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Lili K. Buckley is an Armenian-born author of epic fantasy whose work is shaped by a lifelong fascination with history, poetry, and the enduring power of memory. She published her first poem at the age of nine after spending much of her childhood immersed in Armenian and Russian classics, memorizing verses and imagining the lives of the kings, queens, and forgotten women who filled the pages of history. She studied Psychology and English at the ASPU before earning a Master's degree in Psychology from Harvard University. Her understanding of human behavior lends emotional depth and psychological nuance to her characters, while her lifelong fascination with history shapes the worlds they inhabit. Her novels explore power, identity, sacrifice, and the enduring weight of legacy, weaving intimate human stories into sweeping tales of war, myth, and destiny. She believes the finest fantasy does not escape history; it illuminates it, revealing timeless truths through imagined worlds. That philosophy lies at the heart of The War of Nine Kings series.
Please tell us a little about yourself and Gates of Thiros.
I write epic fantasy where war, memory, and identity shape everything. In Gates of Thiros, I’m interested in what power costs, what it takes to lead, to love, and to hold onto yourself when the world tries to strip that away. A lot of my work is influenced by history, especially Armenian history. There’s a weight to it—endurance, cultural memory, survival through loss—that stayed with me. That sense of identity carrying through generations shaped how I write lineage, legacy, and conflict. To me, history isn’t past. It lingers in blood, land, and language.
I’m also interested in how power intersects with gender. Waenia is not written as a conventional heroine; she is politically aware, emotionally direct, and often deliberately defiant in spaces where women are expected to be restrained. She speaks, challenges, and acts without waiting for permission. That’s intentional. Her dynamic with the king reflects another dimension of that idea. His support isn’t just paternal; it’s structural. It signals a world where authority can choose to empower rather than contain. I was interested in that tension: how much of strength is innate, and how much of it is permitted or nurtured.
Why did you choose to write science fiction and fantasy?
Fantasy lets me make internal truths visible. It gives form to inheritance, to trauma, to power, turning them into systems, forces, even weapons. In many ways, fantasy is closer to historical truth than realism, because history itself often feels mythic in scale.I did not choose fantasy as an escape, but as a means of confrontation. It allows me to ask questions about destiny, sovereignty, and human cost without the constraints of a single time or place, while still being anchored in the emotional truths found in real histories.
How did you construct the worldwithin your novel?
I start with a core idea and build outward—in this case, power tied to memory and emotional cost. That shaped the magic, the politics, even how characters relate to each other. From there, I layered in historical influence: kingdoms that feel old, shaped by past wars, pride, and long memory. I wanted the world to feel like it existed long before the story begins.
Which do you prioritize and why—storytelling or worldbuilding?
Storytelling. Worldbuilding matters, but it should support the story, not compete with it. If it’s done well, the reader feels the depth without being pulled out of the moment. The story is what carries everything forward.
How did you research your book?
I focused more on patterns than direct references: how kingdoms rise and fall, how power shifts, how people hold onto identity through conflict. Armenian history was a major influence in that sense.I wasn’t trying to re-create history, but to capture its weight, how it shapes people, and how it stays with them long after the moment has passed.
BY KIRKUS EDITORS • MAY 31, 2026
Lili K. Buckley Talks About
‘Gates of Thiros’
L. K. Buckley "Lili K. Buckley Talks About ‘Gates of Thiros’." Kirkus Reviews, vol. XCIV, no. 11, June 1, 2026, p. 45.
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