Blood of the Old Kings, Sungil Kim
Blood of the Old Kings, Sungil Kim
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Blood of the Old Kings

Author: Sung-il Kim, Anton Hur

Series: Bleeding Empire #1

Narrator: Eunice Wong, Major Curda, Suzy Jackson

Unabridged: 9 hr 45 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 10/08/2024


Synopsis

This program features multicast narration.

From award-winning Korean author Sung-il Kim & translated by the world-renowned Anton Hur, Blood of the Old Kings begins an epic journey unlike any other.

There is no escaping the Empire.
Even in death, you will serve.

In an Empire run on necromancy, dead sorcerers are the lifeblood. Their corpses are wrapped in chains and drained of magic to feed the unquenchable hunger for imperial conquest.

Born with magic, Arienne has become resigned to her dark fate. But when the voice of a long-dead sorcerer begins to speak inside her head, she listens. There may be another future for her, if she’s willing to fight for it.

Miles away, beneath a volcano, a seven-eyed dragon also wears the Empire’s chains. Before the imperial fist closed around their lands, it was the people’s sacred guardian.

Loran, a widowed swordswoman, is the first to kneel before the dragon in decades. She comes with a desperate plea, and will leave with a sword of dragon-fang in hand and a great purpose before her.

In the heart of the Imperial capital, Cain is known as a man who gets things done. When his best friend and mentor is found murdered, he will leave no stone unturned to find those responsible, even if it means starting a war.

Step into a world of necromancy, murder, and twisted magic. A world in need of a hero.

A Macmillan Audio production from Tor Books.

About Sung-il Kim

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, Wolf Hunt, and “The Knight of La Mancha,” the last two of which earned him a Grand Prize and an Excellence Award at the Korean SF Awards in 2024 and 2018, respectively. He spends most of his time in his downtown Seoul apartment with his wife and two cats.

About Anton Hur

Anton Hur was born in Stockholm, Sweden. He is the author of No One Told Me Not To and the novel Toward Eternity. His translations include Bora Chung's Cursed Bunny, which was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize and a finalist for the National Book Award.

About Eunice Wong

Eunice Wong is a Juilliard-trained actor, listed among Audible's Best Women Narrators, who has recorded over 150 books, for publishers like Macmillan, Penguin Random House, & Simon & Schuster. She is the winner of 2 Audie Awards (Mystery, Multi-Voiced), 14 AudioFile Earphones Awards (8 for solo performances), and the American Library Association's RUSA Listen List: Outstanding Audiobook Narration. Eunice was also an Audie Finalist for "Audiobook of the Year" [lost to Ms. Streisand!], "Best Fiction Narrator" [against Meryl Streep & Ethan Hawke], "Nonfiction" & "Short Stories."Her theater awards include the Helen Hayes Award for Lead Actress, the My Boston Theatre Award for Best Actress, and a Barrymore nomination for Lead Actress. As a writer, she won the L.A. Press Club Award (1st Place), and the Maggie Award.Flipping to 1st person now (hi!): The job is not to read the words; the job is to transport the listener. I aim always to inhabit characters, emotions, and journeys honestly, spontaneously, and with psychological depth, while staying true to the book's unique voice. My narration styles range from intimate and intuitive, channeling emotions from beneath the surface of the text, to wacky and comic, with distinct and laugh-out-loud character creations.EuniceWong.actor

About Major Curda

Major Curda is a multi-disciplinary mixed Asian-American actor/storyteller who’s collaborated on various projects for Theatre, Film, Television, and Voiceover. Regardless of medium, Major strives to find the humanity in every character and honor the stakes of each world, when narrating they especially enjoy playing with accents/dialects and bringing magical worlds to life. Major has had the privilege of voicing half a dozen audiobooks with Macmillan and they look forward to many more. Major was recently selected to be an inaugural member of the Trailblazer Cohort as part of the Anna Arts Deadline Awards. Emerging Artist/Mentee of The Actors Center. Alumnus of Carnegie Mellon, SITI Skidmore, and Cherubs. @Majorly.MC.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Rachel (TheShadesofOrange) on October 05, 2024

4.0 Stars Video Review [URL not allowed] I really enjoyed the dark premise of this fantasy novel. The setup was exactly up my alley and reminded me of some of my other favourite media that have gone to similar dark places. This might be the first time I have read a fantasy novel translated f......more

Goodreads review by Jenny on October 13, 2024

I was immediately drawn to this book because of its incredibly beautiful cover. But apart from that, I have to admit that I really liked how Kim started the story! I was immediately engrossed in the plot and became incredibly eager to read it. The universe itself is extremely fascinating, containing......more

Goodreads review by Nick on April 16, 2024

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 bei......more

Goodreads review by Zana on October 15, 2024

3.5 stars rounded up. This is a pretty decent fantasy for readers who are new to the genre, or readers who don't have time to commit to a really long series. But I'm neither of those readers, so it was just an okay experience for me. It hit all the story beats perfectly, utilizes all of the typical t......more

Goodreads review by Matthew on April 15, 2024

One thing I really loved about this one is that the three P.O.V. characters felt very distinct. They do come into contact a few times, but their observations don't overlap and their character arcs stay their own. It does an excellent job of broadening the world building and the conflicts without mak......more


Quotes

"Thrilling, inventive, and fierce—a tale of chained magic and giant mechs, of malevolent empire and those who stand against it. Not to be missed."—Max Gladstone, New York Times bestselling co-author of This is How You Lose the Time War

"Refreshingly different . . . blends classic genre elements together in fresh ways.”—Paste

"Epic underdog fantasy in which choice outweighs destiny. . . Readers seeking an exciting new fantasy world to sink into will find this hits the spot."—Publishers Weekly

"A woman's burning quest for vengeance and power leads to a thrilling magic-filled adventure. Absolutely captivating."—K.S. Villoso, author of The Wolf of Oren-Yaro

"Full on fantasy delight. . . expansive and exciting—it’s a book that so clearly loves fantasy and gives readers classic elements of the genre in a totally new way. Blood of the Old Kings is just a goddamn blast to read.”—Reactor

“Kim masterfully weaves together [three characters'] stories, which each embody a different style of fantasy, creating an immersive, thorough world that’s sparking towards war. . . . Readers will crave further works from Kim after reading his English-language debut.”—Library Journal

“I loved it. Fast, fun and fabulous! Truly imaginative fantasy with a story that speeds along like a bullet train fueled by sorcery.”—Dyrk Ashton, author of the Paternus trilogy

“A magnificent tapestry. . . If you’re looking for something to scratch that sprawling epic itch, give Blood of the Old Kings a chance.”—Lightspeed


Awards

  • Amazon.com Best Books of the Year
  • NPR Best Book of the Year