The Gryphon King
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
The first in a sweeping Southwest Asian-inspired epic fantasy trilogy brimming with morally ambiguous characters, terrifying ghouls and deadly monsters.
Combining cut-throat dynastic politics with expansive worldbuilding and slow-burning romance, this stunning debut is perfect for fans of Godkiller and Samantha Shannon.
"A twisty feast of politics and fantastical beasts." Shannon Chakraborty
Bataar was only a child when he killed a gryphon, making him a legend across the red steppe. Now he is the formidable Bataar Rhah, ruling over the continent that once scorned his people. After a string of improbable victories, he turns his sights on the wealthy, powerful kingdom of Dumakra and their vicious pegasus-mounted warriors.
Nohra Zultama has no fear of the infamous warlord who marches on her country. She and her sisters are Harpy Knights, goddess-blessed and lethal. But as deceit and betrayal swirl through her father's court, she soon learns the price of complacency. With Dumakra under Bataar’s rule, Nohra vows to take revenge—yet her growing closeness to the rhah's wife, Qaira, threatens to undo her resolve.
When rioting breaks out and strange beasts incite panic, Nohra must fight alongside Bataar to keep order, her mixed feelings toward the man she’s sworn to kill becoming ever more complicated. Old evils are rising. Only together will Nohra and Bataar stand a chance against the djinn, ghouls, and monsters that threaten to overrun their world.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Omer's enthralling debut epic fantasy starts with a bang and never slows, not holding back in its depictions of the brutality of war as it chronicles its eponymous protagonist's attempts to conquer the world. When Bataar of the Red Steppe is a young teen out hunting with friends Tarken, Shaza, and Qaira, he witnesses a giant gryphon devour Tarken's little brother. He beats the beast back, earning him an impressive scar and a nickname that will stick for the rest of his life. For the next decade, with Tarken and Shaza as his generals and Qaira as his wife and counsel, he conquers the surrounding tribes and lands until he rules the majority of the continent. Now he's taking on his strongest neighbor, the kingdom of Dumakra, but to succeed he'll have to get past Princess Nohra and her sisters, the Harpy Knights, who battle from the sky on powerful winged horses. When an incursion of supernatural creatures threatens both of their peoples, however, the two forces may have to work together for survival, and Bataar enlists Qaira's help in getting Nohra on their side. The epic battles and juicy political machinations keep the pages turning, and Omer's Southwest Asian–inflected worldbuilding fascinates. Readers will be eager for more.
