Blood for the Undying Throne

By Sung-Il Kim and Kim Il Sung

Book Overview

Blood for the Undying Throne, the sequel to Blood of the Old Kings, from award-winning Korean author Sung-il Kim and translated by the world-renowned Anton Hur, is an epic fantasy adventure where the corpses of sorcerers power an empire and ordinary people rise up to tear it down.

Nothing can stop the Empire's insatiable conquest.
Not gods, not dragons, not armies.
But heroes still rise.

The Empire continues to enforce its so-called peace with massive war machines that destroy anything that opposes their might. Though the conquered are wholly at the mercy of the Empire, desperate odds such as these can be fertile soil for heroic resistance.

Last seen rallying under Loran's banner, Emere is now a powerless politician in the Imperial Capital. But when an assassination attempt is made on his life, he discovers that he may just be at the center of sinister plots brewing in the highest levels of the Empire.

Arienne has crossed the continent on a mission to learn more about the Star of Mersia, the infamous yet mysterious weapon that decimated the country of Mersia in a single day. But when she arrives at the supposedly lifeless land, Arienne is shocked to find much more than ruins.

One hundred and seventy years ago, before the Empire laid waste to its plains and its people, Mersia suffers under the whims of the ruthless Grim King Eldred. When Yuma, the chief cattle herder, meets an emissary from the Empire, she dares to hope that this foreign nation might have the power to overthrow the Grim King and end his reign of terror. But Yuma will learn, only once it's too late, that aligning with the Empire will have consequences that reverberate through the ages.

Sacrifices must be made in the fight against tyranny, but some sacrifices may be too great.

"A must-read series for epic fantasy lovers."--Library Journal, STARRED review

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1250895383
• ISBN13: 9781250895387
• Release Date: October 2026
• Publisher: Tor Books
• Length: 400 Pages

Customer Reviews

Awesome series!

I loved returning to this world where the Empire rules over most, using the bodies of dead sorcerers to power their gigantic machines that can fight against gods and monsters and usually win. And while that is cool and awful, it makes me glad to see that Loren and others are rising up against them with some success. This book is less about fighting though and more of a dive into the past with Arienne traveling to Meresh to discover the truth about its destruction by the Star of Mersia. She was my favorite viewpoint to follow. I love how much she has grown in the two years since she freed the dragon and helped Loren defend Arland. She has so much depth and power and she really shines. The other viewpoint I really liked was Yuma with her historical perspective and her relationships with both the Grim King and Lysandros and how it shaped the present that that Arienne is dealing with. The third one, Emere, was interesting but not quite as compelling as Yuma and Arienne. But as his viewpoint contains more about the rebellion and the Circuit of Destiny, it was definitely necessary. I must say I was sad to not get as much Loren in this book, she is more of a cameo in the world events occurring both in Mersia and the Capital. This was a great second book, different in style but still moves the story along and makes me eager for the next book to see if the great Empire will fall, by whose hand, and how it will change the world for better or worse. I love that these translated books are becoming more easily available and this is a great series!