The Ruin of Kings (A Chorus of Dragons, Band 1)

Praise for The Ruin of Kings

'Everything epic fantasy should be: rich, cruel, gorgeous, brilliant, enthralling and deeply, deeply satisfying'
Lev Grossman

'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'
John Gwynne

'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


* * *
The crowd couldn't see the details, but I knew what he held: a silver hawk, stained black from salt air. A part of my soul, trapped in metal: my gaesh.

He was right: I would cause no more trouble. Never again. Controlling a slave via a gaesh was as effective as it was terrible. A witch had summoned a demon, and that demon had ripped part of my soul away. I would do anything that the holder of my gaesh asked of me, no matter how objectionable, no matter how repugnant.

Obey or die. There was no choice.