"Radiant King" offers a compelling blend of epic fantasy and political intrigue, anchored by well-drawn characters and vivid world-building. David Daglish crafts a story that balances action and strategy with emotional depth. While some plot twists felt a bit predictable, the rich setting and strong narrative voice keep the pages turning. A great pick for readers who enjoy immersive fantasy with a thoughtful edge.

Not the best book I have read by David Daglish by far. Still an enjoyable read if you don't mind intense focus on the plot and character motivations.

this book follows six immortal siblings blessed with power to control life, and it was a very interesting magic system with deeply fleshed out main characters. the writing is good and at most times it is engaging. i just wished this book moved a little bit faster, at times it went so slow i dreaded having to pick it back up. but the story was compelling enough that i finished, but wasn't incredibly impressed.

3.5/5- this was an enjoyable enough read (plot, world building, fantasy and horror-esque elements), but I despised basically every character, which made it hard to be invested. I don’t think I’ll be continuing the series.

TY NetGalley and Orbit for the eARC!

David Dalglish’s "The Radiant King" is a wild, action-packed ride that grabs you by the throat and doesn’t let go. The story follows six immortal siblings, basically demigods, who’ve sworn off ruling the world after nearly destroying it, only for one of them, Eder, to break the pact and start a holy war. What follows is betrayal, brutal battles, and a tangled web of alliances as the other siblings scramble to stop him.

The worldbuilding is rich and layered, with Dalglish expertly blending dark fantasy, politics, and a touch of body horror. The characters, especially Faron and Sariel, are complex and memorable, each wrestling with the burden of immortality and their own moral compasses. The action is visceral and creative, with the use of “Radiance” powers leading to some jaw-dropping moments.

That said, I did feel the pacing occasionally stuttered, especially in the middle, and not all the siblings got equal attention with one notably absent for a good chunk of the book. The tone is unrelentingly grim at times, which won’t be for everyone, but if you like your fantasy dark and bloody, you’ll be right at home.

Overall, *The Radiant King* is a strong start to a new series, packed with intrigue, magic, and a dysfunctional family dynamic that’s hard to resist. I’m definitely looking forward to the next installment.

Dalglish opens his Astral Kingdoms trilogy with a bang—The Radiant King delivers high-stakes epic fantasy steeped in divine power, fractured loyalty, and god-tier family drama.

The premise? Six immortal siblings once ruled the world through Radiance, a power that bends life itself. But after nearly destroying the world, they vowed to step back from thrones and crowns. Centuries later, one of them, Eder, breaks the vow—and sets off a chain reaction that leads to holy war, resurrectionist magic, and the slow crumbling of ancient oaths. Faron and Sariel, brothers with violently different methods but a shared mission, must now stop Eder by teaming up with a dangerously unstable ruler called the Bastard Princess.

This book reads like classic epic fantasy with a modern edge. Dalglish’s prose is accessible and often razor-sharp, making it easy to follow even as reincarnated gods clash and magic systems spool out in bursts of lore. The magic—Radiance—is cleverly built and thematically tied to the cost of power and immortality, without ever bogging down the narrative.

Where The Radiant King shines most is in its characters. Faron is the weary warrior still ruled by his heart; Sariel, the ruthless tactician with a death grip on control. Their relationships—with each other, with their past selves, and with mortals caught in their wake—form the emotional core of the story. Even the Bastard Princess, wild as she may be, offers a fascinating balance of prophecy, madness, and unexpected clarity.

The pacing is brisk, even as the book builds toward a massive, bloody climax that feels more like a series finale than an opening act. There’s no slow ramp-up—Dalglish throws readers right into war, betrayal, and cosmic-scale consequences. Not every flashback hits as hard as the present-day plot, and a few middle chapters sag slightly under the weight of backstory, but overall, this is a propulsive, visceral read.

If you like your fantasy with towering stakes, flawed immortals, and a healthy dose of sibling betrayal, The Radiant King offers all that and more. It doesn’t reinvent the genre—but it doesn’t have to. It knows exactly what it’s doing and does it damn well.

This was my first introduction to this author and unfortunately it wasn’t a great one. The concept is extremely interesting and at first i was really drawn into the characters and the world. But once I got to certain parts where the author was describing his female characters…. it just fell flat for me. Which is just a personal preference for me. I do think this book will still sell well, especially in the hands of customers who like this style of writing.

What a whirlwind. Absolute rollercoaster. Such an eclectic cast of characters and tremendous world building. I really appreciate the different perspectives with the chapters and the reincarnation bits. The ending also has me pumped for the next book. It should be criminal to write such a captivating story.

I started The Radiant King a few months ago and I was really intrigued by the premise. The blurb grabbed my attention and I was looking forward to seeing what Dalglish would do. Sadly, this is the second Dalglish book that I have not finished this year and I think he's just an author that does not work for me.

The character introduction started fast with a lot of different names dropped. Relationships are explained and the basic plot starts in the first few chapters. And then I felt like I was being dragged along kicking and screaming. Chapters meander from one area to another. But they feel the same and I had to check who's POV I was in or if I had accidently set my page count back. I'm at 46% of the way through the arc and I just have no interest in where this story is going. Everything feels the same and there is no progression forward. It's move to a different land, take over, kill the king, rinse and repeat, ad nauseum. There's not a lot of scenes of characters actually doing anything with each other and I feel like I'm stuck at filler to get an epic fantasy page count.

Thank you to Orbit and Netgalley for the arc for review purposes.

Dalgish exceeds in delivering sword fighting and action sequences. It is comforting in a way, though you can certainly see his writing mature over the years and he has only gotten better. I liken it to RA Salvatore, who always had exciting set pieces and got better and better at setting up the story and depth of character. This story is also promising in that way. With immortal characters, romance, family drama, the narrative is compelling. I recommend it for fans of fantasy, and for fans of Goodkind, Brooks or Salvatore.

The book was good but not great. I loved the premise of six immortals with five swearing peace and one demanding a throne. I really enjoyed the authors attempt to tell the story with the main character Faron growing and coming out of exile however the author seemed to make Faron to op. I just wish that the story wasn't so overly detailed, also in the middle of the story it seemed like it was a slog just to get through it. For a first book it was a good start hopefully the author will continue the story. Although the end of the book didn't leave a lot left undone so......

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read "The Radiant King."

The premise of the ever-living rulers renouncing their thrones after a period of destructive reign sets a fascinating stage for the emergence of a new, fanatical power in Eder.

The conflict between Faron, returning from exile to challenge Eder's cruel new faith, and Sariel, the calculating brother wary of immortal rule, promises a clash of ideologies and immense power. The introduction of the Bastard Princess, wielding powers attributed to a goddess, adds another layer of unpredictable force to the brewing holy war.

Dalglish excels at creating intricate power systems and morally grey characters. The concept of Radiance as a force of life and creation, now twisted into a tool of oppression by Eder, offers a compelling exploration of how even benevolent powers can be corrupted. The dynamic between the exiled ever-living and the fanatical princess creates an intriguing tension, forcing them into an uneasy alliance.

Eder's conquest suggests that his motivations might extend beyond simple tyranny. This element of the unknown adds a layer of intrigue that elevates the narrative beyond a straightforward battle of good versus evil.

"The Radiant King" is the start of an epic fantasy series with high stakes, complex characters, and a richly imagined world. The conflict between immortals, the rise of a dangerous new faith, and the desperate alliance formed to oppose it promise a thrilling and thought-provoking read for fans of the genre.

I saw another review that said, if you've read a David Dalglish, you should like this since he's got a distinctive format. I've never read anything by him and, I have to say, I'm so confused but in a good way.

There's a blurb in the back by Dalglish about how he really wanted to develop this world we're entering and I think the world building initially is pretty basic. I'm not hating on that - it's like a lot of epic fantasy where you get a slightly medieval England - but with something slightly off. It's when you get about halfway through that things go completely bonkers with the world building and I am here for it. Without giving away too much, the best way to describe it is the world of the Nightbreed from the Clive Barker movie. I can honestly say it's the trippiest world building I've ever seen in a book.

He also did a great job with his characters. I don't know if I really liked any of them except Iris and Bart and I ended up being okay with that (although it was hard because I like to have at least one main character who I can root for). Instead, you get a cast of characters that are just so morally grey that you spend the entirety of the book trying to figure out if you can trust them or not. It makes the story a little frustrating but, at the same time, keeps you wanting to read because you don't know where the story is going to go.

Overall, I really ended up liking this and I will continue the series just to see where it goes and how much crazier it will get.

Thank you to Netgalley and Orbit for the advanced reader copy of this book. I've found myself slightly addicted to Orbit publications so I'm so excited to have gotten the chance to read and review this.

Okay, so, let me tell you about this book, "The Radiant King," by David Dalglish. You know I'm a huge Dalglish fan, right? Like, seriously, the dude cranks out books like nobody's business, and somehow, somehow, they keep getting better. It's insane. And it's not just the quantity, it's the quality. I get invested. Like, I'm ready to throw hands with the villains and hug the heroes. He just gets characters, you know?

Anyway, this new series, "Astral Kingdoms," kicks off with "The Radiant King," and, man, I was hooked from page one. We've got these immortal siblings, basically gods, and they're in a full-blown holy war. Yeah, family drama on a cosmic scale. You've seen the "one sibling wants all the power" thing before, but Dalglish does it differently. He peels back the layers, shows you why they're doing what they're doing, and then...boom. Total chaos.

Honestly, this first book feels like the grand finale of some epic trilogy. It's non-stop action, scheming, magic, and straight-up intensity. Like, why can't every fantasy series start like this? Just throw me into the deep end, Dalglish! I'm here for it.

And the magic system? Forget everything you think you know about fantasy magic. Dalglish always comes up with something completely original, something that just blows my mind. I'm always surprised by what he pulls out of his hat, and it's never boring.

Seriously, "The Radiant King" is a wild ride. You've got magical creatures, political backstabbing, adventure, and a seriously messed-up immortal family. If you're tired of the same old fantasy tropes, you need to read this. It's got that dark, majestic vibe, and it just grabs you and doesn't let go. I loved it. Just, straight-up loved it.

Thanks for Netgalley and Orbit for the opportunity to read The Radiant King. David Dalglish has done it again! The world building and character development were just epic and wonderful. I felt engaged and interested the whole time while reading this and am looking forward to the next installment. I felt attached to Faron the way I felt attached to Harruq (completely different series, but am a longtime fan of David Dalglish’s writing)

There are so many reasons why David Dalglish is one of my favorite authors. First of all, the guy is prolific as they come as he seems to always have at least one book publish every year (sometimes two). He also seems to get better and better with each successive series, which for anyone who has been in the writing game for any length of time knows, it's really hard to keep topping yourself. But I believe what I like best about him as an author is how no matter what type of fantasy he writes, his characters immediately suck me in and make me care about them. I want to reach through the book and strangle his villains and I want to reach in to embrace his protagonists. It's a tough thing to do to establish that instant connection, but for some reason I always am super invested in how everything plays out for these people.

THE RADIANT KING begins yet another new series for Dalglish and yes I'm here to say that once again I am totally immersed in this new world and story. Here we have six immortal siblings, I guess you might call them gods, who have meddled in the history of humans over the centuries, now engaged in a holy war that sees some pitted against each other. We've seen this before where one member of the family sees themselves as the true heir to whatever power they believe they deserve, and that is kind of the case in this one. But it's handled in a way that I haven't quite seen before. As events play out we begin to see what motivations are behind the actions of those wishing to claim what they see as their due and pardon the expression but, all holy hell breaks loose.

The fact that this is only book one in Dalglish's Astral Kingdoms series leaves me a bit dumbfounded quite frankly, as the action and intensity of this opening book reads like the final exciting climax of a great and thrilling epic. This is the way you start a series, with compelling characters, double-dealing, scheming, death-defying scenes of battle and dark magic... i mean, why doesn't every author drop their readers in a maelstrom of insanity like this right from the get-go? It's a wonderful formula that I'd like to see more of.

And as always, Dalglish creates a cool and unique magic system that works on so many levels. I'm in awe sometimes of how he continually comes up with such original concepts that upend the conventional magic that we usually see in your garden variety fantasy offering. I've learned that I will never be bored when reading one of his books as there is always something around the corner that I wasn't expecting and it always leaves me stupefied.

David Dalglish has delivered another phenomenal fantasy book that sets up one of the more intriguing storylines he's ever conceived in my opinion. This promises to be a thrilling series with lots of magical beasts, political strategy, adventure aplenty, and a highly dysfunctional family of immortals battling forces both from within and without. If you are looking for a fantasy that doesn't feel like the same old same old that you've read a hundred times before, you definitely want to pick up THE RADIANT KING by David Dalglish and let this story capture you in its web of intrigue and dark majestic glory. I simply loved this!

A solid epic fantasy but nothing that captured my heart. It was just okay for me. I don't think it'll be a series that I continue, I just didn't love it enough to invest more time into it. With so many other fantastic series out there, this one just didn't quite compete.

This book stressed the importance of a few things:
1. Sibling therapy
2. Making sure all your immortal siblings take the same blood oath to never again rule a kingdom
3. Making sure you know where all your siblings are at all times so no one can be suffering and decide humanity must pay as a result
4. Making sure none of your siblings are psychopaths who kill happily and readily
5. Making sure all your siblings are on the same page about creepy death and reincarnation cults
6. Therapy (by yourself)

When you and your five siblings are immortal and unkillable demigods who wield a magic called Radiance and have been alive since time immemorial, it’s normal that some sibling squabbles might arise. But when you’re immortal and unkillable demigods who wield a magic called Radiance and have been alive since time immemorial, those disagreements are a bit bigger than going two or three days without returning text messages or complaining about each other to mom and dad. In this case: murder, the destruction of kingdoms, and the rise of a religious cult that worships the Father. These siblings are all broken, haunted by their pasts and their eternal natures, and their flawed morality compels them to play judge, jury, and executioner on the lives of the humans who roam the lands — who are stuck in their own sort of eternity, it turns out. Because in Kaus, humans are reincarnated over and over and over. Sometimes, they get flashes of their past lives, sometimes, they know nothing about them — but they’re all weighed down by their past selves in some way, shape, or form.

The book begins with the soft-hearted Faron awakening from a self-imposed “death” on the pyre after 30 years. He “dies” every so often to deal with the trauma of his everlasting life — it allows him to temporarily block memories and suffering from his conscience. He’s immediately attacked… on the orders of his brother Eder. See, centuries before, the siblings thought they all swore an oath: “No crowns. No thrones.” But, well, they sort of forgot to make Eder take that oath, and he has started a blood cult, claimed the crown of the Astral Kingdom, and given magic (Radiance) to humans. Farron, desperate to stop Eder, immediately finds a ready ally in his brother Saron, a fearsome warrior with a dark past who is all too happy to kill first and think later. Their sister Calluna just wants everyone to get along (according to her terms), and the other two siblings are MIA at the start of the novel. 

The more I think about this book, the more I like it. It’s gory and bloody, and it has everything you want in a fantasy novel: interesting, well-defined characters with compelling motivations, an interesting magic system, chesslike battle plans and fun fighting scenes (poor dead horses), and brilliant and detailed world-building. The book immediately dives into the action and forces you to play catch-up alongside Faron, who’s realizing his family has become somehow even more screwed up while he’s been asleep. The pacing was a tad wonky (fast, then slow, then a jump forward, then a long flashback section, then fast again), but David Daglish always made me want to keep reading, and he packs a ton into these 500-plus pages. Daglish does a good job of setting the scene and providing characterizations without telling too much, and his mythology is an inventive one — and there’s still so much to puzzle out. (How did these siblings come to exist? How did these siblings get their magic? Where's the sixth sibling?) But it’s his characters who make this book as good as it is. 

All five of the siblings we meet in this book are fascinating. They’re petulant and brutal psychopaths in some way or another. Each sibling gets their own POV chapters, and Daglish manages to juggle five different voices and make them feel different and real. These characters *feel* like they’ve lived endless lives. They’re tired. They’ve seen the worst of people. They’re murderous. They think they’re above humanity. Everything weighs on them, and they react accordingly. Faron constantly falls in love. Sariel keeps track of his one love across her reincarnated lives — and likes to cut off heads with his giant, dragon-bone sword. Calluna makes puppet friends to stave off her constant loneliness and feelings of inadequacy. Eder, who feels like he’s floating aimlessly, starts a cult to connect with the lost Father and makes people relive the sins of their past lives. Aylah wants revenge for humanity’s brutality — at whatever cost.

I didn’t want to put this book down. It has heart in all of its bloodiness, and it’s a fascinating story of betrayal and power that is told through morally gray characters whose gripes with each other cross centuries. The story is compelling, and it’s easy to follow. And that ending? I need the sequel ASAP.

But before Book 2, might I recommend that these guys find themselves a therapist?

Thanks to NetGalley and Orbit for providing me with an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Ever read a book and have the cover make waaaaaay more sense after the end? "The Radiant King" by David Dalglish is a book like that. Stuff really escalated from what I expected.

This one throws you right into the mix and expects you to swim. Faron, just woke up from being burned to death, willingly went to it even. Finds out that his sibling started a religious movement while he was dead for 70ish years, little bit of human sacrifice going on. See Faron and his 5 siblings are not human, they are immortal beings filled with Radiance, the essence of life, that let's them do things. Like not stay dead, call nature to themselves, manipulation of the masses, you know little things. Only thing for it is a little sibling violence, sadly humanity will bleed.

Reasons to read:
-OK everybody is just crazy and is masked up about it
-Iris
-Ooo moments when the context lands
-Well that's some body horror
-Great finale

Cons:
-The start felt pretty run of the mill power fantasy, but since it hadn't explained things I'm glad I stuck with it because it was intentional to raise the stakes on the crazy train

WOW. This was a journey, but one well worth it. Orbit knows how to pick their fantasy authors!

This book is a fascinating take on power, faith, and the cost of immortality. It follows six immortal siblings who once ruled the world but swore to step away from power after nearly destroying everything. That oath holds for centuries—until Eder, one of the siblings, breaks it and declares himself the Voice of Father. Now, his brother Faron comes out of exile to stop him, teaming up with their cold and calculating sibling, Sariel. To take down Eder’s growing empire, they join forces with a warrior with strange, goddess-like powers.

One of the best parts of this book is how it doesn’t rely on typical good vs. evil tropes. The characters are layered and morally gray—Faron and Sariel aren’t perfect heroes, and Eder isn’t just a villain for the sake of being evil. The story does a great job exploring what happens when people with too much power try to shape the world to fit their own beliefs. It also tackles faith and fanaticism in a way that feels surprisingly relevant.

The writing is engaging but not overly complicated, and the worldbuilding is immersive without being overwhelming. The magic system—based on Radiance, a mysterious life-giving power—is a unique touch that adds depth to the story. There’s also plenty of action, but it’s balanced with strong character development, so it never feels like it’s all just battles and politics.

Overall, this is a gripping and well-written fantasy that’s both thought-provoking and entertaining. If you like stories with morally complex characters, political intrigue, and a touch of divine mystery, this one is definitely worth checking out.

Rating: 4.5/5