Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | No Reprieve | 2015 | Gail Z. Martin | Buy |
| 2 | Ice Forged | 2013 | Gail Z. Martin | Buy |
| 3 | Reign of Ash | 2014 | Gail Z. Martin | Buy |
| 4 | War of Shadows | 2015 | Gail Z. Martin | Buy |
| 5 | Shadow and Flame | 2016 | Gail Z. Martin | Buy |
The Ascendant Kingdoms series opens in the aftermath of a catastrophic war that has shattered the magic binding civilization together. Blaine McFadden, a nobleman who was convicted of murder and exiled to an arctic prison colony called Velant, learns that he may be the only person who can restore magic to the world. The first novel, Ice Forged (2013), follows Blaine as he escapes the colony and returns to a homeland torn apart by warlords, famine, and the chaos left behind when magic failed.
Reign of Ash (2014), War of Shadows (2015), and Shadow and Flame (2016) continue Blaine’s quest to rebuild the kingdom and restore the magical system, with each book expanding the scope of the conflict. The prequel novella No Reprieve provides backstory on Blaine’s time in Velant. The series sits in the tradition of post-catastrophe epic fantasy, focused less on a quest to defeat a dark lord and more on the slow, difficult process of rebuilding a broken world.