What do you think?
Rate this book
Legacy of Dhakaan #1
The Doom of Kings: Eberron: Legacy of Dhakaan, Book 1
The return of the shifter Geth!In the wake of the Last War, a new king has risen and seeks to unite the newly formed goblin kingdom of Darguun under his rule. He seeks an ancient scepter, a symbol under which to unite his people and hires Geth, a shifter who owns one of the trio of artifacts to which the scepter once belonged, to find it. But will the artifact do what the Darguul king needs it to?
Audible Audio
First published August 5, 2008
20 people are currently reading
282 people want to read
About the author
Don Bassingthwaite
34 books51 followersDon lives with his partner in Toronto, surrounded by gadgets, spice jars, and too many books.
No, I don’t normally refer to myself in the third person. That’s the official author bio from the back of my most recent books. You want some other trivia?
I’m a fan of the serial comma.
I’m a huge fan of breakfast cereal.
I own one (and only one) stuffed animal — a Highland cow from Edinburgh named “Ewan MooGregor.”
I love Edinburgh and London — other large cities visited in the UK include Bath and Plymouth. I’ve also been to Cheddar where I ate a really good cheese sandwich.
I like cheese, especially hard and blue cheeses (Mmmm. Stilton.).
I look terrible in hats with the exception (for unknown reasons) of a few ball caps of particular colour and design.
I look good in rugby shirts, but don’t really own any as I neither play rugby nor follow the sport enough to feel honest buying the shirt of any particular team.
I don’t play or follow soccer either, but that didn’t stop me from choosing a “shirt team” in the last World Cup, wearing their shirt, and cheering for them in pubs. Go Netherlands!
To quote Paul S. Kemp, “Mmm. Beer.”
I have seriously considered buying a kilt. Update March 2008: The kilt has been bought!
Kilt, cow, and fondness for Edinburgh aside, I’m not Scottish.
More to come, I’m sure!
No, I don’t normally refer to myself in the third person. That’s the official author bio from the back of my most recent books. You want some other trivia?
I’m a fan of the serial comma.
I’m a huge fan of breakfast cereal.
I own one (and only one) stuffed animal — a Highland cow from Edinburgh named “Ewan MooGregor.”
I love Edinburgh and London — other large cities visited in the UK include Bath and Plymouth. I’ve also been to Cheddar where I ate a really good cheese sandwich.
I like cheese, especially hard and blue cheeses (Mmmm. Stilton.).
I look terrible in hats with the exception (for unknown reasons) of a few ball caps of particular colour and design.
I look good in rugby shirts, but don’t really own any as I neither play rugby nor follow the sport enough to feel honest buying the shirt of any particular team.
I don’t play or follow soccer either, but that didn’t stop me from choosing a “shirt team” in the last World Cup, wearing their shirt, and cheering for them in pubs. Go Netherlands!
To quote Paul S. Kemp, “Mmm. Beer.”
I have seriously considered buying a kilt. Update March 2008: The kilt has been bought!
Kilt, cow, and fondness for Edinburgh aside, I’m not Scottish.
More to come, I’m sure!
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
March 11, 2021
Digs a bit to deep in the cultural aspects of the hobgoblins, the high points of the book are really high and the lows are terribly slow.
Good eberron novel if you plan to run a campaign/roll a charater linked to goblinoids
Good eberron novel if you plan to run a campaign/roll a charater linked to goblinoids
December 24, 2010
This book has some good things going for it. Knowing the Eberron setting I think helps to get you more invested. I'm not sure how it stands up on it's own, although making Goblins some of the main characters and a Goblin nation the setting for the story (and series I assume) would probably be interesting to any fantasy reader.
I like the details he touched on for Goblins like their ears betraying their emotions like dogs or cats. Also the the goblinoid words and culture helped make them unique, but there was a little too much on the cliche of honor. I think he used the different Goblin roles introduced in the setting well and expanded on them. He introduced names for several of the tribes that make up the country, but I didn't get a good sense for more than a couple. Maybe he thought he needed to focus on those integral to the plot and he's saving more for later.
*****************************SPOILER ALERT****************************************************
The prologue really pulls you in to the Goblin nation, so much so that I was disappointed Chapter One takes you away from it to another country. Maybe there was pressure to have a human main character starting in a human country to not alienate the reader. But I think the Goblins were presented humanlike enough that it could have worked to have a Goblin main character. Though the ending wouldn't have worked as well when he really makes Goblinoid culture feel suddenly more barbaric and alien.
The ending is really great and what makes me give it a four instead of a three. It really makes you want to read the next book, because it's a giant upheaval in the setting. So much so that I don't want to accidentally ruin it for anybody. I'm sure this wouldn't have been approved if the novels were taken as canon for the setting. So it diverges into an alternate future that I'd really like to see unfold. I hope they don't shoehorn in a way to backstep things back the way they were. Though it seems pretty clear it's permanent.
I like the details he touched on for Goblins like their ears betraying their emotions like dogs or cats. Also the the goblinoid words and culture helped make them unique, but there was a little too much on the cliche of honor. I think he used the different Goblin roles introduced in the setting well and expanded on them. He introduced names for several of the tribes that make up the country, but I didn't get a good sense for more than a couple. Maybe he thought he needed to focus on those integral to the plot and he's saving more for later.
*****************************SPOILER ALERT****************************************************
The prologue really pulls you in to the Goblin nation, so much so that I was disappointed Chapter One takes you away from it to another country. Maybe there was pressure to have a human main character starting in a human country to not alienate the reader. But I think the Goblins were presented humanlike enough that it could have worked to have a Goblin main character. Though the ending wouldn't have worked as well when he really makes Goblinoid culture feel suddenly more barbaric and alien.
The ending is really great and what makes me give it a four instead of a three. It really makes you want to read the next book, because it's a giant upheaval in the setting. So much so that I don't want to accidentally ruin it for anybody. I'm sure this wouldn't have been approved if the novels were taken as canon for the setting. So it diverges into an alternate future that I'd really like to see unfold. I hope they don't shoehorn in a way to backstep things back the way they were. Though it seems pretty clear it's permanent.
November 1, 2012
A decent fantasy story, nothing especially great but an enjoyable read nonetheless. Where Doom of Kings really shines is the fleshing out of Goblin culture within the world of Eberron. [return]Highly recommended for those seeking inspiration or extra background on Goblins in Eberron, mildly recommended for those seeking a light fantasy read.
October 10, 2024
It's so far everything you want a sequel trilogy to have - it's more and better, involving everyone you know. It's more than that really, I was sincerely astonished in how good Don's political intrigue and worldbuilding in a very unusual setting is; he has a distinct talent for writing stories about unusual characters and circumstances, and this is solid gold for anybody with interest in Eberron, as this is as good as lore can get for more unusual races. Made me want to play a goblinoid character, it feels like stepping in Zandalar for the first time, just breath taking and inspiring. Honestly made me wish the initial trilogy was as good as this one, but I can see how this one couldn't have worked if the last one hadn't spent so much time on character development, something that takes a step back in this one (which is plenty good, now that the character are developed, you want to get to see more of what they do with the development). I knew it was good, didn't expect it to be that good basically.
July 30, 2021
Solid tale of shifting power
A well written tale that continues the saga around Geth, the main character. Once again joined by friends from another series, he is cast in the role of outcast turned troubled hero. A world where right and wrong aren’t always easy choices. And the actions of a few impact so many.
Solid writing, good pacing, interesting characters including what many fantasy-based books are one dimensional “monsters” bears out a wide-lived society of Goblins, Bugbears and the like.
I hope this series doesn’t let up!
A well written tale that continues the saga around Geth, the main character. Once again joined by friends from another series, he is cast in the role of outcast turned troubled hero. A world where right and wrong aren’t always easy choices. And the actions of a few impact so many.
Solid writing, good pacing, interesting characters including what many fantasy-based books are one dimensional “monsters” bears out a wide-lived society of Goblins, Bugbears and the like.
I hope this series doesn’t let up!
June 4, 2025
DNF
I made it halfway through. I'm currently running an Eberron game and was really looking forward to getting further into the world.
I'm not sure exactly what is gating me on this one. Maybe I'm just not in the right space. Maybe I'll come back to it another time, but for now I have no intention of finishing it.
I made it halfway through. I'm currently running an Eberron game and was really looking forward to getting further into the world.
I'm not sure exactly what is gating me on this one. Maybe I'm just not in the right space. Maybe I'll come back to it another time, but for now I have no intention of finishing it.
January 18, 2020
Beautiful use of Ebberon
I'm a fan of ebberon and the way Don Bassingthwaite brings life to the world is unlike anything I could have imagined. The culture he creates and the writing he uses to build it is one of a kind
I'm a fan of ebberon and the way Don Bassingthwaite brings life to the world is unlike anything I could have imagined. The culture he creates and the writing he uses to build it is one of a kind
June 2, 2023
Surprisingly good! Sort of Game of Thrones and Indiana Jones meets Eberron. Gives a great sense of the world of Darguun with a lot of character and world development balanced with action. Rich descriptions and strong interconnections.
April 29, 2018
[REVIEW TO COME AT A LATER DATE UPON A FULL SERIES RE-READ.]
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews