HOW RORY THORNE DESTROYED THE MULTIVERSE by K. Eason

"A fantastic space opera--witty, bombastic, and loads of fun!"

How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse

Genres: Fiction Adventure | Science Fiction Space Opera

Posted: October 5, 2019

Rory Thorne is a space princess, the first female born to this particular royal line in over two hundred years. Her birth is much celebrated, even the fairies are invited to attend her naming day. Each fairy bestows a blessing on the infant Rory, excerpt for the 12th fairy--who wasn’t invited, in theory--who curses Rory to be able to always know when someone is or isn't telling the truth. Luckily, the 13th fairy gives her the blessing of courage, which she’ll need when she brings down the entire multiverse.

Even though she’s expected to eventually rule Thorne, her father is assassinated, her mother gives birth to a son, and Rory is now used as a political pawn. . . She’s betrothed to a prince of a rival nation, to keep the peace in the multiverse. Sent to a new planet, Rory is met by the Regent, who is clearly up to something nefarious and won’t give her a straight answer about where the Prince actually is. With her personal bodyguard Grytt, her royal Vizier Rupert, and a motley crew of guards as the only people she can trust, Rory is unsure of what to do next, but she does know that someone is trying to bring down the monarchy.

Equipped with her only her wits and advanced arithmancy abilities, it is up to Rory to save herself, the missing prince, and the entire multiverse. . . but what if the only way to save it, is to destroy it?

HOW RORY THORNE DESTROYED THE MULTIVERSE by K. Eason is a fantastic space opera--witty, bombastic, and loads of fun! Rory Thorne is a complex and fascinating main character. She’s been blessed and cursed with abilities that compete and complement each other, which makes her inner dialogue hilarious and relatable. The vast cast of characters seems intimidating at first, but K. Eason gives them all moments to shine that work well within the narrative of the story. As with many first books in a series, RORY THORNE does have a lot of background explanations and can be somewhat overwhelming, but the droll tone of the omniscient narrator moves through these explanations in an amusing way. There are twists galore throughout this novel, and they certainly keep readers on their toes. Rich storytelling, unique worldbuilding, intergalactic space travel, magic, and so much more. . .

Book Summary

First in a duology that reimagines fairy tale tropes within a space opera--The Princess Bride meets Princess Leia.

Rory Thorne is a princess with thirteen fairy blessings, the most important of which is to see through flattery and platitudes. As the eldest daughter, she always imagined she’d inherit her father’s throne and govern the interplanetary Thorne Consortium.

Then her father is assassinated, her mother gives birth to a son, and Rory is betrothed to the prince of a distant world.

When Rory arrives in her new home, she uncovers a treacherous plot to unseat her newly betrothed and usurp his throne. An unscrupulous minister has conspired to name himself Regent to the minor (and somewhat foolish) prince. With only her wits and a small team of allies, Rory must outmaneuver the Regent and rescue the prince.

How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse is a feminist reimagining of familiar fairytale tropes and a story of resistance and self-determination--how small acts of rebellion can lead a princess to not just save herself, but change the course of history.