Blood of the Old Kings

Did You Know?

• When first published in South Korea, Kim was only able to release the first volume in a planned trilogy.
• The second volume, Blood for the Undying Throne, was released by Tor Books in 2025.

Synopsis

The Empire controls the continent through necromancy: when a sorcerer dies, the corpse is placed in a magical coffin and turned into a power generator, allowing the use of the sorcerer's magic after death. The Empire destroyed the nation of Mersia with an arcane weapon called the Star of Mersia, leaving only wasteland. The territories of Arland and Kamori have been colonized, and their kings killed; the dragon once ridden by Arland's king is imprisoned. Loran, an Arlander woman seeking revenge for her husband and daughter, vows to become King of Arland. The imprisoned dragon gives her a sword made from one of its fangs. She joins Prince Emere and King Gwaharad of Kamori to capture a power generator from an imperial legion. Cain, an Arlander in the imperial capital, investigates the murder of his friend Fienna and is recruited by Agent Septima of the Imperial Ministry of Intelligence to look into the merchant Gladdis. Arienne, a sorcery student at the Imperial Academy who fears being turned into a power generator after death, is contacted by the ghost of the sorcerer Eldred. With his help she steals the power generator made from his corpse and escapes; Cain agrees to help her due to their shared Arlander heritage. The Empire sends troops to Arland in retaliation for Loran's attack. Loran defends Kingsworth, kills the imperial prefect after Gwaharad's failed negotiation, and agrees to surrender but instead attacks an imperial fortress with a peasant army.

Reception

Matthew Galloway of Library Journal compared the novel favorably to works by Robert Jackson Bennett, Shannon Chakraborty, and Naomi Novik. Chris Kluwe of Lightspeed praised Kim's combination of early-Asian mysticism and culture with heavy Roman Republic vibes, and noted themes of rebellion and the burden of power. Publishers Weekly commended the avoidance of a chosen one narrative, focusing on actions rather than inheritance. Alex Brown of Reactor appreciated the lack of a romance subplot, calling it a nice treat in fantasy, but noted that several plot elements felt typical of the genre; however, Brown found the unique ending twisted the familiar into something more compelling. Sean Dowie of Locus praised the propulsive action sequences and the innovative, engaging magic system, though he considered Cain the weakest of the three major characters and wished for more complex characterization and worldbuilding.