns that I never saw coming. Countless readers like me are eagerly anticipating James’s return to Hierarchy, but as he was working on revisions for the series, a new idea filled the time between drafts.

Enter Scion

James’s side project was at first just something to work on while he waited for his editors. That side project grew into Scion, his newest novel and science fiction debut. Scion is a cyberpunk assassin’s story set in a world of transhuman augmentations, bioweapons, and corporate corruption. The story revolves around lifers, the ultra wealthy who can afford augmentations to stave off natural death indefinitely. Azure, Scion’s protagonist, is an assassin hired to deal with the lifers who leech at the rest of the world from the very top.

The back of the cover describes it as John Wick meets Ghost in the Shell, and fans of those stories will definitely come away satisfied. I got a chance to sit down with James at the release event for Scion, and asked him about what inspired Scion and why he wanted to go in a cyberpunk direction during his diversion from Hierarchy.

Scion Influences and Inspirations

Jack: Your previous novels were both solidly fantasy, but Scion is science fiction—specifically, Cyberpunk. What were some of the influences that made you want to lean in that direction?

James: As far as books go, Neuromancer—a little bit in preparation for the Apple TV adaptation coming up—and I really enjoyed that. I don't often get along with some of the older stuff, as it can age. (Three megabytes of hot RAM, anyone?) There are moments that they are using payphones and these things that just ground them in time, and it does take you out of the story.

Also the Deus Ex video game series, specifically Human Revolution. These are cyberpunk immersive sims, and those both fall into such a niche that they are fighting against the tide a little bit.

Others Blade Runner, obviously, and The Matrix. A lot of the stuff that was coming out in the late '90s. With special effects and the constant outpouring of new technology, that era has a lot of good ones. I think Altered Carbon was the best in the 2010s.

Jack: Were there any specific cyberpunk tropes or genre conventions that you were excited to bring to life in Scion?

James: I mentioned a few of the inspirations already, but one that you might not expect at first is the anime One-Punch Man!

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In the superhero comedy anime, the world struggles against villains and monsters of titanic scale; threats that are deadly serious. The show's protagonist, Saitama, is a superhero who attained otherworldly strength after adhering to a strict exercise regimen until he ascended to godlike levels of strength. With that strength, he deals with threats in a single punch: hence the show's title. The heart of the comedy comes from the difference between those two perspectives: a hero whose immense strength leads to a bored detachment and a world that relies on him to stop cataclysmic threats.

Scion wears its influences proudly. From the first fight, we are introduced to Azure, a protagonist whose genetic compatibility makes him a prime candidate for obscene levels of transhuman augmentation, called revisions—or “revs”. Those revs make him a super powerful character, but like the best stories revolving around Superman or Saitama, the drama comes from situations that push him to his limits and play as much off of his weaknesses as his strengths. He approaches every fight and every high profile assassination with the nonchalance of a workman clocking in for one more shift. The dehumanized, hypercommercialized urban landscape of Blade Runner is felt in the streets that Azure prowls, and the biopunk horror of The Matrix is felt from the first chapter, where Azure fights against massive biologically engineered weapons.

If you’re a fan of One-Punch Man, Mike Pondsmith’s universe or other cyberpunk science fiction, don’t miss Scion. It's worth your time and attention.

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Where it all started

Hierarchy and Scion are James’ newest stories, but his start in fantasy came in the form of The Licanius Trilogy, which starts with The Shadow of What Was Lost. James’ debut was an ambitious fantasy tale that takes place in the aftermath of a bloody civil war against the Augurs, a magical ruling class with visionary powers. The audiobooks for this series are narrated by Michael Kramer, who also lent his voice to The Stormlight Archive. I haven't read this one yet, so you let me know: is it time to get this off my TBR?

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Outro

James came to Salt Lake City for the Scion book release, and sat down with Brandon Sanderson and Janci Patterson who also released their book Blightfall that day. If you missed the party, Team Dragonsteel recorded the whole event. You can catch the conversation right here and on Brandon’s YouTube channel. If you’re looking to get a copy of Scion for yourself, you can check it out on the publisher’s page.

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