- It will follow the story of Kalista and probably Ledros
- The book’s action takes place before Kalista became a wraith
- Publisher Orbit says it is excited to bring forth the first official LoL novel
Riot is expanding the League of Legends lore and story universe with a new novel called Ruination, that follows Kalista’s backstory.
Riot Will Release Its First Novel
For years, Riot Games has worked to expand the lore and media surrounding Runeterra, the world of their flagship game League of Legends. Most of this was usually done through in-game events, trailers, and short animated series. All of this changed last year when Riot released Arcane, the company’s first full-length animated series, featuring iconic characters from the game like Jinx and Vi.
Arcane was unexplored territory for Riot, as the company never made a full-length series before, but in the end, it proved to be a great success, winning a whopping nine categories at the 49th Annie Awards. Now, Riot is further expanding into different media by creating its first novel set in Runeterra.
The book goes by the name of Ruination, and it tells the story of champion Kalista, the undead wraith and embodiment of vengeance. The novel will act as a kind of backstory to Kalista, featuring her live form, and will be published by Orbit Books, and penned by Anthony Reynolds, a principal writer at Riot.
More Lore about Kalista and Related Characters
Kalista, a general and niece to King Viego when she was not yet a wraith, had some of her backstory explored in the card game Legends of Runeterra, another Riot title, heavily intertwined with LoL’s lore. It also featured information about Kalista’s partner Ledros, another forsaken wraith on the Shadow Isles. Since he is committed to ending the curse of the Isles and freeing Kalista, we are likely to see more of him in the upcoming book.
“Stories play such an important role in exploring our world and champions in deep and meaningful ways,” said Ashley Maidy, Head of Consumer Products for Riot Games. “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,” she explained for Orbit Books’ official press release.
Tim Holman, Senior Vice President and Publisher of Orbit US, said that the publisher is excited to be releasing the first novel set in the League of Legends universe. “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,” he added.
There is no official release date for Ruination announced yet, but LoL fans have something to look forward to.
