The Poppy War - R.F. Kuang

The Poppy War - A Review

I had the privilege of hearing Rebecca Kuang talking together with Shannon Chakraborty at VoyagerCon last month on a 'Myth and Legend' panel.  I found both authors to be very engaging and really enjoyed listening to them talk about their work.  

I'd recently seen some noise on Twitter around the second book in this series, The Dragon Republic, and my interest had been piqued.  I picked up The Dragon Republic at the Con and had the pleasure of meeting Rebecca Kuang afterward to have the book signed.  I ordered The Poppy War whilst on the train home and looked forward to getting started with this debut novel.

It's a wild ride that takes a likeable character, builds her up and then throws her into a world where all hell is breaking loose.  I greatly enjoyed this and would heartily recommend it.  I think it's going to shape up into a brilliant series and I'm looking forward to taking on The Dragon Republic next!

This tiny excerpt from the middle of the book probably sums up some of the tone of the novel, and exactly why I loved it;

'On the sixth day, the empress formally replied that Ryohai could go fuck himself.' 

So, The Poppy War to open up,  here's what I thought...  (I will try my best to keep this spoiler free!)

TL;DR version

Part I: A great introduction to characters, the world and its politics, history and more.
Part II: Enhancement of existing characters, introductions to new ones and the meat of the story.
Part III: OH DEAR GOD R.F. KUANG, WHAT AM I READING?!?!

The long version...

Meet Rin

What can I say about Fang Runin, Rin for short?  She's exactly the kind of character I enjoy reading.  Driven, no nonsense and meets adversary head on.  Rin is the main character that we follow from rural peasantry, to one of the most prestigious military academies in the land and beyond.  The methods employed to ensure she gains entry to Sinegard are a hint at the lengths she's willing to go to to achieve her goals.  Add to this the monumental decision she makes early on at Sinegard academy to help her level the playing field (it's gut wrenching) and we're building a very clear picture of what this girl is made of. 

Rin's primary driver at the start of the novel is to escape the tough hand that she was dealt upon becoming a war orphan.  She goes out and gets what she wants, doing everything possible to achieve success.  Every step of the way Rin is literally and metaphorically fighting and the book is written in such a way that you're right there with her, the whole way, experiencing it as she does.

Rin's willingness to make the difficult choices is a theme that carries through right up to the end of the book.  It feels like there is probably more to come, but I suspect book two is likely to start delving into some of the consequences of these actions.  I look forward to continuing with Rin on her journey. 

Sinegard & Nikan

There's multiple levels to the book, which helps enrich the story.  We have the main characters and the development of relationships between friendships, authority figures and intense rivalries.  Then, a level above that we have political manoeuvrings between domestic provinces as well as hatred between nations.  

Throughout it all runs a constant thread of intrigue.  We're presented with a foundation of historical events that are referenced with multiple theories and rumours around what happened and why.  An example of this, which is quite central to a lot of things in the book, is what happened to the island of Speer and its people (I'm not going to tell you, you'll have to read it if you want to know).

Beyond the recent history and political machinations we are, on occasion, also taken even further back through myths and legends.  This feels like a world that has been well constructed from the ground up.  Although a debut novel, it feels as if R.F. Kuang is a true master of her craft.  Despite being the first book, there is so much background provided that it really helps to build a solid context, without ever feeling like its too much information or a crutch for a plot point.

Sinegard is a great introduction and vehicle to a lot of this.  The students are, more often than not, the sons and daughters of the rich and powerful with all of the influences and prejudices that come with it.  Rin faces a constant uphill struggle to prove herself equal.  The vehemence of some of this rivalry really comes through in the writing.  Think Draco Malfoy against Harry Potter on steroids!

The different classes at the academy offer insights into the culture and history of the country.  From the history lessons themselves, through to strategy and combat there are different facets explored of this heavily Chinese influenced environment and world.

We're also introduced to one of my favourite characters; Master Jiang.  Unless I'm mistaken, Rebecca Kuang described Master J at VoyagerCon as enjoyable to write because, I quote,'dude is batshit crazy'.  It's an apt description of the Lore Master at Sinegard, largely conspicuous by his absence, before taking a personal interest in Rin.  Through Jiang we are introduced more to the concept of gods and shamanism, that takes a much more prominent role toward the middle to end of the book. 

War

As the opening section comes to a close we're treated to the line I referenced earlier and the break out of war between two old enemies.  The following two parts of the book focus on this, as you might expect from a novel with 'War' in the title.

For me, this is where the tone of the book gets turned up to eleven.  With Rin and her journey through Sinegard things are at a more personal level, but with war, R.F. Kuang starts to explore things on a much larger scale.  I consider myself desensitised to a lot of things, but the visceral imagery of some of the atrocities of warfare within this book are impactful, to say the least.  It's certainly not for the faint of heart.

Rin joins up with a unit in the country's militia known as the Cike, who are outside of the traditional military and each province's division of forces.  The Cike are employed for specific and particular tasks.  As you would expect from a group of dangerous killers they're a band of misfits, that make for rich characters outside the strict and restrictive mould painted at Sinegard that Rin was struggling to fit in the first section of the novel. 

The members of the Cike each have their unique talents, which are well demonstrated throughout the time the novel spends in the coastal location of Khurdalain.  If I'm honest, I think my favourite member of the group would be the resourceful Ramsa.  There's more complex relationships and interactions to be had here between comrades, old acquaintances and authority, both inside and outside of the Cike.

In terms of walking through the book I'll leave it there, as to take it forward and delve into the war, or focus on shamanism would spoil things, if you haven't already read the book (if not then do so right now!).

What did I think...

This was undeniably a fantastic read and a thrilling journey.  It's very dark and grim at times and always leaves you wanting to see what happens next.  Some of the interactions between characters and the things they come out with did prompt a number of laugh out loud moments.  With some of the heavy content these moments of levity come as a welcome relief, before cresting the next climb of this rollercoaster of a novel.

There are characters, events and several plot streams that leave you wanting more.  Frankly, I can't wait to get started on The Dragon Republic (my Wheel of Time re-reads will have to wait a little longer)!

I would score this book an easy 9/10.  

As I say, I would throughly recommend this to anyone, except children, don't let children read this book!  Let me know what you thought of The Poppy War, and I hope you enjoy(ed) it as much as I did.

I'm now off to London for an evening with Joe Abercrombie, who will be talking about his new book A Little Hatred.

Cheers,
Steve L

The Dragon Reborn (Wheel of Time Book #3)

He Who Comes With The Dawn...

Book Three has been my favourite of the series so far, continuing to build on the books that went before it.  As ever, the ongoing world building and development of characters continues to help you invest more in this sprawling epic.  For me, it helps grow fondness for your preferred characters, story arcs, and having a better appreciation of the different specific locations, politics and overall setting.

The Wheel of Time series is a classic multi-view fantasy epic.  As the series progresses in Book Three we find ourselves viewing events through three distinct perspectives.  This is a change from the book before, that although it did jump around a little, was predominantly from Rand's point of view.   In juxtaposition, we start this story with Perrin, moving to Egwene and then Mat.  The remainder of the book switches between these three with only small hints from Rand.

It's an interesting approach.  Throughout The Great Hunt, we're learning more and more about Rand and experiencing his thoughts and struggles, only for him to be conspicuous by absence in The Dragon Reborn.  That being said, the emergence of the others, with their own complexities and motivations is enjoyable.  I confess that Mat's understanding of how Luck now plays a bit part in his life piques my interest.  He's more on the begrudging side of heroism, but he's certainly a fun character.  We follow him from Tar Valon to Caemlyn and then to Tear, unable to extricate himself from events, however much he wishes he could.

Perrin is more stoic in his approach.  Starting out with Moiraine, Lan and Loial we follow his journey to Tear, chasing after Rand, who leaves the group very early on.  He continues his struggles with the changes that have befallen him and the consequences of what that means.  There's a moment toward the end of the book where he gets to spend some time in a blacksmith's forge, providing a reminder of his quiet, and somewhat contented, life before the events of The Eye of the World.

The age old joke of each of the three young male protagonist's views on their counterparts success with women continues to be referenced.  We're introduced to a woman, Zarine/Faile, who attaches herself to Perrin and the party, following her calling as a Hunter of the Horn of Valere.  It feels as if she will be a significant part of the immediate books and the growing interactions between her and Perrin provide a slight reprieve from the seriousness of the party's goal.

Egwene, Nynaeve and Elayne, like the others, spend the length of this book journeying for Tear, which you may have guessed is the culmination of events for The Dragon Reborn.  Each of the first three novels in the series share a structure of characters journeying to a single destination where a significant event takes place.  The second and third are similar in that it has our characters making that journey independent of each other and coming together for the conclusion.  This in itself is representative of the driving theme of the Wheel of Time's pattern weaving events along a pre-ordained course.  

The early novels surround the emergence of The Dragon, a revered figure from history, charged with breaking the world, yet destined to be reborn and come again.  The events surrounding the resurrection of a figure who has a multitude of tales told about him to the point of terrifying the population of Jordan's world are the initial focus of these novels.  Essentially there are a number of prophecies to be satisfied, which will indicate the Dragon's latest incarnation.  Tear is the location for one of these such prophecies to be realised.

Throughout The Dragon Reborn there is also more acknowledgement of the Forsaken.  They are exceptionally powerful individuals, who should be imprisoned alongside 'The Dark One'.  They're one of many examples where an idea that has been referenced earlier in the series is beginning to be iteratively built upon.  In this book we're shown the kind of impact that they have, more often than not looking to covertly establish themselves in high profile position's of power, pulling the strings to their own ends.

There is also more prominence for the Aiel, a warlike people from a harsh environment, who were referenced in Book One, appeared briefly in Book Two and then fully featured in Book Three.  They are as good as example as any as to how Jordan patiently builds concepts and plot.

At this point it's impossible to tell what would happen in Book Four, each book so far has been part of the whole, shared concepts and structure, but each been very different in their own right.

In terms of a score, I would have to continue a trend of 0.5 increments, giving The Dragon Reborn 9/10.

Let me know if you agree with my thoughts, or how you found this book by leaving a comment.

I'm actually going to take a short break from The Wheel of Time for my next read or two, to try and catch up with some of my backlog!  Next up will be R.F Kuang's The Poppy War.  I'll share my thoughts on that and be back with Book Four, The Shadow Rising in the near future.

Cheers
Steve L