Art of Destiny

A prophecy once promised that a chosen hero would defeat the immortal Eternal Khan. It was wrong. Jian, the young man who was meant to be that hero, now has no destiny to follow and has to work out who he is without one.

His grandmaster, the prickly Taishi, has not finished with him. Taishi calls a handful of retired war artists back into service so that they can complete the work they began years ago.

The story runs through several storylines at once. The assassin Qisami goes undercover to protect a powerful noblewoman, and finds a found family and a sense of purpose she did not expect. Sali was once charged with finding the next Eternal Khan. Now she must lead her exiled clan into a future she never wanted to be responsible for.

This is epic fantasy that mixes martial-arts action with several intertwining points of view. It is the second book in the War Arts Saga, so it picks up after the events that left Jian without his role.