The Poppy War, by R. F. KuangRead about another entry on the list.
R.F. Kuang sets the acclaimed first novel in her trilogy in a world that’s reminiscent of the China’s economically and militarily advanced Song Dynasty, with a conflict that’s largely based on the Second Sino-Japanese War of the late 1930s and early 1940s, as well as on the earlier Opium Wars. It’s very much in the tradition of fantasy that lifts elements from history and illuminates them in new, fantastical light—just a bit further East than most. The series also matches Martin for sheer brutality; in telling the story of a poor orphan named Rin, who earns a slot at an elite military academy, discovers a talent for shamanism just as war is in the offing, and is forced to make a terrible choice to end the conflict, Kuang pulls zero punches.
Status: Ongoing trilogy
The Page 69 Test: The Poppy War.
Writers Read: R. F. Kuang (May 2018).
--Marshal Zeringue
Posts
