Let us start at the beginning: under the earth, in a grave, with a dead man. But unlike so many dead, the immortal Faron reawakens, the carrion-eaters fleeing from his shining body. So begins The Radiant King, the thrilling first entry of a new fantasy series from genre veteran David Dalglish. Gritty, romantic, soulful and shocking, The Radiant King may have a familiar epic fantasy framework, but it achieves great heights by its conclusion.
On the island continent of Kaus, there are six siblings who can never die. The ever-living, blessed with life-bringing star magic called Radiance, have lived and died a thousand times, ruling and plundering across recorded time. That is, until their power nearly destroyed the world. They pledged a sacred vow: hold no thrones, wear no crowns and never give Radiance to mortals. When one of the ever-living, Eder, appoints himself head of a new twisted religion, his brothers, Faron and Sariel, join forces, furious that he has broken their agreement. But powerful though they are, they can’t take him down alone. They form an alliance with Isabelle, a mortal princess with a righteous cause and mysterious powers of her own. Can Faron and Sariel help her armies unify Kaus and challenge Eder before his abominations threaten the world?
Dalglish’s story is full of sword swinging, swashbuckling and other beloved fantasy tropes, but it’s his ruminations on the price of reincarnation that will truly draw the reader in. Each of the ever-living siblings has a different perspective on immortality, all reflecting on their regrets and self-recriminations as each life comes and goes. Sariel recognizes a woman whose soul he’s loved in many lifetimes past. Faron notes places and castles that he’s seen change through the centuries. These moments lend weight to our heroes and, notably, to the choices they make to thwart their brother.
Though the page count of The Radiant King is long and the pacing slows in the second act, watching Faron and Sariel slowly reveal their powers is consistently compelling and cool. The brothers are two sides of the same coin: Faron is genial, hopeful and righteous where Sariel is mercurial, dour and ruthless, and the tension between the two drives some incredible sequences. Dalglish mentions in his author’s note that the brothers were initially one character that he split while writing, and the story is much better for it, the contrasting tones integral to its success. The world building and sibling relationships give the new Astral Kingdoms series plenty of momentum going into book two, and when the time comes, readers will return, ready for more Radiance.
