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The Ruin of Kings

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About this listen

In this thunderously good listen, prophecy and magic combine in an incredible epic fantasy of imperial politics, gods and demons. The Ruin of Kings is the first book in Jenn Lyons's extraordinary series, A Chorus of Dragons.

When destiny calls, there's no fighting back . . .

As a bard’s apprentice, Kihrin grew up with tales of legendary deeds. He also steals, desperate to buy a way out of Quur’s slums. But when he raids the wrong house, he’s marked by a demon and life will never be the same again.

Kihrin’s plight brings him to the attention of royalty, who claim him as the lost son of their immoral prince. But far from living the dream, Kihrin’s at the mercy of his new family’s ruthless ambitions. However, escaping his jewelled cage just makes matters worse. Kihrin is horrified to learn he’s at the centre of an ancient prophecy. And every side – from gods and demons to dragons and mages – want him as their pawn. Those old stories lied about many things too, especially the myth that the hero always wins.

Then again, maybe Kihrin isn’t the hero, for he’s not destined to save the empire. He’s destined to destroy it.

Continue the epic fantasy adventure with The Name of All Things and The Memory of Souls.

‘What an extraordinary book . . . enthralling and deeply, deeply satisfying. I loved it' - Lev Grossman, author of The Magicians

‘A fantastic page-turner with a heady blend of great characters' - John Gwynne, author of A Time of Dread

'A virtually un-put-down-able read' - Kirkus Reviews

Action & Adventure Coming of Age Dragons & Mythical Creatures Epic Epic Fantasy Fantasy Fiction Genre Fiction Royalty Magic Mythology Destiny Dragons

Critic reviews

What an extraordinary book. The Ruin of Kings is everything epic fantasy should be: 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 (Glen Cook)
A fantastic page-turner with a heady blend of great characters, fast-moving action and a fabulously inventive magic system . . . I loved it
The Ruin of Kings is a fascinating story about a compellingly conflicted young hero in an intriguingly complex world (L. E. Modesitt, Jr.)
The Ruin of Kings revs up with the glitz of a high-speed, multi-level video game, with extreme magic (Janny Wurts)
In a sprawling, magic-filled world populated by gods, dragons, krakens, witches, demons, ghosts, shape-shifters, zombies, and so much more, 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)
Though the hero’s journey structure and classical fantasy elements are familiar, the complex mysteries and revelations feel novel and offer plenty of room for rereading and analysis. 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)
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The descriptions in this are amazing and bring me back every time. Also there are lines in this that are better than all others like “that’s s damn dragon you’re running us into”.

Simply Amazing!

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At first, I found following the story a little confusing because of its narrative structure, but it was very enjoyable once I got into it. I enjoyed the lore and the world around it. I will be looking into this one again so I can pick up anything I missed.

Confusing, but enjoyable - worth a re-listen

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Loved the narration from start to finish, Looking forward to the rest of the books.

epic fantasy

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I just loved this book. It’s long, but I read (listened) to it over a matter of days. The world building is fantastic and the characters are so well developed. I loved how she stitched the story together…. Can’t wait to start book 2!

A great epic fantasy to get my teeth into!

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I love a good "hidden lineage" bit come on. no one was who thought them to be and the tree of identities and relations ended up looking like a tangled web. narrator even admits "it's complicated" at some point which should tell the author to ease up on the twists. solid other than that, though

way too convoluted

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