The Grace of Kings
Emperor Mapidere was the first to unite the island kingdoms of Dara under a single banner. But now the emperor is on his deathbed, his people are exhausted by his vast, conscriptive engineering projects and his counsellors conspire only for their own gain. Even the gods themselves are restless. A wily, charismatic bandit and the vengeance-sworn son of a deposed duke cross paths as they each lead their own rebellion against the emperor's brutal regime. Together, they will journey to the heart of the empire; witnessing the clash of armies, fleets of silk-draped airships, magical books and shapeshifting gods. Their unlikely friendship will drastically change the balance of power in Dara... but at what price? The Grace of Kings is the first novel by Hugo-, Nebula- and World Fantasy Award-winner Ken Liu and the first in a monumental epic fantasy series.
Themes & atmosphere
What you might want to know about The Grace of Kings
The questions readers send us most often, answered without spoilers.
Years after Emperor Mapidere unified the islands of Dara by force, his successor's tyranny breaks the empire into rebellion. The book follows Kuni Garu, a small-time city official turned bandit, and Mata Zyndu, the eight-foot heir of a slaughtered noble house, as their armies converge on the throne.
Ken Liu's Dandelion Dynasty has four books: The Grace of Kings, The Wall of Storms, The Veiled Throne, and The Speaking Bones. The series is complete.
The Grace of Kings has a large cast and dense political maneuvering, drawing on the historical fall of the Qin dynasty. Most readers find the first 100 pages slowest before the multi-strand structure clicks.
The Grace of Kings was written by Ken Liu, published in 2001 by Head of Zeus.
The Grace of Kings is 640 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, The Grace of Kings takes most readers 10 to 14 hours to finish.
The Grace of Kings is a standalone novel by Ken Liu, not part of a series.
The Grace of Kings is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.