Book Review - BLOOD OF THE OLD KINGS by Sung-Il Kim (translated by Anton Hur)

 

(Title: Blood of the Old Kings / Author: Sung-Il Kim / Translator: Anton Hur / Publisher: Tor Books / Publication Date: October 8, 2024 / Total Pages: 368)

Back Cover Blurb

Powered by the corpses of sorcerers, the Empire has conquered the world. It claims to have brought peace and stability to its conquered lands, but some see that peace for what it is - a lie - and will give everything in the fight against it.

Loran is desperate for revenge after the Empire killed her family, so much so that the swordswoman climbs the volcano where the legends say an ancient dragon slumbers and leaps in. She finds that the legends are true, and Loran leaves the mountain with a sword made of dragon's fang and a great purpose before her.

Cain arrived in the Imperial Capital lost and orphaned, and it's only thanks to the kindness of a stranger-turned mentor that he survived on the city's streets. When his friend is found murdered, he will leave no stone unturned to find those responsible, even if it means starting a war.

Arienne's future has never been in question - born a sorcerer, she'll be a Power Generator for the Empire upon her death. But when she starts to hear the voice of a powerful necromancer in her head, she realizes the only thing more terrifying than dying for the Empire is never getting to truly live in the first place.

When peace is a lie, there is power in truth - and as Loran, Cain, and Arienne hunt for answers in their own lives, any one of their small rebellions could be the stone that brings the Empire toppling down.

Review

The very first thing that attracted me to this book was the outrageously stunning cover artwork. I mean, it's absolutely gorgeous. So I guess you could say I judged this book (initially anyway) by its cover. Then I read the summary and the first line says something about the corpses of sorcerers being used to power the Empire and I knew that I wanted to read this book as soon as humanly possible. Couple that with the fact that this was written by a new author (for me anyway) from South Korea Sung-Il Kim, who I had not heard of up to this point, and there were just too many things pointing to the fact that me and this book were just meant to be together. Turns out it was quite a good match in the end and I thoroughly enjoyed so many aspects of this story and these characters.

Before I get to the cool and original magic system in this book, let's talk about the characters a bit. There are three main POVs in this story and they all have a unique background and varied motivations. As stated in the blurb, Loran is hell bent on avenging what the Empire so brutally took from her, that being her beloved family. She will stop at nothing to see that vengeance quenched, even if it means utilizing an all powerful sword bestowed upon her by a dragon to wipe out her enemies. The problem is there's a lot that she doesn't realize she's up against and there are powers that even a dragon-charmed sword might not be able to beat. Then there is Cain who is somewhat of a loose cannon. He knows a lot of seedy individuals and also has his own issues with the Empire. His POV chapters were very fun to read as he always seems to find himself in the most sticky of situations. Finally Arienne who hears the voice of a dead sorcerer in her head, which reminded me of the whole Rand al' Thor/Lews Therin situation. It is through Arienne that we get introduced to the brilliant magic system in this book as she is coaxed into discovering it through that mad inner voice.

And that's where I will segue into what I thought was a beautifully constructed magic system that in and of itself kept me turning the pages feverishly. I was so entranced by the concept of using the mummified corpses of sorcerers as power generators. And depending upon the skill level of the sorcerer, those on the high end are used for the most important aspects of daily life in the Empire, while those of lower skill power the more menial elements. Needless to say these dead sorcerers would need to be guarded very carefully (especially those connected to major infrastructure and essential defense) because if anything should happen to any number of them, the entire Empire could collapse resulting in utter chaos and potential disaster. Honestly, I couldn't get enough and this is just one of the more inspired and creative magic systems I have ever read. The closest thing that comes to it I think is David Farland's Runelords series. But even then, Sung Il-Kim does something quite different with his magic and it is all his own construct. 

I would also be remiss if I didn't mention the wonderful translation by Anton Hur. Being an English reader I was wondering if there would be any points in the book that might feel a little bumpy to me as this book was originally written in Korean. I have to say that this story flowed so seamlessly and there was never a second where I sensed any hiccups or moments where certain words or sentences got lost in translation so to speak. It's a testament to Hur's proficiency at translation that the prose never stumbled but rather soared, ultimately carrying my enjoyment of the engaging plot right along with it.

I'm glad that I took a chance on this book because it was one of the more rewarding reads I've had in a while. The intense moments of action, impressive magic system, compelling characters, and magnificent worldbuilding really held me in their grip throughout and I breezed through this book at record speed because of that. The author also doesn't shy away from touching on some serious topics/themes such as the negative effects of colonialism and how living under oppression can shape the person that you are and eventually become. I really hope that everyone gives BLOOD OF THE OLD KINGS the readership it so rightly deserves because I believe it to be an outstanding debut by an author who I will definitely be looking to read much more from in the future. The good news is this book is the first in a trilogy, so there are a lot of cool things ahead to look forward to. Sung Il-Kim has written a story that should delight readers who have been searching for something outside of the usual predictable trope-filled fantasy. This was an incredibly entertaining read and you should definitely get your preorders in now so you won't miss it upon release in early October.

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