Twelve Kings

The Song of the Shattered Sands

By: Bradley Beaulieu

Narrated by: Sarah Coomes

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.

Read by Sarah Coomes

(p) 2015 Brilliance Audio©2015 Bradley Beaulieu

Critic reviews

Twelve Kings in Sharakhai is the gateway to what promises to be an intricate and exotic tale. The characters are well defined and have lives and histories that extend past the boundaries of the plot. The culture is well fleshed out and traditional gender roles are exploded. Çeda and Emre share a relationship seldom explored in fantasy, one that will be tried to the utmost as similar ideals provoke them to explore different paths. I expect that this universe will continue to expand in Beaulieu's skillful prose. Wise readers will hop on this train now, as the journey promises to be breathtaking (Robin Hobb)

The protagonist, pit-fighter Çeda, is driven but not cold, and strong but not shallow. And the initial few scenes of violence and sex, while very engaging, soon give way to a much richer plot. Beaulieu is excellent at keeping a tight rein on the moment-to-moment action and building up the tension and layers of mysteries - (9/10 Rating)

I am impressed... An exceedingly inventive story in a lushly realized dark setting that is not your uncle's Medieval Europe. I'll be looking forward to the next installment (Glen Cook)

Bradley P. Beaulieu's new fantasy epic is filled with memorable characters, enticing mysteries, and a world so rich in sensory detail that you can feel the desert breeze in your hair as you read. Çeda is hands-down one of the best heroines in the genre-strong, resourceful, and fiercely loyal to friends and family. Fantasy doesn't get better than this! (C. S. Friedman)

Exotic, sumptuous and incredibly entertaining, Beaulieu has created memorable characters in a richly imagined world (Michael J. Sullivan,)

Beaulieu's fantasy worlds are well-imagined and richly drawn...the kind you want to keep visiting

Twelve Kings is the best new Epic Fantasy I've read in years (Mark Yon)

A memorable heroine, a poetically told tale of revenge, and superb world-building make Twelve Kings in Sharakhai a splendid read (John Marco)

Bradley Beaulieu has crafted a rich, fascinating world, filled it with compelling characters, and blended them into an epic tale that grabbed my attention on the first page and refused to let go. I look forward to more stories of Sharakhai (David B. Coe/D.B. Jackson)

It's hard to take a desert novel and not draw comparisons to Dune, but Beaulieu manages to create a rich, totally individual world, teeming with wonders and wondrous characters. Çeda and Emre and their relationship rings true and draws the reader on through magic, vengeance, and above all, excitement. A hellacious start to what looks like the next towering epic fantasy (John Hornor Jacobs)

Crammed with intrigue, suspense, and stunning action sequences. Engaging characters and masterful world-building (Howard Andrew Jones)

Darn it, it's finished!

What beautiful, jewel-like scenes set in a golden, unforgiving desert. Descriptions of a land I would not hesitate to visit again. Mr Beaulieu is a master of his craft. There are no dragging, monotonous descriptions of scenes but crisp, jewels that my imagination can savour. In spite of its length and the back flashes, I felt no impatience for the main story to continue. The story and the experiences of the characters which shaped them, unfolded likes the petals of the deadly flowers so central to the themes.

The narrator was the perfect choice to read this narrative. The only problem was that she sometimes paused in the wrong place before finishing a sentence or thought.,

I cannot wait to buy the next audio book.