Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published Feb 2019
560 pages
Genre: Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Speculative, Alt. History
Publication Information
Jenn Lyons begins the Chorus of Dragons series with The Ruin of Kings, an epic fantasy novel about a man who discovers his fate is tied to the future of an empire.
When destiny calls, there's no fighting back.
Kihrin grew up in the slums of Quur, a thief and a minstrel's son raised on tales of long-lost princes and magnificent quests. When he is claimed against his will as the missing son of a treasonous prince, Kihrin finds himself at the mercy of his new family's ruthless power plays and political ambitions.
Practically a prisoner, Kihrin discovers that being a long-lost prince is nothing like what the storybooks promised. The storybooks have lied about a lot of other things, too: dragons, demons, gods, prophecies, and how the hero always wins.
Then again, maybe he isn't the hero after all. For Kihrin is not destined to save the world.
He's destined to destroy it.
"Starred Review. There's more mystery than action in this tightly plotted tome, and its lore and memorable characters will leave epic fantasy fans eager for the second volume." - Publishers Weekly
"Starred Review. Lyons ties it all together seamlessly to create literary magic. Epic fantasy fans looking for a virtually un-put-down-able read should look no further." - Kirkus
"Starred Review. This stunning debut takes epic fantasy to a high level, portraying a world filled with magic, demons, gods, and dragons, in which politics and power plays are the laws of the land." - Library Journal
"Rich, cruel, gorgeous, brilliant, enthralling and deeply, deeply satisfying. I loved it." - Lev Grossman, author of The Magicians
"It was one hell of a ride. I gobbled it up and was hungry for more." - Glen Cook, author of The Black Company
"The Ruin of Kings is a fascinating story about a compellingly conflicted young hero in an intriguingly complex world." - L. E. Modesitt, Jr., author of the Recluse series
"A thriller plot of revenge and loyalty with a get-under-your-skin and keep-you-reading-all-night mysetery at its heart. I loved it." - John Gwynne, author of Malice
"The Ruin of Kings revs up with the glitz of a high-speed, multi-level video game, with extreme magic and a teen hero with angst." - Janny Wurts, author of The Curse of the Mistwraith
This information about The Ruin of Kings was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Jenn Lyons was a graphic artist and illustrator for 20 years and has worked in video games for over a decade. She previously worked on The Saboteur and Lord of the Rings: Conquest at EA Games. She is based out of Atlanta, Georgia. The Ruin of Kings is her first novel.
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