Book Review: Ruination (League of Legends) by Anthony Reynolds
ARC provided by the publisher—Orbit Books—in exchange for an honest review.
Ruination: A League of Legends Novel by Anthony Reynolds
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Series: League of Legends (Book #1)
Genre: Fantasy, High Fantasy
Pages: 448 pages (Hardcover edition)
Published: 6th September 2022 by Orbit Books
Surprisingly better than I expected. Ruination is a fast-paced and compelling standalone novel in the universe of League of Legends.
“A fool with power is a dangerous thing. And we live in a world overflowing with fools and power. —Extract from “The Helian Primer of Light”
I can confidently say that I, like many fantasy readers here, found out about Ruination by Anthony Reynolds through our adoration for the magnificent and magical show that is called Arcane. Similar to Arcane, Ruination is a canon story taking place in the same universe, Runeterra, as the popular video game: League of Legends. Prior to watching Arcane, I had played League of Legends only once or twice, and I didn’t know about the lore of the universe at all. Arcane was absolutely amazing. It sent me down the rabbit hole of reading and watching videos about the characters and deep lore of the franchise. And I am still so damn far from catching up to everything. This is to say I had no idea about the details of the story inside Ruination, but I did have an idea of where the story might lead. After all, this is a prequel novel to the video game, and this instinct did not diminish my enjoyment of the book. It improved it. And although Ruination may not blow away veteran fantasy readers’ minds, if you are looking for an accessible and fast-paced fantasy story, you really cannot go wrong with choosing Ruination to read.
“Invariably, all nations crumble, fall, and are forgotten. And in their final death throes, they often drag others down with them. —The Histories of Empire, volume VI, by Tyrus of Helia
The passage above appeared on the front page of the book. I don’t know about you, but it immediately gave me the spark of ideas on where this story of honor, ambition, loyalty, obsession, revenge, and madness will end up. Whether that will come true or not, that is up to you to find out. But once again, Ruination is a standalone prequel novel—the FIRST ever novel—in the world of League of Legends. The story begins in Camavor, a brutal land with a bloody legacy. Kalista seeks to change that. When her young and narcissistic uncle, Viego, becomes king, she vows to temper his destructive instincts; as his loyal confidant, advisor, and military general. But her plans are thwarted when an assassin’s poisoned blade strikes Viego’s wife, Isolde. As Isolde’s condition worsens due to the poison, Viego descends into madness and grief, threatening to drag Camavor down with him. And Kalista makes a desperate gambit to save the kingdom: she searches for the long-lost Blessed Isles to find a cure to save the queen.
“Better to act and risk a mistake than do nothing, trapped by indecision. —Ancient Camavoran proverb”
It is not far-fetched to say Ruination will become one of the most surprising read for me. It felt like I read at the exact right time. Most of the books I’m reading are big fantasy books, and sometimes it’s good and satisfying to read a great and relatively short standalone fantasy novel like this. Now, Ruination might not become one of your favorite books if you have read many adult epic fantasy books. At least, that’s how it went for me. However, I would be lying if I said I did not have a bloody fun time reading it. The main reason I wanted to read Ruination in the first place was to get more out of the world of Runeterra. Arcane has opened the gate of curiosity in me to explore the lore and stories in this world, and I got what I wanted. However, do know the tale told in Ruination regarding Kalista, Viego, Isodel, Hecarim, Ledros, Jenda’kaya, Ryze, and Erlok Grael was only a tiny fraction of the entirety of League of Legends. And I do hope we will get more detailed stories out of this world, whether in the form of another TV show like Arcane or another novel like Ruination. The potential is immense. Just like how one of the main themes of Ruination is to find the capability to keep hope burning in the face of oppressive darkness, I will make sure to keep my hope up more TV shows and novel in the world of Runeterra will come to pass.
“Even when a flame is smothered, and all seems lost, a single ember may be hidden beneath the ashes. As long as that one ember remains burning, all the darkness in the world can be banished. And while it glows, there is hope.”
Whether you are new or a veteran in the fantasy genre, I feel Ruination will result in, at least, an enjoyable read. The themes portrayed can easily resonate with many readers, and the characters in it were either likable or despicable, as they were intentionally written. But if you are new to the fantasy genre and you want to dip your toes first before exploring other more intimidating and complex series, Ruination is one that I can recommend with confidence. It is a standalone fantasy novel, and there is no continuation yet. It is not intimidating. The writing is straightforward, easy to read, and most importantly, the narrative is engaging and hard to put down. My only minor criticism is I wish we got more chapters after what happened at the end of the book. And I am not sure whether this is an issue, but Ruination is guaranteed to make you chase for more stories and background in the world of Runeterra. Enter with caution.
“A good general knows when a fight cannot be won, and when the best option is to retreat. It will hurt, but you’ll be alive. Alive, you can gather your strength and find those you trust to wield your weapons. Then come back and reclaim this city when the time is right. As long as one ember burns, darkness can always be banished. Stay alive, and keep that ember of hope burning.”
Lastly, it needs to be mentioned that the hardcover edition of Ruination is incredibly well-produced. With a gorgeous reversible dust jacket artwork by Valentina Remenar, interior character illustrations by Kudos Productions, maps by Tim Paul, and beautiful chapter icons for the three main POV characters, Orbit Books went above and beyond to make sure the standard hardcover of Ruination looks as beautiful as possible at a standard hardcover price. Heck, there is even a high-quality book trailer animated for it. So well done on that, Orbit Books. It is my selfish and wishful thinking, but I wish all standard hardcovers in the fantasy genre could receive this kind of treatment.
Picture: Ruination by Valentina Remenar
Overall, just like Arcane, Ruination was a superb addition to the League of Legends universe. I’ve seen reviews and thoughts from the players of the game, and the majority of them agreed that this tragic story with a tone of hope, honor, and love is worth reading. The characters, especially Kalista and Ledros, were so likable. I have no idea whether the next book in the series will be a continuation to Ruination or another standalone story in Runeterra, but whatever it is, I will be reading it for sure.
“They are no better than any of you, for all their finery and wealth… They are weak, for they have never had to fight for their place. They’ve been given everything on a silver platter, every privilege, every honor, where you’ve had to fight for everything, every day of your lives. And that makes you stronger than they can ever be.”
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