Ringlander: Fallen Shards by Michael S. Jackson

Arina reviews Ringlander: Fallen Shards, the sequel to Michael S. Jackson‘s Ringlander: The Path and the Way. This review contains references to characters and events from the first book in the series.

Possible fit for The Sound of Madness Reading Challenge 2025 prompts:

THE SCARS OF A WOUNDED WORLD ARE REOPENING…War continues to blight the Ringland continents of Rengas, from Nord to Kemen and over the Middle Sea to the shores of Sulitaria. The Forbringrs fight in the heavens, leaving those who dwell unto dust, while the human rebellion struggles on against a unifying Bohr front and the treacherous Order of the White Dragon.

As God’s Gift, Abika can wield Soulfire, a power only possessed by Banèmen, but she’s still the unwanted child struggling to answer why she was left for dead. As she searches for meaning amongst a chaotic land, she discovers that the worlds have other plans for her.

It’s a lesson for all of you, dear children. That sometimes life will throw everything it has at you, and it may seem that you have no recourse, and that there is no way to keep fighting. But fight you must.

Michael S. Jackson returns to the richly imagined world of Rengas in Ringlander: Fallen Shards, the sequel to his gripping epic fantasy debut, The Path and the Way. Fallen Shards deepens the conflict between humanity and the formidable, animalistic Bohr, expanding both the cast and the scope of the world while continuing the arcs of familiar characters.

With new POVs from within Bohr society—most notably Kalliste, now their queen—the narrative delves deeper into their culture and internal struggles. In the aftermath of Tyr’s destruction and a crushing military loss, the Bohr must regroup, appoint new leadership, and launch new campaigns across Rengas. Meanwhile, the human resistance remains fractured yet defiant, continuing the rebellion on multiple fronts.

In Sulitaria, the Guard of the White Dragon—a human sect evangelising Bohr dominion—secretly works to defy humanity. Their manipulation and fanaticism add another layer of tension to the volatile political landscape, raising the stakes far beyond the battlefield.

With one battle lost and both sides bearing deep wounds, the conflict begun in The Path and the Way is far from over. 

Familiar faces like Kyira and Fia return to face seemingly insurmountable challenges. Through them—and through the introduction of new central characters like Abika, a riotous teenager seething with anger, and Vasta, a pacifist Bohr—Jackson showcases his greatest strength: nuanced characters with heartfelt development. The returning characters evolve in unexpected ways, prompting readers to reassess their prior assumptions, while the newcomers add fresh perspectives that are woven into the broader tapestry.

The blend of coming-of-age themes with more mature arcs grounds the “epic” in personal stakes, offering perspective to a wide range of readers. Neither arc flinches from hardship or uncertainty—Fallen Shards dives into even darker territory than its prequel, with some brutal scenes and portrayals of addiction and trauma, above all urging perseverance in the face of chaos, fear, and pain.

Jackson’s characters don’t just inhabit his world—they shape it. The map of Rengas, featured at the start of the book, becomes more than a backdrop the moment the story mentions it is drawn by Kyira herself and chronicles her journey. Chapter illustrations build on this visual storytelling, illustrating Kyira’s role as a pathfinder and adding curious worldbuilding bits outside the main narrative, like a more fun version of a footnote.

Not content with expanding only its characters, Fallen Shards also attends to its mythos, continuously blurring the line between fantasy and science fiction. Or, if such a line was ever emphatically drawn, entirely crossing it. Its multiversal magic system directly impacts unfolding events, enriching the mythology and delivering chilling revelations about the divine beings previously mentioned in the story, the Banèman and their terrifying power, and the main characters themselves.

The only real weakness lies in the narrative style, which often bogs down engagement. Characters often react to events or dialogue not shown on the page, making some interactions feel disjointed or incomplete, and leading me to wonder if I was missing something, all within the same paragraph or page. However, I should note my copy was an ARC (advanced reader copy), and likely these structural and dialogue issues have been smoothed out in the final edition.

Fallen Shards is a battle-drenched examination of the self—a bold continuation to the Ringlander saga. As it broadens conflicts and further blurs the fate of our characters, it offers no tidy resolution, only a simple, resonant motif: may you always fight.

And so it rallies readers to endure life’s changing tides, no matter the cost, no matter the fear.