A Song of Legends Lost

Ayinde’s impressive debut and Invoker trilogy launch invites readers into a detailed and imaginative fantasy world with sci-fi elements. The Scathed people of the Nine Lands created the greybloods, robotlike beings, to serve them, but the greybloods revolted, determined to wipe out their creators, leading to a millennia-long war. This conflict reaches a turning point after Temi, a baker, is cursed by a witch, who warns her, “The king must fall by your hand!” At the same time, King Jakhenaten II Ahiki raises an army to recapture the Feverlands from the greybloods. Temi is drawn into the campaign and, along the way, realizes that she is possessed by a powerful spirit who could help them win the war once and for all. Ayinde juggles a sprawling cast and multiple plotlines skillfully, while paying special attention to worldbuilding minutiae, such as describing increases in grain prices in response to a royal quota that makes life for the poorer classes even harder. The result is a rich and wonderfully complex world that readers will be eager to revisit. (June)