4/5 Stars Masterfully penned, vividly brutal, wonderfully unique fantasy
I borrowed this book from my son who recommended it to me and after hearing much about it I was intrigued to give it a read. I love Asian-inspired fantasy and historical fiction, R E Feists’ and Janny Wurts’, Daughter of the Empire Series and James Clavell’s Shogun being two of my favourites.
It is easy to see the parallels drawn in this book to ancient China. The Nikan Empire being China utilising the 12 Chinese zodiac signs for each province (Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Boar). The Mugen Federation is Japan and Speer, Taiwan (maybe) but set to an obvious mythological fantasy theme.
It centres around our young hero, Rin, a dark-skinned peasant girl from Rooster province who is a war orphan. Rin passes the Keju – the test to find the most talented students in the Empire for training in the prestigious Sinegard academy in the capital and is set against the backdrop of a looming menace in the east, the Mugen, who are warlike and threatening an invasion and a third Poppy War. It’s the title of the book so you can kind of guess what happens.
First of all, the book is masterfully penned, you get a real sense of old-world China and the seedy underbelly that exists in big towns and cities, the crime and squalor of the poor. The corruption, aggrandisement and self-interest of the rich and powerful, wonderfully underpins it all. Rin is a young girl, smart and quick-witted but one with few choices of her own. At best destined to a servile life married to whichever merchant pays her bride price and at worse to a brothel, Rin forces her own path and chooses her own destiny. But with each decision she makes she is confronted with harder choices and newfound fears.
I thoroughly enjoyed Rin’s journey and the careful construction of events which unfold throughout the story. There are twists and turns, great protagonists and antagonists abounding, all with a mythical hint of ancient gods and shamanistic magics in play that felt wonderfully unique. This is not a book for the faint of heart though. Many scenes, especially from Act 2 onwards are very graphic and visually brutal, painting a grim and dark picture of war and the wickedness and gratuitous violence that one human can do to another. It is an allegory in many ways of what is going on in the world today.
However, as much as I enjoyed this book and as much as it was uncomfortable to read sometimes, which I mean in a good way (because it makes you think and feel) there was a tiny part of me that was unsatisfied. It stemmed from my expectation that this was a military fantasy and in many ways, it was and is. But I felt the military actions lacked in depth and execution, narratively speaking. Some scenes were imaginatively told but I could not square them in my head, they seemed unrealistic or out of scene. For instance, a street battle in a city at one point had troops retreating into the forest which made no sense. Likewise, I question the ability of some of the events to have occurred, especially given what was read and what transpired. The eradication of the Speerlies in a single day for example seems nigh on impossible when they had shamans and were the foremost fighters in the realm. A day seems rather fanciful at the least. Also, the martial arts scenes were peripherally told, nuanced rather than detailed and I would have preferred a bit more detail.
That aside though, and moving with the story, I enjoyed the tale very much. It is an easy read but serious and thought-provoking and the story and the immense consequences of Rin’s actions will stay with me until I read the next book. Surely it can’t get any darker?
This is a young coming-of-age book but there is not much light in the telling and consequently is not suitable for young readers in my opinion. I will finish by saying that R.F. Kuang is a supremely gifted storyteller in my eyes and very talented and if you like your fantasy dark then you would do well to give this fresh and original book a try.
P.S. A final footnote for my subscribers. The first three books of the Morhudrim Cycle (comprising Rivers Run Red, Shadows Fall and Darkness Resides are on a Kindle Countdown deal on Amazon.com and Amazon.uk for 0.99 each until the 27th of May. Please help me generate a few sales by spreading the news to friends and family who might be interested in my fantasy books. Thank you.)
A D Green 