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Garen: First Shield
The King is dead. Demacia is mourning. And in the eyes of Garen Crownguard, it’s his fault.
But can he rise to the challenge when Demacia needs him again?
While on a peacetime expedition beyond the borders of Demacia, Garen, Quinn, and the Dauntless Vanguard uncover a plot that threatens to destroy long-standing alliances. As the knight-ranger Quinn tries to get word back to Demacia, Garen and his comrades make a desperate last stand. How long can they last, and at what cost?
But can he rise to the challenge when Demacia needs him again?
While on a peacetime expedition beyond the borders of Demacia, Garen, Quinn, and the Dauntless Vanguard uncover a plot that threatens to destroy long-standing alliances. As the knight-ranger Quinn tries to get word back to Demacia, Garen and his comrades make a desperate last stand. How long can they last, and at what cost?
153 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 5, 2020
94 people are currently reading
526 people want to read
About the author
Anthony Reynolds
93 books169 followersAnthony Reynolds was a Games Developer and manager at Games Workshop in the UK. Since then he's written freelance for a number of companies, including Black Library Publishing, Mantic Games, THQ, Bandai-Namco, Behaviour Interactive, and River Horse Games. He currently lives in California.
Librarian note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Anthony^Reynolds
Librarian note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Anthony^Reynolds
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
January 2, 2025
Even if it was short, it was enjoyable.
I never read much into Demacia’s lore (sorry not sorry, ain’t my fav faction of Runeterra), so it definitely gave me an interesting and powerful aura to connect to Garen and Quinn (she was pretty badass ngl, you go bird lady).
Fuck them Noxians (not you Samira, I love you)
I never read much into Demacia’s lore (sorry not sorry, ain’t my fav faction of Runeterra), so it definitely gave me an interesting and powerful aura to connect to Garen and Quinn (she was pretty badass ngl, you go bird lady).
Fuck them Noxians (not you Samira, I love you)
August 18, 2025
Short story about Garen and his first shield team. Nice to have Quinn join in as well. The story is mainly one big battle on the east of Damacia.
January 18, 2023
4 estrellas porque estaba Cithria y porque Garen no actuó like a fucking bitch como hizo en "Lux".
Ps: Necesito a Cithria como campeón ASAP.
Ps: Necesito a Cithria como campeón ASAP.
July 16, 2021
While this book can be entertaining, it falls short in a lot of ways. I understand this is a novella, but it feels like a short story in a massive arch that hasn’t been explained. It’s hard to invest in some of these characters and the world when none of it has been built up.
I’ve realized that without my League of Legends knowledge, this book loses a lot of its’ awe and glamour.
Regardless of the shortcomings, I’m still hopeful for what they come out with next.
I’ve realized that without my League of Legends knowledge, this book loses a lot of its’ awe and glamour.
Regardless of the shortcomings, I’m still hopeful for what they come out with next.
February 23, 2021
This story was alright. I'm not someone who enjoys reading about detailed action or battle scenes, so those moments of the story were lost on me. Still, it was interesting to see how well LOL's world translates into book-form.
February 12, 2021
Easy but minimally enjoyable read. I love a video game inspired fantasy novella just as much as the next guy, but this one was kind of just a little boring. 🤷♂️
December 10, 2020
It's been so long since a book has made me stay up this late. It's past 3 am right now.
Maybe I started reading this a bit biased, already knowing a lot of the lore and loving the game and characters. BUT THE WRITING. SO GOOD.
It's relatively short compared to a regular novel you'd see on the market. There may have been fewer pages than usual but in this short amount of time I have felt a lot of different emotions. And I dont know how I'm gonna sleep after this. It was epic and thrilling and dream inducing. The world building is of course immaculate. The story itself is very well worthy of it's own book but it feels like a filler episode in a grandiose series in the sense that this was a sub quest, here to add to the weight of the main adventure and plot line. In no way is this a bad thing here. But as opposed to the comics, this felt like a tale and not what will drive the rest of the main story. Having said that, this book could absolutely be a standalone. But again if you choose not too read this, you won't miss any key elements on the whole Sylas/ Lux/ Jarvan IV/ Racism in Demacia story line.
Also I wanna applaud the writer on how they took on Garen, who is in my opinion one of the worst most boring characters in the lore, and how they wrote him in a really captivating way.
To finish, this was an amazing read and would absolutely recommend.
AND YOU LEARN SO MANY WORDS TOO.
ALSO QUINN <3 luv u
Maybe I started reading this a bit biased, already knowing a lot of the lore and loving the game and characters. BUT THE WRITING. SO GOOD.
It's relatively short compared to a regular novel you'd see on the market. There may have been fewer pages than usual but in this short amount of time I have felt a lot of different emotions. And I dont know how I'm gonna sleep after this. It was epic and thrilling and dream inducing. The world building is of course immaculate. The story itself is very well worthy of it's own book but it feels like a filler episode in a grandiose series in the sense that this was a sub quest, here to add to the weight of the main adventure and plot line. In no way is this a bad thing here. But as opposed to the comics, this felt like a tale and not what will drive the rest of the main story. Having said that, this book could absolutely be a standalone. But again if you choose not too read this, you won't miss any key elements on the whole Sylas/ Lux/ Jarvan IV/ Racism in Demacia story line.
Also I wanna applaud the writer on how they took on Garen, who is in my opinion one of the worst most boring characters in the lore, and how they wrote him in a really captivating way.
To finish, this was an amazing read and would absolutely recommend.
AND YOU LEARN SO MANY WORDS TOO.
ALSO QUINN <3 luv u
July 19, 2025
Ah, disculpen, hay muchas cosas ilógicas acá. Eso de estar superados en número y .... mmhh. Eso de despertarse después de tantas horas, doble "mmhhhh".
Pero no puedo ser imparcial. Juego al LOL y mis personajes favoritos son Quinn y Garen. Cualquiera que los tenga de blorbos tiene que leer esto. Y la relación entre los dos personajes fue lo que más me gustó.. son una Brotp! ¿Que el juego deja entrever que no se llevan bien? Pues la novela es otra cosa.
Pero no puedo ser imparcial. Juego al LOL y mis personajes favoritos son Quinn y Garen. Cualquiera que los tenga de blorbos tiene que leer esto. Y la relación entre los dos personajes fue lo que más me gustó.. son una Brotp! ¿Que el juego deja entrever que no se llevan bien? Pues la novela es otra cosa.
October 27, 2022
Much of this review will be comparing it to Ruination, as I had just read that previously.
This is good! A little short, but it doesn't feel clipped or anything, and the pacing is good throughout. I think the writing isn't quite as good as Ruination (most of my complaints against the latter book are here as well, and likely more numerous), but it's by no means bad. The characters are great--really great, actually. While reading, I let my guard down and wrote some characters off as being archetypical, but once again Reynolds really knocked it out of the park. I was surprised and impressed by certain events which were unexpected, but not so unexpected as to be unbelievable. There's more depth there than meets the eye, I'll say.
Unlike Ruination, I feel like Garen: First Shield requires some level of background knowledge of League of Legends, though I also feel like the narrative is a little weakened by the fact that any reasonably well-versed fan will immediately know the answer to a number of questions that are raised and then answered climactically, ruining the surprise. However, if the reader has no experience with Runeterra, then the reveal means absolutely nothing.
Basically:
Aside from the slight narrative weakness discussed above, my only real complaint is that there are some fortifications and architecture that feature heavily in the climax and after reading the story, I'm not really sure what the layout (which is important to the plot) is. An illustration or something would have done wonders for this.
It does a good job of hinting that Demacia isn't perfect an noble, and it does it in a way that isn't it just alluding to dark secrets that the characters might suspect but play no real part in; Demacia's faults are illustrated by the characters prejudices, the way they describe the world around them, and the very true accusations hurled at them by their opponents.
Mostly, this story leaves me wanting more. Ruination was great, but it touched very little on known places in the League of Legends universe, and Garen: First Shield made me want to see more of Demacia and Noxus and the Freljord.
This is good! A little short, but it doesn't feel clipped or anything, and the pacing is good throughout. I think the writing isn't quite as good as Ruination (most of my complaints against the latter book are here as well, and likely more numerous), but it's by no means bad. The characters are great--really great, actually. While reading, I let my guard down and wrote some characters off as being archetypical, but once again Reynolds really knocked it out of the park. I was surprised and impressed by certain events which were unexpected, but not so unexpected as to be unbelievable. There's more depth there than meets the eye, I'll say.
Unlike Ruination, I feel like Garen: First Shield requires some level of background knowledge of League of Legends, though I also feel like the narrative is a little weakened by the fact that any reasonably well-versed fan will immediately know the answer to a number of questions that are raised and then answered climactically, ruining the surprise. However, if the reader has no experience with Runeterra, then the reveal means absolutely nothing.
Basically:
Aside from the slight narrative weakness discussed above, my only real complaint is that there are some fortifications and architecture that feature heavily in the climax and after reading the story, I'm not really sure what the layout (which is important to the plot) is. An illustration or something would have done wonders for this.
It does a good job of hinting that Demacia isn't perfect an noble, and it does it in a way that isn't it just alluding to dark secrets that the characters might suspect but play no real part in; Demacia's faults are illustrated by the characters prejudices, the way they describe the world around them, and the very true accusations hurled at them by their opponents.
Mostly, this story leaves me wanting more. Ruination was great, but it touched very little on known places in the League of Legends universe, and Garen: First Shield made me want to see more of Demacia and Noxus and the Freljord.
April 7, 2021
I think I would call this a fine foray into expanding League of Legends lore into a written (and hopefully not endlessly retconned) format. I would certainly read more about the other champions, countries, wars, etc., but I would like to see novels, not novellas.
The short format had a few flaws for me. The format lends itself to self-contained stories, and this is not that. There are a lot of loose ends, unrealized plotlines, and intrigue begging to be followed up on. But then again, that could be the point if there's more to come. Another issue with the choice in medium is about half or more of the book is the siege, which, as entertaining as the action is, leaves much to be desired.
My other complaint here is the writing. It's not bad, but it's also not good. It's fine. Many of the characters feel either flat or trapped in their own archetypes (warm and lovable brute, brooding and grumpy heart of gold, etc.). The most nuanced character was the warden, but I won't delve too much into that.
Overall, I think this book sets up maybe three possible futures for Riot novelized lore. 1) This book doesn't do well enough to warrant writing more. I hope this isn't the case. 2) There's more, but it doesn't particularly improve / they choose to stick with digital-only novellas. Again, not desirable, but I suppose better than none at all. Or 3) much like the Magic: the Gathering novels, the quality of the writing, the depth of the worldbuilding, and the sheer number of stories increases steadily over time. Here's hoping Riot invests in option 3.
The short format had a few flaws for me. The format lends itself to self-contained stories, and this is not that. There are a lot of loose ends, unrealized plotlines, and intrigue begging to be followed up on. But then again, that could be the point if there's more to come. Another issue with the choice in medium is about half or more of the book is the siege, which, as entertaining as the action is, leaves much to be desired.
My other complaint here is the writing. It's not bad, but it's also not good. It's fine. Many of the characters feel either flat or trapped in their own archetypes (warm and lovable brute, brooding and grumpy heart of gold, etc.). The most nuanced character was the warden, but I won't delve too much into that.
Overall, I think this book sets up maybe three possible futures for Riot novelized lore. 1) This book doesn't do well enough to warrant writing more. I hope this isn't the case. 2) There's more, but it doesn't particularly improve / they choose to stick with digital-only novellas. Again, not desirable, but I suppose better than none at all. Or 3) much like the Magic: the Gathering novels, the quality of the writing, the depth of the worldbuilding, and the sheer number of stories increases steadily over time. Here's hoping Riot invests in option 3.
February 14, 2025
This one was a little tough to get through. Quinn was really fun to read about, and I was looking forward to hearing some more about Garen’s humanity that you don’t typically get to see a lot of, but honestly as a protagonist(?) he falls a little short. Interesting to see a character like Cithria be most of the focus in this book when it’s literally called ‘Garen: The First Shield’. I guess it’s more about the First Shield than about Garen, but would’ve loved to see more from Garen’s POV than anything else. Some continuity errors pulled me from the action a few times, which kind of sucks since the second half of the novella is entirely battle focused. Also the way Quinn is completely tossed to the side towards the end kind of rubbed me the wrong way lmao like I was invested in what was going on with her.
While I was kind of confused about Cithria being more of a protagonist than Garen, it was fun to see some Legends of Runeterra character rep in this novella. I know a lot about Demacia and Runeterra lore as a whole, so I can imagine that someone who knows less about Demacia would find this read a little boring/hard to follow, since none of it is built up/explained beyond surface level stuff. Looking forward to reading more League stories/novellas in preparation for the Ambessa book’s release; hoping there’s a bit more substance to the rest.
While I was kind of confused about Cithria being more of a protagonist than Garen, it was fun to see some Legends of Runeterra character rep in this novella. I know a lot about Demacia and Runeterra lore as a whole, so I can imagine that someone who knows less about Demacia would find this read a little boring/hard to follow, since none of it is built up/explained beyond surface level stuff. Looking forward to reading more League stories/novellas in preparation for the Ambessa book’s release; hoping there’s a bit more substance to the rest.
September 10, 2021
"Disciplina é Força. Diligência é Honra."
Demacia é um lugar muito complexo pelo forte militarismo e senso de falsa justiça. Porém, nesse livro fica bem evidente que Garen ainda é um jovem soldado que questiona muito as coisas. É um livro que foca muito na personagem secundária, Cithria de Campinuvem, visivelmente para vender o Legends of Runeterra, único lugar de menção à personagem. Mas é uma história construída de modo simples, divertido para fã mesmo, nada muito mirabolante ou extremamente elaborado.
Mas deixo o destaque do autor em descrever o cenário e a brutalidade das batalhas, semelhantes aos mencionados em O Nome do Vento, que é uma característica bem interessante das novelas de batalha contemporâneas. É uma leitura rápida, empolgante mas que poderia ser resumida numa animação de 15min, tamanha simplicidade.
Demacia é um lugar muito complexo pelo forte militarismo e senso de falsa justiça. Porém, nesse livro fica bem evidente que Garen ainda é um jovem soldado que questiona muito as coisas. É um livro que foca muito na personagem secundária, Cithria de Campinuvem, visivelmente para vender o Legends of Runeterra, único lugar de menção à personagem. Mas é uma história construída de modo simples, divertido para fã mesmo, nada muito mirabolante ou extremamente elaborado.
Mas deixo o destaque do autor em descrever o cenário e a brutalidade das batalhas, semelhantes aos mencionados em O Nome do Vento, que é uma característica bem interessante das novelas de batalha contemporâneas. É uma leitura rápida, empolgante mas que poderia ser resumida numa animação de 15min, tamanha simplicidade.
December 20, 2020
I was on the fence how to rate this, because it's certainly a fine addition to the League of Legends lore, but as a novella there are definitely ways in which it's very (almost painfully) average. A good, quick read for those who are already fans of the universe, but I'm not sure if this would have a strong enough appeal to bring in new fans. You DEFINTELY should read the Lux comics before this. Garen's lore/backstory actually isn't much of a factor, though you'll do better to know about his relationship to his sister Lux; it's mentioned in passing, but not well-explained in this novella.
Beyond that, personally I would like a narrative voice with more colour to it. The writing was fine, but there's nothing distinct about it.
Beyond that, personally I would like a narrative voice with more colour to it. The writing was fine, but there's nothing distinct about it.
September 1, 2021
I wanted so badly to love this book, purely out of selfish wish to delve deeper into the lore of Runeterra. Alas, there is much to be desires about this story.
Mainly I was bothered by the format chosen for this story. It left all of the character very two dimensional and unexplored, giving no new takes on Garen or Quinn beside how they're already portrayed in game. The sole focus of the story is to depict the battle which was a lovely and dynamic read, but nothing beside it had any deeper value. I feel like there are a lot of missed opportunities, especially in further exploring the characters. That said, Cithria was by far the best character since I knew her the least and explored her the most prior to reading this story.
Nevertheless, I'm still looking forward to possible upcoming books or novellas from Riot. A possibility that Garen and Katarina meet absolutely thrills me! Next book, hopefully!
Mainly I was bothered by the format chosen for this story. It left all of the character very two dimensional and unexplored, giving no new takes on Garen or Quinn beside how they're already portrayed in game. The sole focus of the story is to depict the battle which was a lovely and dynamic read, but nothing beside it had any deeper value. I feel like there are a lot of missed opportunities, especially in further exploring the characters. That said, Cithria was by far the best character since I knew her the least and explored her the most prior to reading this story.
Nevertheless, I'm still looking forward to possible upcoming books or novellas from Riot. A possibility that Garen and Katarina meet absolutely thrills me! Next book, hopefully!
September 7, 2025
3.5 ⭐ (Really Liked It)
This book reminded me of the movie 300 set in The League of Legends universe.
Overall it was a fun book that could have been an amazing book. There were constantly things going on and surprise deaths and good characters. The problem is that it's a shorter book so it didn't get a chance to get fleshed out as well as it could have and some of the heavier moments didn't feel as impactful as it should have.
The good news, that goes away for the last 30-40% of the book. This was probably a 3 ⭐ read up until then, but I really enjoyed that last bit of the book quite a lot!
I really enjoy The League of Legends lore and universe and will continue to read books in the setting.
This book reminded me of the movie 300 set in The League of Legends universe.
Overall it was a fun book that could have been an amazing book. There were constantly things going on and surprise deaths and good characters. The problem is that it's a shorter book so it didn't get a chance to get fleshed out as well as it could have and some of the heavier moments didn't feel as impactful as it should have.
The good news, that goes away for the last 30-40% of the book. This was probably a 3 ⭐ read up until then, but I really enjoyed that last bit of the book quite a lot!
I really enjoy The League of Legends lore and universe and will continue to read books in the setting.
December 25, 2020
Step into the world’s most popular video game — League of Legends — in the debut novella.
The King is dead. Demacia is mourning. And in the eyes of Garen Crownguard, it’s his fault.
But can he rise to the challenge when Demacia needs him again?
While on a peacetime expedition beyond the borders of Demacia, Garen, Quinn, and the Dauntless Vanguard uncover a plot that threatens to destroy long-standing alliances. As the knight-ranger Quinn tries to get word back to Demacia, Garen and his comrades make a desperate last stand. How long can they last, and at what cost? **
December 28, 2020
Demacia!
Garen: First Shield is the first novella published by Riot, and a worthy start to something I've personally been longing for!
It's hard not to be a little biased with my rating, as Garen isn't my favorite of champs, but that aside it's an intriguing story that centers around the Dauntless Vanguard, and more specifically so the members of First Shield - along with ranger-knight Quinn and her legendary eagle, Valor.
I do think prospective readers need to have some basic knowledge of the lore of League of Legends to keep intrigue going, as the writing style is okay - but there's definitely room for improvement.
Still, a strong first step in a new direction!
I'm excited to see what comes next!
December 31, 2020
Chapter one to tree had a lot of Infos I was able to take a lot of notes there, from chapter four to six they just traveled and greeted the People of Nockmitch and from chapter seven to eleven they just plain fought and died and chapter twelve they got back home and made the transition for the next book. I wanted to write a detailed review and I even took notes for everything but half the book was just fighting which I'm not so interested in.
Nonetheless it was a good book and I enjoyed it I didn't regret reading it though it had a hefty price for me. I payed almost 7 Euro that's quite a lot compared to longer and better books.
Nonetheless it was a good book and I enjoyed it I didn't regret reading it though it had a hefty price for me. I payed almost 7 Euro that's quite a lot compared to longer and better books.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 3, 2022
This book feels like a single chapter in a huge story arc that's left unexplained.
I'm sure it's most appreciated by those who knew the lore behind this story beforehand. Those who recognize the characters such as Lux, Garen and Quinn will get much more satisfaction from this novella than those who go in without any knowledge.
If you're not into detailed medieval battle, this book might be a skip as a major part of it is about a single battle. I personally loved the way it was written and I hope there's more to follow.
It's a great start and I hope a first step in the direction of covering League of Legends' lore in books which undoubtedly comes with endless opportunities and stories.
I'm sure it's most appreciated by those who knew the lore behind this story beforehand. Those who recognize the characters such as Lux, Garen and Quinn will get much more satisfaction from this novella than those who go in without any knowledge.
If you're not into detailed medieval battle, this book might be a skip as a major part of it is about a single battle. I personally loved the way it was written and I hope there's more to follow.
It's a great start and I hope a first step in the direction of covering League of Legends' lore in books which undoubtedly comes with endless opportunities and stories.
September 27, 2025
I was positively surprised by Reynolds' previous League of Legends' universe book Ruination, and had similar feelings towards Ambessa story of a different author, but in the same world. I didn't really pay attention to the length of Garen story, and so I was expecting something similar, but that's on me.
But not only the number of pages was a bit disappointing. With a shorter format like this, I feel like the introduction of this many secondary characters, the amount of lore exposition, travel descriptions were unnecessary, and felt wasted. It would be perfect if it was the first of three or four chapters.
But not only the number of pages was a bit disappointing. With a shorter format like this, I feel like the introduction of this many secondary characters, the amount of lore exposition, travel descriptions were unnecessary, and felt wasted. It would be perfect if it was the first of three or four chapters.
October 12, 2025
Anthony Reynolds napisał świetną powieść o Zrujnowaniu, tj. historię Viego i Kalisty. Ta książka była tak dobra, że z rozmachu zabrałam się za opowiadanie o Garenie pióra tego samego autora. I skończyło się jak to w Demacii... mdło. Wieje nudą, Cithria dołącza do garenowego oddziału, który wyrusza z misją zbadania niepokojącej sytuacji w Nockmirch. Ciotka Garena się chmurzy, bo nasz złoty chłopiec nie śpi po tym, jak króla zamordowano. Imo przyczyną bezsenności Crownguarda jest poznanie Katariny albo zniknięcie Lux, ale co ja wiem. No i wybierają się w drogę, w Nockmirch oczywiście za wesoło nie jest... ale wciąż nudno. Nie wiem, nie lubię tego idealnego, przesiąkniętego hipokryzją regionu, w którym prześladują magów. Co innego takie Bilgewater, Ionia czy mój ukochany Freljord.
October 24, 2025
Even though it’s been a long time since I stopped playing LoL, I’ve always kept up with its universe and lore.
In this book, we follow Garen and his team, First Shield, on their journey — exploring Demacia’s mentality, wars, plenty of action, and mysteries.
It was really enjoyable to see characters who don’t get much spotlight in the games but have their own place in the universe.
Ruination: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
In this book, we follow Garen and his team, First Shield, on their journey — exploring Demacia’s mentality, wars, plenty of action, and mysteries.
It was really enjoyable to see characters who don’t get much spotlight in the games but have their own place in the universe.
Ruination: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
March 5, 2021
Let's get this out of the way: This is a long short story based on characters from a computer game. If you are not a fan of the game it's based on, League of Legends, then you should absolutely not read this book. There are hundreds of better fantasy books, even for the young adult audience this seems to be written for.
Criticism aside, I am a fan of League of Legends, and I found this to be a fun and very welcome exploration of that universe. I would love to read an 800-page exploration of Demacian politics, and I hope that Riot continues to explore the world in novel form.
Criticism aside, I am a fan of League of Legends, and I found this to be a fun and very welcome exploration of that universe. I would love to read an 800-page exploration of Demacian politics, and I hope that Riot continues to explore the world in novel form.
January 10, 2025
More - RedOne Jimmy Joker Remix by Usher
Short, simple, but still really good. Like ik riot wants the books/lore to be accessible but like if ur selling a book or e-novella lol u can make it a bit more nuanced. Idk prolly not the point. Kinda wish it had drawings or pictures to accompany certain scenes, that woulda been sick but at least there’s tons of stuff from LoR for that. I def wanna read the ambessa novel when that comes out, maybe the ruination one, and prolly gonna read some stories from universe too now.
Short, simple, but still really good. Like ik riot wants the books/lore to be accessible but like if ur selling a book or e-novella lol u can make it a bit more nuanced. Idk prolly not the point. Kinda wish it had drawings or pictures to accompany certain scenes, that woulda been sick but at least there’s tons of stuff from LoR for that. I def wanna read the ambessa novel when that comes out, maybe the ruination one, and prolly gonna read some stories from universe too now.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 25, 2022
Short and simple, yet complex in introduction
I hope more novels like this are released to explore more of these characters and others and this world. This really showed Garen, Cithria and the Vanguard's strength, determination and why they protect Demacia. While it didn't delve too deep into the world or even individual characters and relationships, it implied, hinted at, and gave just enough explanation that there was no confusion and you could enjoy the full story.
I hope more novels like this are released to explore more of these characters and others and this world. This really showed Garen, Cithria and the Vanguard's strength, determination and why they protect Demacia. While it didn't delve too deep into the world or even individual characters and relationships, it implied, hinted at, and gave just enough explanation that there was no confusion and you could enjoy the full story.
February 9, 2021
Wow, fue un corto pero intenso viaje. Y la verdad? estoy sumamente satisfecho. Espero que Riot vea mayor potencial en esto y saquen más novelas próximamente. Pues expanden su historia general, la de sus personajes y algo que me encantó es que expanden la de algunos secundarios que miraré con ojos estrellados jajaja. (Lo digo por Cithria, espero un futuro prometedor)
June 2, 2022
Being familiar with the characters from the game this novella was based on, I had high hopes and was not disappointed. The banter among the group and the tropes the characters were based on were familiar but fun. A quick read, but the settings felt well established. Excited for more from the author in this world.
May 10, 2023
This is barely even a story, if we're being honest. It reads a bit like a novella-ization of a MOBA game, which I guess was the intention. But nothing really to write home about in terms of plot or character development. Far from the worst fantasy book I've read, but didn't quite scratch the Runeterra itch I got from watching Arcane.
October 24, 2025
Fun, short read, but there's not a lot going on. The action is written very well, but the characters are kind of one note (as expected from Demacians I suppose) and it's really just one battle described in really rich detail. I liked Ruination way more than this, even if this is a lot less to work with. Still fun though.
December 24, 2020
The first ever League of Legends novella from Riot Games, Anthony Reynolds’ Garen: First Shield is an action-packed tale of duty and determination that offers a glimpse into the life of the elite soldiery of Demacia. Still wracked with guilt for his inability to prevent the assassination of the Demacian King, Garen Crownguard leads a small force of the Dauntless Vanguard on a peace-time mission to a neighbouring, allied nation. Recent communications from Demacia’s ambassador to the Nockmirch have proven suspicious, and the mission is simply to check that all is still well, but when the Vanguard’s arrival reveals a plot that threatens the security of Demacia, Garen and his warriors find themselves vastly outnumbered by a ferocious enemy out for their blood.
First Shield does a pretty good job of finding the balance between action and insight, adding new detail to the setting and the characters without neglecting the basics or overwhelming newcomers with too much new information, or putting them off with endless references to assumed knowledge, all within the constraints of a novella. There’s lots to enjoy, as long as you recognise that this isn’t a full-length novel, and therefore needs to touch lightly on some elements. In-depth character studies or geopolitical explorations may come in future League stories, but until that happens First Shield is a good place to start.
Read the full review at https://www.trackofwords.com/2020/12/...
First Shield does a pretty good job of finding the balance between action and insight, adding new detail to the setting and the characters without neglecting the basics or overwhelming newcomers with too much new information, or putting them off with endless references to assumed knowledge, all within the constraints of a novella. There’s lots to enjoy, as long as you recognise that this isn’t a full-length novel, and therefore needs to touch lightly on some elements. In-depth character studies or geopolitical explorations may come in future League stories, but until that happens First Shield is a good place to start.
Read the full review at https://www.trackofwords.com/2020/12/...
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