First League of Legends Novel Titled “Ruination” Announced

League of Legends fans are in for yet another surprise this year, but this time in the form of a novel to relish the world of Runeterra. Publisher Orbit and Riot Games have signed a major licensing deal to publish the first-ever novel to be set in the League of Legends universe. The novel titled “Ruination” will narrate the tale of Kalista, military general to King Viego.

Ruination will be released later this year in September and will be published in English by Orbit teams in the United States and the United Kingdom in print, ebook, and audiobook formats and will be distributed internationally.

What is Ruination?

Kalista, a specter of wrath and retribution, is the undying spirit of vengeance, an armored nightmare summoned from the Shadow Isles to hunt deceivers and traitors, describes Riot. According to her biography, she was a proud general and niece to King Viego. She lived by a strict code of honor.

Kalista was dispatched in search of a cure for Queen Isolde and after learning about the Blessed Isles, she sets sail to the place protected by shimmering pale mists. Time was of the essence on her journey, but by the time she returned to her homeland, the queen was already dead.

Ruination written by Riot Games’ Principal Writer Anthony Reynolds tells this story of Kalista and her quest to find the cure for the dying Queen Isolde. It seems like fans will get a closer look at Kalista’s journey to the historic Blessed Isles, now called the Shadow Isles, and throw light on the betrayal by Hecarim alongside explaining Kalista’s transformation.

According to a press release, Head of Consumer Products for Riot Games, Ashely Maidy, said, “Stories play such an important role in exploring our world and champions in deep and meaningful ways. This is a foundational story for Runeterra and will shed new light on the events that shape some of its most pivotal characters. We are thrilled that Orbit will be bringing this to life for our fans."

Senior Vice President and Publisher of Orbit US, Tim Holman, said that they were thrilled to be publishing the first novel set in the League of Legends universe. He said, “Our goal is to publish stories that will excite not just the millions of League of Legends players but anyone who loves epic adventures set in fantastical worlds.”

Anthony Reynolds has written freelance for a number of companies, including Black Library Publishing, Mantic Games, THQ, Bandai-Namco, Behaviour Interactive, and River Horse Games. He has also worked with Riot on the Garen: First Shield novella which was released on 8th December 2020.

Fans can pre-order the book at the Hachette Book Group website.

Riot Games continues to expand its universe and surprise its community after the success of Arcane. It already announced that it would be working with Paramount+ to release a League of Legends Esports-based mockumentary called Players this year.