King of Knives: the Hollow Path
“In Varentis, trust is a luxury. Mercy is a weakness. And a knife solves more problems than gold ever could.”
Darian Valcoris once had a name that mattered. Now he’s just another body in the pit, bleeding for coin, surrounded by criminals, watched by nobles who forgot his face.
Broken, betrayed, and one mistake from death, Darian claws his way through the underworld of Varentis, a mountain metropolis built on secrets, steel, and blood, which serves as one of the three Palatinates of the Empire.
But Darian isn’t here to survive. He’s here to take everything.
From the gutters to the noble quarter, he’ll rise, through pit fights, heists, street wars, and whispered conspiracies. Alongside a crew of dangerous misfits, Darian plays a game that no one expects him to win. Because they don’t know who he's willing to become.
Welcome to the Empire of Newfyre.
Welcome to the City of Knives.
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Tags:
Dark Fantasy • Criminal Underworld • Political Intrigue • Antihero Protagonist • Slow-Burn Power Climb • Found Family • Betrayal • Knife Fights • Multiple POVs • Corrupt Nobles • Gritty Worldbuilding • Morally Gray MC • Empire Politics • Witty Banter • War Brewing
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Why Read This (From 10Verses):
This isn’t just Darian’s story.
It’s a political crime epic told through killers, rebels, nobles, fixers, and thieves. Everyone has an angle. Everyone has secrets. And every chapter peels back another layer of the Empire’s bleeding heart.
If you like gritty fantasy with big casts, scheming factions, street wars, court drama, and just enough magic to get you killed... Welcome to The King of Knives.
"Self-Review: KING OF KNIVES" - By the maniac who wrote it Let’s not pretend I’m impartial. I love this story. Not because it’s clean or heroic (it’s not), but because it’s built on grit, relationships, and the quiet defiance of people the Empire wants to forget. King of Knives is long on purpose. Not just a plot, it's a world. I’ve been building this world for a long time. Not just the cities and empires, but the cracks between them, the forgotten gods, the banned books, the alleyway whispers and ruined banners. The bloodlines no one talks about. The power structures held together by ink, fire, and fear. This isn’t just a backdrop. It’s alive. And now, after months of shaping it piece by piece, I finally get to share it with you. Welcome to Enada. To the Eastern Lang. To Varentis. I hope you get lost in it. [img=Feeling it] - Thanks for reading. It means more than you know. [img=gift]
Honestly love this book so far. The pacing’s great, doesn’t drag but also doesn’t feel rushed. The characters felt real and I actually cared what happened to them. The setting was super vivid, I could basically smell the gutters. And the action is so good, like actually tense and not just filler. The first fight with the butcher still pops up in my head from time to time. Def recommend if you’re into fast but detailed reads with a lot of heart.