Steel Crow Saga

By: Paul Krueger

Narrated by: Kim Mai Guest

Length: 23 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's summary

Four destinies collide in a unique fantasy world of war and wonders, where empire is won with enchanted steel and magical animal companions fight alongside their masters in battle.

Named one of the best books of the year by NPR, Tordotcom, and Kirkus Reviews.

A soldier with a curse

Tala lost her family to the empress' army and has spent her life avenging them in battle. But the empress' crimes don’t haunt her half as much as the crimes Tala has committed against the laws of magic...and against her own flesh and blood.

A prince with a debt

Jimuro has inherited the ashes of an empire. Now that the revolution has brought down his kingdom, he must depend on Tala to bring him home safe. But it was his army who murdered her family. Now Tala will be his redemption - or his downfall.

A detective with a grudge

Xiulan is an eccentric, pipe-smoking detective who can solve any mystery - but the biggest mystery of all is her true identity. She’s a princess in disguise, and she plans to secure her throne by presenting her father with the ultimate prize: the world’s most-wanted prince.

A thief with a broken heart

Lee is a small-time criminal who lives by only one law: Leave them before they leave you. But when Princess Xiulan asks her to be her partner in crime - and offers her a magical animal companion as a reward - she can’t say no, and she soon finds she doesn’t want to leave the princess behind.

This band of rogues and royals should all be enemies, but they unite for a common purpose: to defeat an unstoppable killer who defies the laws of magic. In this battle, they will forge unexpected bonds of friendship and love that will change their lives - and begin to change the world.

©2019 Paul Krueger (P)2019 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"It’s only Paul Krueger’s second book and already he’s writing fantasy like a master. Steel Crow Saga is fun, funny, thrilling, heartbreaking, and, above all else, something only Krueger could’ve written." (Chuck Wendig, New York Times best-selling author of Wanderers)

"Inventive, action-packed, and set in an Asian-inspired world that feels both fresh and familiar: This is a book I’ve always wanted but never had until now." (S. Jae-Jones, New York Times best-selling author of Wintersong and Shadowsong)

"You’re going to love cheering for these characters as they fight for honor, love, family, and country. This world of steel and souls completely transported me. It’s a hexbolt to the heart." (Kevin Hearne, New York Times best-selling author of A Plague of Giants and the Iron Druid Chronicles)

"A rollicking adventure that wears its heart on its sleeve, and a joyful ode to its anime influences." (Emily Skrutskie, author of Hullmetal Girls)

"An incredible voice, an amazing conflict, and a hot mess of emotions.... Krueger has taken one earth-shattering step and a thousand stories will grow in his footprint." (Sam Sykes, author of Seven Blades in Black)

Like a good season-long anime

If you're an anime fan, and you love the type of magical worlds prevalent in Hayao Miyazaki movies, you will like Steel Crow Saga. The narration is top notch and the story is very entertaining and engrossing. Highly recommended!

beautiful fantasy tale

I loved this story, I originally was going to only listen during my commute and ended up spending many evenings listening. I couldn't bring myself to stop until the very end! the characters are relatable and grow through the story. the political aspects are well done and I can't wait for the next book in the established universe.

Fun, but needs more worldbuilding

I'm not sure what to think about this one. I liked the characters, they were all different and likable, while the narrator breathed a great amount of life into them. The plot was good, as a soldier had to protect the prince of her former oppressors from factions of her own army. The magic was cool, in particular the shade pacting, in which practicers could harness the soul of an animal, then call on them to fight. The elemental pacting was also good, particularly metal. Otherwise, the worldbuilding was almost non-existent. Was ir urban fantasy? Was it WWII Japan? I got a sense of both of these, but it was never really clear. Every item of clothing worn and item of food eaten was explained in great detail, which was a nice touch, but a bit much. Sartorial fantasy? Culinary fantasy?

Really enjoyed this book!

Listening to Steel Crow Saga was such a fantastic journey. The lore felt like it was pulled from 90s-00s fantasy cartoons we grew up with and the story was so well written. I loved the wit and grit of each character and you fall in love with each as you read on. Plus it had fantastic LGBTQA+ representation I wasn't even expecting when I picked this book up. It's a must read!!!

A fascinating adventure

Loved this tale of War and peace, love and hate and forgiveness. Interesting and fun characters in an action-packed plot. The narrator was excellent.

Story was good but glitchy

This story was good but the way it was written on some parts seem to jump into another chapter/ story, hard to explain. love scenes were tastefully done. The writer did very good introducing different cultural issues and problems that are faced with bias during war. There is a lesbian love story for those that dont like or dont mind that in a story as well as a women who would rather be referred to as a man.. details are not given for those but thought some people should know because that might influence their ratings for this book.I love how the writer incorporated all of this in the book..it was very tastefully done and was relevant to the characters. The story itself was unique and I would read/ listen to another book if it came out. It's not a gobble up book (at least not for me) but was nice.

All the fights, magic, beasts & romance you needed

Paul's second formal foray into storytelling solidly points to a wonderful future for readers of fantasy fiction. I also look forward to more performances by Kim Mai Guest. He really kicked in his world building muscles with this multi-asian kingdoms setting. The characters are rich & adoringly complex. Thank you for your moving tale of relationships and enemies.

slow start but excellent finish

I struggled with this book's somewhat slow start but I'm super glad I pushed through and kept reading.

Interesting Premise But...

Though the book had a strong start it began to lack uncertain places in the middle and towards the end. I found myself favoring Lee’s story more than the others, as she had the most interesting story arc (in my opinion). However, the story did wrap itself nicely when the four protagonists got together but I also felt it drag on the closer it got to the end. Kim Mai Guest makes this a bit more bearable with her narrative voice acting which gives each person their own voice.

Really enjoyed this book

This reads like YA for adults. I mean that in the most positive way. The only note is that sometimes this book comes off as if it's playing diversity bingo. The characters' identities are sometimes introduced in an inorganic way and I wish the author had taken more time to build up the characters before revealing what makes them tick. However, the author more than makes up for it with his wonderful characters and their interactions with one another. Also, the action scenes are great. Very entertaining book.

If you like fantasy, action, and unlikely allies, give this book a shot.