Author: texaskiwi98@yahoo.com

In a corner of the Great Continent lies the Nine Kingdoms. Ocean on one side, desert on the other, and a backbone of hills running up the middle.

Long ago they were divided into nine little kingdoms, each fighting for survival.

Every now and then a couple of them allied in a fight. Eventually those alliances spread, and a thousand years ago the kingdoms on the west of the Spine joined to create the Six Kingdoms.

After many more skirmishes the Six advanced over the Spine and defeated the hill kingdoms, and thus the Nine Kingdoms were born.

Each kingdom remains independent, but they choose a single king to rule them all, settle their differences, and lead them in battle.

To the west they are bounded by the Great Ocean, which their warriors cross every year to raid the Westlands.

To the east, the Great Desert, which nobody enters, for if they do they are never seen again.

To the north the sea goes on and on until it becomes ice too thick to pass.

To the south are strange lands full of wonders and threats.

The Nine Kingdoms are alone, as they have been for centuries.

But sometimes the past comes back.

Every five years the Nine Kingdoms come together to choose a leader.

Each kingdom sends one person to the Kingsmoot in Canakan. Each person has one vote, and one of them will be crowned as the new king or queen of the Nine Kingdoms.

The books of the Kingsmoot each tell the story of a voter, and the choices they must make to decide who will be the next king.

The nine-book series is best read in order, as each book builds on the previous one to tell the tale of the Kingsmoot.

The first eight books have been released. They are listed in order below.

Book nine will be out by the end of 2026.

The northernmost kingdom is Falland, where the land ends and the ocean begins.

Falland is mysterious, hidden, remote. Few people come out of Falland to see the rest of the Nine Kingdoms, and even fewer come to visit.

The town is built half in the swamp, up against the sea to the north. People may live their whole lives on water, surviving as they can by living in the swamp and fishing in the ocean.

Wary of outsiders, Falland barely acknowledges the rest of the Nine.

Falland’s choice is told in Vedi’s Salvation, the story of one young woman’s journey to the Kingsmoot. Along the way she faces physical trials, but it’s her conscience which gives her the most trouble in making her choice.

In the far south is Somanta, a hill kingdom which helps provide food for the people of the Nine Kingdoms.

Almost a vassal state of neighboring Lanmedow, Somanta sits between the Spine and the hills which hold back the desert.

When the sleepy farmland is ripped apart by raiders from the desert, the king sends his youngest son for help.

The boy’s mission is simple: cast their vote at the Kingsmoot for the kingdom which sends Somanta the most help.

His plea for help is shown in Lassen’s Assumption, where a boy who thought he was more than he is discovers how little power he has.

To the east of the capital is Elgana, another hill town which supplies Canakan with much of its food.

During raiding season, the hill towns supply men for the ships which travel west, but they are nothing but foot soldiers.

Petr wants to change that. One of the best fighters the Nine Kingdoms has ever seen, he wants a bigger role to help his people show what they can do.

His opportunity comes in Petr’s Aspiration, with a valuable vote in the Kingsmoot. Just what would someone be willing to pay to gain the power they desire?

On the ocean is Mubanem, a town ruled with an iron fist by a man with a love of money.

Haprel hates witches, and stamps them out whenever he finds them.

When they rise up and form a rebellion, his orders are obvious, but this time they might just be willing to die for their cause.

Haprel’s Deception tells the tale of a man trapped in the world he has built for himself. How far will he compromise to keep the power he has gathered?

The third hill town, Balara, is in the north, an almost forgotten corner of the Nine Kingdoms.

Yomu is tired, and ready to leave raiding behind to settle down with his wife, Yallara.

Unfortunately for him, events will drag him back into the thick of the fight.

Yallara, one of the most powerful witches in the kingdom, helps Yomu discover the truth behind the raids in the south.

In Yomu’s Devotion he needs to get to the Kingsmoot and convince everyone of the threat that’s coming. If only he can decide which side he’s going to take.

Cabac is the queen in Amalem, but she doesn’t want the job.

Thrust into the role when her parents died, she thinks she is too young to have any responsibility.

She’d be happy to give it all up and run away with her love.

If only her grandmother could sit still long enough to give her some advice, she might find a way to choose.

In Cabac’s Temptation she’ll have to make up her mind about what is truly important for both her and her people.

Amberden is just north of Canakan, but it might as well be on the other side of the world.

Led by Bannel, a man who craves power and isn’t afraid to crush anyone who stands in his way, the town faces an uncertain future.

His people might bow down to him, but he’s finding out just how much power he really has when he confronts the other kings and queens.

Bannel’s Obsession tells the story of a man who will do anything to gain his goal, but will it be enough?

Canakan is the central city in the Nine Kingdoms, and by default it is the capital.

Yosip is king and has been in power for a decade.

He now faces the third Kingsmoot of his life, and has to decide what to do to keep the power he has.

Yosip’s Obligation is the story of a man trapped in a job he may or may not even want any more.