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Synopsis
The third book of The Last King of Osten Ard! 'Inspired me to write my own seven-book trilogy. It's one of my favourite fantasy series' GEORGE R. R. MARTIN ' A master storyteller, and the Osten Ard books are his masterpiece' BRANDON SANDERSON 'Paved the way for so much modern fantasy. Including mine' PATRICK ROTHFUSS 'One of the great fantasy epics of all time' CHRISTOPHER PAOLINI The High Throne of Erkynland is tottering, its royal family divided and diminished. Queen Miriamele has been caught up in a brutal rebellion in the south and thought to have died in a fiery attack. Her grandson Morgan, heir to the throne, has been captured by one of Utuk'ku's soldiers in the ruins of an abandoned city. Miriamele's husband, King Simon, is overwhelmed by grief and hopelessness, unaware that many of these terrible things have been caused by Pasevalles, a murderous traitor inside Simon's own court at the Hayholt. Meanwhile, a deadly army of Norns led by the ageless, vengeful Queen Utuk'ku, has swept into Erkynland and thrown down the fortress of Naglimund, slaughtering the inhabitants and digging up the ancient grave of Ruyan the Navigator. Utuk'ku plans to use the Navigator's fabled armor to call up the spirit of Hakatri, the evil Storm King's brother. Even the Sithi, fairy-kin to the Norns, are helpless to stop Utuk'ku's triumph as her armies simultaneously march on the Hayholt and force their way into the forbidden, ogre-guarded valley of Tanakirú - the Narrowdark - where a secret waits that might bring Simon's people and their Sithi allies salvation - or doom.
Is Into the Narrowdark appropriate for my child?
Suitable for most readers 16 and up.
Epic fantasy with large-scale warfare, fortress sieges, slaughter of inhabitants, and a murdered traitor at court. Contains adult themes of political intrigue, grief, and dynastic collapse. No sexual content or graphic language.
What to know going in
This book has strong violence, no sexual content, and mild language. Content notes include captivity, death, mass death, and grief (see the full list above).
Who'll love this
Teens who love sprawling multi-POV epic fantasy with ancient evils, royal courts, and complex world-building will find this engrossing.