First gracing screens in 2021, Arcane immediately earned its place on the Netflix home page as the animated series that was breaking all the rules. With a razor-sharp edge and a stunning blend of 2D and 3D animation, the show received an onslaught of positive critical reception and even a Primetime Emmy Award. This brilliant, gutsy series reimagines beloved characters from the League of Legends video games as complex individuals with a myriad of strengths, weaknesses and compelling motivations.
Now, as of November 23rd, 2024, the show has wrapped up in an emotional, high-octane finale. But just because it’s over doesn’t mean you have to say goodbye to these characters just yet. Maybe you fell in love with the story of two sisters separated by tragic circumstances, or a cautionary tale about the price of messing with nature for the sake of innovation. Whether you’re team Jinx or team Vi, Ekko’s number 1 fan or a fierce Jayce defender, you can be sure to find a book on this list that will capture the energy of your favorite character and carry on Arcane’s magic.
Warning: this article contains spoilers for the whole of the Arcane series.
Jinx
From pants that look like a “half eaten circus tent” to her Mad Hatter-like tea party at the end of season 1, Jinx exudes a twisted sense of whimsy. With that trait in mind, we suggest picking up Alice by Christina Henry. This macabre retelling of Alice In Wonderland begins in the crumbling cluster of buildings known as the Old City (much like the Undercity), the most notable of which is a rundown hospital. Inside, there is a woman with long, unkempt hair and a faulty memory that has robbed her of an explanation for why she is there — leaving only vague recollections of violence that still haunt her dreams. This book doesn’t shy away from disturbing content, so check trigger warnings ahead of time. But it’s not exactly like Arcane is a cakewalk, either.
If you want to go for a read that’s rooted in reality, you can also check out Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen. This memoir chronicles her stay in the McLean psychiatric hospital, known for famous clientele including one Sylvia Plath. The book is not just Kaysen’s own story, but the story of all her fellow patients in the ward for teenage girls, each with her own reasons for being institutionalized. As you can probably guess, this read also deals with some dark content on par with Jinx’s own turbulent mental health. But the memoir also includes incandescent moments of humor and heart, striving to humanize the patients of McLean and pulling back the curtain into the often-stigmatized world of psychiatric care.
Vi
There’s one book that matches Vi in terms of sheer personality. One that features a smart-aleck protagonist who’s not about to back down from a fight — an orphan in a cruel, uncaring world, who’s had to scrabble for every scrap of freedom she’s got. And that book is Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir. Hailed for its famous blurb of “lesbian necromancers in space,” this Gothic space opera is a title we’ve raved about before, and for good reason; with serpentine plot twists and characters that leap off the page, this book is sure to ease your Arcane-induced TV hangover. And at the center of it all is Gideon Nav, a sarcastic fighter who would probably love to trade in her knuckle knives in for one of Vi’s Hextech gauntlets.
But Gideon, for all her similarities to Vi, is an only child. If you want a tale of sisterhood that mirrors Vi and Jinx’s story, look to The River Has Teeth by Erica Waters. This young adult novel tells of a beast in the woods, one that’s thought to be the reason local girls are going missing. And when Natasha’s sister is the latest to disappear, Natasha is willing to do whatever it takes to bring her back — even if it means turning to Della, a local girl rumored to be a witch. Like Vi, Natasha’s anger and despair at her sister’s disappearance can be keenly felt, as well as her frustration with an unjust world. This story of unapologetically angry young women, complete with a sapphic romance, is the perfect addition to any Vi fan’s bookshelf.
Caitlyn
Caitlyn Kiramman; expert markswoman, Piltover Enforcer and the leader of House Kiramman. Her passion, stubbornness and a determination that leans towards obsession makes her a perfect match for This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone. As we’ve said before, this short sci-fi novel packs a hell of a punch as it unfolds into a spasmodic, time-bending tale of love across enemy lines. And with a red-blue color scheme to accompany its enemies-to-lovers storyline, the book’s romantic arc mirrors the rocky development of Cait and Vi’s own relationship. The novel also reflects Cait’s need to solve a puzzling mystery, as the story must be untangled thread by thread — just like the string visualizing boards Cait uses in her detective work.
As season 2 Cait leads Piltover’s invasion into Zaun, C.L. Clark’s The Unbroken reflects that darker turn in her character. This epic military fantasy explores the full scope of an empire from the perspectives of two diametrically opposed protagonists — a conscripted soldier and a royal princess. Separated though they are by a chasm of power, the two characters broker a deal that may prove to benefit them both, if they can live to see it through. The Unbroken doesn’t shy away from this power imbalance, or the discomfort of an empire’s rule, but instead exposes it. The novel embodies Caitlyn’s journey from Enforcer to Commander, and the choices she must make to repair the damage she’s done upon realizing her mistakes.
Ekko
With a series title like The Mechanists, it’s easy to see why The Rise of the Red Hand by Olivia Chadha would be a good book for the ever-tinkering Ekko. This YA cyberpunk dystopia examines a climate-ravaged future in which the South Asian Province is split in two — with the haves living in high-tech biodomes, while the have-nots are exiled outside, augmenting themselves into cyborgs to survive the unbreathable air and unlivable conditions. Sound familiar? But all hope isn’t lost — like Ekko’s Firelights, there’s a network of revolutionaries called the Red Hand that are fighting to tip the scales. Main character Ashiva is a trainee for the Red Hand, running smuggling jobs for them. But when she stumbles upon a conspiracy about the technocratic government, she’s soon been thrust into a far bigger role than she ever could have imagined.
Another book that mirrors Ekko’s story is Lost Ark Dreaming by Suyi Davies Okungbowa. This post-climate apocalypse novella focuses in on a cluster of massive towers off the coast of West Africa, where survivors of the rising sea levels and eroded climate. Much like how Ekko admonishes Jayce for anchoring the Hextech gates in Zaun, there’s a clear division of privilege in these citadels — the wealthy live comfortably at the top, while the rest are packed together in claustrophobic conditions below sea level. It’s bad enough before they have to face a mysterious threat coming from the ocean’s depths, forcing three of the tower’s inhabitants to shed their differences and come together to ensure a safe future for everyone.
Mel
Mel had a lot to deal with even before the Black Rose Order. As a member of Piltover’s council, she has a duty to diplomacy and statecraft, even though it conflicts with her family’s legacy as Noxian conquerors and warmakers. Add to that her influence on the University of Piltover and you have a great match for Binti by Nnedi Okorafor. The titular character in this pithy sci-fi strives to be the first of the Himba people to be offered a place in Oomza University, the galaxy’s premier institute. But seizing that opportunity means turning her back on her community, giving up her place in her family and entering a world that does not understand or respect her culture. The push and pull between Binti’s academic ideals and her family and legacy mirrors Mel’s own struggle over her identity as her mother’s disowned daughter and a peace-oriented leader in the City of Progress.
Click here to check out some books that we think pair well with Binti.
Jayce and Viktor
After watching the finale, it’s impossible to talk about either of these characters on their own. From their joint venture into Hextech to their final, heartwrenching union, Jayce and Viktor’s stories are irreparably entwined. And at the very beginning of their story was the University of Piltover, the institution that first set them on a path to scientific progress by any means necessary.
If you’re interested in a searing story detailing the faults of academia and the cost of societal change, Babel by R.F. Kuang is the novel for you. Praised by countless reviewers (us included), this groundbreaking standalone blends fantasy and history to create a wholly unique narrative centered around Oxford’s Royal Institute of Translation, a.k.a Babel. Just as Viktor was a disenfranchised child from the fissures who received a unique opportunity at the University of Piltover, Babel’s protagonist Robin is a Cantonese orphan brought to London by the university’s professor for the chance of a lifetime. But as Robin soon discovers, that shot at prestige isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
Now in season 2, things have changed for the worse, with Jayce bearing the brunt of Viktor’s actions as the Hexcore-possessed cult leader. Gone is the fresh-faced “Man of Progress” and idealist councilor — in his place is a broken man desperate to stop what remains of his former friend. The result is a horror story reminiscent of Tade Thompson’s Rosewater, an unsettling sci-fi that unfolds in a small Nigerian town where an alien biodome has engulfed the vulnerable and poverty-stricken of the community. The biodome is famed for its rumored healing abilities — but Kaaro, a government agent, has seen what lies inside the biodome and wouldn’t wish it on anyone. And when agents like him start dying off, Kaaro realizes that he might have to take matters into his own hands to stop the malignant force before it’s too late. With the same slow, unsettling suspense that unfolds throughout Jayce and Viktor’s character arcs, Rosewater is sure to chill you to the bone.
Sevika
Sevika said it herself when she lamented cleaning up all of Silco’s messes — a sidekick’s job is never done. And while said cleaning up entailed a lot more murder than spreadsheets, I imagine she’d still identify with Natalie Zina Walschots’ Hench. This tongue-in-cheek novel combines daring superheroes, mastermind villains and the horrors of capitalism all rolled into one. Professional hench Anna does the books for evildoers, because they need a temp as much as she needs to pay rent. But when her eventual promotion to on-field grunt work leads her to a serious injury at the hands of a so-called hero — like when Sevika’s arm got blown off by Jinx’s bomb — Anna learns that at least villains are honest about the destruction they cause. From Sevika’s role as Silco’s right-hand disciplinarian to her eventual rise as a member of the Council of Piltover, Hench asks whether being a hero or a villain is just a matter of perspective.
Ambessa
Fearsome, merciless and ruthlessly protective of her family, Ambessa demands a novel as powerful and impactful as she is. Those qualities can be found in N.K. Jemisin’s The Fifth Season, an extraordinary tale that follows a post-apocalyptic world and a woman struggling to make sensed of the murder of her son and kidnapping of her daughter — just like Ambessa’s own losses. Determined to recover her daughter by any means necessary, this protagonist travels across the Stillness, an unstable land scarred by the horrors of the apocalypse and the resulting aftershocks thanks to orogenes, people with the ability to move earth itself. The land is brutal and dangerous — but like Ambessa, there are no lengths this mother would not go, proving that both women are a danger to be reckoned with.
Click here to find a few more titles that go well with The Fifth Season. And if you’re looking to add another book to your TBR, consider preordering Ambessa: Chosen of the Wolf — coming out in February 2025 and written by the aforementioned C.L. Clark, author of The Unbroken.
