The Kingdom of Grit trilogy by Tyler Whitesides (Orbit Books). Covers by Ben Zweifel

I was in Barnes & Noble on Saturday and I found a fat fantasy with a striking cover, and all the hallmarks of a good read — starting with this cover quote by David Dalglish, author of the bestselling Shadowdance series:

Mission Impossible, but with magic, dragons, and a series of heists that go from stealing a crown to saving the world.

The book was The Shattered Realm of Ardor Benn by Tyler Whitesides, and I was surprised to find it was the second volume in a trilogy. How had I missed the first one? Because it was released only two weeks ago, that’s how. And the final volume? It’s due in less than a month. That’s over 2,000 pages of epic fantasy, served up on a platter by Orbit Books.

The Thousand Deaths of Ardor Benn (752 pages, $17.99 paperback/$9.99 digital, October 22, 2020)
The Shattered Realm of Ardor Benn (704 pages, $17.99 paperback/$9.99 digital, November 3, 2020)
The Last Lies of Ardor Benn (672 pages, $17.99 paperback/$9.99 digital, December 1, 2020)

Okay, technically the first book was originally published two years ago, but still. Orbit has repackaged the first volume (with a brand new cover by Ben Zweifel), and side-by-side these books look very striking indeed. Reviewers have been kind as well (the British Fantasy Society says, “There is something a little Locke Lamora about Ardor Benn which fans will delight in… The pace in this first book is excellent and holds up from start to finish, and it looks like we have a very desirable series to devour in Kingdom of Grit“). If you’re looking for a substantial new fantasy series to get you through the fall, look no further.

See all our recent coverage of the best new fantasy series here.