The Doom of Kings by Don Bassingthwaite is the first novel in the trilogy Legacy of Dhakaan set in the world of Eberron. Mr. Bassingthwaite recently completed his first Eberron trilogy The Dragon Below; The Binding Stone, The Grieving Tree, and The Killing Song. Readers of my reviews may remember that I was somewhat critical of Mr. Bassingthwaite’s Dragon Blow trilogy, however for the most part he held my interest with that trilogy so I decided to give this book a go. Here are my thoughts on the novel.

The plot of this book seems somewhat traditional at first. In so much as it focuses on a king wanting to further unite his people and set up a succession once he passes away. What makes this book interesting is that it focuses on goblins; you know hose commonly only used as fodder goblins. I was a little apprehensive about goblins being main characters, however, let me be the first to say it worked. In fact it worked very well. The culture of goblins is explored in a very tasteful way, giving readers some insight into them as a race and expanding on the fact that they are not mindless fodder that they can be civilized and have goals and dreams. The main plot focused on Lhesh Haruuc wanting to keep the empire he created whole. There is also a subtle mix of political intrigue. This is an aspect I was not really expecting to find in the novel, so its presence was surprising but fitting in with the overall story. I would love to say more about the plot, but I think if I did there would be spoilers, so please forgive my vagueness.

The characters are simply fantastic. A few of the character resurface from the Dragon Below trilogy; Geth, Ashi, and Ekhaas. However, they are written in such a way that readers need not have read the Dragon Below trilogy to understand this book, granted it may help in a few minor instances but it is by no means necessary. There are several new characters introduced as well such as Haruuc, Vanni, Tariic, and Chetiin. The mix of established characters with new characters is nearly flawless. These characters are by no means one-dimensional, in fact most (if not all) have faults that cause them to make decisions that may not be the best given their situations. However, these faults and individual motivations make them much more real. The emotions the characters show is a wide range as well, whether it’s Ashi’s rage or Haruuc sorrow, they are written in a way that the reader can’t help but feel for them.

Some minor criticisms with this novel:

1 – There were a few spots in the book where the language choice made me stutter and have to re-read a sentence or two. It didn’t affect the flow too much but it was there, and it could just have been me to maybe others won’t experience that.

2 – Some of the dialogue seemed a little forced to me. Now, here’s the caveat of that though. It wasn’t in the high emotion scenes it occurred in the transition scenes for me so it wasn’t a huge deal more of a gnat flying by your ear once and awhile.

Some positives about this novel:

1 – The little things! My favorite parts of this book are how Mr. Bassingthwaite shows goblin emotion. Let me preface this by saying I have a dog who’s ears stick up so I understand the emotion that can be shown by ears. In this book the goblins do that very thing. Ears twitching, ears flat against their head etc. It seemed so real and easy to relate to. I loved it.

2 – The untraditional nature of the book. I like the fact that this book is about goblins, even though I was unsure at the start. Goblins have long been written about in terms of fodder and just filler. It’s nice to see them getting attention and showing another side.

3 – The flow, pacing, and prose of this novel. Where I was critical in other books by Mr. Bassingthwaite, I need to be equally as commending for this book. It flows almost seamlessly and the pacing is right on target. I don’t recall there being a slow moment in this book. It was more the author daring the reader to put down the book.

In the past couple of years I have become a fan of the Eberron setting more and more. The Inquisitives series solidified my love for the world. This books allows me to remember why this world is special. Fans of the Eberron setting really need to pick this novel up. People who are considering reading novels set in this world should consider this one being one of the books they read first. I am eagerly looking forward to where this series goes in books two and three. A fantastic start to the trilogy!