Next month, publisher Orbit and Riot Games are teaming up to release Ambessa: Chosen of the Wolf, a brand new Arcane tie-in novel from C.L. Clark, the Ignyte award-winning author best known for the Magic of the Lost series (which includes The Unbroken and The Faithless). This novel is all about the life of Ambessa Merdada, the warmongering Noxian general voiced by Ellen Thomas in Arcane, and fills in a bunch of crucial details about her rise as the leader of the Merdada clan, her relationship with her children, and more.
Tie-in novels can be a bit of a mixed bag, so you may be wondering if this is one to read or skip. I received an early copy of Chosen of the Wolf, and now that I've finished it, I wanted to give you some early impressions. This will be a SPOILER-FREE review; the book doesn't release until February 18, and the last thing I want to do is spoil your reading experience! But if you want to know whether this novel is the sort of tie-in that will stand as a worthy addition to the Arcane story — and worth adding to your bookshelf — then read on.
Official description:
Medarda over all.
Ambessa Medarda: Warrior, general, mother. She is a woman to be feared, and the Medardas are unrivaled in their pursuit of glory. She has led conquests and armies. She has slain legendary beasts. She has made grave sacrifices in her ascent up the ranks. And for this she was rewarded: She entered the realm of death and was granted a vision of herself upon the throne of the vast Noxian empire.
But before she can lead her empire, she must become head of her own clan. Yet the title is contested by her cousin and former confidante, Ta’Fik. He knows the bloody sins of Ambessa’s past. And he knows he cannot allow her to rise.
They will fight a war for the very soul of the Medardas.
But the war won’t be fought on battlefields alone. Ambessa’s daughter, Mel, can deftly break through the walls around anyone’s heart, and she’ll put her talents to use for her mother. Yet despite Mel’s strength, Ambessa sees only a child who lacks her killer instincts. Mel knows she can be the leader Ambessa wants her to be, if only she gives her time.
With her family betraying her, enemies closing in on all sides, and unseen forces moving in the shadows, every day proves more dangerous than the last. But Ambessa will not bow. She will burn the world down to claim her place in it.
Book review: Ambessa: Chosen of the Wolf by C.L. Clark
As the description above implies, this novel is a prequel to Arcane, set long before the days when Ambessa and Mel vied over the future of Piltover. Here, we get to see how Ambessa grew into the ruthless woman we know from Arcane, including her ultimate rise to power in Noxus. It fills in some essential backstory about Ambessa's relationship with her children Mel and Kino, as well as her husband Azizi, sworn ally Rictus, and more. If you watched Arcane and wished you knew a little more about who Ambessa was, this book is for you.
One question I always have with tie-in books is whether the expansion of the story serves the greater narrative, or feels like a franchise cash-grab. In this case, it is firmly the former. Arcane is a sprawling show with lots of characters, and one particular plotline I always wished had gotten a little more development was Mel's history with her mother Ambessa. How exactly did Mel end up in Piltover? What led to the fractured relationship between these two women? And how did Ambessa come to contend with the Black Rose, the mysterious sect of mages who were introduced in season 2?
Chosen of the Wolf answers all these questions and more — though not all the questions I had. This book doesn't bring events completely flush with the beginning of Arcane, but leaves just enough room that some of the TV show's big revelations can still have the right impact. I thought that was an extremely smart decision on the part of Clark and Riot. This is Ambessa's book, and most importantly, it shows how Ambessa became the woman she is by the time of Arcane. That character story is firmly at the heart of the novel, and it's better for it.
The story & setting
At the core of Chosen of the Wolf is a struggle for control over the Merdada family following the death of its previous leader, Menelik — Ambessa's grandfather. This clash is vast and intricate, and was one part of the story where I really felt Clark's authorial stamp. Magic of the Lost also has political machinations, with complicated family dynamics, romances weighed down by duty, and lots of strong women who've embraced violent paths as soldiers and warriors (as well as others who struggle with that sort of burden). In that way, Ambessa feels completely on brand for Clark; if you loved Magic of the Lost, you'll probably also really like this book.
That said, the politics are one of the few parts of the book that felt almost a little overwrought to me. They all make sense for the story this novel is telling, but the effect is slightly dampened by the fact that this is a prequel, and none of the various nobles who run the Merdada clan are actually relevant to Arcane. The development for Noxus itself is interesting, but unless it comes back into the picture farther down the line in a future League of Legends series, it also feels a bit siloed off.
As for the story itself, there's a lot of good stuff in Chosen of the Wolf's 400 or so pages. I especially liked how we get to see not only Ambessa's ruthless side, but also her deep familial devotion that drives her to try and find a worthy successor, oftentimes to the detriment of those around her. The material regarding Mel is also a huge highlight. Clark really nailed the portrayal of these characters; they're very true to how they appear in Arcane, except in a different period of their lives. More than once I heard Ambessa and Mel's voices in my head as I read, which is a testament to how well the author captured their particular voices.
Seeds for the future of Arcane
One last element of Chosen of the Wolf I need to shout out is how this book plants some seeds for the future. Arcane showrunner Christian Linke has been open about the fact that he's hoping to develop more television series in the League of Legends world, and given the success of Arcane, it seems a foregone conclusion that will come to pass. Chosen of the Wolf is a prequel, so it doesn't get bogged down with set up for the next Arcane show...but it does include a few important characters who I wouldn't be surprised to see appear in an eventual successor series.
Two characters in particular from the novel come to mind, one of whom appeared in Arcane and another who didn't, but who will be recognizable to League of Legends players. I'm not going to name them for the sake of spoilers, but I ended the book with a strong feeling we'd be seeing more of them again in some form. This is a solid novel if you just want the Ambessa and Mel backstory, but it's also a worthy addition to the Arcane canon that you'll want to read if you're interested in keeping tabs on the development of the wider tale, and whatever may come next. Of course, it also helps that it's just an all-around good military/political fantasy book.
Verdict
Ambessa: Chosen of the Wolf is a must-read for Arcane fans, providing a deeper look into the life of the show's most fascinating villain while also delivering crucial lore that makes the television show even better. After reading it, you'll almost certainly want to go back and rewatch Arcane because many of the events surrounding Mel and Ambessa Merdada will have much more weight. Throw in the fact that the novel tells a compelling, brutal tale of its own, and it's an easy recommendation for anyone who enjoyed Riot and Fortiche's animated League of Legends series.
Ambessa: Chosen of the Wolf releases on February 18. And if you want to go really hard with it, the audiobook version is narrated by none other than Ellen Thomas herself, so you can listen to Ambessa tell her story with her own voice:
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