The Radiant King
-
-
4.5 • 2 Ratings
-
-
- $9.99
Publisher Description
The first installment of USA Today bestseller David Dalglish's latest epic fantasy trilogy about immortal demigods, civil wars, and ancient evil will be irresistible to classic fantasy fans and will appeal to readers of James Islington and Anthony Ryan.
Six immortal siblings. Five sworn to peace. One demands a throne.
Radiance, the mysterious power of life and creation, is theirs to command. Death cannot claim them. For hundreds of years, the ever-living ruled with ease. Yet when the world is nearly broken beneath their reign, the humbled six swear a vow: They will sit upon no thrones, wear no crowns, and no longer teach humanity the gifts of radiance.
But after centuries of peace, Eder rejects their vow, anoints himself Voice of Father, and spreads a new, cruel faith across the land.
Faron cannot allow such indiscretion. Returning from a self-imposed exile, he swears to crush Eder’s kingdom, and he will not do so alone—Sariel, their cold and calculating brother, knows all too well that an ever-living’s dominion is bound for brutality and destruction. But to overthrow a nation, they will need more than each other. They will need an army and a ruler who can take the throne their own vow forbids. And so, they pledge themselves to the fanatical Bastard Princess, a woman with incredible powers she insists were given to her by the goddess Leliel.
But Eder’s conquest is not what it seems, and it will take more than a holy war to stop an immortal who has heard the desperate plea of a god.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this riveting high fantasy, Dalglish (Level: Unknown) takes on the familiar trope of squabbling supernatural siblings working secretly to steer human history, but stirs in an exciting mix of reincarnation, politics, and body horror. Faron is one of six immortal siblings who have vowed to stay out of mortal affairs. When he completes his most recent reincarnation, however, he comes back to find his brother Eder breaking this promise and encouraging humans to worship him. To stop him, Faron forms an uneasy alliance with his most unpredictable brother, Sabriel, and the pair take up the cause of Princess Isabelle, a human who claims divine approval and exhibits powers that the brothers believed were limited to their family . Tensions ramp up as Eder plots to revive ancient technology and smash the interdimensional barrier that prevents the siblings from directly contacting their creator. Dalglish makes the familial relationship wonderfully multilayered while illustrating the distinct personalities of each sibling. Readers will need a tolerance for gore to get through some of the reincarnation scenes but will be rewarded with a solid saga full of loneliness and longing. It's an exciting start to the series.
