League of Legends’ Ruination novel is better than it has any right to be

polygon.com:

Ruination, the first League of Legends novel, takes place in the far past of the setting. The novel tells the story of Camavor, a nation founded on conquest, glory, and battle. Kalista, a proud general, searches for a cure for its doomed queen, while the king descends further into desperation and madness.

If you’ve played League of Legends, or if you’ve engaged in the League ecosystem of cinematics, comics, champion releases, in-game events, and short stories, you know how this tale ends. (Spoiler: not well!) The broad strokes of this story have been told repeatedly; Ruination dives into the fine details. Author Anthony Reynolds had a daunting task at hand — make something that’s coherent and engaging to people who have never played a single game of League, while keeping the tragic tale interesting to those who know the story by heart.

By and large, Ruination succeeds at this balance. The story starts in the empire of Camavor, and the old king is recently dead. His son Viego was never meant to be the heir, but he’s the one who ended up with the crown. Kalista is general of the Host and the King’s niece, betrothed to Hecarim, the grand master of the kingdom’s Iron Order. She’s doing her best to guide the young man away from his worst and most selfish impulses and into being a proper king while juggling her military duties, court politics, and her betrothed’s advances.

Kalista’s life becomes even more difficult when an assassin imperils the king’s wife, Isolde, and Viego sends Kalista to find a cure for the blade’s poison. Camavor is depicted as an empire built on blood, with the kingdom’s knightly orders regularly besieging and sacking new territory. Kalista and Hecarim represent both sides of the coin of Camavor. Kalista