A Rumor of Kings

Kingdom of Ghosts, Book 1

By: Victor Gischler

Narrated by: John Lee

He's a gambler, womanizer, opportunist, and inebriate . . . and the kingdom's only chance.

Greymond, the Scattered Kingdom, has been without a king for hundreds of years, a place ruled by squabbling barons and dukes. Occasionally, rumors arise: a king of the old blood has returned to claim his throne. These days, such claims are met with groans and eye-rolls. Pretenders abound . . . and are generally ignored.

But scheming powers are plotting, machinations that have been in the works for years, and this time . . .

Enter Merrik Niles.

A thief hired by dangerous people to steal a map, he instead keeps it for himself, hoping to follow it to some mysterious prize.

The treasure turns out to be an ancient artifact connected to Greymond's last king, and when Merrik touches it, he triggers long-dormant magic. Now, three ghosts have taken up permanent residence inside his mind: A cunning, smart-mouthed jester. A master swordsman. And a powerful wizard.

At first, Merrik believes he's going mad, but at times, these troublesome ghosts lend him their powers . . . for good or for bad.

Merrik is swept along in a scheme to put a fair-haired pretender on the throne of Greymond, making him the target of powerful enemies across the Scattered Kingdom who prefer the realm as it is.

All the while, a new army rises across the mountains . . . and they're coming.

Follow Merrik's exploits as a reluctant hero in the next epic fantasy series by Victor Gischler, the bestselling author of Ink Mage. It's perfect for fans of Mark Lawrence, Brent Weeks, and Jay Kristoff.

©2021 Victor Gischler (P)2022 Tantor

marik the main character

marik getting what he wanted & what he had to do to get it. it was well narrated.

It was rather comedic but some of the characters I feel like had much more potentiall then what the writer created

Some of the character development was rather mediocre but overall I enjoyed the book and will listen to the second

Excellent writing

Excellent writing reminds me of the Count of Monte Cristo, hope the rest of the series is as good

great story line, humor, and narration

as the title says it's a great story, flows well, MC is relatable, magic system isn't complicated and makes sense. MC isn't over powered yet. a fun read, bought 2nd and 3rd in series. the story line is great as it's not one of those young kid character builds nor a LitRPG which has flooded the market recently. as a 50yr old adult who enjoys SF&Fantasy, listening to a book which doesn't have a whiny indecisive MC is a real pleasure

Great next book alternative…not a robot

This is a great anti-hero hero story with great characters and a wonderful reader. I had not heard of this author before and thought I would try this book. I was pleasantly surprised and glad I found a new author with a number of books to explore.