A Song of Legends Lost

'A relentlessly gripping, glorious epic fantasy - the exhilarating must-read fantasy debut of 2025'

Tasha Suri, author of The Jasmine Throne

In the kingdom of Nine Lands, incursions by an ancient enemy are dealt with by the Invoker clans - warriors of noble blood who can summon their ancestors to fight with them in battle. But when Temi, a commoner from the slums, accidentally invokes a powerful spirit, she finds it could hold the key to ending this centuries-long war.

But as secrets long buried come to light, Temi will learn that not everything that can be invoked is an ancestor, and some of the spirits that can be drawn from the ancestral realm are more dangerous than anyone can imagine.

'A Song of Legends Lost is stunning and vividly told . . . Ayinde is a master storyteller, and readers are in good hands from the very first pages to the very last'

Andrea Stewart, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Bone Shard Daughter

'A whirlwind debut of ferocious talent and compulsive storytelling that lifts you up from the first page and never lets go. It's joyous from end to end - and highly recommended!'

Lavie Tidhar, World Fantasy Award-winning author

A Song of Legends Lost is a relentlessly gripping, glorious epic fantasy - the exhilarating must-read fantasy debut of 2025 -- Tasha Suri, author of THE JASMINE THRONE
A hugely ambitious science-fantasy epic, a whirlwind debut of ferocious talent and compulsive storytelling that lifts you up from the first page and never lets go. It's joyous from end to end - and highly recommended! -- Lavie Tidhar, World Fantasy Award-winning author
A Song of Legends Lost is stunning and vividly told, an incredible blend of tech and magic in a world where the characters are rediscovering the truth. It is impossible not to be swept away, to yearn as hard as the characters do, to feel both dread and joy as the events unfold. Ayinde is a master storyteller, and readers are in good hands from the very first pages to the very last -- Andrea Stewart, SUNDAY TIMES bestselling author of THE BONE SHARD DAUGHTER
An epic tale of conflict, betrayal, and intrigue . . . M. H. Ayinde weaves a rich and engrossing story through a unique and fascinating world -- Anthony Ryan, author of BLOOD SONG
Intricate and imaginative, A Song of Legends Lost is a masterpiece of storytelling, where every secret begets a deeper, more pressing mystery. Ayinde's world is both ancient and new, satisfying but moreish, poisonous yet oh so delicious - a book fulfilling wishes you never knew you'd made -- Devin Madson, author of WE RIDE THE STORM
M.H. Ayinde has layered a cast of instantly-compelling characters and a gripping plot over a setting that blends fantasy and sci-fi in fascinating ways -- Nicholas Eames, author of KINGS OF THE WYLD
This debut offers you everything you could possibly wish for from epic fantasy: a rich new world inspired by multiple pre-colonial cultures, complex characters all vying for their place in this world (often against each other, and yet you can't help but root for all of them), and SUCH cinematic battles. But then Ayinde gives you even more. Towering ancestors who fight like Final Fantasy summons, glittering and deadly techwork, all wrapped up around this delicious mystery that comes together in the most satisfying way. You will gasp, you will cry, and most of all, you will not stop turning the pages. -- Annabel Campbell, author of THE OUTCAST MAGE
A Song of Legends Lost is a brilliantly original, genre-busting Science Fantasy epic. It blends a seemingly ancient world with spiritual magic and mysterious technology into a sprawling landscape of societal injustice and widespread conspiracy. The mysteries unravel at a gripping pace in a rich and elegant world. I've never seen anything like this before and I love it! -- Justin Lee Anderson, author of THE LOST WAR
Every now and then I read a book that reminds me why I fell in love with fantasy. A Song of Legends Lost is such a book! Ayinde has crafted a masterpiece bursting with imagination, feeling, and just sheer awesomeness. I had a ton of fun reading this and I know readers will too -- Tobi Ogundiran, Locus Award nominated author of JACKAL, JACKAL
At once a genre-bending epic, a magical multi-family saga, and a paean to secondary world fantasy, A Song of Legends Lost has it all. Ayinde storms into the fantasy genre with a triumphant shout of a novel, and takes no prisoners; this book will capture your heart and re-ignite your imagination. In portraying a world where certain families can invoke the ancestors to fight alongside them in battle, Ayinde invokes the storied tradition of epic fantasy whilst giving it a glorious new twist. I loved it. -- Esmie Jikiemi-Pearson, bestselling author of A PRINCIPLE OF MOMENTS
An epic tale of ancestral summoning, complicated families and forbidden magic in the Nine Lands, rich with hidden histories, kinetic battles and immersive, Africa-inspired worldbuilding. It's Game Of Thrones meets Jagun Jagun by way of Final Fantasy with a healthy dose of something new and unique that is entirely its M. H. Ayinde's own, and I am here for it! -- Wole Talabi, Hugo, Nebula, Locus and World Fantasy Award nominated author of SHIGIDI AND THE BRASS HEAD OF OBALUFON.
Captivating, A Song of Legends Lost is what I want to point to when we talk about why modern fantasy is so good. Do not miss this one -- Jen Williams, British Fantasy Award-winning author

M. H. Ayinde was born in London's East End. She was the 2021 winner of the Future Worlds Prize, which was created to discover new writers of science fiction and fantasy from ethnically diverse backgrounds. She lives in London with three generations of her family and their Studio Ghibli obsession. A Song of Legends Lost is her debut novel.

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