Lightbringer Books In Order

Publication Order of Lightbringer Books

Lightbringer by Brent Weeks
Author Brent Weeks writes the “Lightbringer” series of fantasy novels, which began publication in the year 2010, when “The Black Prism” was released.

Weeks has been nominated for three Goodreads Readers Choice for Fantasy. “The Black Prism” was nominated for an Endeavour Award and a David Gemmell Legend Award (for best fantasy novel). “The Blinding Knife” was nominated for two David Gemmell awards, for Best Fantasy Cover Art and Fantasy Novel. “The Broken Eye” was nominated for another David Gemmell Legend Award for Best Fantasy Novel.

The series began as a trilogy, but was later extended into a four book series. Then it was announced it would become a series of five books. It is an epic story that is meant to be read in order, with the five books making up one story.

Right after Weeks published “The Way of Shadows”, he felt he had to pick if he was going to write more “Night Angel” books or create something new. Two things pushed him to write something new. He felt he wanted to stretch himself creatively, and was afraid of trapping himself by writing the same series his entire career.

For this series, Brent Weeks believed he was up for creating a new world with new characters and rules and magic while making the story move fast.

The series is set in The Seven Satrapies, which are seven semi-autonomous countries that surround a huge sea, and each of the satrapies is ruled by a satrap. Satrapies have independence, but are under the loose control of the Chromeria, a federalist central government. The Chromeria is the seat of regulation and education for all of the color magic in the books. The ruling council is made up of seven colors, who are basically representatives of the satrapies, the Prism, and The White.

“The Black Prism” is the first novel in the “Lightbringer” series, which was released in the year 2010. Guile, the most powerful guy in the entire world, is the Prism. He is emperor and high priest, a guy whose wit, power, and charm are the only things holding together a tenuous peace. Prisms do not last long and Guile knows just how long he’s got to live.

Guile finds out he has got a son, one that was born in a distant kingdom after the war that put him in power ended. He has to figure out how much is acceptable to pay to keep a secret protected that might just tear his whole world apart.

Brent Weeks has grown a lot as an author, as his narration and prose as well as his imagination have improved a lot with this book. He is able to handle the shifting perspectives well, and they are all compelling, especially with how they all intertwine with one another.

“The Blinding Knife” is the second novel in the “Lightbringer” series, which was released in the year 2012. Gavin Guile is currently dying. He believed he had five years left to go, and knows now he has less than one. With one bastard son, fifty thousand refugees, and a former fiancee who might have just learned about his darkest secret, Gavin finds trouble on all sides. The magic in the world is running wild, threatening to destroy all of the Seven Satrapies.

To make things worse, the old gods are starting to be reborn, and the color wight army is impossible to stop. The sole salvation might just be the brother whose life and freedom Gavin robbed sixteen years back.

This has everything you could want from an epic fantasy novel: strong cast of characters, original world building and some solid pacing. The book was a great sequel as it expanded on the world that was opened up in the first book of the series.

“The Broken Eye” is the third novel in the “Lightbringer” series, which was released in the year 2014. The old Gods are waking up, the Chromeria is racing to find its lost Prism, the only guy who could stop this catastrophe, named Gavin Guile. Gavin’s been enslaved on a galley, and when the guy is finally able to escape, he finds that the hands he is in are is in less than friendly. He does not have the ability to draft, which defined him.

At the same time, the Color Prince’s army continues advancing, and has swallowed two of the seven satrapies. Currently invading the Blood Forest. Andross Guile thinks Gavin, his son, lost, and has his two grandsons stop the Color Prince’s advance. Kip and Zymun (his psychopathic half-brother) are going to compete to win the ultimate prize: who is going to be the next Prism.

Weeks has meticulously created a world and expanded it. He is showing there is no limits to the magic system in this world either. These are fantastic characters, a complex world, and a layered and deep mythology, making this a well realized world that feels like you could actually go there for real.

“The Blood Mirror” is the fourth novel in the “Lightbringer” series, which was released in the year 2016. Gavin has been stripped of his political and magical power, the people he used to rule have been told he is dead, and he is held captive in one of his own magical dungeons. Ex-Emperor Gavin Guile does not have any prospects of escaping. The world faces something far greater than the Seven Satrapies has seen before, and only Gavin will be able to save it.

The White King’s armies defeat the Chromeria and old gods are reborn, the worlds’ fate is going to come down to a single question: Who is the Lightbringer?

Brent Weeks filled this one with tons of twists and turns so that it made it easy for many readers to read this one pretty quickly. This is quite simply a great epic fantasy series that few will be able to match. This book is able to keep the pressure up, and is still developing the magic system in many different ways. These are thrilling books with brilliant battles in them.