A Song of Legends Lost

A relentlessly gripping tale of revenge and rebellion from a major new voice in epic fantasy

A Song of Legends Lost is a relentlessly gripping, glorious epic fantasy - the exhilarating must-read fantasy debut of 2025

A truly excellent debut , with a genuinely fascinating magic system, engaging characters and deep worldbuilding. A fantastic read

A Song of Legends Lost is stunning and vividly told, an incredible blend of tech and magic in a world where the characters are rediscovering the truth. It is impossible not to be swept away, to yearn as hard as the characters do, to feel both dread and joy as the events unfold. Ayinde is a master storyteller, and readers are in good hands from the very first pages to the very last

An epic tale of conflict, betrayal, and intrigue . . . M. H. Ayinde weaves a rich and engrossing story through a unique and fascinating world

Every now and then I read a book that reminds me why I fell in love with fantasy . A Song of Legends Lost is such a book! Ayinde has crafted a masterpiece bursting with imagination, feeling, and just sheer awesomeness. I had a ton of fun reading this and I know readers will too

A sprawling tale brimming with mysteries that elide the tantalizing truth of its fantastic world . . . M. H. Ayinde's debut promises grand revelations, cutthroat intrigue and desperate conflict, all in service of an ending fated to be as satisfying and definitive as the pressing in place of the final piece of an elaborate puzzle

Intricate and imaginative, A Song of Legends Lost is a masterpiece of storytelling, where every secret begets a deeper, more pressing mystery. Ayinde's world is both ancient and new, satisfying but moreish, poisonous yet oh so delicious - a book fulfilling wishes you never knew you'd made

M.H. Ayinde has layered a cast of instantly-compelling characters and a gripping plot over a setting that blends fantasy and sci-fi in fascinating ways

This debut offers you everything you could possibly wish for from epic fantasy : a rich new world inspired by multiple pre-colonial cultures, complex characters all vying for their place in this world (often against each other, and yet you can't help but root for all of them), and SUCH cinematic battles. But then Ayinde gives you even more. Towering ancestors who fight like Final Fantasy summons, glittering and deadly techwork, all wrapped up around this delicious mystery that comes together in the most satisfying way. You will gasp, you will cry, and most of all, you will not stop turning the pages.

A Song of Legends Lost is a brilliantly original, genre-busting Science Fantasy epic . It blends a seemingly ancient world with spiritual magic and mysterious technology into a sprawling landscape of societal injustice and widespread conspiracy. The mysteries unravel at a gripping pace in a rich and elegant world. I've never seen anything like this before and I love it!

At once a genre-bending epic, a magical multi-family saga, and a paean to secondary world fantasy, A Song of Legends Lost has it all. Ayinde storms into the fantasy genre with a triumphant shout of a novel, and takes no prisoners ; this book will capture your heart and re-ignite your imagination . In portraying a world where certain families can invoke the ancestors to fight alongside them in battle, Ayinde invokes the storied tradition of epic fantasy whilst giving it a glorious new twist. I loved it.

An epic tale of ancestral summoning, complicated families and forbidden magic in the Nine Lands, rich with hidden histories, kinetic battles and immersive, Africa-inspired worldbuilding. It's Game Of Thrones meets Jagun Jagun by way of Final Fantasy with a healthy dose of something new and unique that is entirely its M. H. Ayinde's own, and I am here for it!

Captivating, A Song of Legends Lost is what I want to point to when we talk about why modern fantasy is so good. Do not miss this one

A hugely ambitious science-fantasy epic, a whirlwind debut of ferocious talent and compulsive storytelling that lifts you up from the first page and never lets go. It's joyous from end to end - and highly recommended!

A Song of Legends Lost absolutely delivers on the promise of adventure. It's a fantasy of epic proportions, with an expansive world and complex characters who inhabit it - everything feels so alive and vibrant . . . a sweeping and impressive debut

Ayinde's impressive debut invites readers into a detailed and imaginative fantasy world . . . Ayinde juggles a sprawling cast and multiple plotlines skilfully . . . The result is a rich and wonderfully complex world that readers will be eager to revisit

M. H. Ayinde was born in London's East End. Her short fiction has been published in FIYAH Literary Magazine , Omenana , Beneath Ceaseless Skies and elsewhere, and she was the 2021 winner of the Future Worlds Prize. She is a runner, a lapsed martial artist and a screen time enthusiast. Modupe lives in London with three generations of her family and their Studio Ghibli obsession.