On Monday, March 21, in their latest press release, publisher Orbit Books confirmed that it will collaborate with Riot Games to release the first novel of League of Legends.
The novel is expected to be released in the US and UK in September 2022, written by author Anthony Reynolds, the lead writer at Riot Games. The novel will be titled Ruination, set in the world of Runeterra, specifically before the Ruination event.
It is known that the author previously wrote a novel set in Runeterra called “Garen: First Shield” released in 2020. However, this time, the scale of “Ruination” appears to be much larger, and publishing through Orbit will provide a broader reach.
According to reports, the novel will follow the main character Kalista, detailing her journey to find an antidote to cure Queen Isolde (Viego’s wife). From here, the novel will gradually reveal events leading to historical occurrences in the world of Runeterra, such as the Ruination event/Sentinels of Light. Notably, through this novel, we will see the living version of the champion Kalista, the trusted right hand of the Ruined King.
In the past, Riot Games has frequently altered the lore of champions compared to their backstories in League of Legends. Therefore, it would not be surprising if the book deviates from the original lore of those champions. Additionally, other champions such as Thresh and Hecarim may also appear in this novel.
Tim Holman, Senior Vice President and Publisher of Orbit US, stated: “Our goal is to publish stories that will captivate not only millions of League of Legends players but also anyone who loves epic adventures in a fantasy world.” He also mentioned: “Working with the Rioters has been a fantastic experience, and I believe we will be able to publish a phenomenon together.”
It is known that in addition to publishing the book, the novel Ruination will also be released with an audiobook and ebook for audiences to easily choose how to follow. This will be a highly anticipated literary work, especially for League of Legends fans, to gain further insights into Kalista, the “bug king” Viego, and what led to the Ruination event that Riot heavily invested in back in 2021.