A humbled prince, a grumpy grandmaster, and a ragtag band of heroes find out what it takes to become truly legendary, in the conclusion to the epic fantasy trilogy lauded as “dramatic, fun, thoughtful, clever, and (literally) punchy” (Kirkus Reviews).
“Electrifying, thrilling, and a glorious, romantic ride.”
—Robert Jackson Bennett on The Art of Prophecy
Once in a faraway kingdom there was a man prophesied to be the chosen one, who would defeat a great villain, the Eternal Khan, and save the kingdom.
But then the Eternal Khan died . . . and the prophecy was broken.
For Jian, the fated hero, this could have been a moment to succumb to despair. But instead, he chose to create his own destiny. He studied under Taishi, his curmudgeonly but beloved mentor, to become a great warrior.
With war on the horizon—and rumors of the Khan’s return brewing—a band of unlikely allies …
A humbled prince, a grumpy grandmaster, and a ragtag band of heroes find out what it takes to become truly legendary, in the conclusion to the epic fantasy trilogy lauded as “dramatic, fun, thoughtful, clever, and (literally) punchy” (Kirkus Reviews).
“Electrifying, thrilling, and a glorious, romantic ride.”
—Robert Jackson Bennett on The Art of Prophecy
Once in a faraway kingdom there was a man prophesied to be the chosen one, who would defeat a great villain, the Eternal Khan, and save the kingdom.
But then the Eternal Khan died . . . and the prophecy was broken.
For Jian, the fated hero, this could have been a moment to succumb to despair. But instead, he chose to create his own destiny. He studied under Taishi, his curmudgeonly but beloved mentor, to become a great warrior.
With war on the horizon—and rumors of the Khan’s return brewing—a band of unlikely allies are also on their own missions. There’s Sali, a gruff warrior who is also forging a path different from the one her culture created for her, and Qisami, an assassin whose cold heart might actually be made of gold. And Taishi has gathered a band of other elderly grandmasters to help Jian live up to his destiny.
Because some heroes aren’t simply born legends—they choose to become legendary. And great heroes do not stand alone but are stronger together.
Didn’t get in the rhythm and took a long time to finish
3 stars
I don’t know if the fault was the book’s or mine, but it took me a lot of effort to pass the two-thirds mark, after which I started going faster.
The ending felt a bit rushed, with some hand-wavy explanations and too much luck to be credible. In a way it’s deconstructing the myth of the prophesied hero, the One, etc., but on the other it’s building a lot of expectations for a finale that feels too little.
Some characters get more developed, which is nice.
