Twelve Kings: The Song of the Shattered Sands (Song of Shattered Sands, #1)

by Bradley P. Beaulieu

In the cramped west end of Sharakhai, the Amber Jewel of the Desert, Çeda fights in the pits to scrape a living. She, like so many in the city, pray for the downfall of the cruel, immortal Kings of Sharakhai, but she's never been able to do anything about it. This all changes when she goes out on the night of Beht Zha'ir, the holy night when all are forbidden from walking the streets. It's the night that the asirim, the powerful yet wretched creatures that protect the Kings from all who would stand against them, wander the city and take tribute. It is then that one of the asirim, a pitiful creature who wears a golden crown, stops Çeda and whispers long forgotten words into her ear. Çeda has heard those words before, in a book left to her by her mother, and it is through that one peculiar link that she begins to find hidden riddles left by her mother.
As Çeda begins to unlock the mysteries of that fateful night, she realizes that the very origin of the asirim and the dark bargain the Kings made with the gods of the desert to secure them may be the very key she needs to throw off the iron grip the Kings have had over Sharakhai. And yet the Kings are no fools-they've ruled the Shangazi for four hundred years for good reason, and they have not been idle. As Çeda digs into their past, and the Kings come closer and closer to unmasking her, Çeda must decide if she's ready to face them once and for all.

• ISBN10: 1473203007
• ISBN13: 9781473203006
• Publish Date: 3 September 2015 (first published 2 September 2014)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 29 March 2021
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Gollancz
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 592
• Language: English

Reviews

[Ashley]

DNF 11% through. I hope I give it another try at some point though. This book absolutely was not bad, it just became very, very slow. It had a killer beginning with some kind of pit fight, but after that it was just slooow.

I hadn't really gotten to the meat of the story yet though, and there's definitely some interesting stuff here. So I hope I give it another shot at a better time.

[ross91]

A great first book in a series.
I don't usually like fantasy books that take place in the desert, but this one kept me interested from the very beginning.
If you like kickass female characters, a story full of good riddles, strange creatures and cool tattoos this book is for you!
And now I have to find the time to read the sequel.

[celinenyx]

4.5 stars. So good.

[Beth C.]

It's not often these days that a book, particularly the first in an apparent series, comes in at a whopping 580 pages. Even less often does the doorstop turn out to be quite such an excellent read. Both cases hold true in 'Twelve Kings in Sharakhai', the first book in The Song of the Shattered Sands series. Be warned, however - there is a lot going on in this first book. Try to read it too fast (even though it's compelling), and you'll feel like you just came out of a book coma.

Ceda is a young woman from the slums of Sharakhai, a city in the desert. She is also a "pit dog", one who fights in the pits for her living. She has honed her skills because she has a goal - vengeance. Finding the one responsible for the death and humiliation of her mother, and killing him. The problem? The one responsible is one of the Twelve Kings - rulers of Sharakhai for the last 400 years. Human, all. They can be killed. But they were "blessed" by the Gods with their long lives and their grip on the city. They are ruthless, and they want everyone to know it. When Ceda goes out on Reaping night against the law, she starts a chain of events that she, nor the Kings, could ever have predicted.

First - the heroine. Ceda is a strong, clever young woman. She is human, and has her faults. But make no mistake - she is truly an excellent main character. She is well-developed, and battles with the same conflicting emotions and issues that all people grapple with. Only in her world, there is magic, Gods exist, and Kings can live 400 years. As for the other characters, they have also been extremely well fleshed out. There's not a one that I couldn't picture in my head. No one is a cardboard cutout...all have good and bad, and make decisions that reflect that.

The setting - incredible. The details that went into crafting this world are amazing. From the sand ships, to the creatures that roam the desert, descriptions of the city and it's different areas and inhabitants. There was a lot of work put into this, and it shows. However, the truly pleasant thing as a reader is that it's never dull or dry. Everything is woven into the story, in context, in a time that is fitting. There are no crazy-long passages there just to tell the reader all about something. The author allows the reader to get a feel for the setting, then bit by bit brings it more into focus.

As for the story, it's done just as well as the rest. It's a unique take on medieval fantasy, with elements from today thrown in (carefully) here and there. And yet it all makes sense and works with the characters and the surroundings. The characters and the setting are woven together so well that sometimes it can be hard to tell where one ends and the other begins. It wouldn't be a stretch to say that, in some ways, the setting itself - the city and the desert - ARE characters.

Overall, I was taken aback when I realized how darn big the book was. Then I groaned. Then I put it aside for a few days in dread. Then I started reading...and once I did, it was hard to stop. And when I *did* have to stop, my mind was figuring out when I could get back to the book. Yes, I finished in a book coma. I had to give my brain time to fully absorb what I had read before I could go any further. I am still mulling over details and thinking on the story - and in my mind, that is the mark of a great book. When it's done, and you're moving on, part of that story has permanently made a place in your mind and your heart. So it is with 'Twelve Kings in Sharakhai'.