EARLY PRAISE FOR LION’S DEN
THE PRAIRIES BOOK REVIEW
“A dark, propulsive, and thoroughly addictive tale of family, faith, and power.”
“Fans of sprawling dynastic fantasy and ruthless court politics should find plenty to sink their teeth into.”
“SG gives the story plenty of political muscle, but the family tensions are what make it work.”
“SG launches the Kingdoms of God and Men series with an ambitious political fantasy steeped in dynastic rivalry, religious tension, forbidden desire, and the complicated bonds of family.“
MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW
“The real fights are not just between borders, but between and within hearts.”
“Libraries and readers seeking complex, epic fantasy scenarios that take the time to probe matters of crown, family connection, and love and develop them fully and compellingly will find Lion’s Den a winner.”
“It’s not just a fitting opener for an impactful, potent fantasy series, but a suitably thought-provoking consideration of who lives, who dies, and who fosters the progression of a new world order.”
FOREWORD CLARION REVIEWS
“On the whole, the prose is polished, evocative, and stylized to fit the setting.”
“…the book boasts impressive, detailed worldbuilding…”
“Lion’s Den is an intriguing fantasy tome…”
“In the expansive fantasy novel Lion’s Den, an intelligent princess fights to reclaim her crown.”
Fantasy / Adult Epic
THE STORY
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Lion's Den Written by Dhan SG
Book 1 of Kingdoms of God and Men
Published by: Jatayu Press
Paperback ISBN: xxxx
6" x 9", 700pp
A slaughtered lion washes ashore beneath the walls of Whitestone, its mane shorn and its body gutted. Before the next dawn, the king lies poisoned, and his daughter will soon stand accused of killing him.
Princess Imogen has spent her life enduring whispers about the bloodscales that mark her face and body. Now old rivalries are tearing the realm apart, rival faiths are spilling blood in the streets, and a court desperate to secure the succession has chosen its sacrifice.
Framed for regicide and abandoned by her own family, Imogen must survive a trial designed to condemn her, escape the kingdom she was born to inherit, and raise her banners against the brother crowned in her place. Her only hope lies with the Eagles, a mysterious order exiled across the sea, and with allies whose loyalty may carry a price of its own.
Across the Red Wall, Lady Roxana is waging a quieter war. Trapped in an unhappy marriage and determined that her son will never be forgotten, she begins clearing every obstacle between him and the crown. But every move draws her deeper into a game where family is leverage, faith is a weapon, and love can be the most dangerous weakness of all.
Two women. Two kingdoms. One ruthless struggle for blood, power, and the right to shape their own destinies.
Perfect for readers who crave sweeping dynastic sagas, brutal court politics, warring houses, forbidden desire, religious conflict, and morally complex characters who refuse to remain pawns.
Enter Lion’s Den, where every oath has a price and every crown is paid for in blood.
BUY LION'S DEN: BOOK 1 OF KINGDOMS OF GOD AND MEN
EXCERPT
The mist was cool on their skin, and they rode along, talking amiably. The thick fog did not hinder them, for the three had ridden the same path many times before and could find their way back to Whitestone with their eyes closed if need be. Imogen was about to ask Martin if he wanted to race back to the castle when Smarth threw out an arm.
“Stop,” he said hoarsely.
“What is it?” she asked, reining in her horse.
He made no answer but pulled out his sword in one fluid motion and trotted forward.
She made to follow, but Martin put a hand on her reins. “We wait, Imi.”
He withdrew his own sword, his reddish-brown hair plastered to his forehead, his face intent as he looked into the white abyss into which Smarth had disappeared. They waited in silence, the hooves of their steeds getting wet by the white tongue of the morning waves. And then, through the thinning mist, they saw the glint of silver and heard a distant shout.
“Stay behind me,” Martin said, kicking his horse to a gentle trot.
Imogen obeyed. As the sun rose higher and the fog hung around them in wisps, she saw the shadowy shape of Smarth waving them over. By his feet lay what looked like a small boulder. As they neared, she heard Martin whisper, “What is that?” followed by a sharp intake of breath.
She peered around his broad shoulders, then nudged her horse past him and went to where Smarth was kneeling. She looked down at the mound by his feet and went cold all over. For washed up on the beach was the carcass of a lion.
The beast looked magnificent even in death. Its tawny coat still gleamed a dull gold, where not encrusted with dried blood and sand. It had been brutally gutted, its entrails spilling onto the white sand that now crawled with maggots. The scent of corruption mixed with rotting fish and seaweed made Imogen want to heave. She forced down the bile that clogged her throat, her eyes fixed on the animal that was the sigil of her house and the guardian of the gods. Two trails of dark tears pooled from its unseeing eyes and dripped down its muzzle and onto the long black tongue that flopped from its open mouth. But the saddest part was its mane. It had been shaved so cruelly and completely that not a tuft remained. The shaved hair lay around them in clumps of black and red.
A lion’s mane is a lion’s pride.
Imogen wrapped her arms around herself, trying to still the shivers that jolted through her body. Smarth was looking up at her. “No lion has been seen on this side of the sea in five hundred years,” he said. “This is bad, Siyari. Real bad.”
“Do we know what killed it?” she managed to ask through chattering teeth.
“Could it have been a sand wolf?” said Martin after a pause. “I heard some men say the beasts have become bolder of late. They were seen on the borders of the Black Forest by the shingled beach up north.”
“And the wolf shaved its head, did it?” growled Smarth, and Martin closed his mouth. “Nay. This is the work of men. This is a message.”
ABOUT DHAN SG
Dhan SG is an author based in India. Her love of storytelling began early, and at age nine she won her first creative writing competition. Years later, during the COVID era and between jobs, she began work on what would become Lion’s Den.
A longtime lover of epic fantasy, Dhan brings that passion to a sweeping world of power, faith, family, and ambition. When she is not writing or reading, she enjoys long walks beneath the blue sky and in the lush green countryside.
Lion’s Den is her debut novel.