An epic fantasy ode to martial arts and magic about what happens when a prophesied hero is not the chosen one after all, from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Lives of Tao. So many stories begin the same way: With a prophecy. A Chosen One.And the inevitable quest to slay a villain, save the kingdom, and fulfil a grand destiny. But this is not that kind of story. It does begin with a prophecy: A child will rise to defeat the Eternal Khan, a cruel immortal god-king, and save the kingdom.And that prophecy did anoint a hero, Jian, raised since birth in luxury and splendour, and celebrated before he has won a single battle. But that's when the story hits its first twist: The prophecy was wrong. What follows is a story more wondrous than any prophecy can foresee, and with many unexpected heroes: Taishi, an older woman who is the greatest grandmaster of magical martial arts in the kingdom but who thought her adventuring days were all behind her; Sali, a straitlaced warrior who learns the rules may no longer apply when the leader she pledged her life to is gone; and Qisami, a chaotic assassin who takes a little too much pleasure in the kill.And Jian himself, who has to find a way to become what he no longer believes he can be - a hero after all.

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