The Reading Bud

Welcome to the TRB Lounge. Today, we are featuring John Hempstock for their latest release, The Awakening — Book 1 of The Sleeping King Trilogy.

Book: The Awakening — Book 1 of The Sleeping King Trilogy by John Hempstock
Author: John Hempstock
Publication Date: 2026
Publisher: John Hempstock
Pages:
Genre: Epic Fantasy / Dark Fantasy
Available in: Ebook, Paperback, Hardcover
For Readers who enjoyed: Brandon Sanderson (The Way of Kings), Robin Hobb (Assassin’s Apprentice), Robert Jordan (The Eye of the World), Patrick Rothfuss (The Name of the Wind), Joe Abercrombie (The Blade Itself)

About the Book

In a world where the dead march as an unstoppable Legion, one desperate prophecy offers humanity’s last hope—awaken the Sleeping King.
When the fortress city of Greykeep falls to Maltherion’s Deathless Legion, young scholar Kaelen Vross discovers an ancient prophecy hidden in forbidden texts. The legendary Aregor the Uniter isn’t dead—he sleeps beneath Silverwatch Hill, waiting to rise again when the world needs him most.
But waking a king who once united the realm through blood and conquest comes with a terrible price. As Kaelen assembles an unlikely fellowship—a battle-hardened commander, an elven ranger, a dwarf historian, and a street thief with unexpected destiny—they must face an impossible question: Is unleashing one tyrant the only way to stop another?
The dead are marching. The kingdoms are falling. And the cure might be worse than the disease.
An epic tale of desperate choices, unlikely heroes, and the price of salvation, THE AWAKENING launches an unforgettable fantasy trilogy about power, sacrifice, and what happens when prophecies come true.

You can find The Awakening here
Universal | Series Page

About The Author

John Hempstock

John Hempstock has spent thirty novels asking the same question in thirty different ways: what does it mean to be fully human? His fiction spans epic fantasy, science fiction, climate fiction, and detective noir — from the dying magic of the Sundered Realms in The Sleeping King Trilogy, to a Sherlock Holmes rebuilt for the digital age. John is a Canadian author of over thirty published novels.

You can find author Hempstock here:
Website | BookBub | Books2Read

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