The Thousand Deaths of Ardor Benn (Kingdom of Grit, #1)

by Tyler Whitesides

AN EXPLOSIVE TALE OF DARING DEEDS, DECEIT AND DRAGONS

'If you enjoy The Lies of Locke Lamora . . . then I can confidently predict that The Thousand Deaths of Ardor Benn is the book for you . . . Highly recommended' The Eloquent Page

'I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It is easily the best fantasy-heist book I have read in years!' A Fantastical Librarian

Ardor Benn is no ordinary thief - a master of wildly complex heists, he styles himself a Ruse Artist Extraordinaire.

When a mysterious priest hires him for the most daring ruse yet, Ardor knows he'll need more than quick wit and sleight of hand. Assembling a dream team of forgers, disguisers, schemers and thieves, he sets out to steal from the most powerful king the realm has ever known.

But it soon becomes clear there's more at stake than fame and glory - Ard and his team might just be the last hope for human civilisation.

'A fun, terrific read I heartily recommend' David Dalglish, author of A Dance of Cloaks

'The plot and world of this book are one of a kind . . . a very impressive debut' The Quill to Live

'From start to finish this is an amazing read' The Book Plank

'Fun, entertaining and has a unique magic system . . . pretty darn cool' BookNest

'This one is for all you fans of Scott Lynch and Marshall Ryan Maresca eager to meet your next favorite fantasy ne'er-do-well' B&N Sci-Fi and Fantasy Blog

• ISBN10: 031646323X
• ISBN13: 9780316463232
• Publish Date: 20 October 2020 (first published 15 May 2018)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Orbit
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 752
• Language: English

Reviews

[Ashley]

This was a lot of fun! And despite being 729 pages it was a surprisingly quick read. It didn't feel as long as it was.

There was a really interesting mix of heist, religion, cultures, and dragons.

I only have two complaints:

1. There was a romance angle that I wasn't crazy about, and I think the book would have been better off without it. It was already a good story and the romance just felt weak and unnecessary.
2. At the end there was a time travel element that I wasn't crazy about. I don't usually like time travel, so if a story has it then I prefer it be really upfront about being a time travel book. But this was really sprung on us and I'm still not sure how I feel about it. Luckily it didn't end up being a huge component all things considered so I could kind of brush it off.