Blood of the Old Kings begins an epic adventure in which three strangers journey through a vast Empire that uses the power of dead wizards to conquer and subdue, from award\-winning author Sung\-il Kim and translated by the highly\-acclaimed Anton Hur. 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.

From award-winning Korean author Sung-il Kim & translated by the world-renowned Anton Hur comes the sequel to Blood of the Old Kings, an epic fantasy adventure where the corpses of sorcerers power an empire and ordinary people rise up to tear it down. Last seen under Loran’s command, Emere is now a member of the Commons Council. While giving a speech in the Capital, he survives an assassination attempt―and now must team up with the Ministry of Intelligence to discover who is behind it. Arienne is on a mission to find out what really happened to Mersia. The land―destroyed a hundred years ago by a mysterious weapon known only as the Star of Mersia―is devoid of life, populated only by ghosts. But when she arrives at the ruined city of Danras, Arienne finds more than she expects. One hundred and seventy years ago, Yuma is the Chief Herder of Danras, looking after the city’s aurochs every summer. After being punished for disobeying the Demon King, she meets Lysandros, who is on a mission to establish diplomatic relations between the Empire and the states of Mersia. But is there a cost of doing business with the Empire?