Stock up with our Shop Small Sale! Shop the sale
The River Kings’ Road by Liane Merciel
  Send as gift   Add to Wish List

Almost ready!

In order to save audiobooks to your Wish List you must be signed in to your account.

      Log in       Create account
Collage of audiobooks

Shop Small Sale

Shop our limited-time sale on bestselling audiobooks. Don’t miss out—purchases support local bookstores.

Shop the sale
Phone showing make the switch message

Limited-time offer

Get two free audiobooks!

Now’s a great time to shop indie. When you start a new one credit per month membership supporting local bookstores with promo code SWITCH, we’ll give you two bonus audiobook credits at sign-up.

Sign up today

The River Kings’ Road

A Novel of Ithelas

$18.86

Retail price: $20.95

Discount: 9%

This title is not eligible for purchase with membership credits. Why?

Narrator Stefan Rudnicki

This audiobook uses AI narration.

We’re taking steps to make sure AI narration is transparent.

Learn more
Length 11 hours 4 minutes
Language English
  Send as gift   Add to Wish List

Almost ready!

In order to save audiobooks to your Wish List you must be signed in to your account.

      Log in       Create account

A thrilling new voice in fantasy makes an unforgettable debut with this "intriguingly twisted tale of treachery and magic" (New York Timesbestselling author L. E. Modesitt, Jr.). Liane Merciel'sThe River Kings' Roadtakes us to a world of bitter enmity between kingdoms, divided loyalties between comrades, and an insidious magic that destroys everything it touches.

A fragile period of peace between the eternally warring kingdoms of Oakharn and Langmyr is shattered when a surprise massacre fueled by bloodmagic ravages the Langmyrne border village of Willowfield, killing its inhabitants—including a visiting Oakharne lord and his family—and leaving behind a scene so grisly that even the carrion eaters avoid its desecrated earth. But the dead lord's infant heir has survived the carnage—a discovery that entwines the destinies of Brys Tarnell, a mercenary who rescues the helpless and ailing babe, and a Langmyr peasant, a young mother herself, whom Brys enlists to nourish and nurture the child of her enemies as they travel a dark, perilous road.

As one infant's life hangs in the balance, so too does the fate of thousands, while deep in the forest, a Maimed Witch practices an evil bloodmagic that could doom them all.

As a so-called "Army brat," LIANE MERCIEL grew up in Germany, South Korea, and several different parts of the United States. She is an alumnus of Yale University and the College of William & Mary Law School. She now lives in Philadelphia, where she practices law. Liane is the author of two original fantasy novels, The River King's Road and its sequel, Heaven's Needle, and has written both novels and short works for the Pathfinder rpg.

Stefan Rudnicki is a Grammy-winning audiobook producer and a multi-award-winning narrator, named one of AudioFile’s Golden Voices.

Collage of audiobooks

Shop Small Sale

Shop our limited-time sale on bestselling audiobooks. Don’t miss out—purchases support local bookstores.

Shop the sale
Phone showing make the switch message

Limited-time offer

Get two free audiobooks!

Now’s a great time to shop indie. When you start a new one credit per month membership supporting local bookstores with promo code SWITCH, we’ll give you two bonus audiobook credits at sign-up.

Sign up today

Reviews

The River Kings’ Road is the intriguingly twisted tale of treachery and magic behind a brutal massacre and the impacts this unspeakable act has on the two survivors, on those who perpetrated it, on those who investigated it, and on those who tried to turn it to even more evil ends. It’s also a tale that examines unsparingly the issue of to what degree the ends justify the means…or not.”

The River Kings’ Road drew me in with the characters, all of whom felt real and reacted realistically for the setting…The heroes are heroic because of the choices they make on their journey, choices that would test the very best…and worst…in all of us…It’s a story where the simplest choice could have drastic consequences, and where the lowliest of peasants can change the fate of a kingdom.”

“[An] impressive epic fantasy debut…Merciel has constructed an inspired new world where unexpected plot twists bedevil strong, clearly visualized characters, in a story that glints with intelligence and hums with life.”

“Merciel’s fantasy debut imbues standard motifs of the hero’s tale with passionate intensity, bringing her characters vibrantly to life and creating a realistic setting for her story. Strong storytelling makes this a good choice for adult and YA fantasy fans.”

Expand reviews
Stock up with our Shop Small Sale! Shop the sale