On the Shoulders of Titans is a worthy successor to Sufficiently Advanced Magic. The latter has been one of my favorite reads of the year, so I was nervous that the sequel wouldn’t live up to it. I needn’t have worried. Andrew Rowe has given us a sequel that doesn’t fail to keep the winning formula of the original. It does this in a way, however, that keeps things fresh and doesn’t feel like a rehash of the previous novel.

While the setting continues to offer impressive depth and the plot keeps one guessing at the loyalties of various parties, what really stood out to me in On the Shoulders of Titans were the characters. From our viewpoint character Corin Cadence to his band of friends to various individuals they encounter I felt like each character was unique, well-fleshed out, and had their own voice. I also thoroughly enjoyed seeing the growth of various characters. I’m referring here not merely to their growth in raw power but to their growth as individuals. Corin obviously receives the lions share of character development, but the other characters grow, learn from their mistakes, and don’t feel the same by the end of the novel. In a novel with so much impressive world building and a very intricate plot it would be easy to sort of coast when it came to character development and Rowe has refused to do this. As a result, this novel truly shines.

I criticized Sufficiently Advanced Magic for its info dumps. While there is still a lot of detail in this sequel, I personally found the times when information was needed to feel smoother, less drawn out, and just generally better integrated into the novel. Fair warning: I do enjoy intricate magic systems, so I don’t mind some explanation with them. I think On the Shoulders of Titans strikes a good balance. One of my very few complaints with this novel is that at times the plot seemed to slow down a bit. Sometimes I lost track of exactly how what the protagonists were doing contributed to the overarching plot. In fairness, this is partly because they’re students and—surprise, surprise!—they don’t always have control over how they spend their time. Even so, I felt like things could have perhaps been more tightly plotted. In the end though, this did not significantly impact my enjoyment.

Rowe has given us another wonderful novel in On the Shoulders of Titans. While it certainly feels like a middle book at times, it still does an excellent job of pulling you in and keeping the pages turning. I eagerly await the next book in the series. 4.5/5 stars.

5 – I loved this, couldn’t put it down, move it to the top of your TBR pile
4 – I really enjoyed this, add it to the TBR pile
3 – I liked it, depending on your preferences it may be worth your time
2 – I didn’t like this book, it has significant flaws and I can’t recommend it
1 – I loathe this book with a most loathsome loathing