League of Legends is getting its first novel

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By published

Novellas are for posers, and don't even get me started on novelettes.

Kalista splash art
(Image credit: Riot Games)

Riot and Orbit Books have announced a partnership to produce the "first novel" in League of Legends' growing fictional universe. Ruination is being authored by Riot Games principal writer, Anthony Reynolds, and is set for release this September.

Ruination focuses on the champion Kalista, the Spear of Vengeance, who was added to the roster back in 2014, and the Ruined King Viego, a newer champion who got his own spinoff RPG last year. Ruination explores the relationship between these two characters, focusing on Kalista, the "military general to King Viego, as she searches for a legendary realm that may have access to ancient magic—the only way to cure the poisoned Queen Isolde."

Given that Kalista's on her second career as the "Spear of Vengeance," and that King Viego is now "Ruined King Viego" with a look like a composite image of every Devil May Cry protagonist, I cannot imagine Kalista's quest goes according to plan.

Ruination seems like the third leg of a League multimedia story consisting of the Sentinels of Light in-game event last July and the Ruined King RPG. It's a bit odd, then, that this prequel is coming a full year later, but better late than never I suppose.

Ruined King is also not the first literary adaptation of League. That honor belongs to 2020's Garen: First Shield, which was a shorter novella and ebook-only to boot. Ruination's tale of tragedy and woe also seems like it will be a bit more interesting than an episode from the life of Garen, the Might of Demacia: League of Legend's most vanilla character. 

Ted Litchfield
Associate Editor

Ted has been thinking about PC games and bothering anyone who would listen with his thoughts on them ever since he booted up his sister's copy of Neverwinter Nights on the family computer. He is obsessed with all things CRPG and CRPG-adjacent, but has also covered esports, modding, and rare game collecting. When he's not playing or writing about games, you can find Ted lifting weights on his back porch. You can follow Ted on Bluesky.