League of Legends is getting its first novel

Kalista splash art
(Image credit: Riot Games)

Riot and Orbit Books have announced a partnership to produce the "first novel" in League of Legends' growing fictional universe. Ruination is being authored by Riot Games principal writer, Anthony Reynolds, and is set for release this September.

Ruination focuses on the champion Kalista, the Spear of Vengeance, who was added to the roster back in 2014, and the Ruined King Viego, a newer champion who got his own spinoff RPG last year. Ruination explores the relationship between these two characters, focusing on Kalista, the "military general to King Viego, as she searches for a legendary realm that may have access to ancient magic—the only way to cure the poisoned Queen Isolde."

Given that Kalista's on her second career as the "Spear of Vengeance," and that King Viego is now "Ruined King Viego" with a look like a composite image of every Devil May Cry protagonist, I cannot imagine Kalista's quest goes according to plan.

Ruination seems like the third leg of a League multimedia story consisting of the Sentinels of Light in-game event last July and the Ruined King RPG. It's a bit odd, then, that this prequel is coming a full year later, but better late than never I suppose.

Ruined King is also not the first literary adaptation of League. That honor belongs to 2020's Garen: First Shield, which was a shorter novella and ebook-only to boot. Ruination's tale of tragedy and woe also seems like it will be a bit more interesting than an episode from the life of Garen, the Might of Demacia: League of Legend's most vanilla character. 

Associate Editor

Ted has been thinking about PC games and bothering anyone who would listen with his thoughts on them ever since he booted up his sister's copy of Neverwinter Nights on the family computer. He is obsessed with all things CRPG and CRPG-adjacent, but has also covered esports, modding, and rare game collecting. When he's not playing or writing about games, you can find Ted lifting weights on his back porch.

Read more
Mel from Arcane stares, contemplatively, in a new trailer for Season 1 of League of Legends 2025.
League of Legends' new season trailer is basically an epilogue to Arcane with 6 new Fortiche champion redesigns in it—so if it's not a preview of the upcoming Noxus show, I'll eat my hat
Viktor from Netflix's Arcane looks very, very tired at someone off-screen, cloaked in a vivid blue hood.
When asked if they still want to make an MMO, Riot's co-founder replies: 'Oh yeah,' but don't get too excited, the ETA is 'before we go to Mars'
Sahn-Uzal Mordekaiser revealed in silhouette against a white moon and a blood-red sky.
League of Legends is getting a hotly anticipated skin for its lich necromancer Mordekaiser, but fans' joy has been 'obliterated' because it's 'stuck in a $200 fomo gacha store'
2XKO promo image - Ahri
2XKO fans despair for a 2025 release as Riot pushes back a planned 'larger-scale global playtest' in favor of a 'much smaller one'
League of Legends key art detail
League of Legends players are up in arms after an update to get rid of 'unnecessary complexity' makes it a struggle for new players to earn anything
Elden Ring: Nightreign
What the heck is Elden Ring: Nightreign? Our big explainer covering new characters, loot, roguelike mechanics and more
Latest in Gaming Industry
Lara Croft Unified Art
Tomb Raider developer Crystal Dynamics lays off 17 employees 'to better align our current business needs and the studio's future success'
Monster Hunter Wilds' stockpile master studying a manifest
As layoffs and studio closures continue to deathroll the western AAA industry, analyst points out 5 of 8 major Japanese companies hit all-time share prices this year
A still from a video announcement of Game Informer's return, featuring the magazine's Halo 2 issue.
Game Informer is back from the dead: 'The whole team has returned'
Typing on internet search toolbar: What am I doing?
How a Microsoft exec managed to pitch Microsoft Word through the genius tactic of being able to actually use it in a 'type-off' demanded by clients: 'I was the only one who'd actually been a secretary'
Half-Life wallpaper - Gordon Freeman
Former Valve exec says the company struggled to sell Half-Life until coming up with the ultimate 'one simple trick' of marketing manoeuvres: slapping a 'Game of the Year' sticker on the box
Gabe Newell looks into the camera, behind him is a prop of a turret from Team Fortress 2.
Gabe Newell's cult of personality is intense, but a Valve exec who worked with him says his superpower is how he 'delighted in people on the team just being really good at what they did'
Latest in News
A mech awakens.
Mecha Break developer is considering unlocking all mechs following open beta feedback
Lara Croft Unified Art
Tomb Raider developer Crystal Dynamics lays off 17 employees 'to better align our current business needs and the studio's future success'
A long bendy arm stealing money from people in a subway car
'You're a very long arm. You steal things. It's a comedy game,' explains developer of comedy game where you steal things with a very long arm
The heroes are attacked by monsters
Pillars of Eternity is getting turn-based combat to mark its 10th anniversary, and that means PC Gamer editors will soon be arguing about combat mechanics again
Image of Ronaldo from Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves trailer
It doesn't really make sense that soccer star Ronaldo is now a Fatal Fury character, but if you follow the money you can see how it happened
Junah beginning a battle in Metaphor: ReFantazio.
Today's RPG fans are 'very sensitive to feeling like they wasted time' when they die, says Metaphor: ReFantazio battle planner—but Atlus still made combat hard anyway