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The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang

 


The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang is the first book in a fantasy trilogy set in a country that looks a lot like China. In fact, early twentieth century Chinese history is the inspiration for this story. Most sword and sorcerer fantasies that I am familiar with, seem to be set in land that looks an awful lot like historical Europe (Middle-Earth, Westeros, etc.), so why not have one in a land that looks like historical China? The story takes place in a large mainland country, Nikan, which often finds itself at war with the powerful island nation Mugen.

We meet our protagonist, Rin, at the age of sixteen as she is taking a test to get into Nikan’s military academy (the only way she can go to college as it is free but very difficult to get into). The first third of this book feels almost like an adult Harry Potter with martial arts in place of magic, as Rin makes her way through the rigors of the academy. But then war comes and the story takes a very dark turn. Kuang shows war in all its brutal horror. This is not a YA book. It is not for the squeamish.

There is a massacre that Rin misses, but what happened there is described to her and her companions in all its gory and disturbing detail. It is so brutal and evil that I kept telling myself this is a work of fiction, right? I found that this massacre was based on the Rape of Nanking, which most people in the west don’t know much about because it was happening at the same time as the Holocaust in Europe. After reading the book I had to go and look up the Rape of Nanking which I admit, I did not know anything about other than the name. The horrors described by Kuang are exactly the same horrors that happened in Nanking. Fiction it may be, but it is based on real events. She did not exaggerate, and that is the most horrific realization of all.

The character of Rin is vulnerable and makes for a lovable protagonist, at least at the outset. She is an outsider wherever she goes. She is a war orphan who is not loved by her foster parents. She goes to the academy where she is an outsider by virtue of her dark skin and rustic accent. She chooses to study with a master that no one else studies with. She joins a military unit of outcasts and she does not even fit in well with them. Rin grows, discovers her power, and changes in the course of the book (not always for the better). This is a war story after all, and war brings out the worst in humanity. Eventually she has to ask herself if accomplishing her goal is worth the price. There is always a price.

I don’t want to make it sound like this is a dreary depressing book. There are certainly moments of that, but it is also an adventure, a quest for good over evil. Rin does make friends along her journey that help her along her way. She grows and she learns. The Poppy War is a character-driven dark fantasy that will hook you to the end. I look forward to reading the next book in the series, The Dragon Republic.

 

(My science fiction novel Star Liner, is now available in paperback or as an e-book through Amazon and other online sources).

Star Liner

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