OFFICIAL AUTHOR BIO: SUNG-IL KIM was born in Seoul in 1974. Despite his lifelong dream of writing fiction, he only got around to it in his forties. He writes science fiction, fantasy, horror, or some blend of those. In South Korea, he is known for Blood of the Old Kings, I Will Go to Earth to See You, and “The Knight of La Mancha,” the last of which earned him an Excellence Award at the Korean SF Awards in 2018. He spends most of his time in his downtown Seoul apartment with his wife and two cats.

FORMAT/INFO: Blood of the Old Kings was published in the US on October 8th, 2024 by Tor Books. It is 368 pages long and told in third person from the POVs of Loran, Cain and Arienne. It is available in hardcover, ebook, and audiobook formats.

OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: In an Empire literally powered by the bodies of dead mages, three unconnected individuals begin journeys that could bring that empire to its knees. First there's a swordswoman out for revenge who is granted a magic sword by a dragon; in return, she vows to rise up, overthrow the empire, and become her homeland's king. Then there's a young man from the streets investigating his friend's murder and what it has to do with a secret resistance group in the capital. Lastly, there's a mage trying to escape the clutches of the empire, determined to avoid her fate of becoming just another battery to power the Empire's oppression. Their fates are intertwined, but will it be enough to destroy the Empire that conquered magic?

Despite a fascinating and unique premise, Blood of the Old Kings fails to deliver a memorable experience. To the book's credit, it starts out with its best foot forward. Each of the first three chapters starts in media res as our three POV characters are at a crucial juncture in their lives. We meet Loran, for instance, when she is already negotiating with a dragon for the sword that will give her the strength to battle the empire. I was immediately intrigued by all the storylines and couldn't wait to see where they went.

Unfortunately, there wasn't a lot of substance to support the setup. Everything about the world-building felt very surface level, even as it tries to have complexity. There's different factions trying to overthrow the empire, for instance, each with different lengths they are willing to go to in order to win. But the leaders of those factions felt one dimensional, or sometimes barely appeared on the page at all.

Likewise, the plot and the characters felt very uneven. The story of Loran the swordswoman, for instance, would take sporadic time jumps. That wouldn't be bad itself if it didn't seem to also skip over things that felt like they should be big set pieces or sequences, like Loran's first fights with her new swords or a battle to take a key fort. And while a couple of the POVs do intersect with each other, two major storylines end up being largely separate from each other, resulting in a book that didn't feel like it had a cohesive narrative.

Loran did have the most interesting character arc as she wrestles with the notion of what it means to be king. When she starts the story, she feels like a fraud for declaring herself king because she has no royal blood. Her emotional journey of realizing what it means to assume responsibility for a people was one of the more compelling aspects of the story.

There are enough good pieces in this book that I thought I'd write a review recommending a flawed but interesting new entry in the epic fantasy space. I liked Cain's investigation into his friend's murder, especially as it runs him afoul of both an extremist group and the Empire's secret police. I liked Arienne's strange memory magic and watching her learn to warp reality around her.

Unfortunately, the ending of the book left me underwhelmed. At least two characters made some truly baffling decisions at major story points. The final chapter, which jumps forward in time and serves almost as an epilogue, felt like a poor attempt to tie a neat bow on the story. Perhaps the author was going for a realistic ending, but it left me deeply frustrated and unsatisfied.

CONCLUSION: Blood of the Old Kings reads like a book where the broad story beats have been laid out, but it really needed another writing pass to deepen the world and the relationships. I will still fully credit it for a creative idea for a premise, but unfortunately, that alone was not enough to hold my interest. At the end of the day, this sadly isn't a read that I recommend.

OFFICIAL AUTHOR BIO: Bethany Jacobs is a former college instructor of writing and science fiction, who made the leap to education technology and now teaches tech heads how to write. She lives in Buffalo, New York with her wife and her dog and her books. These Burning Stars is her debut novel.

FORMAT/INFO: On Vicious Worlds was published on October 15th, 2024 by Orbit Books. It is 480 pages long and told in third person from multiple POVs, including Jun and Chono. It is available in paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats.

OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: It's been months since the Jeveni people made a daring escape from the Kindom, jumping to a hidden remote corner of the galaxy in the hopes of being free from the control of the Secretaries once and for all. In the wake of suspicious deaths and failing technology, however, it's become clear to Jun Ironway and the leaders of the new colony that there's a traitor in their midst. What's less clear is who sent them and why. As Jun tries to track down the saboteur, Chono and Six return to the Treble, hoping to use their political capital to free the remaining Jeveni and steer the government towards reform. But the Secretaries aren't going to let their power go without a fight - even if it means all out war.

On Vicious Worlds is a stellar follow-up to These Burning Stars, keeping the tensions as high as the stakes in this thrilling sequel. Truly, "thriller" is the key descriptor here, as both the main storylines navigate treachery, espionage, sabotage, and political backstabbing. In the new colony of Capamame, which is supposed to be a peaceful sanctuary for the Jeveni people, a killer walks among the colonists, working to destroy the colony before it can truly establish itself. These acts of violence lead to tense debates within the council itself. The Jeveni fled the Kindom to escape oppression, and have been trying to get by without a police force or jails. But in order for the colony to survive, they may have to implement their own version of policies they hate.

The colony storyline also featured an element I really liked: the visually cinematic casting (or computer hacking). The author here has opted for a more cinematic flair instead of dry typing away at a keyboard. Jun's encounters with the mysterious saboteur in cyberspace lead to virtual duels as each opponent hurls weapons, erects walls, and other visual representations of their attempts to control each other. It may not be a practical version of computer coding, but it makes for some spectacular sequences to read about.

Things are equally tense back in the Kindom itself where Six and Chono are trying to win political battles and survive assassination attempts. And this is what had me flying through the pages: both storylines ramp up pretty quickly, with chapters frequently ending on agonizing cliffhangers. I know I'm reading a good book when a chapter cliffhanger leaves me frustrated to know what happens next, but also excited to see what's happening back in the OTHER storyline. The author dances back and forth between the two in a way that's both maddening and compelling, right up until the final pages.

I will say, there were one or two instances where I did feel like a story beat truly felt like it happened because the plot needed it, rather than an organic reason. A certain lapse in security, for instance, didn't make sense to me given the hyperparanoia of the characters. Even allowing for the overwhelming emotions in the scene, I didn't quite buy it. Still, it was a minor bump in a story that kept me actively angry at my day job because it prevented me from reading this book.

CONCLUSION: On Vicious Worlds is exactly what I was hoping for in a sequel to my favorite sci-fi book of 2023: more action, more intrigue, more plotting. The ending of These Burning Stars was always going to be hard to beat, but On Vicious Worlds does its best to come close. If you enjoy any variation of space opera, thrillers, or political intrigue, I cannot recommend this series enough.

 

OFFICIAL AUTHOR BIO: Nicole Evans (she/hers) is a queer, disabled SFF writer. With an MFA in Fiction, more trunked novels than she can count and too many ideas to keep track of, she made her authorial debut with Blood Price. She currently lives in the Midwest with her partner and their pets, though she yearns to escape to the forest one day. You can find her online via her LinkTree.