Named a Best Fantasy Book of the Year by NPR, Amazon, Paste, and Book Riot!
From award-winning Korean author Sung-il Kim & translated by the world-renowned Anton Hur, Blood of the Old Kings begins an epic journey unlike any other.
There is no escaping the Empire.
Even in death, you will serve.
In an Empire run on necromancy, dead sorcerers are the lifeblood. Their corpses are wrapped in chains and drained of magic to feed the unquenchable hunger for imperial conquest.
Born with magic, Arienne has become resigned to her dark fate. But when the voice of a long-dead sorcerer begins to speak inside her head, she listens. There may be another future for her, if she's willing to fight for it.
Miles away, beneath a volcano, a seven-eyed dragon also wears the Empire's chains. Before the imperial fist closed around their lands, it was the people's sacred guardian.
Loran, a widowed swordswoman, is the first to kneel before the dragon in decades. She comes with a desperate plea, and will leave with a sword of dragon-fang in hand and a great purpose before her.
In the heart of the Imperial capital, Cain is known as a man who gets things done. When his best friend and mentor is found murdered, he will leave no stone unturned to find those responsible, even if it means starting a war.
Step into a world of necromancy, murder, and twisted magic. A world in need of a hero.
"Refreshingly different . . . blends classic genre elements together in fresh ways."--Paste
"Epic underdog fantasy in which choice outweighs destiny. . . Readers seeking an exciting new fantasy world to sink into will find this hits the spot."--Publishers Weekly
"Thrilling, inventive, and fierce--a tale of chained magic and giant mechs, of malevolent empire and those who stand against it. Not to be missed."--Max Gladstone, New York Times bestselling co-author of This Is How You Lose the Time War
"A hell of a good time!"--Book Riot
"Breathes new life into classic fantasy tropes."--Town & Country
"Full on fantasy delight. . . expansive and exciting--it's a book that so clearly loves fantasy and gives readers classic elements of the genre in a totally new way. Blood of the Old Kings is just a goddamn blast to read."--Reactor
"A woman's burning quest for vengeance and power leads to a thrilling magic-filled adventure. Absolutely captivating."--K.S. Villoso, author of The Wolf of Oren-Yaro
"Great takes on classic fantasy tropes."--Goodreads
"Ideal for fans of epic fantasy and sword and sorcery."--NPR
"A magnificent tapestry. . . If you're looking for something to scratch that sprawling epic itch, give Blood of the Old Kings a chance."--Lightspeed
"Kim masterfully weaves together [three characters'] stories, which each embody a different style of fantasy, creating an immersive, thorough world that's sparking towards war. . . . Readers will crave further works from Kim."--Library Journal
"I loved it. Fast, fun and fabulous! Truly imaginative fantasy with a story that speeds along like a bullet train fueled by sorcery."--Dyrk Ashton, author of the Paternus trilogy
"High epic fantasy mixing necromancy, dragons, and sorcery-powered automatons with fast-paced action and solid characters."--Booklist
"Blood of the Old Kings features heroic characters and an innovative, engaging magic system. . . . breathlessly propulsive."--Locus
"It's timely, it's impeccably plotted, and it's gorgeously imaginative."--Geekly, Inc.
"Sweeping, epic fantasy with more than a hint of darkness."--Fangirlish
"A world of intrigue and heart-pounding drama. . . [Kim's] focus on ordinary people becoming reluctant heroes is a fresh contribution to the fantasy trope of rebellion against an imperial power. Exciting plot twists and nail-bitingly narrow escapes crescendo as passion for revolution ignites."--Shelf Awareness
"Blood of the Old Kings revels in the excitement of the genre's tropes and comes at them from a fresh and bold new angle."--Books & Bao
SUNG-IL KIM was born in Seoul in 1974. Despite his lifelong dream of writing fiction, he only got around to it in his forties. He writes science fiction, fantasy, horror, or some blend of those. In South Korea, he is known for Blood of the Old Kings, I Will Go to Earth to See You, and "The Knight of La Mancha," the last of which earned him an Excellence Award at the Korean SF Awards in 2018. He spends most of his time in his downtown Seoul apartment with his wife and two cats.
ANTON HUR is the author of Toward Eternity. He has translated several books including Bora Chung's Cursed Bunny, which was nominated for both the International Booker Prize and the National Book Award for Translated Literature. He lives in Seoul.
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