Preview
  • An Instruction in Shadow

  • Inheritance of Magic, Book 2
  • By: Benedict Jacka
  • Narrated by: Will Watt
  • Length: 9 hrs and 47 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (95 ratings)

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An Instruction in Shadow

By: Benedict Jacka
Narrated by: Will Watt
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Publisher's summary

The ultra-rich control magic—the same way they control everything else—but Stephen Oakwood may just beat them at their own game in this exhilarating contemporary fantasy from the author of the Alex Verus novels.

Stephen Oakwood has emerged victorious against the schemes of his aristocratic family. Now he finally has the opportunity to do what he’s been wanting to do for a long time: track down his father.

But doing so won’t be easy. Stephen’s not so isolated any more, but the contacts he’s making in the magical world—everyone from the corporation he works for to the mother he’s just beginning to reconnect with—all have agendas of their own. And now a new group is emerging from the shadows, calling themselves the Winged. Their leader, the mysterious Byron, promises that he can show Stephen how to find his father...but he wants something in return.

Following that trail will throw Stephen into greater danger than he’s ever faced before. To survive, he’ll need to use all of his tricks and sigls, and pick up some new ones. Only then will he be able to prevail against his enemies...and find out who’s really pulling the strings.

* This audiobook edition includes a downloadable PDF that contains the glossary from the book.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2024 Benedict Jacka (P)2024 Penguin Audio
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Critic reviews

“The new magic system introduced in this series, which began with An Inheritance of Magic, continues to fascinate, and the stories will remind readers of classic urban fantasies (such as the “Dresden Files” series from Jim Butcher), as Stephen’s world gets more dangerous and he powers through each setback by learning bigger and better magic and paying a higher price each and every time.”—Library Journal

"[A] dense, pulse-pounding fantasy adventure."—Publishers Weekly

What listeners say about An Instruction in Shadow

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
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World Building

Love the world plot is interesting and characters are engaging, lot’s of potential and possibilities for the future can’t wait to see what the author does

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Short, Simple, and Personal

This book picks up directly after the first one, and is a pretty seamless continuation of the story. We get more on the mysterious organization, glimpses into the politics of the Ashfords, and a few hard lessons in the "shadow" politics going on behind the scenes in the world of Drucraft.

As with the first one, most of the focus is on Stephen trying to survive - get money, learn sigls, and in the background of it all, find his father. Once again, the character work is quite good, as is the magic. Stakes are believable and intense, even while being so small scale. Some things start to become clearer, but as the title suggest, the arc in this book is more of an introduction that anything. Much is set up, more is hinted at, and Stephen comes a little more into his own, but it will be quite a while before we even see hints of the conclusion to this story.

Overall, I highly recommend.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Characters continue to be intriguing

Yes, I liked it and cannot wait to read the next book. Mr Jacka, more please (and fast).

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

good but over too fast

I like your story the characters are great it just ended too soon. hope the next one is longer. hate waiting for the next story but it's the price you pay for reading a great series.
keep writing and I'll keep reading them

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Not much happened.

I am invested in the story and the characters, but I feel like this one was not as eventful. There weren't that many huge plot developments, and the way the book ended did not feel satisfying (even if it was a set up for another book).

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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This guy just keeps making good books

Great for the genre. If you enjoyed his other books, you will definitely enjoy this one Benedict Jaka continues to make great books. Thank you, sir and please keep going.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

I wanted more

This was good, but it left me wanting more. Not more as in "I need the next book" but more in that I felt this story was lacking a true climax. There were exciting parts, but it felt like we were progressing to a big finale that we didn't get. We do get a big moment at the end, but it was done in a very anticlimactic way.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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A Tale for Our Time

I think this may be my new favorite series.

I'm a huge fan of urban fantasy. I've listened to the Dresden Files more times than I can count. I love the Rivers of London series from Ben Aaronivitch. I really enjoyed Jacka's Alex Veris books, but they did seem a little derivative. So I was hopeful, but didn't know what to expect from this new series.

It blew me away. There is nothing else out there that better captures the angst of growing up today, complete with the economic pressures of trying to survive in a society that doesn't care about individuals and chews up people as disposable. The magic system is completely unique and fits in the larger world. And the glimpses into the larger conflict between good and evil are relevant and compelling. I can't wait for the rest of the series over the next decade.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Classic Jacka

Great follow up to the first book! Engaging story expertly performed. I highly recommend this book.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Good, but frustrating

The story and magic system are well done. Taking a star for the abrupt ending and cliffhanger. Am thinking I may wait until all books are finished before continuing.

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