The Grace of Kings (The Dandelion Dynasty)

The Grace of Kings is a refreshing alternative to European-based high fantasy. It's packed with interesting characters, features some great worldbuilding, and engagingly delves into the burdens of empire.

The story is very layered and textured. The characters come alive in you head and your heart. The battles are epic and will pull you into the action. I really enjoyed this book and if you like political maneuvering with a touch of other worldliness then The Grace of Kings is for you.

A readable but not very interesting fantasy fiction novel. As an ethnic Chinese person myself I sort of get what he was trying to achieve in terms of paying homage to epic literature like the Romance of the 3 Kingdoms, but I think it doesn't work out well here and ends up being a drag. The characters are also pretty flat. The interludes with the gods remind me of what Terry Pratchett did with various supernatural beings in his Discworld novels., but unlike Discworld's Tooth Fairy, Hogfather, Auditors, Death, etc. they still don't feel really connected to the events among humans.

I bought a copy because I liked his translations of Liu Cixin's 3 Body Problem and Death's End, but I probably won't be buying more of his original work until it develops a bit.

Very disappointing. I found the writing plodding and the characters less than engaging. The gods aspect of the story was boring. It did not work as fantasy; did not work as historical fiction; and did not work as speculative fiction. It's already in the charity donation pile. For Asian influenced fantasy I would recommend Guy Gavriel Kay's River of Stars or Glenn Cook's Last Chronicle of the Dread Empire series or aspect of Michelle West's Sun Sword series. There is great Asian inspired fantasy waiting to be written but The Grace of Kings is not it.

Ken Liu's novel is a great fantasy, with echoes of Romance of the Three Kingdoms in a fully developed fantasy setting. It is epic in the best, and original sense of the word. An adventure and a meditation on how history is formed.

Entertaining saga told from many viewpoints. Challenges the stereotypical good guy vs. bad guy model. Characters are complex and flawed. Some serious plot holes where you must suspend disbelief. For example, a horse and bow-and-arrow society making the technological leap to steam powered submarines large enough to transport armies in a matter of weeks. Author should have stopped here.

This is a gold mine of cultural and entertainment wealth. I really hope someone makes this into an animation soon. I can see my nephews coming home after school to watch the animated series and arguing who the coolest god/goddess is. Highly recommended.

An admirable, far-ranging epic for people who like this sort of thing. It's not for everyone -- there are an enormous number of characters to keep track of, and the military and political strategizing is less complex than in other fantasy worlds, but Liu manages to make us care about his human chess pieces and their relationships. You can also tell this is a contemporary fantasy epic because the female characters are as important and complex as the male ones, even though the world Liu has created is as feudal and misogynistic as the classical China on which this novel is modeled. A diverse cast and clear motivations keep the narrative moving even when the action gets repetitive.

A little bit interesting, because the setting is a bit different from the usual fantasy fare. But the writing is odd and never really settles in to the sort of tone and narration that makes for an engaging story. Everything is revealed through description and exposition, not through dialogue and action. It reminds me of the sort of writing in collections of folk tales or Native American myths or something of that nature. An endless telling of events, instead of showing the events happen on a personal or human level. I would put this book in the vast middle tier of fantasy books that aren't so awful as to be insulting, but just aren't that great.

A somewhat interminable book. Think "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" meets "A la recherche du temps perdu." This is only the first volume of the series, but you feel like you've read the entire Game of Thrones books backwards by the time you're done. The author is diligent and the writing is fun in parts and the plot is pleasingly intricate. But it just drags on and on with so many reversals of fortune that it starts feeling like a soap opera set in 13th century China.

Great short story writer unable to translate the skill to a longer format. No character development, plot told almost entirely through blunt exposition, all around a boring read. 200 hundred pages in I just gave up.

Found the pace tedious and predictable. Got through the first 100 pages and just lost interest.

Not only is the book overpriced for a digital edition but text conspiracy is turned off forcing you to spend $12 on a "professional" narration from audible....

This is very different from the kind of fantasy I am used to, but in an incredible way. Ken Liu's style, which brings together eastern and western epic traditions, reads like a flow of beautiful paper carvings. Each character flows into and inhabits the narrative in their own unique way, but the texture of the work allows the diversity to shine through without slowing down or needlessly complicating the reading. As a fantasy novel, this book is about big things, yet this book isn't about people trudging, or magicking things, or even good versus evil. This book is about people, why people band together, why groups of people crumble, and why friends can become truer friends or mortal enemies. This is a book about love and hate, war and peace, politics, utopia versus perspective. It is as much about philosophy and worldview as it is about the birth and death of nations. This book is a work of art, and I am already waiting for the next work of art from the author.

It's a bit disappointing to read the book as a Chinese reader. It's like a verbatim of the Chinese history of the war between Liu Bang and Xiang Yu (with names changed to Western names)... However, I recommend his other works such as "Paper Menagerie"

An eARC of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve fallen out of the habit of reading epic fantasy, but it’s still a genre I really delight in. I delighted in this book an awful lot – Liu’s writing is something to truly behold. His prose is beautiful, careful and paints the story he tells vividly. I love the sweeping majesty of the story, love the long ranging story that unfolds over decades – it was magnificent! While I rolled my eyes at Mata’s character often, I really enjoyed reading Kuni’s point of view and his conflicts within himself as he is carried along by the story, much like the dandelion he identifies with. The plot and intrigue of this book are intricate and deadly – absolute power and the ambition for it, the having of it and the outcomes of all of it.

Because all of the characters are so deeply invested in their states, their people, their vision you as the reader become invested and attached to the fate of all of it. I was really drawn into the ruler-vision scale of things, and particularly from Kuni because he also always maintained understanding of how power impacts on the individual. Being afraid of the power you hold, what you can do with it and the responsibility – Kuni is an excellent example of someone wrestling with all of these things and wanting to the best he can.

I felt so let down by this book because there was such a lack where female characters are concerned. And the lack is not because Liu is unskilled in the way he writes them, just that they come across as an afterthought at best. Kuni appreciates the women in his life and in society generally – better than his various counterparts certainly and yet it makes my teeth hurt because it’s a bit heavy handed and comes across as though ‘cookies’ are being sought for having an insightful male character who ‘realises women are people too’ and this takes place throughout the book when there simply could have been female characters – any of the awesome ones we meet late in the book.

We followed Mata and Kuni’s life from childhood we didn’t do that for Jia, we don’t meet Soto until later, Gin Mazita also doesn’t enter until later. Any of these point of views alongside the two male protagonists would have been amazing, because as characters they were amazing and so were their stories! It’s so heart rending. It’s worse in some ways than the complete lack of characters – it’s like salt in a very old wound that remains raw and open. And Princess Kikomi? What a raw deal she got! I was so excited when I first started to read about her, and then before we’d even gotten into her part in the story she’s dead and forgotten.

Books like this are so hard to review because what disappoints is a deep hurt and it colours the entire experience of reading and the wonderful things you enjoyed are less memorable and shiny. So I’m left overall with an experience of ‘meh’ when in many ways this book was extraordinary, inspiring, and a deep abiding reading experience. Except for the way the female characters featured, it’s not a minor point but a major one that sours the whole performance. Which is also to say that while I really enjoyed reading this book overall, I was also content with where it ended, happy with that ending as a total resolution and I don’t think I’ll be picking up the next books in the series (not without some serious recommendations from those I trust anyway).

"Phin held the baby against his chest, against his thundering heart, and after a moment, a teardrop, hot as blood, fell from Phin's eyes onto Mata's face. The baby began to cry.
Phin bent down and touched his forehead to the baby's. The gesture calmed the child. Phin whispered "(some dialogue)". The baby seemed to understand. Hs struggled to free his tiny arms from the flag wrapped around him, raised them towards Phin and clenched his fists.
Phin lifted his face to the sky and laughed into the falling snow. He carefully covered the baby's face with the flag again and walked away from the castle."

I think the above describes my pain reading through this novel. The awkward use -or lack of - pronouns, the hard to read sentences, (many times using the same word; there are a couple of paragraphs where the word "soldier" is used 4 or 5 times in a few lines) and the strange metaphors ("rose to a crescendo”) make this book hard to read.
On top of that, the story is plain -at most. It took me a long while to continue reading this book after I dropped it after the 27th chapter (there are many chapters in this novel) because I felt reading through loose notes from a writer, rather than a cohesive story.
The final note is that this book is full of clichés. Intended or not, the book perpetuates the platitudes of the wise mysterious master who makes his pupil go into nonsensical tasks only to test if the apprentice is worth. The wife that stays home raising children alone while her husband is fighting wars; the hero being good to good, unidimensional character.
I kudo Ken Liu for having wrote this book - I know how hard it must have been, but I think his editor should have done a much better work in terms of line editing and putting a more ingenious story together.

I was fortunate to read an ARC of this book and I can tell you this is Epic Fantasy like you've never read it.

Book 1 is clever, layered, defiant, intriguing, and utterly fascinating. I love the world. I love the diversity of characters and how the narrative seamlessly folds into itself and then blossoms to give way to startling secrets. I kept getting surprised. Also, I love proverbs/maxims from different cultures and Liu delivers. So much wisdom condensed and reproduced here.

Storytelling at its finest. If it keeps going like this the author and I might have a little boxing match. I NEED the next books now.

I had a lot of hope for this series, but it just became so predictable after awhile. The misunderstandings between the main characters are just too obvious and seemed like a bit of a stretch. The characters would somehow have great insight into the motivations of their friends when it suits them, but then suddenly, they would seemingly willingly misunderstand the actions of their friends and then refuse to consider alternatives. These misunderstandings were just not believable plot devices, or maybe its a result of fairly superficial character development. This is very much a 'meh' book in my opinion.

I had never read anything by Ken Liu, so I came into this one with no particular expectation regarding the author. On the other hand, my interests lie in literary SF and Fantasy (G. Wolfe, U. Le Guin, R.A. Lafferty, J. Vance, etc.) rather in the Shanana or Wheel-of-Time type of fantasy products. So, I don't only look for a good story, but for some style in the writing.

This is where I ran into my first problem with this novel: I don't think that Ken Liu has anything that could be identified as a clear writing style in that novel. The dialogs are clunky, the descriptions are pedestrian. There are actually near-exact repeats about one page apart from each other, and are clearly not there for any stylistic effect, but because someone didn't edit the book properly. Basically, the writing is just there to keep the story going, nothing more. There is no pleasure to draw from the writing itself.

Now, if I read this novel as a straight adventure/pseudo-history fantasy novel, I run into a second problem: As others have reported, the storyline is a straight transcription of famous events in ancient Chinese history. For those who are not familiar with Chinese history, this is not a problem, but I found it hard to push myself to follow the predictable adventures of the characters. If at least the author had managed to use his Fantasy settings to develop some good female characters, this may have made the reading more interesting. However, the four active female protagonists (or really only three, because the two wives of the main male character are really "soft, bland herbalist the 1st" and "soft,bland herbalist the 2nd") are really just side characters and not particularly developed.

To me, this novel suffers in lot in comparison to either one of the two "Chinese" novels of Guy Gabriel Kay, Under Heaven Under Heaven and River of Stars River of Stars. Kay also bases his stories on real ancient Chinese history, but he does a much better job of incorporating fantasy elements to his story. And, of course, Kay is a much better stylist than Liu. The only point on which they stand equal is their tendency to write characters that are just too good at what they do.

I didn't find the novel awful, so I actually finished it, but it is still fairly mediocre. It would really take a glowing recommendation from someone I trust for me to pick up another Ken Liu book. And now I am very worried because Ken Liu is the translator of another novel on my read pile (The three-body problem, by Cixin Liu) and this makes me hesitant to pick up that one.

I loved this book. There are reviews that will tell you about how important this novel is (it is, it's a debut novel for an award-winning short-fiction writer). There are reviews that will tell you about how this book is the first of a whole new sub-genre (it is, it's called silkpunk). There are reviews that will tell you about how this book brings a whole new cultural language to an English-speaking audience (it does, Asian cultural assumptions play a key role in every character). There are reviews that will tell of the literary value and the cultural significance (it is and it is). None of that really matters to me, though, unless it's a good read.

And folks, this book is a great read. There's science, adventure, romance, conflict, war, politics and lots and lots of characters. But it's not just science, it's realistic, believable, interesting imaginative engineering. It's not just an adventure, it's an epic of tolkien-esque scale. It's not just romance, it's mature, long-lasting relationships full of ups and downs. It's not just conflict, it's well-intentioned characters that end up battling over understandable value differences. It's not just war, it's heroic and ambitious empire building. It's not just politics, it's intricate machinations and intrigue that goes down many layers of each character. It's not just characters, it's full-fleshed, multi-dimensional generations of families, each with their own history and motivations.

It's the sort of book you'll end up debating which characters you liked more, which characters you wished could have their own book, which small twists of fate you would have liked to see. Even in reading other people's reviews of this book, I'm struck by what's appealed to them (hint: it's not what appealed to me).

Overall, it's a fun, enjoyable read, the kind that you wish could keep going for another 600 pages when you're near the end.

This book reads like a transcript of an oral legend. I prefer writing that give you a window into each character's thoughts and development, rather than just being told what they have become. By seeing into the thought processes and decisions around the eventual course of action, you learn about the character. But this book does not take the time to do that.

Had it been written with more in-depth characterization, this single book could have been a series all by itself. As it is, I cannot truly relate to any of the characters, major or minor.

Interesting world building and an epic scope that also has ambitions of a character study. However, many of the secondary characters are mere caricatures (the easily manipulated, spoiled boy-emperor; conniving courtiers,etc), and the writing is occasionally a bit stilted. The author clearly is aiming at a sort of political sophistication, but for the most part doesn't quite succeed. Still, a creative change of pace from most Western-based fantasy tropes.

Like many others, I enjoyed the world-building and the proliferation of characters. I also can appreciate the inversion of some of the usual tropes in the service of a certain political angle, if you want to call it that. But I also thought the more central characters were unforgivably one-dimensional, and this made me not particularly invested in them. I also thought the plotting was pretty boring -- there wasn't a single surprise in the whole book. Finally, and what ties these two disappointments together, I just did not find Liu's prose to be engaging. At times it read like the really basic fan fics I wrote as a teenager. That's probably overly harsh, and it certainly wasn't always how I felt, but... I was surprised by how unimpressed I was with the writing. I'd pass on this one if I had to do it again.

I didn't care for this book as much as I expected to. Be aware that the story is the military-political conflict between two sides in a setting that is not 2nd-century BC China. There is no other story. The story of this conflict is driven by the needs and desires of a large number of characters, and we learn a lot about the backgrounds of these characters and their motivations. But because Liu tells us about them rather than showing us, even the most important never really come alive. The unfamiliar names also can make it hard to follow some of the less important continuing characters. One notable point is that Liu describes military inventions that give it something of a steampunk flavor despite a setting that otherwise is closer to medieval Asia than anything else.

This book is very plain and reads like a history book in some parts. After reading it i felt a lack of emotion whether a character died or lived. Theres just something missing and i felt detached reading the book instead of drawn into the world. I felt like i was reading a boring history book instead of being drawn into a fictional world. There is no magic or anything except some gods talking to each other. The market has little room for another Game of Thrones because readers want something different, not the same dish served twice.

There are probably twenty named male characters for every female character; nearly every female character is a cliche; the cliched female characters do cliched things; the amount of pages devoted to female character POV is even more of a ludicrous imbalance than 20:1. I first noticed Liu's odd blindness re: half of humanity at the beginning, when infant Mata somehow survives without any women. Even mythology was created by people who knew the facts of life and provided female wolves or cows or something to ensure the baby male heroes didn't starve to death.

Other odd lapses in awareness show up particularly in the last chunk of the book, where it seems like Liu starts handwaving things to go quicker. The books stops really being about planning and choices, and becomes just a series of things happening with occasional deus ex tech machina to ease the path. Thinking about it, I suppose he meant the book to be a study of two men, but if so, he muddled it up by including too many viewpoints and too much cool societal advancement that he wasn't going to elaborate on.

I was also soured by the inclusion of a description of brutal child abuse.

Really wanted to like this novel. And there is much to like, but there were two things that made this a slog. One, the similar names of people, places and animals made it very difficult for me to differentiate between the characters, and there are LOTS of characters, most with four-letter names. Many times I had to look back to see who's who. When an author is dropping names several times a paragraph and they all resemble each other, it really becomes a challenge to stay immersed. Two, please, don't have gods talk about how they may or may not be guiding the characters in a story. It totally deflates a story. I would read for a while thinking that the characters were acting out of their own volition, only to have parts where the gods were seemingly the ones pulling the strings. It turned the characters into puppets. I got about half-way through the book and couldn't go further, despite an otherwise decent story.

Disappointment from an otherwise good author-the sentence structure of a YA novel without the emotions. This book is structured as a China-inspired equivalent of Asimov's Foundation but without the writing style to match. For neater silkpunk technology, get your hands on a translation of Kroka-Refs Saga (written a few hundred years ago). For more complex political, military, and religious manuevering, try the Malazan Book of the Fallen.

Two stars are given out of my deep affection for the source material, which I grew up reading in Chinese, and my acknowledgement of Liu's capable writing style.

However, this book is essentially a translation of popular Chinese history with steampunk elements, different names, and gods that did not affect the story but merely offered commentary. In The Grace of Kings, 95% of the characters were replicas of the historical figures on which they were based, and they had the same relationships to the other characters as in history. The stories and anedcotes were also all the same. The author was not merely influenced by Chinese history, and did not draw on elements of Chinese history; this was a wholesale transplanting of entire storylines.

----SPOILERS at the end of review -----

Throughout the time I was reading this, I was torn between a sense that this was a rip-off of Chinese history and appreciation that the stories of my youth would finally reach a Western audience in a digestible form.

But would the story have been any less interesting without steampunk airships and submarines, different names, and indifferent gods? I think the answer is no. The stories of the Chu-Han has been passed down for two thousand years because they were and are exciting stories of valor and deceit, strength and cunning. In a sense, I wished that this had been written as historical fiction (as all history ultimately becomes), and told as a Chinese story. I cringed at Mata Zyndu and Mira's song before he died; it was simply a translation of what I already knew.

In the end, I would grudgingly admit that the book does the history justice, but it's not deserving of the glowing reviews that it has received on, for example, io9. I assume that the author will write at least one sequel, because Chinese history is rich with exciting stories of rise and fall (Three Kingdoms coming soon, Sui-Tang transition) that he can continue to claim as his own.

---SPOILERS HERE----
Key players included Emperor Mapidéré = Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor; Kuni Gari = Liu Bang; Mata Zyndu = Xiang Yu. Luan = Zhang Liang + Liu Hui. Gin = female version of Han Xin (or Han Xin + Hua Mulan). The Great Wall became the Great Tunnels. The Forbidden City = The Immaculate City. Confucius = Kon Fiji. Chopsticks = eating sticks. Kuni Gari chopped off the head of a white snake, like Liu Bang did when he started. Gin crawled under the legs of a local bully and learned the value of forbearance, like Han Xin. Mata Zyndu had an awesome black horse, like Xiang Yu. Luan met an annoying old man who kept making him pick up his shoes and gave him a book of military secrets, like legend says about Zhang Liang. The eunuch of the second emperor brought in a deer and made all the ministers say it was a horse to weed out untrustworthy ministers, just like what happened in the book. And so on.
----END SPOILERS-----

When I heard Ken Liu talk about this book, I was enraptured. He discussed the Chinese epics he grew up with, and how they are thematically different than Western epics. He talked about how he was determined to set this story in a world that was not fantasy-china, or fantasy-europe, but rather something else all together. And he laughed at himself for writing bits about tax-collection. The tax-collection was interesting! The evolution of leadership was interesting! The development of characters was interesting! Even the tragic conclusion was deftly handled. I was a little skeptical it would be possible to move easily from tight little short stories to the dozens of people and plots you need to move a story this size, but Liu handles it gracefully, and without his prose ever getting flabby. Keep your editor, Ken! Don't turn into Weber.

As much as the structure is grounded in a literary tradition different than mine, I brought a lot of my own culture and bias to it. In the prophetic woman embroidering, I saw the Greek Fates. In the growth of strength into monstrous flaws, I saw the outline of Greek tragedy. In the super-heroic character, I read Achilles, and in his wily, silver-tongued trickster companion, I read Odysseus, who even had a wife in waiting. None of that affected how the story played out, except that I appreciated the twists that did not go the way I expected.

The world-building is spectacular. I chortled out loud more than once. Battlekites! Smokebending! Campfire food that is not stew! Philosophy, art, dance, war machines, and trickery. So. Much. Trickery. Trust no one. Especially don't trust beggars, old ladies, or crows. Anyone who might be a god in disguise. You should also be a little skeptical about your future self, your right-hand person, and your lovers. Your horse is probably ok. Probably. But that doesn't mean you can't love them. Love and trust are not at all the same thing, after all. In other world-building news, it takes time to travel places, armies are bad for crops, and money is finite. I appreciated how that changes the dynamic of the story.

In drawbacks, there is about as much death as you would expect in an accurately-drawn depiction of war. Although less dysentery. Still, it seems like the technological base supports an understanding of proper military and civilian water hygiene. That still leaves a lot of death, a non-zero amount of which is suicide. Also, there are some amazing women characters, some of whom talk to each other, and many of whom play pivotal roles, but the men in their lives have to be convinced of their value to the cause, instead of granting it automatically. Accurate to the world as built, but still disheartening sometimes. On the other hand, Liu does some interesting things with women subverting combat tropes, so there's that.

Overall, I think it's going to get talked about a lot, and it should be, so you should go out and buy it.

Read if: You have ever liked epic, world-sweeping novels, you want to know about how the seeds of tragedy are rooted in heroism, you would really appreciate it if there were several types of women (and men). Also, there are battle kites. Just sayin'.

Skip if: Empires are never built clean. There is harm to children. There is harm to animals. None of it is described in gory detail, but you should know. Notably, I do not recall any forcible rape. It is certainly not a backstory for any of the significant female characters. There are some awful circumstances and people do get coerced into sex, but not onscreen.

Disclosure: I got an ARC of this book after I attended Writers With Drinks and Liu talked about the concepts behind the book.

Is a made up world all that’s necessary to be a fantasy? If so, any story set in a fictional town or setting counts. Yeah, okay, this has gods that interact with mortals by indirectly influencing the world around the characters or speaking to them in what could be a vision, but a bunch of people in this world think that happens (no comment). I’ll grant you threre’s a giant with superhuman fighting skills, but that really it. Oh, and some really big animals that are cool. This is GOT without the monsters and magic and occasional humor (come on, Tyrion has his moments!). And I just can’t get my head around the Asian names. I lose track of the characters; they’re just too unfamiliar to me. Same problem I have with a lot of Russian lit. That’s not a knock against the story or the writing, both are quite good; just an issue that I have. I would describe this as more of of a fictional medieval Chinese political/action story (with a giant) if that makes any sense.

I saw this on more than one Must Read lists, and I was sorely disappointed. Terrible writing, unlikable characters (I hated every one of them), boring world. It was one of the few books I didn't bother to finish.

About a third to a half of the way into reading The Grace of Kings I was convinced this was the greatest new fantasy I'd read in years. Unfortunately, somewhere shortly thereafter the book's quality takes a nosedive, and what had been a beautiful job of characterization and world-building takes a backseat to a perfunctory filling-in of plot points necessary to finish the story within the confines of one book. The early portions of the story are alive, while the latter ones read like something out of a history textbook. I recommend reading it because its highs are towering, magical things, yet prepare to be ultimately disappointed.

I bought this book after reviewing potential Nebula award winners. I had not heard if this author.
This book suffers from probems with unbelievable and inconsistent character portraits. I was especially appalled at the lack of war skills by supposed crafty, brave and successful generals who constantly were tricked and defeated by simplistic, surfacey tricks by the opponents. The characters were either wooden caricatures or bizarrely omnicient gamblers.
The writing style was very asian and comicbook like in that waves of humanity were treated like simple game pieces by kings/marshalls and gods. It read a bit like a giant poem or song that asks the reader to abandon logical plot and character believability. I've seen similar styles in Chinese translations of cultural comparisons of eastern to the western tropes.
I wish I had sampled this book first before purchasing

How has this managed to be rated so highly? And made so many "top ten" lists on the internet? I'm at a loss. I have not read Mr. Liu's award wining short fiction efforts, but I will promise you this one is not award wining. The plot is incredibly overwrought. The characters, introduced at 1-2 per page, are cardboard constructs. There is nor real world building of any interesting variety. The dialogue is formulaic; and, the world, the dime a dozen characters, and the innumerable plot twists are introduced to us by the lecturing voice of an overworked narrator. I take no credit for this analysis, but as one reviewer but it the book, "reads like a wikipedia page." Worse yet, it reads like morality play constructed by a psychopath, with YA feel good moments and elements of horrifyingly graphic violence interspersed seemingly at random. I mean no disrespect to Mr. Liu, who I'm sure has written good fiction in the past, and judging by his CV can likely write a mean legal brief, but no one should pay to read this book.

Very clunky writing, almost just describing event after event. Seems like too many plot points were mapped out and not enough detail given to any singular event or character for them to have any meaning to me, the reader. I have no clue about the Chinese adaptations. It was just the writing style and the non-stop listing of events, ultimately reading like some historically bland entry of just presenting the facts. I gave up after around 150 pages.

The story is really an English retelling of the Chu Han struggle of Chinese history. The fantasy elements thrown in do not mask the lack of innovation and complete plagiarism from a well-known Chinese folk tale. Even the characters are not free from the historical archetypes, with episodes of history copied right out of the Records of the Grand Historian and the Spring and Autumn Annals. Yet this novel attempts to shed itself of any Chineseness without filling it in with any other unique tone or mood.

The writing is also very dull, lacking style to draw in the reader. With both unoriginal content and lack of graceful writing, this book is an excruciating experience.

I almost didn't give it one star because Liu has some interesting ideas, and there were some things that I thought could have been developed into a beautifully built world. Ultimately those ideas aren't enough to counterbalance the lack of development, though, or the way that it's written. I think that he's going for a slightly detached style along the lines of an epic poem, but he misses the mark. Anything that should have time and description devoted to it (e.g. characters bonding or being torn apart by betrayal, or a high-stakes battle that's pivotal to the plot) is glossed over in the written equivalent of a montage. Everything that's merely a detail of the world (e.g. how a kingdom that's only mentioned in passing irrigates its fields) gets, if not pages, at least paragraphs of pedantic detail. It's hardly what I'd call sensory description that transports the reader. (Worse still, the irrigation system doesn't make sense. But that's for a much more nitpicky review!) I got the image of an author who invested his energy in all the wrong places.

Aside from the failures in pacing and keeping tension, I have some serious issues with the way he's characterized the women in his novel. There are a decent handful of female point-of-view characters, yet so many of them only serve as plot points to shape the male characters' stories. The most egregious example is Kikomi, whom I thought had potential to be a fascinating character (despite being the second 'ugh I'm too pretty' character in the book). In the end, she was merely an object to cause a rift between Mata and his uncle. Liu clearly tried to give her more personality than that. He gave her a patron goddess and set her up to be a powerful manipulator, yet he clumsily wrote all of that potential out of his book once her role was played in Mata's life.
Similarly the female general who needs to fight dirty because she can never be a physical match for a man (even though she spent most of her life physically passing as one), the queen who balances on a pole to demonstrate the inherent lightness and agility of all women, and the female recruits to Kuni's army who are relegated to sewing banners and cooking seem perhaps well-intentioned, but utterly demeaning. All of this made me check the publication date in disbelief.

Oh, and this is pretty minor, but why would an author choose to include song lyrics if he is obviously at a loss for how to write natural-sounding ones? They all sound so clumsy!

Previously published at TheQwillery.com

The Grace of Kings, like the dandelion, isn't all it appears to be at first, and you'll be rewarded if you take the time to invest in the story. I have never read nor have I heard of Ken Liu, but I must say I was intrigued after I saw that he has won so many awards.

The story is set in a realistic fantasy world. There are a few elements of the story that have the feel of magic but nothing that is so far fetched I would have to believe a magical spell would be the cause. The gods of this world play a part in the story and use their godly powers from time to time, but I don't consider that the same as magic in the sense of spells and enchantments. There are several islands with Asian nation states that have just recently been conquered by the first emperor.

The story quickly shows the evil acts of a megalomaniac ruler who subjugates the people to build the world as he wishes. The common people of the islands suffer the most under the hand of the emperor and several different rebel groups spring up to fight against the new empire. Kuni Garu and Mata Zyndu start off in two separate paths of rebellion but soon find each other and work together to defeat the Emperor. They become as close as brothers in their fight to end the empire.

This is where Ken Liu showed me what an award-winning writer can do. From this point on, there are no longer true heroes or villains. Liu shows how power corrupts some and how others have the strength to resist power. He shows several times how far a good person must bend their moral beliefs to win if it means saving the world. These are things we've all learned before, but Liu does it so smoothly, without immediately drawing attention to the lesson, that it feels more natural. There are countless sacrifices by almost every character in the story. Liu explores honor with its many different rules and etiquette and how each character interprets it differently to serve his or her own purpose. Liu is a master of political intrigue, there are so many plots, deals, betrayals and rescues that kept me engaged.

This is an epic in every sense of the word. Liu's characters and the world they live in captivated me. I learned so much about each of them that it doesn't matter if I labeled them a hero or villain, I related to each. The world they struggle to free or control is fully realized. Liu spends time on every island and gives the history of so many characters both important and not. This can be good or bad, depending on the likes of a reader. I haven't had the chance to read a true epic in awhile so I feasted on each page and was satisfied by the end of the story. Most of the battles are only briefly described or summarized with most of the action taking place in the political arena.

The Grace of Kings is a brilliant start to what will be, without a doubt, an impressive series. It forced me to reexamine how I look at historical figures and the men and women leading the world today. There is no true good or evil in the world. We flow back and forth between the spectrum. There are acts of violence, mild language some adult situations. I would recommend it to older teens and adults. This is the dream of any fan of epic fantasy. It's also a great book for people who love strong male and female characters, politics and fully realized world.

Ambitious in length, perhaps to the detriment of the story, because at times it felt as if Liu was filling in spaces with superfluous scenes. For me it lacked a certain je ne sais quoi I expect from high fantasy, and it felt disjointed or disconnected at times.
The characters main purpose seemed to be to propel the story forwards, as opposed to them being so developed that the reader is interested in what happens to them next. A bit like props.
I was also surprised by the lack of female characters and the few that did appear were delegated to the role of concubine, mother, mistress and wife. Then again I suspect this is also the case when retelling old Chinese tales of historical triumphs and defeats. Only the leaders and warriors tend to make a mark and be worthy of mention. A cultural aspect rather than a specific plot deficit.
Kuni and Mata are really two sides of the same coin. The only difference between them is one is honest about wanting complete power and the other tries to kid himself into thinking he doesn't.
Whilst I can't fault the beautiful descriptions and the complicated layering of social etiquette and standing, there is something missing between those elements other than just lack of character development, and it being a great read.
*I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley.*

Do you want to read a woodenly written fantasy account of the Fall of Qin and the rise of Han, that combines Wrath of the Titans style gods playing with mortals, a Final Fantasy style setting, complete with airships, and ridiculously tiring fidelity to historical records? The Dandelion Dynasty series is for you.

A lot of fantasy authors take a well known historical setting and turn it into a fantasy setting, some follow that history for most of their plot and characters and incidents. Some like Guy Gavriel Kay are very good writers who use events but create original characters, others like historical novelists write in such a way that they illuminate a certain interpretation of historical personages, and then there are those who create a narrative that is basically history with dragons. All of these can work though I think a higher threshold of quality is required to justify the last.

Liu basically rehashes Sima Qian, one of the ancient world's greatest historians, but where the Grand Historian, was a master of irony and subtlety which he used to illuminate the actions of historical personages, Liu just creates a set up archetypal fantasy characters in the imitation of the official histories overt interpretation of their personalities, and then instead of worrying at the places where their actions seem contradictory posits both divine interference and the exact same evil/good counselors as in traditional history.

SPOILER WARNING

The following contains Spoilers for the novel, Chinese History, several operas, quite a few movies, songs, and tv serials

For example, when the Qin dynasty fell, the former peasant Liu Bang, later founder of Han, who has sworn eternal brotherhood with the aristocratic general Xiang Yu, uses a ruse to capture the Imperial capital, thereby putting himself in a position to become the new emperor, while Xiang Yu is battling for control of the country. Liu Bang hides this information from Xiang Yu and when Xiang Yu arrives to take the capital he is angered, especially after being told of this by a defector named Cao Wushang. Liu Bang retreats and Xiang Yu lays waste the country and burns the capital. Then they have a banquet that goes really badly.

In The Grace of Kings, when the Xana Empire falls, the former peasant Kuni Garu, whose symbol is the Dandelion of the title, who has sworn eternal brotherhood with the aristocratic general Mata Zyndu, uses a ruse involving magic narwhals and airships to capture the Imperial capital, thereby putting himself in a position to become the new emperor, while Mata Zyndu is battling for control of the country. Kuni Garu has a scheming minister who hides this information from Mata Zyndu and when Xiang Yu arrives to take the capital he is angered, especially after being told of this by a defector named Ro Minose. Liu Bang retreats and Xiang Yu lays waste the country and burns the capital. Then they have a banquet that goes really badly.

I may have confused some names there at the end, but I summarized the middle of the book.

END SPOILER

Add in some metal detectors and you have the whole thing.

Maybe my familiarity with the source material has jaded me, but the original material is both more profound and a lot more entertaining,

Again, I am not averse to this sort of thing but it is not that interesting, the writing is weak, and it feels so far beyond derivative. The author seems to specialize in this, he has published a highly praised, rewrite of a portion of John McPhee's Uncommon Carriers, but with Zeppelins, called "The Long Haul", you can probably find it online. I was not a fan but many others disagree. I noticed that the author is a patent attorney, maybe it is my background, but this seems very apparent in his writing. I have read, and reviewed, a translation he did of Liu Cixin's The Three-Body Problem, which I enjoyed immensely, though I did feel that the prose was unusually stiff and wooden, much like a direct translation from Chinese, this has a lot of the same style issues.

I really debated on how many stars to give this, I really didn't enjoy it at all, but it had a certain forward impetus, and the story is inherently exciting, especially if one has not encountered it before. Mostly that while not terrible it wasn't for me. The sad part is that I would think I would be the perfect customer for a fantasy novel on the theme of the Conflict between Chu and Han.

"Epic" in the original sense of the word, yes. "Innovative," "game-changing," etc, a resounding NO. "Astonishing," "sublime, "sumptuous"? Pure, unsubstantiated gushing. I think a lot of the hype comes from people who are simply enamored with the setting, finding it 'exotic' simply because there are a few characters who aren't white and everyone eats their dumplings with chopsticks on islands resembling Oceania.

But as some other readers (with a better grasp of Chinese history than me--so read those reviews if you want more details) have pointed out, it's basically unimaginative, derivative exposition lifting from ancient historian Sima Qian, with new character names assigned and plopped in a different vague setting (which we're *told* about but never shown and never get to feel). Oh, and throw in some airships...suddenly it's a 'new genre' called 'silkpunk.' Um...no. Oh my gosh, kites used in battle! This is not new even if you haven't seen it in Western fantasy before. So frustrating to those of us who should have been the perfect audience for this kind of story and were expecting something truly imaginative.

Even so! If the story was half as "magnificently" written as I was led to believe, I could ignore the unimaginative, derivative plot/characters (which so easily could have been fleshed out and made into something more original). But nope...none of the "graceful," "intelligent" prose reviewers raved about either. Instead, we are told that this happens and then that happens. Sometimes characters talk to each other. Then we are told everything about them as if a character sketch has been plopped into the manuscript, and then we're told how the character feels and what they're thinking. Then they do something or say something but then we're on to the next block of exposition. We never exactly see anything or feel anything genuine for these cut-out characters. Kuni is the only character you might come to like, but everything that makes him likeable is basically cut from the same cloth of the average generic fantasy hero. I had to force myself through this book, even though I wasn't totally sure I cared about what happened that might be different from history (since I knew it wouldn't be told in any sort of interesting fashion). The gods are cheesy, the battles that should be exciting fall flat, the relational drama totally not compelling or believable. Pretty much everything not bad about the story comes from the plot, which is lifted in the first place. So while this is certainly not the worst book out there and is certainly written with more competence than a ton of the genre fiction out there, I sadly felt the need to puncture this overbloated airship a little to balance things out for would-be readers.

If you have lower expectations than us 2-star reviewers and do find a generic setting that isn't European 'exotic,' perhaps you'll feel differently about this, along with some of the happy, gushing readers (whom I envy). If you do choose to plunge ahead anyway, hopefully you'll enjoy it for what it is. Just don't say it's innovative!

[NOTE: I received a copy of this book through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.]

Mixed bag of feelings and opinions regarding this novel: it has the making of a great epic, with battles and politics and court intrigue and betrayals... but more than once, it read more like a history book, which didn't make the characters really three-dimensional.

This is the story of Mata Zyndu, “the Chrysanthemum”, scion of a noble though destroyed family, a powerful warrior destined to do great things and convinced everything and everyone has their rightful place in the world; and Kuni Garu, “the Dandelion”, a good-to-nothing son turned gangster for want of fidning a goal in life first, but who's gradually proving himself very resourceful. As Emperor Mapidéré's reign of terror plunges more and more people into poverty and forced building works, these two men, each for their own reasons, find themselves taking arms in the hopes of making the isles of Dara a peaceful set of kingdoms again... But can thisbe achieved, or will the empowered kings go back to petty squabbling of old?

As a lot of stories go, it is ripe with strife, brothers turning against each other, allies found where nobody ever expected them, faithful families and love interests turned traitors, and... ell, you name it, it probably has it. The pacing was usually fast, covering several weeks or months at times, the novel spanning a few years of fights and rebellion and of trying to build a new world. It never wants for events, for the tide turning suddenly for this or that character, for another character managing to come up with a new deal, and so on.

The setting is reminiscent of feudal Chinese society, with a dash of steampunk (there are rudimentary airships, and later steam technology gets developed). The Emperor is law, everybody's below him, those who voice out their criticism tend to be silenced forever very quickly. Sons and daughters are expected to uphold the family's honour, and if they don't, they often get cast away or at least partly shunned. While I confess not knowing much to Chinese history, customs and mores, the story managed to make me feel its influences, in a good way. I had no trouble imagining the complex sitting and greeting etiquette, or to picture schools with ancient men dispensing the teachings of sages of old (obviously modelled on Confucius or Sun Tzu, but whether this is plagiarism or homage didn't matter much to me, since I liked the world depicted here).

And even though the world of Dara isn't perfect, even though the Emperor is a tyrant and his son a naïve, sheltered teenager, there aren't only bad sides to the “tyranny”: as Mapidéré displaces noble families to prevent them from rallying supporters in their original lands, trade develops (because, simply enough, people sent to other islands long for their home's cooking and clothing, and so on). There's a vision gone wrong in all this... but a vision nonetheless.

On the downside, the writing style, while beautiful in some places, often felt dry and too descriptive—too much telling, not enough showing, making the action read as if it was being told by a remote observer. This in turn impeded the characters' development, as often, too, we're told of their merits and flaws, of how they evolve... instead of being shown. I still found myself rooting alternatively for Kuni, for Mata, for Gin and a few others; nevertheless, I would've liked them even more had their potential complexity really shone through, rather than being recounted. And they really had such potential, considering the nest of opportunities and treasons they went through. So many scenes that could have been between Jia and Risana, for instance, but were told in too few, too short paragraphs.

Also, I must admit I didn't really care for the part played by the gods. So they shouldn't interfere directly... but some did it indirectly... but was it really so indirect... but wait, in the end it's still the mere mortals making history anyway... I sort of get this message, however the way it was handed felt like a series of devices meant to advance the plot, and nothing more.

Conclusion: mostly I liked this story, and may check the second volume later. It had potential for something bigger, though, something grander, especially when the characters were concerned—and in the end, it wasn't so much.

This epic fantasy spans decades, starting with a corrupt rulership that has much of the population enslaved one way or another, plenty of folks plot and scheme for a better life. Folks get their wish, sort of, as factions break away from the old regime. Kuni Garu and Mata Zyndu become leaders of two of these factions and eventually good friends. However, the glory of battle after battle and the resultant peace will test their friendship.

This was a beautiful, sweeping story. The characters were fascinating and the cast was well balanced. At first, I thought the story would be a kind of alternate Japanese ancient history tale with some mythology tossed in. I was a bit off the mark. While this story has that indeed, there is so much more going on. Various ethnicities are represented and while the story centers around a series of islands, there is plenty of back and forth with the mainland. The characters, by and large, know the world is larger than their immediate settings. Also, there are deities gambling on their chosen favorites, finding sneaky little ways to affect the world they watch.

I especially loved the fighting kites. Yes, these are kites that a warrior straps to their back and they are lifted into the air to do either reconnaissance or battle. There are several scenes that make good use of these kites. There are also airships in play as well!

There are plenty of ladies in this novel and they are not trivial bits of pretty fluff either. Gia is skilled at herb lore and administering her household. She’s a fit mind to spar with one of our heroes, Kuni. Late to the show we get a female warrior, Jin, and I hope we see more of her in Book 2. There are other ladies with large and small roles, but these two really stood out to me.

Kuni wasn’t my favorite character in the beginning but he grew to be so. He starts off as a bit of a wastrel and layabout. He gambles and drinks too much and refuses to work. Yes, he still lives with his parents, so they have to put up with his self-centered uselessness even as they see that he’s clothed and fed. Then things start to change for him and he becomes something else by the middle of the book. He kind of stumbles into his calling.

Meanwhile, Mata struck me as a fascinating character right from the beginning. He’s from a royal family and was raised to be a ruler, if not the supreme ruler. He has refined manners and tastes. Plus he is simply physically imposing with his 8 foot stature and his double pupils. Yes, double pupils. Go look that up. There’s plenty of mesmerizing images even if there isn’t a scientifically documented occurrence.

There’s one drawback to this book and that is all the rather long info dumps. The author writes beautifully, so often I found myself in the middle of an interesting info dump before I knew it. However, there are so many of them that I felt that a good chunk of this book was written like a history novel instead of an action-packed epic fantasy. Perhaps that is exactly what the author intended. Even with all the info dumps, I still really enjoyed the tale.

The Narration: Michael Kramer is a long-time favorite narrator and he doesn’t disappoint with this performance. He has a matter-of-fact voice for the longer info dumps and a variety of voices and accents for the multitude of characters. He’s also great with emotions for the more poignant scenes.

This is a novel is filled with good intention but fails due to amateurish execution.

Ken Liu’s The Paper Menagerie collection of short stories was one of my highlight reads of 2016. I was stunned by the beauty and the deep emotions Liu’s stories conveyed. So a full length fantasy novel by him stirred up a lot of excitement in me. But The Grace of Kings feels like something that was begun years before the author wrote his award winning short stories. Or perhaps his talent just didn’t translate to the longer form.

This book strangely felt both too long and too short. I have no problem with a novel which rings in at 620 pages so long as it’s interesting and this was a slog. The book is structured like a collection of anecdotes strung together to form an epic tale. Too often these mini-stories come across as irrelevant backstory or appendices worthy history. But at the same time, most of them feel rushed, as though Liu was only conveying the basic plot without making them compelling. And perhaps that really gets at the heart of the problem with Grace of Kings: neither the plot or the characters or the fantasy realm are very compelling.

There’s an old rule in writing that states “show don’t tell.” Liu pretty well completely disregards this rule, which makes everything fairly drab. He tells us a character is interesting rather than actually making the character interesting. He tells us a battle was great and bloody without ever showing a single sword swing. Even in the grand fantasy sequences, descriptions tend to be terse and flat. The world is described in the same sparse way and never once did I feel like it was a place I wanted to actually see or visit, which is a bit of a sin in the Fantasy genre.

I always hate leaving a review which is just a list of negatives but I found very little here to compliment. I cannot recommend this book and I will not be reading the rest of the series. And for the next few years, until Liu has more practice with writing novels, I think I’ll keep to his short stories (which truly are wonderful).

If I had to choose, I'd take SF over fantasy any time of the day. Then again, two of the five authors that mattered immensely to me during my childhood were Brits who essentially wrote nothing but fantasy. It's troublesome – this genre we like – when you start to think about it; clear notions of genre divisions we used to have as kids don't work anymore. SF&F overlap, more often than you might think. Or like. It's reminiscent, this genre problematic, of the way we as a people experience and know things. There are those who live in rigid structures of bygone morality, invoking tradition as a natural law/oder of things as it suits them, wanting the world of today to be some sort living monument of imagined past, glorious of course, which never quite existed exactly as advertised. These people do not approve of genre fluxes. If it has spaceships – it's SF. If it has elves – it's not.

Then there are those who see the world as ever-changing, ever-shifting chaos, both natural and political, bounded in its place only by the willpower of the participant(s). There are no obligatory roles, rules are but a guideline and life is what you make of it, with resources at your disposal. You can't subdue the world, you can't only go for a ride as long as it'll take you. These people don't have any problems with shifting boundaries, they take the books as they appear, judging them by what they are, not by what they should be.

You can see this conflict in recent Hugo awards craziness, you can see it in almost every other manifest of human experience. You might ask yourself why are you seeing it mentioned here, in a book review? Why does this person rant about his skewered world vision without anyone asking him to? Thing is, you can see that conflict within “The Grace of Kings” as well. After all, it's what it's all about.

Written in a manner of classical Chinese literature (manner which will not suit everyone, mind you), “The Grace of Kings” presents us with a hybrid world (bit of steampunk, bit of magic, bit of feudal people waving swords at each other) in which two figures fight for their vision about the order of things. One is Mata, double-pupiled giant, Conanesque warrior-king wielding two named weapons which drive fear into the hearts of his enemies. Other is Kuni, benevolent rogue, quick of wit, cunning and political finesse who wields people as expertly as Mata wields his weapons. Between them are the supporting cast of advisers, generals, wives, women and random people which always get caught up in a merciless net of history. Among them are Gods, which plot and amuse themselves more or less because of eternity being quite long and boring and you have to make up things to occupy yourself with as you go along. Connecting them all is Liu's narrative, which is but a first part in what I except to be your obligatory trilogy.

This construct seems weird, at least at the first glance. Names are peculiar, declamatory manner in which it is written constantly draws your attention to its presence, story flows and ebbs, both high and low, putting you all over the place, social rituals are both familiar and distant and everything seems otherworldly somehow, almost like you you're looking into some untalented scribe's annals about the imagined, alien world, or better – his account of the alien world told from the only possible perspective – the one of his own history and experience. Which you actually are. Except the scribe isn't really untalented, and everything that's being done is intentionally as false as post-modern texts allow it to be.

On a second glance you start to appreciate the construction of it. Not so much its “messages” (they are, after all, well known and not quite intriguing in any sort of way) but the way in which they are delivered. There's irony here but never a cynicism, light sarcasm which never transforms itself into a farce, there's love for his characters even when they're beginning to look like your average madman and than there's quiet understanding, distant compassion about the life being what it usually is – a messy business.

Ken Liu's book, as most fantasy books are, is anti-modern. It's not anti-modern in a Tolkien's sense of excessive glorifying of the past. It's anti-modern in a sense that it denounces progress. History is circular and science and technology just make the circle spin faster. It's the type of the anti-modernity I can stand by. Resigned and reserved about the world of today but never self-righteous about it. It can be read and enjoyed which is, as you might notice, quite important feature for a book. Give it a go, and see if you'll meet me on a second book. Cheers!

The Grace of Kings, by Ken Liu, is a book that took a good deal warming up to for me, so much so that I considered giving it up multiple times through the first few hundred pages. Seriously considered giving it up. The episodic structure, which I’m generally not a fan of just as a matter of personal taste, was off-putting and distant, while both the characters and the plot felt more than a little flat. So the idea of continuing on for another 500 then 400 pages in the same vein was not all that enticing.

But there was something about it that kept me from just shutting it all down. Partially it was the sense that while the structure was off-putting, it also had a sense of deliberateness to it that left me more open to seeing where the author was going with it. Another reason was if at times the narrative felt like linked short stories, several of them were quite good stories. The same sort of reasoning held true with the characterization. Yes, they did feel flat, but as with the structure and style, I had a sense that this was part and parcel of the author’s intent; that these characters, that this novel, wasn’t poorly written, simply differently written. It might not have been the type of novel or the kinds of characters I usually gravitate toward, but I was willing, again, to let it play out a bit more than usual when a book doesn’t grab me. The relatively uncommon Asian setting/texture also went a ways toward keeping me going.

And then around page 300 or so, things began to shift as focus seemed to narrow a bit onto a few select characters. I think as well I had perhaps set aside expectations and was more going with the flow of what the novel was doing rather than what I’d prefer it did. In the end, I was glad I had persevered and feel comfortable saying that readers who stick with it, maybe even against their own desires at first, will be well rewarded with an unusual but effective story.

The Grace of Kings feels in geography, language, content, mythology, and style as if Liu has taken ancient China and draped it over Oceania (though being not particularly knowledgeable about either area, this could just be my ignorance talking, so fair warning.) The setting is an archipelago of islands collectively known as Dara that has for generations been divided into seven kingdoms, until one of the kingdoms — Xana — recently succeeded in conquering the others and unifying Dara under Emperor Mapidere. The succeeding peace, however, is a restless one, and in fact, the novel’s opening scene is an attempted assassination of the emperor by a rebel seeking vengeance for both his conquered kingdom and his murdered family. In the crowd, witness to the attempt, is Kuni Garu, an irrepressible, irresponsible youth who with his best friend has skipped school to see the Emperor’s parade. Farther away, but no less interested in the Emperor, is another youth — Mata Zyndu, child of a noble family slaughtered by the Empire and raised by his uncle to seek vengeance against the Empire and reclaim his family’s former status.

These two — Kuni and Mata — will be the twin poles around which most of the novel centers, as first individually, then together, they find themselves in open rebellion against the Emperor and then in open conflict with each other over goals and methods. Surrounding and/or moving in and out of their stories are a host of other POV characters: friends, wives, generals, advisors, scholars, adversaries. Some we see in interaction with Kuni and Mata or each other; others never touch directly upon the two main characters, through all are interwoven into the greater tapestry of the plot. Some appear and remain throughout to the novel’s ending; others appear and disappear (sometimes quickly, often violently, a few quite surprisingly). Often, the main narrative arc is interrupted momentarily (relative to the book’s 600-plus pages) with a background story soon after a new character is introduced so we may see how they arrived at this point in the tale.

Earlier I called the structure episodic, and I do think that’s a fair descriptor, especially of the first half of the novel but whereas most episodic novels follow a single character through a series of events, here Liu takes a wider view, skipping around amongst a number of characters as well as zooming in and out of time, jumping ahead months and years as needed, which is why I also said it felt like a series of linked short stories. This did have a somewhat distancing effect, which contributed to my considering giving up as I wasn’t particularly attached to any of the characters.

Also contributing to the sense of distance was that the characters were often presented, at least to my mind, as types rather than as fully fleshed out characters. I’m not sure if this would hold true if I actually went through these early chapters and looked at them in detail, but it felt as if there was a dearth of “interiority,” for lack of a better word (or a better made up word for that matter) — little interior monologue or consciousness, relatively flat dialog that almost felt like pronouncement rather than dialog.

Another way I might describe it is that in structure and character, The Grace of Kings was feeling like a pre-modern (or perhaps pre-modernist) novel. This was true as well in its figurative language. Symbols, for instance, were laid out right before the reader, as for instance when Jia, Kuni’s eventual wife, tells him on an early outing about her favorite plant:
I admire the dandelion the most. It is hardy and determined, adaptable and practical. The flower looks like a small chrysanthemum, but it’s much more resourceful and far less delicate. Poets may compose odes about the chrysanthemum, but the dandelion’s leaves and flowers can fill your belly; its sap cure your warts, its roots calm your fevers … It is a versatile and useful plant people can rely on. And it’s playful and fun.

Kuni is clearly the dandelion, is thereafter multiple times linked directly with it, while Mata is just as directly tied to the chrysanthemum. Another example from much later in the novel occurs when Mata crushes an ant underfoot, and then attention is drawn to that act and what it means. In a modern (ist) novel, even just the former would probably feel painfully obvious, but in the context of The Grace of Kings’ form, it feels fully of a piece with the author’s style.

One might also call this “epic” rather than “pre-modern,” in its focus on type rather than character, its use of a pan-and-zoom style and direct symbol, and certainly in its plot, which contains multiple battles (some of which occur on the page and others off-stage), long-running wars, a slew of nobles, generals, kings, queens, and emperors, long-standing grudges, and a group of meddling gods. Epic, therefore, not in the usual “Epic Fantasy” sense of Erikson, Martin, Hobb, and so forth, but in its more ancient incarnation — more akin to the Iliad than Game of Thrones (here again, my ignorance may be showing, as it’s more than possible that Liu is using ancient Asian tales as his template, given the setting here, but I only know what I know, so I’m relegated to my Western Lit analogs).

Being a fan of modern, and especially modernist literature, and preferring “character-driven” stories with a strong sense of that “interiority” I mentioned, I had a hard time getting into the Grace of Kings. It just wasn’t my usual cup of green tea. But because it all felt so purposeful, because Liu felt so wholly in control of form and structure and narration and style, it led me to trust in the craftsman more than I might normally have.

This sense of craft also began to arise in the way I started to notice the way “performance” kept rearing its head in action and imagery. It is a motif that works as well as an analogy for the way in which the novel is presented — as a performance, more exterior than interior, like players on a stage.

Time and again, these players (most frequently Kuni, but many others as well) note how they themselves, or those they’re speaking to, are playing a role — emperor, general, noble, father, mother. One character thinks of the tales of his family like, “the account of a family that lived only fairytales and shadow plays.” Kuni writes to Jia about a meeting with an adversary, “I hope my performance was convincing … Your Husband, performing the role of his life.” To his second wife, Risana, he makes a comparison between her smoke magic and leadership/politics, telling her: “Authority itself is a form of smokecraft. It relies on performance, stagecraft, and the power of suggestion.” Another time he thinks “he had no choice but to perform, though the performance may cost his friendship with Mata forever.” Jia shares Kuni’s talent, as her housekeeper tells her at one point, while also making a deeper point about performance: “If it’s a mask, it’s a very good mask … You and your husband are both natural actors, but if you’re performing, you’ve kept up that performance for your servants, for the powerless, for the low and base. Sometimes there is no distinction between the role and the player.” Meanwhile, characters slip in and out of disguise, maintain secrets, act as spies and double agents, play the loving wife, the admiring suitor, the lowliest traitor, the most loyal advisor.

One, Gin, hides herself as a boy for the longest time, eventually aging and maturing and moving up in power and respect until she can drop the pretense and attain a rank previously thought unattainable for women. The role of women — the parts they are relegated to, the parts they perform — is an important aspect of the latter half of the novel, and even as some move to their greatest effect within the tightly constricted paths they have available to them, we see as well how Kuni’s open-mindedness and his embrace of the future (as opposed to Mata’s reverence for the past and tradition) starts to slowly change the world so that those roles are expanded. His focus on the future as well allows him to adapt technologies that give him an edge in warfare, but more broadly, it gives him an edge in that it is what drives him ever onward when it would be much easier to simply live a family life: “Mata is the one who thinks the past was perfect, but I think we must perfect the present for the future … Now that I have seen the larger world, I wish to change it, as does Mata. But while he wishes to restore the world to a state that never was, I wish to bring it to a state that has not yet been seen.”

This is the conflict that propels most of the latter part of the book, beyond the more traditional conflict of the first half — an uprising against a brutal emperor. An emperor whose legacy is later re-evaluated even by those with most cause to despise him, in both a lesson for the complexities of the human individual and human history as well as perhaps a warning for those who come into a power of their own.

Like I said, it took me almost 300 pages to fully buy into The Grace of Kings, but I’m glad I persevered. While the novel does come to a resolution of sorts, the ending clearly raises questions for the future, and the epic/episodic nature of the structure also leaves lots of room for Liu to move the story of Dara forward. I’m eager to see where it goes. And if the sequel starts off a bit slow or off-putting, well, I’ll happily give him another 300 pages. Heck, let’s say another 400.
(originally appeared on fantasyliterature.com)

I'm a huge fan of Ken Liu's short stories. The guy's pretty much managed to win an award with every story he published, and deservedly so. I was nervous, however, about him writing a novel, and a fantasy novel at that. So I checked The Grace of Kings out of the library instead of rushing to buy it.

The prose style of The Grace of Kings is that of Romance of the Three Kingdoms. The characters are larger than life in much the same fashion, but with more fantastical/mechanical devices, including airships, submarines, and battle-kites. It's fun reading, evocative of that ancient Chinese novel but telling its own story. The characters don't really develop as such, but rather, do what the plot demands of them. As a result, brothers betray each other, wives play political games that they later regret, and generals commit egregious tactical blunders for no particular reason.

While it's not a waste of time to read it, I suspect I'll be checking out the next volume (yes, it's book 1 of a trilogy) out of the library rather than rushing to buy and read it.

Fans of Tolkein, Martin and similar writers may be disappointed in The Grace of Kings. The dense language and deep detail of every step in a main character's journey is most definitely missing from the first volume of Ken Liu's new epic fantasy. Unlike Tolkeinesque works, Liu's main characters age rapidly throughout the book; decades pass between sections; the point of view shifts, often mid-chapter, between an ever-widening tapestry of characters. Often we hear details of a character's life long before we meet them; just as often we are left wondering about a character's fate because the story demands our attention elsewhere. I won't say the main characters, Kuni Garu and Mata Zyndu, ever completely disappear from the narrative -- they are the focal point after all -- but it's not unusual for the focus to shift away from either or both for a number of pages as Liu concentrats on the thoughts and actions of a tertiary character. These asides at first seem like a distraction, until you realize what Liu is doing -- building not only the world, but the reptutation of the main characters, through these other eyes, and making his tapestry that much more lush for the effort.

So no, The Grace of Kings isn't the same kind of epic as the fantasy masters we've grown accustomed to comparing new epic fantasy series to. Liu's influencs hark back, as he's admitted, to epic poems like The Iliad, The Odyssey and the Aeniad, the Tale of Genji. The style of the novel reflects that poetic tone: Liu strips away all the unnecessary detail to concentrate on character and plot, and how the former drives the later.

And you know what? That lack of minutae made this a more compelling read for me than any thick fantasy novel I've encountered in years. Not that Liu's book isn't thick -- at over 600 pages, it counts as "doorstop" material, I think -- but so much more seems to happen in the same span of pages another fantasty author would use to move his or her characters 100 miles. I don't oftens ay "I could not put this book down," but I can say it about The Grace of Kings. I felt swept up, as the characters are, in these massive historical events. There's an amazing amount of world-building underpinning all of this: political history, national languages, familial ties, the development of lighter-than-air craft that changes the way nations go to war. And like those epic poems Liu references, the Gods masquerading as mortals to manipulate events, and bickering just as viciously as the mortals they move on the board of the world.

Ultimately, though, without compelling characters, the world-building is just that. In Kuni Garu and Mata Zyndu, but also in Gin Mazoti and Jia Garu and a dozen other secondary and tertiary characters, Liu has given us people to care about, to root for, and to rail against when we can see how the decisions they make in the heat of a moment will play out differently than they think. I'm eagerly looking forward to the next installment, to see how these characters deal with the changes they've wrought on their society. (The Grace of Kings is the first of a trilogy called "The Dandelion Dynasty.")

The Grace of Kings has been compared to Game of Thrones, but in my opinion it’s a lot better. Although it’s definitely an epic fantasy that takes things a little bit more realistically, and has a lot of politics, it avoids some of the pitfalls that A Song of Ice and Fire falls into. For one thing, there isn’t nearly as much graphic content - it implies some of it, but it doesn’t make you sit through descriptions of incest (which isn’t actually in it as far as I can remember) or rape. It mentions sexual assaults, or brutal murders, but it doesn’t sensationalize them. It doesn’t gloss over the bad stuff but it also doesn’t make that the entire focus of the novel.

More about The Grace of Kings as its own novel, and less as a comparison, I really enjoyed all of the characters. It developed them really well, so that when you looked at both sides of the conflict (or sometimes the many sides of the conflict) there were characters whose motives and personalities were clear and distinct. A lot of them die, but they also don’t feel like they die pointlessly - they die for the things that they care about, in situations that arose because they were pursuing their goals. Also, the world-building was really fun! There are gods that (kind of) interfere, and seven kingdoms/provinces (depending on what’s happening) with their own customs, written languages, and foods, even! It’s definitely not your stereotypical weirdly twisted medieval England/France setting, either. It’s pretty obviously inspired by ancient China.

In terms of detractions, other people (looking at reviews on Goodreads) tend to think that the women are not as nuanced as they could be (or that there aren’t enough of them). They also have had problems with the beginning, which has a lot of characters that Liu jumps between. Honestly, I didn’t have either of these problems, but I read really quickly, so in places where it may have felt like there weren’t enough female characters or that it was tough to get through the beginning I may have just sped over them.

This first novel by the much-praised short fiction writer Ken Liu is a study in contrasts. Its prose ranges from striking poetic imagery to oddly colorless exposition and stilted dialogue, while its fascinating Asian-influenced fantasy setting is host to a rather unimaginative, if "epic," fantasy plotline. Thematic questions of power and morality are not exactly new territory for this subgenre, but Liu frames them somewhat differently from many of his contemporaries. Readers who come to The Grace of Kings expecting the breathtaking innovation that hype has promised may be disappointed, but this is nonetheless a novel to which epic fantasy audiences should give due consideration.

I have a confession to make: at first, I didn’t like THE GRACE OF KINGS. I almost put it down a couple of times because the book just wasn’t clicking for me. But a couple of chapters in, things changed, and I started to really like the book. By the time I finished, I went back and reread the chapters that I’d mostly skimmed in the beginning because I wanted to see if I’d missed any details.

The reason I didn’t like the THE GRACE OF KINGS at first? I’m a character driven reader. I like to connect to a book’s characters, to have someone to root for or against. But in this book, the country of Dara is the most important character. How its territories and people prosper or suffer based on who’s in charge or how the rebellion is doing.

THE GRACE OF KINGS also has a different feel at first, because of the unique style of storytelling, a style that combines Eastern and Western influences. Once I got used to that as well, I flew through THE GRACE OF KINGS, and was quite disappointed to turn the last page. I need the next book in the Dandelion Dynasty now!

What I liked best about this book is that it explores what happens after you win. Most fantasy books stop when the tyrant is overthrown and the good guys are in power, but THE GRACE OF KINGS goes many steps further than that. Kuni and Mata are opposites in every sense of the word, and the author uses them to show flexible versus inflexible thinking, breaking out of the box versus following traditions, etc. Add in “silkpunk” -- a new technology where fantastical devices are developed from organic materials like silk and bamboo -- and there are some awesome ideas here.

I do wish the characters -- especially female characters -- had more development. I also would have liked to see more females in the book, as they were often relegated to the sidelines or used as tragic devices. I understand that fits the time period, but still.

Overall, I liked THE GRACE OF KINGS a lot, and I’d recommend it for epic fantasy fans looking for something a bit different. I also recommend checking out interviews the author’s done, which isn’t something I usually say, but the interviews added even more to the book for me.

In the Grace of Kings, the author, Ken Liu has created a fantasy world that is epic in proportions. Liu has created the world of Dara and a storyline that is a retelling of the rise of the Han Dynasty. However, this is a fantasy world which includes the meddling of gods, mechanized inventions and mystical powers.

The storyline is massive with lots of minor and major characters which is confusing at first. But, within the first few chapters, I found that I could settle down and follow the characters without having to flip back pages to figure out who was who.

The storyline is divided into short sections within chapters, each following different plots and characters. The sections are interwoven to create a complete picture of a diverse, complex world.

The last third of the story includes shocking reversals of fortune and enough twists to leave the reader excited for the next book in the series.

I enjoyed Grace of Kings and cant wait for the next book in the series.

Overall, I liked this book. If I hadn't read any reviews or press about the novel before reading it, I would probably call it a mediocre to good fantasy novel. However, there has been so much hype and publicity about this release, I ultimately felt somewhat disappointed with the actual book. Accordingly, I feel the need to provide a counterweight to the many glowing reviews that highlight the positive parts of this book -- and the book certainly has redeeming qualities.

First, the writing style is very flat and boring. Having heard that Ken Liu is an excellent writer, I can only imagine that he intentionally adopted this style for the book. Still, it reads like a history textbook. I have never seen such action-packed scenes and graphic violence described in such a flat, boring tone. I occasionally had to read passages twice to confirm that something really significant had happened.

Second, I didn't feel engaged by the book until about page 300. I don't mind waiting for my epic fantasy novels to get going, but 300 pages is a bit much. I was tempted to set the book aside a number of times early on, but I kept going and by the second half the pace really did pick up.

Third, there are many, many characters, but only two or three who feel truly fleshed out. In fact, I might even say that only Kuni ever really achieves any kind of emotional depth or complexity. Quite a few characters die before they receive any kind of serious treatment. I don't mind a book with attrition, but when so many characters are introduced and then killed off in the space of a few chapters, it makes me seriously question the need to care about any of them.

At the end of the day, I am glad I read this book, but it did not leave me anxiously waiting for the next book in "Dandelion Dynasty" series. If you are a lover of fantasy, it's worth a read, but temper your expectations or you may be disappointed.

There’s been a lot of anticipation about the release of THE GRACE OF KINGS, Ken Liu’s debut novel. If you haven’t heard of Ken Liu, he’s an accomplished writer of short fiction – his story, PAPER MENAGERIE, won the Hugo, the Nebula and the World Fantasy Award. I was very excited to get an advance review copy, and I’m glad to say that it didn’t disappoint.

Emperor Mapidéré has achieved the seemingly impossible dream unifying of the islands of Dara, but he’s dying, and his empire is buckling under the strain of his autocratic rule. In a time ripe for rebellion, Kuni Garu, a charismatic working-class rogue (the “Dandelion”), and Mata Zyndu, the proud son of a fallen aristrocratic family (the “Chrysanthemum”) are determined to see that dream through. At the brink of victory, though, their fast friendship suddenly turns into deadly enmity, and things aren’t quite so clear cut.

The writing style and narrative structure of THE GRACE OF KINGS is fairly unique – it is told simply but perceptively, with myth/folktale qualities. I read somewhere that it’s influenced by Chinese pingshu storytelling, but I know nothing about that. There’s no point of view character, instead we get the whole story from a variety of different points of view as the plot demands, sometimes switching to entirely new characters from across the continent from where our protagonists are. None of the scenes lasts very long, the dialogue is economical and direct (but not so much so as to be unrealistic/humorous like the Belgariad, for example) but still conveys immense subtlety.

I ended up comparing THE GRACE OF KINGS to THE LIONS OF AL-RASSAN by Guy Gavriel Kay, which I read only a few weeks ago, and it’s not really a fair comparison, but I’ll talk about it (no spoilers) since I’m sure it influences my review. Both books are about two larger than life men and the conflict that they are forced into, and both have extraordinary but different styles of prose. In THE LIONS OF AL-RASSAN, we’re firmly focused on the characters – Rodrigo Belmonte and Ammar ibn Khairan are truly larger than life, incredible, men through the force of their own personalities, representing the best a human can aim to be. The reader cannot help but love them. In THE GRACE OF KINGS, the focus is more on the tale that is being told – Kuni Garu and Mata Zyndu are more a product of their circumstances. Their personalities are very much evident, but much of what they do is because of advice, politics, the intervention of the gods. They are certainly extraordinary heroes within their world, but they still act in accordance with their natures, they don’t try to rise above them.

This makes complete sense if you look at it in terms of Western and Eastern philosophy – the Western tradition focused a lot on improving the self and the role of every individual (THE LIONS OF AL-RASSAN is a parallel of Moorish Spain), but Eastern philosophy emphasizes interconnectedness and inevitability (THE GRACE OF KINGS is inspired by ancient China). It’s a pretty minor distinction, but it made THE GRACE OF KINGS seem grimmer and not have as much heart, although it just comes from using a different storytelling tradition.

Okay, so this book is well-written, but it is also a lot of fun. Ken Liu calls it “silkpunk” – a riff on steampunk that is inspired by East Asian antiquity, and it features some fascinating takes on traditional steampunk technologies – airships, submarines, gliders, and other cool gadgets. There are multiple wars in this book, so there’s plenty of thrilling and often cinematic action. There’s a lot of unexpected humor, and some truly dramatic moments (the one where Mata Zyndu finds his horse, for instance), often aided by the gods.

Speaking of the gods, I loved how they were portrayed. Each of the countries has their own god, and they (of course) swear not to interfere in the affairs of mortals, and manage to sneak a whole bunch of interfering in while keeping to the letter of their agreement. They’re often not any wiser than the mortals, though, and although their motivations can be mysterious, sometimes they are quite petty. I’m familiar with spiteful, squabbling gods from Hindu mythology, and they heightened the mythological feel of the book.

Although the plot of the book was based loosely on the rise of the Han dynasty in ancient China, I appreciated the fact that the world was very different from ancient China. The Islands of Dara are an archipelago, for one, and their customs are not distinctly evocative of any one place. The world seemed organically built based on the geography and the cultural interplay, and that is the best kind of world.

The one thing that I didn’t enjoy about the book was how much of what happened happened because people were greedy and power-hungry. I think this goes back to the same kind of inevitability that I talked about earlier – it almost felt like many of the characters were the same kind of person, and the only reason they acted differently was because of their circumstances. Rebels replaced tyrants and became tyrants themselves, competent men and women let their competency go to their head and ended up destroying everything they’d worked for because they wanted more power. There were exceptions, but even they were tempted. It seemed like a world where ambition was expected, or maybe the story only focused on the ambitious people; I’m not sure – it is a book that’s about empires toppling, after all. I kept wishing for some nice characters, but they all ended up dead. If you’re a fan of A Song of Ice and Fire etc., this may be a feature, not a bug.

I’m uncertain about how I feel about the end of the book. It was a self-contained story, but the way everyone was acting made me uneasy for the future. It does make me excited to read the next book, though – especially because Ken Liu has said that each book will have a different theme, and the next one will focus more on historical misogyny.

Ken Liu is my hero.

There are plenty of reviews on this book already, so I'll try to offer something of a different point of view. First, this is a fantasy/historical/folklore epic. Whatever you're imagining, epic-fy it times 10. And then make it Chinese.

See, I love reading SF/Fantasy. But growing up in the US, all characters in fantasy epics were pretty much white with western concepts of nobility, and at best, diverse by being European. Coming from a Taiwanese family, it really sucked not to be able to explore my own culture in a non-textbook fashion (nope, still not able to read Chinese). It particularly sucked because I was persecuted so much because of my race, and I kinda wanted to know what made me different enough to be made fun of.

Well, while the Grace of Kings didn't answer that, I loved being immersed in a world that bridged the gap. This is a massive novel written from a mind of a person who knows both cultures intimately, and is an author who is far more talented than even any Asian stereotype should be able to handle.

I cared so much in this story. It was huge and almost too big for my brain. It was deep and heavy on the philosophy--so if that's not your cup of tea (to think deeply and consider the world), then this may not be the book for you. Truly, the characters and the friendships and betrayals, the honor and the complex relationship dynamics...I mean, jeeez, he made the seriously consider the practicality of a non-monogomous relationship whether or not he or I agreed with it--something I thought I'd never say. No, this is definitely not the highlight, and I'm a bit embarrassed for even bringing it up, but I did message Ken Lui to ask him some thoughts specifically on this topic, and his response was amazing (I hope he'll be okay with me sharing):

"Hey Ken, I don't know if I have a deep answer for you on that. I think my thought went something like this: this is a story whose historical model involved polygamous marriages; I'd like to try to present the people involved sympathetically.

"The novel is a mix of fantasy and historical fiction -- obviously it is based on historical legends, but the world it's set in is not meant to be "historically accurate." Yet, I wanted to preserve some of the human relationships and conflicts because they are the most moving parts of the history for me, and so I had to make choices about what to do with marriage customs.

"While polygamy and polyamory practices have varied across time and space, the particular historical model that inspired this story involved a certain amount of oppression and misogyny. I wanted to make the institution more balanced, acknowledge the oppressive aspects, and also show the imperfect solutions that people resorted to to make the system more tolerable. This is, in fact, what most of us have to do most of the time -- we are given imperfect institutions and we must do the best we can with them."

How incredible is this answer???

I wanted to show you through this one example of a very minor piece of the novel how deeply conceptualized this story is. How true the characters are.

As a review, this hardly scratches the surface, and it sounds like I just said, "polyamory is in this novel--thus, read it!" but despite how it seems, I do hope it brings to light some of the character and thoughtfulness of the author, and why I would love to be considered one of Ken Liu's greatest fans. Please, read this book for your own growth. Meanwhile, please note that this might be the strangest novel review I have ever written.

Throw out most of your preconceptions about epic fantasy before starting this book. It isn't set in some wannabe variant of Western Europe in the Middle Ages. The societies actually develop technologically to an extent. This isn't a story about a big bad zombie/dragon/ice zombie/ etc.

This is a fantasy about people and politics and emotions and war. Some may say that it is a bit disjointed or uneven, but to my reading that is a feature and not a bug in this book. It helped remind me that I wasn't reading something that was a Tolkien variation. In some ways, the books that it most reminded me of were KJ Parker's Engineer trilogy (and from me that is a big compliment.)

Debut novel from a talented short story author. Surprisingly it started slow - I had thought being a short story author it would pull you in from the first chapter. I am glad I kept with it because by page 70 it got going and the reading was pure joy.

23 years after uniting the islands of Xana & Dara Emperor Mapidéré is thankfully dying and the people are ready for a revolution to end the fascist state. Kuni Garu and Mata Zyndu, are the well drawn protagonists. The last 200 pages you won't want to stop reading until the last page, which seems headed for a sequel.

When people think about epic fantasy, they often think about a a series, something longer than a trilogy, that spans many years and is full of great and far-reaching events. Ken Liu manages to achieve this in a single novel. Though it is the first book of a series, the scale that it deals with is immense, and it works fairly well as a standalone epic fantasy, which can be hard to come by.

The Grace of Kings features a large and diverse cast of characters, but the story generally revolves around two main figures: Kuni Garu, the smooth-talking bandit-turned-war-leader, and Mata Zyndu, a hard and fierce fighter who shows no weakness and despises betrayal. With the previous emperor recently dead and his heir being a boy with no knowledge of governance and so who leaves the running of the empire to his advisors, the empire is in turmoil. Abuses of power run rampant. Death from tyranny and neglect are everywhere. And not being the type of people to take this quietly, Kuni and Mata take it upon themselves to make a difference. As people flock to them and the lines are drawn, great change is in the air for the empire. But as with any war,it’s far from clean, it’s far from clear-cut, and it’s as brutal and political as anyone could expect.

And all the while, the gods watch on…

Honestly, it’s a difficult novel to sum up properly. It’s full of military strategy and tactics and politics, as real war is. It’s not possible to say that one side is right and the other is wrong. It’s not possible to just root for the good guys, the liberators, because there’s every chance that the army who liberates you will turn into your new oppressors. Your loyal advisor may be plotting your demise. When the winds change direction, so too might the people closest to you. War is messy, and not just on the battlefield, and Liu portrays this well. As such, it’s difficult to say, “Oh yes, this side does this thing and that side does that thing,” because it’s true right up to the point where it changes. And then it changes half a dozen times. The lines get redrawn so many time you might well need a flowchart to keep up with things.

It’s that very thing that makes it such a good novel, though. For one thing, it’s definitely got reread value, since reading it through a second time might make many of the events a lot clearer when you know a bit of what’s coming. Much like how it’s hard to tell how any given event will turn out while it’s happening, in hindsight things often seem a lot clearer. So if you’re looking for a realistic portrayal of both the violent and the political sides of war, then this is a fantastic novel for those things.

It’s also fantastically realistic in that not every character sticks around to the end, and not just because they get killed. Again, much in the way that it happens in real life, characters show up, play a small role for a few chapters, and then vanish into history, leaving a little influence behind but not always an essential one, one that changes the course of the story or is absolutely necessary to the tale being told. Kikomi, for instance, played a role that was important for her people, she had a bit of influence on Mata especially, but when all is said and done, her scenes and her name could have been excised from the novel and I don’t really think anything would have changed.

Which is a shame, because she was really a fascinating character, and I wished she’d had a larger role in the story.

This is both a positive and a negative, in my opinion. As I said, it makes it wonderfully realistic, because people are like that. They come and go and don’t always have some great role to play in the grand scheme of things. I liked seeing that, because they were like little side stories that added detail and flavour to the piece, made it feel more complete. On the other hand, it creates scenes that feel an awful lot like filler, scenes that could have been cut without losing anything, and things felt meandering at times.

But onto things that were positive without anything negative attached to them. I adored the addition of the gods to the story. They weren’t just passive watchers, either, as it would have been easy to do when they had all made a pact not to directly interfere or bring harm to mortals. But they often appeared in disguise to offer advice to characters who had attracted their attention, and in the case of Tazu, influenced the outcome of battles in a very clear way but still managed to stick to the letter of the pact, if not the spirit of it. They were varied, primal, and fascinating characters in their own rights.

It’s not often that I can say this, but I loved the presentation of war here. Specifically, I liked that it wasn’t a gradual build to one giant fight that would decide everything. It was a series of small victories or losses. The final battle of the book wasn’t any bigger than the ones that had come before it. Territories were gained and lost numerous times. And as I mentioned previously, sometimes the victor oppressed citizens of newly-captured cities much more harshly than the people who held it before; it wasn’t a story of good versus evil, no matter how much the rebel armies had started with the good intention of freeing people from tyranny and slavery. Good people did horrible things in the name of the greater good, and that greater good wasn’t necessarily good in the long run. Mata Zyndu might have been brilliant on the battlefield, but he’s lousy at politics and governance, and people suffered for what he did in the name of creating a better world.

Ken Liu has managed to do something I didn’t think possible. He managed to make me like how a war was presented. I honestly didn’t think it could be done, but evidently, I was wrong, and it’s The Grace of Kings that I have to thank for it. The realistic portrayal of people and events, the way things were less than clear-cut, and the way it wasn’t all about either fighting or politics, but a solid mix of the two, was genius. I’m already looking forward to the second book in the series, especially knowing that at least one of my favourite characters makes a comeback, and I have high hopes that it will be just as great as this one. The Grace of Kings is a brilliant novel, full of action and philosophy in equal measure, paving the way for silkpunk fantasy to take a strong place on many bookshelves.

When I first received Ken Liu's "The Grace of Kings", I thought "Oh no, this is a huge book; the kind that I regret getting because it goes right over my head", but I was committed to reading it and whoa... What a great read. I'm actually in awe of it.

It is the story of two men in a region called Dara. Author Liu's world building for Dara resembles China and Asia including Polynesia. It is a fully realized world. We are first introduced to Kuni who is a bandit, street smart and playful. He doesn't seem the kind of man who will rise in power until he meets a woman who sets him on the path to greatness. There is also Mata, a warrior of epic proportions both physically and deed. The two men will cross paths and become friends but being the epic that it is, the top of the mountain is just a view of more mountains and valleys.

Liu's writing style has been commented on and it is beautiful to read. The structure of the novel (again, it is huge at 600-plus pages) is divided into sections almost like a collection of short stories. At least, that is how I thought of it and it made the reading easier to digest.

Also, a word about the violence and sexual content in that the content is implied in that it doesn't dwell too much on the act as much as the impact.

This is the start of a series and it is a great start. I hope to see more from this writer and this world.

This book is a great re-imagining of how the Chu Han Contention (206–202 BC) would be fought out in the fantasy land of Dara, complete with the Silkpunk technology, and the interfering Gods.

I admire the author's succinct ability to capture and retelling of the essence and the historical significance of major characters. A student of Chinese history would immediately recognize within the first few chapters that Kuni Garu is Liu Bang incarnate, Mata Zyndu is Xiang Yu embodiment, and where the direction of the story will go. However, unlike the mostly dry historical facts, the author's great story telling makes these characters, their ambitions, their desires, their strategies, and their choices very personable.

This is a must read book. If you don't have the time to read, you should consider listening to the audio-book instead.

I am looking forward for the sequel.

I have been reading stories by Ken Liu for years. He is an amazing writer, highly skilled and evocative. Liu adds a much needed literary cast to science fiction and fantasy stories.

"The Grace of Kings" is an epic tale that mirrors the history of Chinese literature. Specifically, wide-reaching stories such as "Romance of the Three Kingdoms," which is probably one of the best historical epics to have been written in any language, or "Journey to the West." Read those if you liked Liu's book, as they were fabulous as well. But! Onward!

"The Grace of Kings is a complex and intricate plot that details the struggles of a vast empire and its various power plays. It makes Game of Thrones look simple. It is quite possibly the best such book I've read in well over ten years. You don't need intimate knowledge of Chinese history or culture to read it. I guarantee that, although this is fantasy, you will hunger to read more about it, however!

I eagerly await future books from Liu, who has already long-proven himself to be a superb writer.

The islands of Dara are united under a single Emperor. The Emperor is not universally liked. His son ascends to the throne in what is a civil war, or a war of dis-unification. There are airships and air combat, and there are Gods who watch and sometimes intervene. Kuni Garu and Mata Zyndu are two main characters, weaving banditry, rebellion (Garu) and the aristocracy (Zyndu) into an attempt to create a sweeping epic that will take multiple volumes.

This book requires an investment that will take far more than the 600 pages of the initial volume. So, a reader needs patience. I found the pace and the complexity slowed my enjoyment the more I read. The problem is that this is sort of a King of Thrones and sort of an Initiate Brother, in scope and in complexity, but the middle passages make me begin to nod off...

So I tried to re-kindle my interest, and get into the kingdom of Dara as a setting, and that helped -- island warfare, airships, swords and factions. I would end by saying that I liked the book, but you have to make sure to work to like the book, of you know what I mean....

The Grace of Kings was my first exposure to the writing of Ken Liu.

I must say that I was impressed from the very beginning when the various backgrounds, characters, language and historical elements were listed. In order to avoid any influence from other reviewers, I rarely read book reviews before reading the book itself. Reviews of blenders, violin shoulder pads, or dog treat bags are fair game because they are referring to physical objects and it's mostly a "it works or it doesn't work" situation. No doubt others will disagree with that and of course I am oversimplifying.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book from beginning to end. I learned about it almost by accident when I was browsing some fantasy titles. The characters were real people to me. As far as I can remember, virtually every character was flawed in some way, but most had redeeming features as well.

I don't know much about Chinese or Japanese mythology, but if I may be permitted to compare what I have read in this book to Greek and Roman mythology, it would seem that gods and goddesses are the same all over—and just as flawed as the poor humans are.

Well done, Mr. Liu! ...and I look forward to investigating more or your work.

Simply put, this is a great read. Terrific story, witty and fun, with very real characters and exceptional writing. I am about half way through now, but I keep slowing down, and re-reading, because I don't want it to end. I must admit that the first 1 or 2 chapters I was concerned, because it seemed a bit slow, but the pace picks up quickly and now I am completely engaged. So many fantasy writers lose their way ... their first book is a big success and they become arrogant, wordy and heedless of editorial advice. One book, or a trilogy, runs on and on in succeeding books and there is nothing new. This is fresh and detailed. It is like the first book of the Fire and Ice series, where I couldn't wait to get to the next chapter to find out what happens to my favorite characters, or what new character will be introduced. I am particularly fond of 2 ancillary characters who pop up now and then, the brothers -- Ratho and Dafino -- who are like Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, close to the action, and who provide a running, and conflicting, review of the events and people. Highly recommended.

This book draws from the Chinese Folklore and tradition to build a world as compeling as Middle Earth and Westeros.
Why did I like it so much? Well It is an epic story superbly written, full of great characters and with so many plot twist that even George R.R. Martin would get confused at times. But you are not going to get confused because Mr. Liu is a master story teller and a great writer.
I eagerly wait for the sequel but Mr. Liu has already delivered: while being a part of a series of books this one tells a complete story; there are no cheats, nor you'll find a cliffhanger waiting for you in the last chapter.

Wow. Just wow. I've been a fan of Ken Liu's short fiction (and translations) for a few years now, and was anxious to see what he would do in the long form. He killed it. Liu has constructed a new form of epic fantasy that is decidedly modern in its approach, yet pays homage to the great works that came before it. It's wonderfully refreshing to see a non-Western cast of characters as well. This is a big book, with something for everyone: court intrigue, bandits, gods, a touch of magic, and airships! This promises to be the start of a major series.

“A knife is not malicious merely because it is sharp, and a plot is not evil merely because it is effective. All depends on the wielder. The grace of kings is not the same as the morals governing individuals.”

My expectations were high after learning about Ken Liu’s debut novel, and I wasn’t disappointed. The Grace of Kings is both spectacular and significant, an approach to epic fantasy that combines some of the best elements of the established genre with Liu’s unique sentiments and voice. I’ve been trying to avoid reviews before writing this up, but judging from the headlines, I’m not alone in excitement and appreciation.

First in a series dubbed The Dandelion Dynasty, the novel is set in an archipelago called Dara. Following a mythological pre-history, Dara existed for generations as a divided land of seven kingdoms, each with a patron god and its own unique resources and culture. The instability of shifting alliances and waves of conflict represented the price for maintaining the independent nations until one king realized the potential peace, stability, and progress that could be achieved by uniting Dara into one standardized empire. Yet the common people still suffer, and many miss the aspects of local culture now being lost. Rumblings of unrest lead to eventual rebellion following the chaos of a difficult imperial succession. But with the empire dissolved, what will a new Dara look like, and upon whom will each god’s favor befall?

The Grace of Kings follows two leaders, Kuni Garu and Mata Zyndu, who emerge from the rapidly changing sociopolitical landscape of Dara. Despite their very different pasts and their polar-opposite personalities, these two men initially fight together as allies, strengths of each perfectly complementing the weakness of the other. But circumstances, the machinations of the gods, and the weighty responsibilities that come to leaders following success form a wedge in their relationship that may not be overcome.

The opening pages brings the universe of The Dandelion Dynasty alive with a cinematic chapter that acts as a microcosm for many of the themes and elements that dominate The Grace of Kings as a whole. Liu here uses a grandiose imperial parade to paint a vivid picture of this world and the people who inhabit it, including the key character and protagonist. He then uses a failed assassination to immediately inject the plot with some action to drive things forward. The broad theme of the old and traditional clashing with the new is highlighted primarily here, as well as the ideas that forging a society with the best of intentions may do great harm and that trying to efficiently and correctly manage an empire is far more difficult than forming it.

This first chapter also establishes the technological and supernatural realms of Dara. The would-be assassin employs a flying contraption and explosive missiles, establishing the ‘silk-punk’ aspect of Liu’s novel, a fantasy world where imaginative inventions, believable for the technological state of the society, are fashioned for uses comparable to the more modern contraptions of our reality. For the mortal characters of Dara technology, physical strength, and brain-power are the tools they have at hand, with inventions taking the place of what magic might do in other fantasy realms.

However, the supernatural or magical also exist in Dara in the form of the patron gods, characters who take a role in the plot of the novel much akin to the immortal players in classic Greek literature, as in Homer’s Iliad. Bickering among themselves for influence and power, these gods choose favorites from mortals to influence, prod, and pull towards outcomes they champion, employing magical disguise and enchanted items to so influence the mortals.

Following the evocative first chapter, the next I felt were some of the weakest of the novel (and yes this is being rather picky). Serving to expand on the exposition already transmitted to readers, this couple of chapters introduces Mata Zyndu and a greater depth of Dara’s history and culture in relation to both Mata and Kuni. The passages with Mata in particular came across as info-dump, less integrated with action and events and more a simple relation of background that the reader is going to need, including dropping a tidbit that obviously was going to be important for a ‘surprise’ twist in the plot later.

After this brief slowdown, Liu gets back on track relating the development of Kuni and setting him on the path eventually leading parallel to Mata’s goals. Kuni is an immensely likable character, a witty rogue whose heart is clearly in the right moral place. He is open to the possibilities of the world, and experiencing them all wherever events and circumstance will lead. Kuni’s first path is one of romance as he begins to court Jia Matiza.

With this plot point, Liu begins to explore relationships between the genders, and gender roles both separate and in partnership. Like our world, Dara exists with signs of gender inequality both overt and subtle. Liu paints Kuni and Jia Matiza‘s romance with a delicate honesty throughout the novel, primarily showing how well they work together and truly complement each other. But they also realize that they need others and find a way to try and make that work within a committed relationship. They have fights; they have moments of jealousy. Yet, they also try incredibly hard to heal ruptures and to recognize their own limitations or false expectations brought on by the assumptions of society.

Liu gradually expands feminist themes as the novel progresses and wonders early in the book as to whether women will only serve background roles away from action, stuck in ‘traditional’ vocations that are eventually dispelled. Liu first brings up these issues bluntly through the voice of characters who see women through the eyes of tradition alone and has others lightly suggest that maybe another way of seeing is possible — and maybe even better. Female characters take on greater roles as the novel gets into its second half, with them exerting power in one of three ways: using perceived weaknesses to allow people to underestimate their capability at success, using their traditional, ‘limiting’ roles to influence men with those few tools that men lack, or taking up the role assumed by the society to be reserved for men and doing it better than anyone else. One gets the sense that Liu will expand further on these in the next volume, particularly in the realms of ‘court-intrigue’. The issue of gender inequality among the gods is less addressed, and I hope Liu will delve into this further in the future book(s), though what gender is in biological senses to an immortal is up for total speculation.

While both the mortal and immortal beings of The Grace of Kings are well defined, perhaps the most richly deep character in this novel is the universe itself. Liu’s world building is wondrous, with details into Dara’s history, religion, language, medicine, economics, poetry, technology, and education. Many of these items they not only exist in the backdrop, but also become of key importance for plot, such as the role of money and financing a war or finding ways to stimulate development of new technologies needed to gain a competitive edge. While there are still universe details that could be added (oh, how I wish fantasy would consider the microbial world more) Liu gives far more aspects their due than what is typical.

These details ground The Grace of Kings into a firm realism beyond what is typical for epic fantasy (even with its inclusion of immortal gods). From the fantasy I have read, I find it actually most similar to David Anthony Durham’s Acacia (though I’ve still only read the first of that series). Both feature worlds that pay careful attention to culture, history, and diversity, and each play with reader expectations that an epic conflict will go a particular way. However, I feel that Liu’s goes further in handling complex, varied themes and is more successful at finding a balance between the classic and the fresh.

With the recent Sad/Rabid Puppy Hugo Award debacle, it is nice to consider The Grace of Kings and be reminded that some of my favorite artists – the Alfred Hitchcocks or the J.K. Rowlings – produce works that elicit both giddy glee of the child-fan in me and satisfy the discerning adult. They balance two levels of escapism: one where you can just escape the bad thoughts of real life and experience some thoughtless joy of familiarity and entertainment, and another where you can spare a thought and escape from the discomforting problems of this world into an imagined universe where solutions are viably present.

That theme of balance is prevalent throughout The Grace of Kings on multiple levels beyond how well it reads for simple fun balanced with material for deeper consideration. There is the balance between family and responsibility, between pre-ordained status/destiny and initiative, between considering the ‘good of the many’ and the ‘good of the few, or the one’, between hope and cynicism, and foremost between tradition and innovation. Liu explores the heartbreak that accompanies loss of traditional, unique culture in the face of what is essentially globalization (imperialism), but also the strengths unification can bring to innovating hallmarks of civilization and advancement. In the military conflict of the novel, Liu presents characters entrenched in unwavering commitment to the traditional, but others who choose which traditions to respect and which to move on away from to reach better option for the moment. At the center of both Kuni’s internal conflict and that of Mata rests a battle between adhering to traditions, promises to family, and adapting to immediate needs that seem to demand change.

The theme of losing some traditions, intentionally or not, and keeping others is relevant of course to Liu’s Chinese heritage, but speaks equally to any human community (and I assume to other aspects of Liu’s being as well). Whether a Wiccan, German, gamer, musician, whatever, that balance between the traditional and the new will have relevance, and the universal appeal of Liu’s story makes it so much more than just ‘silk-punk’ fantasy.

Equally noteworthy to the significance of The Grace of Kings for the epic fantasy genre is Liu’s seamless transition from shorter fiction to the novel length. Liu has deservedly gathered respect from the SFF community for his short stories/novellas and for his work as a translator. But frequently those with strong talent and technique in shorter fiction find difficulty managing the novel (or vice versa). One thing Liu excels at is structure, and what he does in The Grace of Kings is form it around chapters or parts that could stand completely independently or as interlinked, successive short stories.

In other words, The Grace of Kings is one story made up of many smaller ones. The events of this first novel could have easily taken up three in another epic fantasy series. Liu compresses time very well to keep the flow, telling the essential tale of a character and then moving on. The novel is filled with secondary characters, some of which appear, go, and return, and others who flash in one brief background plot to then wink out. Within the broad story you have short stories of an uprising, of an invasion, of a character’s temptation, or the next episode between Kuni and Mata after a period of years have been glossed over.

I could keep discussing bits of this novel, such as how awesome Gin Matiza is, but I will keep Liu’s tight pacing in mind, stop, and go read other reader’s impressions. If you haven’t gotten The Grace of Kings, you really should stop waiting. I’ll be looking forward to the next volume of The Dandelion Dynasty and am glad a Liu short fiction collection will soon be out to hold us all over.

Disclaimer: I received an advanced reading copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review written for <a href="http://skiffyandfanty.com">Skiffy & Fanty</a>

Why two stars?:

*Women* - Where were they? For 400 pages we had one "main" female character, who ended up being treated way too much like a secondary character. The rest of the women were minor characters. And the main female character spent most of her story arc picking herbs, getting pregnant, having babies, encouraging her husband to take a second wife, and then becoming stereotypically jealous of the new woman in her man's life.
We were given one token female character in the latter half of the book who was a of a kick ass nature and fought in battles alongside an army of men. But she was hardly an interesting and complex character and she and arrived too little too late for me. In all honesty, the ratio of male to female characters in this book is kind of laughable.

*Plot* - ambitious, but ultimately lost in a mass of world building and histories. World building should enhance and complement plot and characters, but this seemed to bury them under its massive weight. If as much care and planning and dimension were put into the characters as was put into this world, then we might have had something really interesting.

*Characters* - Wooden, predictable, stereotypical, cliched. There really wasn't a single character I felt a connection to.

*Dialogue* - Problematic. At times the dialogue felt appropriate, other times it felt way too modern. I don't mind one style over the other, just have continuity.

*Will I Read On?* - No. I might could overlook most of the points that I made, but the representation of women and how little they featured in this book doesn't inspire me to continue the series. And though the end of book one has set up a storyline where a few of the female characters may feature more prominently, it looks like the storyline will focus on jealousy and envy between the two wives of the main character - and I feel I can easily find more complex and better representations of women elsewhere.

Essentially, this book takes the historical Chu-Han contention and fuses it with western epic fantasy and fuses in some Greek mythology for good measure. I found it to be a fast read despite its hefty size, with interesting/memorable characters and a plot that has enough twists to be engaging. For those that have watched Chinese TV series or read Chinese literature, this book will contain many quirky scenes/tropes that are very commonly employed in those cultural arenas but much more rarely seen in the West.

I was also pleasantly surprised that this book is fairly self-contained and does not fall into the growing practice of cliff hangers and sequel-baiting. This is not to say that it does not set up further books and further conflicts, but it tells a well-resolved story within its own confines.

Ken Liu's Grace of Kings was my delicious reward in the last two weeks of this school year. I woke up early and stayed up late to read just a little more. An epic fantasy--and fantasy isn't a genre I gravitate toward, though after reading GoK I'm rethinking my preconceptions of the genre altogether--that blends elements of eastern, western, and everything in between into a bold new world that is both familiar yet uncanny at the same time.

I found in it the heroic mythologies of my childhood: heroes turned tyrants, bandits beloved by the people, capricious gods and goddesses meddling in human affairs, conquests and rebellions, dynastic feuds, the supernatural, and women kicking ass through it all. At the same time, I recognized elements of western epic a la Homer, Tolkien, and the like.

Grace of Kings just won the Locus Award for Best First Novel and is a Nebula finalist.

And a shout out to Lisa Tang Liu, wife of Ken Liu, co-conceiver of the universe of Dara, who in Ken's words, "saw Dara before [he] did." (I've already recommended this book to several of my students and cannot wait to book talk this in the fall!)

I don't usually go for the epic fantasy novels. At over 600 pages, I would say this one certainly qualifies, yet I really did enjoy it. The world Ken Liu creates is expansive yet understandable, the characters are numerous yet not unreasonably so, and the underlying story has plenty of twists to keep the reader interested. It's a pretty big time investment, but quite good overall.

“A knife is not malicious merely because it is sharp, and a plot is not evil merely because it is effective. All depends on the wielder. The grace of kings is not the same as the morals governing individuals.”

My expectations were high after learning about Ken Liu’s debut novel, and I wasn’t disappointed. The Grace of Kings is both spectacular and significant, an approach to epic fantasy that combines some of the best elements of the established genre with Liu’s unique sentiments and voice. I’ve been trying to avoid reviews before writing this up, but judging from the headlines, I’m not alone in excitement and appreciation.

First in a series dubbed The Dandelion Dynasty, the novel is set in an archipelago called Dara. Following a mythological pre-history, Dara existed for generations as a divided land of seven kingdoms, each with a patron god and its own unique resources and culture. The instability of shifting alliances and waves of conflict represented the price for maintaining the independent nations until one king realized the potential peace, stability, and progress that could be achieved by uniting Dara into one standardized empire. Yet the common people still suffer, and many miss the aspects of local culture now being lost. Rumblings of unrest lead to eventual rebellion following the chaos of a difficult imperial succession. But with the empire dissolved, what will a new Dara look like, and upon whom will each god’s favor befall?

The Grace of Kings follows two leaders, Kuni Garu and Mata Zyndu, who emerge from the rapidly changing sociopolitical landscape of Dara. Despite their very different pasts and their polar-opposite personalities, these two men initially fight together as allies, strengths of each perfectly complementing the weakness of the other. But circumstances, the machinations of the gods, and the weighty responsibilities that come to leaders following success form a wedge in their relationship that may not be overcome.

The opening pages brings the universe of The Dandelion Dynasty alive with a cinematic chapter that acts as a microcosm for many of the themes and elements that dominate The Grace of Kings as a whole. Liu here uses a grandiose imperial parade to paint a vivid picture of this world and the people who inhabit it, including the key character and protagonist. He then uses a failed assassination to immediately inject the plot with some action to drive things forward. The broad theme of the old and traditional clashing with the new is highlighted primarily here, as well as the ideas that forging a society with the best of intentions may do great harm and that trying to efficiently and correctly manage an empire is far more difficult than forming it.

This first chapter also establishes the technological and supernatural realms of Dara. The would-be assassin employs a flying contraption and explosive missiles, establishing the ‘silk-punk’ aspect of Liu’s novel, a fantasy world where imaginative inventions, believable for the technological state of the society, are fashioned for uses comparable to the more modern contraptions of our reality. For the mortal characters of Dara technology, physical strength, and brain-power are the tools they have at hand, with inventions taking the place of what magic might do in other fantasy realms.

However, the supernatural or magical also exist in Dara in the form of the patron gods, characters who take a role in the plot of the novel much akin to the immortal players in classic Greek literature, as in Homer’s Iliad. Bickering among themselves for influence and power, these gods choose favorites from mortals to influence, prod, and pull towards outcomes they champion, employing magical disguise and enchanted items to so influence the mortals.

Following the evocative first chapter, the next I felt were some of the weakest of the novel (and yes this is being rather picky). Serving to expand on the exposition already transmitted to readers, this couple of chapters introduces Mata Zyndu and a greater depth of Dara’s history and culture in relation to both Mata and Kuni. The passages with Mata in particular came across as info-dump, less integrated with action and events and more a simple relation of background that the reader is going to need, including dropping a tidbit that obviously was going to be important for a ‘surprise’ twist in the plot later.

After this brief slowdown, Liu gets back on track relating the development of Kuni and setting him on the path eventually leading parallel to Mata’s goals. Kuni is an immensely likable character, a witty rogue whose heart is clearly in the right moral place. He is open to the possibilities of the world, and experiencing them all wherever events and circumstance will lead. Kuni’s first path is one of romance as he begins to court Jia Matiza.

With this plot point, Liu begins to explore relationships between the genders, and gender roles both separate and in partnership. Like our world, Dara exists with signs of gender inequality both overt and subtle. Liu paints Kuni and Jia Matiza‘s romance with a delicate honesty throughout the novel, primarily showing how well they work together and truly complement each other. But they also realize that they need others and find a way to try and make that work within a committed relationship. They have fights; they have moments of jealousy. Yet, they also try incredibly hard to heal ruptures and to recognize their own limitations or false expectations brought on by the assumptions of society.

Liu gradually expands feminist themes as the novel progresses and wonders early in the book as to whether women will only serve background roles away from action, stuck in ‘traditional’ vocations that are eventually dispelled. Liu first brings up these issues bluntly through the voice of characters who see women through the eyes of tradition alone and has others lightly suggest that maybe another way of seeing is possible — and maybe even better. Female characters take on greater roles as the novel gets into its second half, with them exerting power in one of three ways: using perceived weaknesses to allow people to underestimate their capability at success, using their traditional, ‘limiting’ roles to influence men with those few tools that men lack, or taking up the role assumed by the society to be reserved for men and doing it better than anyone else. One gets the sense that Liu will expand further on these in the next volume, particularly in the realms of ‘court-intrigue’. The issue of gender inequality among the gods is less addressed, and I hope Liu will delve into this further in the future book(s), though what gender is in biological senses to an immortal is up for total speculation.

While both the mortal and immortal beings of The Grace of Kings are well defined, perhaps the most richly deep character in this novel is the universe itself. Liu’s world building is wondrous, with details into Dara’s history, religion, language, medicine, economics, poetry, technology, and education. Many of these items they not only exist in the backdrop, but also become of key importance for plot, such as the role of money and financing a war or finding ways to stimulate development of new technologies needed to gain a competitive edge. While there are still universe details that could be added (oh, how I wish fantasy would consider the microbial world more) Liu gives far more aspects their due than what is typical.

These details ground The Grace of Kings into a firm realism beyond what is typical for epic fantasy (even with its inclusion of immortal gods). From the fantasy I have read, I find it actually most similar to David Anthony Durham’s Acacia (though I’ve still only read the first of that series). Both feature worlds that pay careful attention to culture, history, and diversity, and each play with reader expectations that an epic conflict will go a particular way. However, I feel that Liu’s goes further in handling complex, varied themes and is more successful at finding a balance between the classic and the fresh.

With the recent Sad/Rabid Puppy Hugo Award debacle, it is nice to consider The Grace of Kings and be reminded that some of my favorite artists – the Alfred Hitchcocks or the J.K. Rowlings – produce works that elicit both giddy glee of the child-fan in me and satisfy the discerning adult. They balance two levels of escapism: one where you can just escape the bad thoughts of real life and experience some thoughtless joy of familiarity and entertainment, and another where you can spare a thought and escape from the discomforting problems of this world into an imagined universe where solutions are viably present.

That theme of balance is prevalent throughout The Grace of Kings on multiple levels beyond how well it reads for simple fun balanced with material for deeper consideration. There is the balance between family and responsibility, between pre-ordained status/destiny and initiative, between considering the ‘good of the many’ and the ‘good of the few, or the one’, between hope and cynicism, and foremost between tradition and innovation. Liu explores the heartbreak that accompanies loss of traditional, unique culture in the face of what is essentially globalization (imperialism), but also the strengths unification can bring to innovating hallmarks of civilization and advancement. In the military conflict of the novel, Liu presents characters entrenched in unwavering commitment to the traditional, but others who choose which traditions to respect and which to move on away from to reach better option for the moment. At the center of both Kuni’s internal conflict and that of Mata rests a battle between adhering to traditions, promises to family, and adapting to immediate needs that seem to demand change.

The theme of losing some traditions, intentionally or not, and keeping others is relevant of course to Liu’s Chinese heritage, but speaks equally to any human community (and I assume to other aspects of Liu’s being as well). Whether a Wiccan, German, gamer, musician, whatever, that balance between the traditional and the new will have relevance, and the universal appeal of Liu’s story makes it so much more than just ‘silk-punk’ fantasy.

Equally noteworthy to the significance of The Grace of Kings for the epic fantasy genre is Liu’s seamless transition from shorter fiction to the novel length. Liu has deservedly gathered respect from the SFF community for his short stories/novellas and for his work as a translator. But frequently those with strong talent and technique in shorter fiction find difficulty managing the novel (or vice versa). One thing Liu excels at is structure, and what he does in The Grace of Kings is form it around chapters or parts that could stand completely independently or as interlinked, successive short stories.

In other words, The Grace of Kings is one story made up of many smaller ones. The events of this first novel could have easily taken up three in another epic fantasy series. Liu compresses time very well to keep the flow, telling the essential tale of a character and then moving on. The novel is filled with secondary characters, some of which appear, go, and return, and others who flash in one brief background plot to then wink out. Within the broad story you have short stories of an uprising, of an invasion, of a character’s temptation, or the next episode between Kuni and Mata after a period of years have been glossed over.

I could keep discussing bits of this novel, such as how awesome Gin Matiza is, but I will keep Liu’s tight pacing in mind, stop, and go read other reader’s impressions. If you haven’t gotten The Grace of Kings, you really should stop waiting. I’ll be looking forward to the next volume of The Dandelion Dynasty and am glad a Liu short fiction collection will soon be out to hold us all over.

Disclaimer: I received an advanced reading copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review written for <a href="http://skiffyandfanty.com">Skiffy & Fanty</a>

Why two stars?:

*Women* - Where were they? For 400 pages we had one "main" female character, who ended up being treated way too much like a secondary character. The rest of the women were minor characters. And the main female character spent most of her story arc picking herbs, getting pregnant, having babies, encouraging her husband to take a second wife, and then becoming stereotypically jealous of the new woman in her man's life.
We were given one token female character in the latter half of the book who was a of a kick ass nature and fought in battles alongside an army of men. But she was hardly an interesting and complex character and she and arrived too little too late for me. In all honesty, the ratio of male to female characters in this book is kind of laughable.

*Plot* - ambitious, but ultimately lost in a mass of world building and histories. World building should enhance and complement plot and characters, but this seemed to bury them under its massive weight. If as much care and planning and dimension were put into the characters as was put into this world, then we might have had something really interesting.

*Characters* - Wooden, predictable, stereotypical, cliched. There really wasn't a single character I felt a connection to.

*Dialogue* - Problematic. At times the dialogue felt appropriate, other times it felt way too modern. I don't mind one style over the other, just have continuity.

*Will I Read On?* - No. I might could overlook most of the points that I made, but the representation of women and how little they featured in this book doesn't inspire me to continue the series. And though the end of book one has set up a storyline where a few of the female characters may feature more prominently, it looks like the storyline will focus on jealousy and envy between the two wives of the main character - and I feel I can easily find more complex and better representations of women elsewhere.

Essentially, this book takes the historical Chu-Han contention and fuses it with western epic fantasy and fuses in some Greek mythology for good measure. I found it to be a fast read despite its hefty size, with interesting/memorable characters and a plot that has enough twists to be engaging. For those that have watched Chinese TV series or read Chinese literature, this book will contain many quirky scenes/tropes that are very commonly employed in those cultural arenas but much more rarely seen in the West.

I was also pleasantly surprised that this book is fairly self-contained and does not fall into the growing practice of cliff hangers and sequel-baiting. This is not to say that it does not set up further books and further conflicts, but it tells a well-resolved story within its own confines.

Ken Liu's Grace of Kings was my delicious reward in the last two weeks of this school year. I woke up early and stayed up late to read just a little more. An epic fantasy--and fantasy isn't a genre I gravitate toward, though after reading GoK I'm rethinking my preconceptions of the genre altogether--that blends elements of eastern, western, and everything in between into a bold new world that is both familiar yet uncanny at the same time.

I found in it the heroic mythologies of my childhood: heroes turned tyrants, bandits beloved by the people, capricious gods and goddesses meddling in human affairs, conquests and rebellions, dynastic feuds, the supernatural, and women kicking ass through it all. At the same time, I recognized elements of western epic a la Homer, Tolkien, and the like.

Grace of Kings just won the Locus Award for Best First Novel and is a Nebula finalist.

And a shout out to Lisa Tang Liu, wife of Ken Liu, co-conceiver of the universe of Dara, who in Ken's words, "saw Dara before [he] did." (I've already recommended this book to several of my students and cannot wait to book talk this in the fall!)

I don't usually go for the epic fantasy novels. At over 600 pages, I would say this one certainly qualifies, yet I really did enjoy it. The world Ken Liu creates is expansive yet understandable, the characters are numerous yet not unreasonably so, and the underlying story has plenty of twists to keep the reader interested. It's a pretty big time investment, but quite good overall.

Am I the only one who remembers how science fiction used to pack a novel into 150 pages or so? Maybe it was in the 1970s when books started ballooning to 400 pages or more. Then, a whole generation grew up reading Harry Potter, at 4000+ pages for the set (and who ever read just one?). Truly, the 'thick book,' formerly a source of awe, fear, or ennui, depending on who did or didn't read it, has become the norm. This, running well past 600 pages, meets today's standard for what it means to be a novel.

That said, Liu displays remarkable skill in handling the long format. There are enough plot lines to keep any one from wearing, but not enough to lose track of what's going on. We see enough characters for the story to spread out, geographically and across social strata, but not so many that we lose track or stop caring about individuals. And, Liu selects a time scale suited to the action. It covers enough time for many events to unfold at reasonable, even exciting pace, but short enough that each crucial time can be examined in detail. The mechanics of the writing hit the Goldilocks zone, not too much (or too little) of anything.

Except, in places, credibility. The engineering feat of connecting islands via tunnels - in reality, even short tunnels beneath rivers have a water problem, not easy to solve in pre-mechanical technology. The loveable rogue elevated to king - I like it, it has a great "you can do anything" kind of feel to it, but seemed to come off too easily. And putting a woman in charge of the army - what can I say. My sister in law holds fairly high rank in our military and is well respected (mostly). Even in our time, even after real effort at equalizing opportunity across all the social dimensions, we're not there yet. This top commander, arising seemingly from nowhere, earned cooperation and respect from her command (and her enemies on the field of battle) with surprising ease. Taking on intimate male company would be normal, even expected for a woman in high position, but presents plenty of targets, real or imagined, for the mud-slingers to assail. Although low-key, her trysts attracted surprisingly little attention of any kind.

But, for the sake of the story, I'll believe three impossible (or grossly improbable) things. This doesn't break the budget too badly, and presents plenty of excitement along the way. I'll certainly be back for more.

-- wiredweird

Ken Liu is mostly known for his prolific output as a short story writer. He's also an author that rarely disappoints; I've liked, if not loved, all of his stories I've read. When Saga Press announced they'd snapped up his long-awaited novel it immediately went on my must-read list. Grace of Kings is an epic Silk Road fantasy with added -punk elements; it combines traditional Chinese story elements with a Pacific Ocean islands locale and some clever technological inventions that feel organic to the setting. In other words, once again Liu didn't disappoint.

What immediately sets Grace of Kings apart is Liu's writing style. Of course the story is written in his usual beautiful prose, but he adds interesting stylistic choices in the form of recognisable story-telling elements from differing oral traditions. For example, he employs the repeated descriptive terms for people or places familiar from the Classical epics that served the bards of Greece and Rome as mnemonics and also kennings as used in Anglo-Saxon poetry. Undoubtedly, Liu incorporated more of these, but those are the ones I was already familiar with. Together they create the sense that Grace of Kings falls in the tradition of the classic epic poems meant to be recited and told around the fire on a number of consecutive nights, but with far more modern attitudes to societal development. The pacing of the narrative, the location hopping and the sometimes rather abrupt exits - temporary or very much permanent - for various characters all add to this impression. The plot can seem somewhat sketchy, in the sense that there isn't a strong, linear plot going from A to B, which might be off-putting to some readers, but which I found mesmerising.

There is so much to talk about with this book; I don't even know where to start. Liu throws in everything and the kitchen sink at his story and somehow it doesn't just stick, it works beautifully. First of all and perhaps most clearly, there are the intricate politics at the heart of the plot. While Kuni does fight outright battles, most of his battles are fought in the political field and through good governance. In fact, we see several forms of governance being implemented from a feudal system, to a federation of states, to a straight-out dictatorship and all of them have their pros and their cons. The philosophy of governance that Liu explores in the book is fascinating. But it's not just serious philosophy, some of it is honestly hilarious, for example the scheme Cogo and Kuni come up with to ensure that merchants don't cook their books and evade taxes. I also liked that one of the most successful generals in the Empire's army wasn't actually a military commander, but the chief tax collector and finance minister, whose managerial skills are what make him successful, not his prowess with a sword.

I also really appreciated Liu's treatment of his female characters. The main female characters, Jia, Gin, Kikomi, Mira and Risana all had agency. True, two of them sort of get fridged--I mean their fates serve to spur one of the protagonists on, but they choose their ultimate fate themselves, so perhaps they were semi-fridged? Yet all of them find strength in their own way, whether it is Kikomi who learns to wield her beauty as a weapon or Gin who wields an actual sword in battle, they all have their strengths and goals they attain. Jia, Gin, and Risana all advocate for equal opportunities for women in a proactive way, which I really enjoyed, especially how startled the men are when their suggestions actually work. Jia also has the strength to recognise that since she and Kuni can't be together, they should have other loves and in fact there seems to be a form of polyamory in the book, especially once Kuni, Jia and Risana are all reunited. It'll be interesting to see how this situation develops in the future, whether they can build a harmonious household with the four partners and the children or whether it becomes a power struggle between the two women to be first in Kuni's affections.

Before I go on to Kuni, Mata and some of the other characters, I have to mention how awesome the gods of the Islands of Dara are. Liu incorporates them into the story in an active role, having them show up in the narrative itself and in little insets, where they comment on events that went before, actually taking stock and declaring wins and losses for themselves. These scenes were brilliant and often also quite funny. What I really liked about their inserting themselves into the action, was that at one point I found myself distrusting or suspecting different characters of being incarnations of the gods and being surprised when they weren't or vice versa when someone who I hadn't suspected was revealed to be an avatar.

Liu's characters are wonderful and very compelling. My favourites were Kuni, Jia, Luan, Gin, and perhaps surprisingly, Marana. What I liked about these characters was that they were unexpected; whether they were unconventional in their choices, surprisingly suited to a task they were given or just rising far beyond what anyone could have foreseen, they all do things that surprise even the gods. There are also no good guys or bad guys here. While Mata perpetrates horrible atrocities - and those are never excused in any way in the narrative - we're also shown that he doesn't do these things because he wants to do evil, but because he wants to do what is right and honourable. Similarly, Kuni is a decent man with a compassionate heart, but circumstances force him to make horrible decisions and order his troops to perform despicable acts knowing that they are awful, but the right thing to do. The book is filled with philosophical dilemmas and none of them are easily answered.

I loved Grace of Kings. I loved the sprawling breadth and depth of the narrative. I fell in love with the characters and the Islands of Dara and I can't wait to spend more time there. Liu brings something fresh and new through channelling classical traditions. If you love epic fantasy I can't recommend Grace of Kings highly enough.

This book was provided for review by the publisher.

Non-Western Big Fat Fantasy in a beautifully-drawn world. It's written in 3rd-person omniscient, which lets the reader in on the merits and faults of many characters and their decisions. Every character is a realized person. It's the first in a series, but is stands alone just fine, with hints as to future developments, but they are not necessary for this story.

THE GRACE OF KINGS by Ken Liu was a pure pleasure to read. Dubbed the "Wuxia GAME OF THRONES" by Wesley Chu, this debut novel is a grand adventure that speaks of Liu's considerable talent. It's the type of novel capable of bridging the gap between "pulp" and "literature," a story that is equal parts fun and cerebral. THE GRACE OF KINGS is an early contender for best fantasy of 2015 and when Award season rolls around again I anticipate it garnering plenty of nominations.

For those unaware of Wuxia, it is a broad genre of Chinese fiction concerning the adventures of martial artists in ancient China. Some notable examples of the tradition include films such as CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON and HERO, and games such as Bioware's JADE EMPIRE (one of my favorite RPGs of all time). I suspect/hope that THE GRACE OF KINGS will further raise awareness of the genre.

THE GRACE OF KINGS is set in the fictional islands of Dara, once divided into seven separate warring kingdoms only to be united by an ambitious king from the island of Xana in hopes of ending the endless conflicts. Dara is a rich and exotic setting, worlds apart from the pseudo-European fantasies many readers have grown accustomed to. Each of the nations-turned-territories has unique customs, foods, and history. Liu presents a world of beauty and tragedy. Under Imperial rule the people do not prosper. Bureaucrats govern in place of the nobles, heavy taxation robs the common folk of their wages, and laborers conscripted from the general population toil away on the Emperor's vanity projects. In the midst of such misery the seeds of rebellion are sown.

It's possible that THE GRACE OF KINGS is even more a "game of thrones" than GAME OF THRONES is. A heretical statement, surely, but let me explain before you lob off my head and place it on a spike alongside Ned's. The rebellion against the Empire is a tangle of shifting loyalties. Commoners become heroes rising to challenge their oppressors. Bandits become dukes become kings. Tax collectors become great generals. Exiled nobles return to reclaim their inheritance. War sweeps across Dara and the balance of power shifts so fluidly that it's a miracle Liu is able to manage it all. And yet Liu not only manages the complicated politics, he presents it in a manner that is clear and comprehensible.

I was slightly concerned going into THE GRACE OF KINGS that the writing would be dense and it would be difficult to keep track of all the unfamiliar names. I was still excited to read it (the reviews are all glowing) but maybe just a little apprehensive. I needn't have worried. THE GRACE OF KINGS is accessible and engaging reading and I imagine this could be credited to Liu's practice writing short fiction. The novel is heavy on exposition and light on dialogue. This will turn off some readers but it shouldn't. It's a captivating experience, akin to being related folk tales as a child. The characters are larger than life and their exploits are legendary.

The characters are far more complex than they first appear. There are no stainless heroes or irredeemable villains. There's no true evil to be found in THE GRACE OF KINGS beyond the temptation of power. Characters you grow to love will act in ways that break your art and even their foes display admirable qualities. The story primarily focuses on Kuni Garu and Mata Zyndu, two very different men that share a special bond, but Liu provides readers the opportunity to get to know a significant portion of the supporting cast. Most of the major characters are given a chapter of their own, simultaneously progressing the plot and providing insight into their life story. I was never bored of a character or impatient to move on.

War is a prominent aspect of THE GRACE OF KINGS. There is death and destruction on a large scale. The fighting is mainly viewed through the eyes of those in command rather than those on the front lines so it's too extremely bloody. War is conducted on foot and horseback, from silk-draped airships and tethered battle-kites. Victories are achieved through cunning and courage, defeats are dealt as a result of cowardice, arrogance, and ignorance. As in any true depiction of warfare chance plays a role in the fortunes of armies. What I appreciated most about this aspect of THE GRACE OF KINGS is the evolution of tactics, strategies, and weapons as the war grinds on. I feel as though most fantasy war stories are stagnant in this regard.

War may be prominent but THE GRACE OF KINGS touches on many topics. Liu examines the responsibilities of rulers to those they govern. He warns of the corrupting influence of power that can sway even the staunchest defenders of justice. He writes of legacy and family. He champions the virtues of friendship and trust and explains how, in their absence, mistrust and paranoia can take root. Liu challenges preconceptions of romance and faithfulness. THE GRACE OF KINGS is a fun read but those looking for more than entertainment will find that within its pages as well.

Were THE GRACE OF KINGS a foreign film you would want to watch it with the subtitles on so as not to tarnish the beauty of the words with bad English dubbing. I cannot recommend this wonderful, grand, and unexpected fantasy enough.

Recommended Age: 14+
Language: The vocabulary is rather clean.
Violence: Lots of fighting and death, but very little gore or gratuitous violence.
Sex: Mentioned but not described.

Nick Sharps
Elitist Book Reviews

Fantastic, well-paced book. An absolute must-read for epic fantasy fans.

Before I get into the details, I'd like to address three concerns I had before reading:

(1) This is the first in a series, but that shouldn't discourage readers (like me) who prefer to read completed series. Grace of Kings stands on its own.

(2) Many reviewers talk about Chinese history, and the Chu-Han Contention specifically. You don't need to know about this stuff in order to enjoy or understand the book. This is secondary world fantasy, and Liu gives you everything you need within the book itself.

(3) For those who think modern epic fantasy can be a bit of a grind (i.e., those who gave up on Malazan after the first book), you'll be pleasantly surprised. Grace of Kings is engaging and understandable from the start. It's self-contained and fast-paced. None of this "you may hate it now, but just wait until the middle of book 3" nonsense.

(4) Some people seem concerned about female characters, but I just don't see it. Kuni's wife is one of the best-developed characters in the book, and women feature as both political and military leaders. I don't want to get into spoilers on this point, but suffice it to say that I think Liu adequately addresses this concern (even doing so explicitly at a few points). Anyone that's still concerned should read Amal al-Mohtar's review, which directly addresses this topic: http://www.npr.org/2015/04/07/397857358/sprawling-soaring-grace-of-kings-changes-the-fantasy-landscape

Also, although I got an advanced reader copy to review, my effusive praise below is totally genuine and I'll be purchasing a couple of copies as gifts.

So, with those initial thoughts out of the way...

Grace of Kings is a hell of an accomplishment. It's complex but not overburdened, inventive but not baffling, epic but not disconnected from its characters.

Even the prose is epic. Liu adopts an omniscient third-person approach that is sometimes reminiscent of a traditional storyteller relaying an oral history. This style allows him to covers lots of territory in a relatively short amount of time because there's no need for a step-by-step recounting of the hero's long, boring, potato-laden journey. At the same time, he has the flexibility to focus on specific scenes and moments, allowing us to linger with action scenes (attempted assassinations! large-scale battles! sacking of cities!) as well as quieter moments of character development. It lacks the visceral thrill of the Game of Thrones-style first-person blood-and-guts approach, but I found it extremely engaging and well-balanced.

As epic as the story, prose, plot, and world are, Grace of Kings ultimately stays grounded in the two main characters of Kuni Garu (who's making it up as he goes along, with varying degrees of success) and Mata Zyndu (who sees himself as the torchbearer of a proud tradition in a changed world). The development of Kuni and Mata's relationship is absolutely one of the highlights of the book. Even secondary characters get pretty thorough treatment, revealing jumbles of contradictory motives, good-intentions-gone-wrong, and vendettas that can completely change a reader's initial impression. In this respect, the book sometimes reminded me of Marquez's "One Hundred Years of Solitude," in which it wasn't uncommon to find passages recounting pivotal (or simply interesting) events from the pasts of even fleeting characters.

Through these characters and the discussions of the recent history of the world, we get some interesting moments of political philosophizing... most interesting to me were the discussions of the effects, both good and ill, of the forced unification of separate kingdoms. In these moments, Liu adds some very deft shades of gray and absolutely rejects the black/white, evil-empire-vs-good-guys worldview encountered in more shallow fantasy novels.

The world-building is interesting and consistent, and, best of all, well-paced. There's lots to learn, but Liu doesn't dump it on us in the prologue. Neither does he hide the ball. Rather, we keep learning about the world (politically, geographically, and culturally) throughout the book as the plot demands it -- we see isolated societies, gods & goddesses, near-mythical creatures, magic, advancing technology, and more, not just because they're cool (they are) and help make the world feel more real (they do), but because they become directly involved with the stories of our main characters. He also provides resources (glossary, map, character lists) that are helpful for those moments when you're asking yourself "crap, which one of the twin goddesses is this again?". Speaking for myself, I stopped needing those resources after the first 150 pages or so, but I appreciated having them.

Bottom line: anyone curious about the book should just read it. It does so, so much right, and manages to be both thoughtful and entertaining. I'm excited for more, and in the meantime Grace of Kings is already on my re-read list.

I had seen this compared to GRR Martin and Bacigalupi science fantasy stuff, so I entered this with unrealistic expectations, which were soon cruelly dashed. More mysteriously, I read some of Liu's short fiction and liked it, and this novel reads almost as if it was written by a different author, one with a worse ear for dialogue and a less keen sense for plotting.

Grace of Kings reads rather like an attempt at crossbreeding Homer with Chinese legends, and to my ears at least, it generally fails. To me it seems almost as though Liu had some pre-conceived notions as to the mono-dimensional nature of his characters, and makes efforts to conform their portrayals throughout so that they seem either larger than life, or similar to cardboard cutouts, depending on how kind-hearted the interpreter is. After Ice and Fire, epic fantasy has been transformed into something more realistic (for better or worse) and having the hero always be brave or wily or kind, and / or the villains always be wicked and vicious wears on one quickly.

There seem to be few real living breathing characters in here; even the minor characters seem like automatons and plot points. Example: kind hearted crown prince gets forged note from dying Emperor's evil adviser telling the Prince to kill himself by order of the Emperor. "Oh, Ok", says crown prince and kills himself within 2 minutes of getting the note. I don't care what culture you are portraying or what legend you are referencing, that's just bad writing and plotting!

I am reminded of the stuff I used to read in high school when I was a kid, like Terry Brooks and the Belgariad series by David Eddings, etc. If that sort of unidimensional black vs white stuff still holds interest for you, you might enjoy this. There's lots of action, the quasi-Asian setting is interesting, and the detailed world building is nice, especially in terms of the pantheon of gods and their various interests, influences, and schemes. There is no real science fantasy element here despite the airships mentioned, so this is more in the realm of (workmanlike) high fantasy.

I found Grace of Kings disappointing, but admit this is mainly because I like my fantasy darker, grittier, and more complex. Liu is aiming to simulate both Chinese historical epic and a gentler, kinder (and dumber) sort of fantasy novel, of the sort that was more popular 20-30 years ago. This is like a G or PG rated epic, as compared to the R rated Ice and Fire epic that modern tastes are more accustomed to. If you like PG movies with clear simple heroes and villains, this may be your cup of cha.

I just finished this epic fantasy story and I have no idea how to review it and actually do this book justice. There is no way I can sum up The Grace of Kings in a few paragraphs or it’s importance as epic fantasy. This book is a must read for fans of epic fantasy, as it is an introduction to The Dandelion Dynasty, a dynasty epic fans need to know. Although it is a debut novel, it packs in more than most trilogies and this book is only the beginning.

This story takes place in China. This is the story Kuni, a prison guard turned bandit, and Mata, a disinherited heir of a duke. Their story follows the rise and fall of the empire of the Dara islands, seven, each one distinct and important. Emperor Mapidéré was the first to unite the island kingdoms of Dara under the rule of Xana (one of the islands of Dara). Twenty plus years into this riegn and the Gods are angry, the people are suffering and greed is everywhere. Kuni is their destined leader, as told in a prophecy found in the belly of a fish, but his struggle to power will not be an easy one. We follow Kuni and his good friend Mata in the time of Xena rule. Kuni starts off a prodigal son who can’t seem to do the right thing. His love of a good life makes him a less then perfect choice for kingship. His friend Mata is a giant of a man who is also double-pupiled, a rare condition that many believe to be mythical.

Kuni and Mata both want to live under more just rules, where people are treated well. These two are fast leaders in a revolution that shakes the Dara lands to their core. Power changes hands many times in this story and still the people suffer. Kuni and Mata both rise to power through battles that make and break the empire. The politics involved in the Danu lands are carefully recorded. We get to see each leader come to power and then be consumed by it. We get the back story and intimate conversations that make this leader respond.

The style of writing is almost narrative. Each character has its own story to tell, and we learn about their motivation for power and honor. I really empathized with the struggles of these men and woman. Their battles are played out in a land where bandits can rise to power and women can be military leaders. The Grace of Kings is about the delicate balance required in any person to rule and empire. The author is not afraid to ask the big questions of these rulers and lays out their actions for interpretation. Each island has it’s own Gods and they are bound not to interfere, but they inadvertently do anyways. Their Gods are whimsical and argue like children. Their frustration at having battles carried out in their names is humorous. We see the faults and determination of the Gods in this tale.

This novel can easily be the next big epic fantasy. The author is brilliant in the telling of the story, weaving mythology into battles for power, and intimate struggles to do the right thing for oneself. I admit that I struggled with parts of it, mostly in the beginning, as I didn’t understand how each person fit into the story and the names confused me. There is a list of major characters for the reader at the beginning of this book and that helped me to keep things straight. Once I was able to see them interact together, I really enjoyed the reading. This story is a dissection of motivation and power told in a way that the reader can understand.

I am mostly sorry that I am done reading it. This novel was over 600 pages. I am going to miss checking in with this book, as I have been in this world everyday for the past two weeks. The good news is that, although it can be enjoyed as a stand alone, this is only part one of three parts. I highly recommend this book to lovers of epic high fantasy. I am really looking forward to the next adventures in this world.

Ken Liu writes what could be a straight epic fantasy, but the structure/style of the story borrows a lot from Chinese myth/legend storytelling. It's a great story with a refreshingly different style from your typical epic fantasy. I'll definitely be picking up the sequel.

The tropes of fantasy are visible far outside its readership. Simple magic systems and iconic character and archetypes, urban fantasy or high, epic—which is most often to say medieval European—and plenty else. The fantasy world, to the uninitiated, can look something like a monoculture, as can much of genre fiction.

This is why Ken Liu’s The Grace of Kings is such a rare gem. Only in recent years has the West gotten a decent amount of Chinese fiction in translation—thanks also to Ken Liu for that. The Far East is often under or else misrepresented in media originating in the English speaking world. While histories treat the subject with finesse and care, so much fiction based in or on ancient China ends up stinking of Orientalism and racism both positive or negative.

Again, thank goodness for the rare gems.

The Grace of Kings, inspired by the rise of the Han dynasty and the Qin wars for unification that preceded it, is based in the fictional archipelago of Dara. The author refers to the world depicted as “silkpunk” and presents an Eastern version of steampunk in a world that has recently developed string-less fighting kites and lighter-than-air gas-aided human flight. Unified Dara has prospered in many ways under the leadership of Emperor Mapidere yet he has ultimately proven to be an unlikable administrator, putting great works before his people and those feal to him.

In the fifteenth year of his reign, when forces from around his kingdom come to bear on him and betrayal within his own ranks spells his end, Mapidere’s son ascends to a Dara in full out conflict.

Dara is a world overseen by a pantheon of altogether human-like gods and goddesses. They play favorites and work to turn tides, ever uncertain just what effect they will have over the unpredictable morals.

At center stage are Kuni Garu, a bandit-cum-administrator-cum-rebel, and Mata Zyndu, the son of a long dead duke raise under the tutelage of a dedicated uncle. As much as The Grace of Kings is about dissolution in recently unified Dara, it is about two kinds of men and two schools of governance coming into conflict through ultimately flawed human vessels. Kuni and Mata, friends and brothers in the war against the empire, are torn asunder before the fires have ceased and newly freed Dara must labor for the world to come under flawed but laudable kings with disinterested motives and hopeful goals.

The Grace of Kings is masterful in its ability to match worldbuilding and political intrigue with slow-boil, complex, utterly human characters. It is also of that rare breed of first volumes in a multiple volume set that is able to full satisfy the standalone reader and multiple volume lover alike.

Ken Liu had already proven his worth to the world of genre literature. Lauded as a masterful short story writer and utterly welcome in his introduction of tried and new voices of Chinese literature alike, his impact has been felt for years. With this first novel, he has cemented himself as a new masterful voice not only in genre writing but in the greater literary world. We have much to look forward to in the next installment of The Dandelion Dynasty.

As a debut novel this is an impressive and unusual work. What makes is unusual for fantasy is how it eschews the immediacy of other books in the genre for a detachment that grants it more of a fable-like feel. While there are two main characters that the novel is wound around, several minor characters take center stage for their own chapters, particularly in the opening half. These chapters often see the character make a decision of a moral or ethical nature that later comes back to hurt or harm them. (As the author has written a lot of short fiction before, these chapters, being nearly standalone, also feel like a bit of a soft landing into the novel.) In addition, there is a subplot where the patron gods of the various kingdoms in the story comment on the events and their attempts to guide the course of events.

At the heart of the story are two men, Mata Zyndu, a peerless fighter with a noble background, and Kuni Garu, a thoughtful bandit. The two men gravitate towards one another after leading rebellions against a recently formed empire. While their backgrounds and philosophies are far apart, they become close friends with a common cause in defeating the empire.

One of the strengths of the novel is its focus on the concepts of governance and leadership. The leaders who mistreat the citizens are often brought down directly or indirectly by the same. Battles are lost, not from fighting but desertion from lack of morale. Liberators are often as cruel to the commoners as their conquerors. The degree of attention that these concepts are given by the author gives the book more weight than if it was just about kingdoms battling it out for supremacy.

Overall, this was a very fun read. The framing and quick pace make it a much faster read than the heft of the novel would predict. The heavy moral component was an interesting twist for me but I could also see how it could be off-putting to some. Having never read Ken Liu before I'm now interested in catching up on some of his short fiction.

This is epic fantasy. it's a story that lives and breathes, the story of myth. it is of course a very long book and one which takes time to read. It's time well spent. others go deeper into the story, so I won't. Suffice to say that if you love epic fantasy, this is a must read for you.

This is EXPANSIVE fiction! The empires fall and rise on a large scale: geographically, time-wise, and by shear immensity of characters involved in telling of this story. Ken writes exquisite details about each nation and peoples in his epic story. It is a very visual telling. I feel like I have read a histy as oppose to a fictional account. Well done.

First of all, this is long. And, it has sequels...

However, it is worth the trouble. There are a lot of characters but because of the length of the book, there is enough room to develop the characters. The most important part of the book is the way that the characters interact, so this book uses its length to take advantage of character development.

Definitely worth the reading.

Grace of Kings takes places on the Islands of Dara, where inhabitants must contend with constantly fighting nobles, corrupt officials and meddling gods. The book focuses on a great rebellion and the construction (and reconstruction) of the Islands.

I thoroughly enjoyed GoK. It had everything an epic fantasy should have: grand scope, three-dimensional characters, and intense military and political battles.

Liu’s approach to morality is particularly refreshing: the book does not portray a war between good or evil, but nor is it a grimdark society filled with relentlessly terrible people. All the characters are flawed, and have credible reasons to think of themselves as “the good guys.” Still, Liu doesn't let this slide into all characters being portrayed as morally equivalent.

I want to visit the Islands of Dara again. Highly recommended.

So much exposition. I had to force myself to get 120 pages in, and decided it wasn't worth it. The book is a retelling of the years of Qin and (one assumes, having not made it that far) the formation of the Han in China; seven island states replacing the seven warring kingdoms but otherwise not much difference. The characters are mostly dull as dirt, almost everything is told in summary instead of vividly, and it's just not good at all. I didn't exactly hate it, so it gets away with 2 stars because it's not actively awful, I suppose?

Obviously I didn't care for this book. It's not that the characters aren't defined or that the pace is bad, I just couldn't find it in myself to play along with the story. Everything that happens is just to easy in a lot of cases. The author has places he wants to get and convenient developments are utilized to get us there, to the point of the reader having to suspend disbelief on occasion. Also, most of the characters are annoying and almost always act in ways that betray earlier characterization. The saddest part is that this book appears to have won awards, which only guarantees further installments.

Make no mistake, this is the most important epic fantasy release since A Game of Thrones in 1996. Liu redefines epic fantasy in a way that is refreshing, compelling, and has been long overdue.

Ostensibly written in an Asian setting, the book itself is actually a combination of several building blocks, of which Asia is but the most overt one. As a novel, it would be a serious mistake to peg the book as an Asian version of Western fantasy. The cast of characters, which ebbs and flows over time with a few core protagonists, is much more reminiscent of Eastern European epics or Latin American family epics, a good example being One Hundred Years of Solitude.

Comparing The Grace of Kings to One Hundred Years of Solitude is a great jumping off point for what makes this book so original and compelling and, ultimately, a game changer for contemporary fantasy. Liu doesn't play in the George R. R. Martin or J. R. R. Tolkien playground. His book is epic in the way of War And Peace more than A Song of Ice and Fire or The Lord of the Rings. He takes global events and illustrates how the people living within are just small pieces.

It is a humbling and powerful way of telling an epic story, one that fantasists in the pulp tradition simply don't grasp. We see this in Liu's use of point-of-view, where it is not uncommon in the book to move from one character's thoughts to another. Such an approach is highly out-of-fashion in contemporary fantasy, yet Liu has the courage to know that this is the proper way to tell his sprawling story and to illustrate humanity's place within it. That such an approach is more common in the literary world is yet another indication that Liu has greater aims than clanging swords and fire breathing dragons. Truly, he has created an epic fantasy that feels almost more at home on a bookshelf next to Marquez or Tolstoy than Tolkien or Martin. This is a good thing.

Liu's approach to epoch, character, and a plot that evolves over years will be seen as written with too light a touch by some. They will want to be more intimate with the characters or they will feel distanced from the straining sinew of battle. Yet this is a choice that makes for not a weaker epic, but a different one. It is an epic told on the scale of a David Lean film, where we stand as gods watching events unfold before us.

The metaphor is a good one, as the gods in the story fulfill this same role within Liu's gorgeous epic. The gods intrude at odd moments within the novel, and the results of their intrusions are sometimes irrelevant, sometimes critical, or, more often than not, simply unknown. The gods are frustrated with their inability to understand humanity, even as they can see vast forces unfolding in front of them. At the end of the epic, the gods pretty much shrug and look forward to what happens next, knowing that they ultimately were only able to do one thing: Watch the characters play out their lives in a way that entertained them.

As readers we will feel the same way... not quite sure of why this epic that stitches together Asian culture, classic literary epic convention, and contemporary prose works as a fantasy in the same tradition of Tolkien or even a Mervyn Peake, but it does. And in the end we are left looking forward to what happens next, because if we learned one thing from The Grace of Kings, it's that, while standing from a distance, we will be thrilled, surprised, and touched, much like the gods that live in the novel.

This is more than just a fantasy novel. It is a fictional history, or a heroic myth. It is an excellent novel that goes far beyond the typical trappings of sword-and-sorcery, or political intrigue-based fantasy novels. In my view, it should have appeal far outside of genre. I could write at length about what I liked about this book, but the (hopefully) tl;dr version is:
-The characters are deep, complex, and human. Each has his/her own failings, foibles, limitations, as well as strengths. As is introduced in the early goings, great people are rarely good
-Everywhere there is myth and legend. Sword battles that last for five days. The intervention of tricksy, fickle gods. As is commented on in other reviews, there are clear similarities to Greek/Roman myth, but also some of the magic of Chinese folk stories. This charges the novel with magic and awe, but also adds tension, as we rail against the gods (much as we did in the Iliad).
-Liu focusses on people who are typically excluded in fantasy novels: peasants, nobodies, the collateral damage and victims of war. Yes, there is celebration of martial glory in this book. But there is also an acute understanding of its costs. We see starvation, desperation, and the impact of hubris. Seemingly minor characters, unremarkable in many ways (such as accountants, thieves, and mere grunts), can make a difference in Dara, and that is really refreshing. This is 'generals and heroes' novel.
-Liu also features women heavily in this tale, which is also refreshing. And more than simply having female warriors (though they do feature), he accentuates and focusses on the feminine and makes it relevant and powerful. I'm reminded of Rhapsody, by Elizabeth Haydon. There's not a single hackneyed damsel-in-distress scene, nor is rape ever used as a shorthard for characterisation. Very refreshing.
-It's a fast-paced tale, in spite of its scope and its many characters, and the frequent, sudden savagery always reminds you of what's at stake for everyone
-The thematic ideas - greatness vs goodness, ambition and hubris, vision and madness, are all well realised and fitting in this epic. These only improve on repeated reading

Fantastic!!! I loved the characters, setting, philosophy, and style. The writing is beautiful and the plot interesting. The world development was done quite smoothly, never overwhelming the reader with unnecessary names and always providing insight into the reasoning and structure involved in the fantasy-world related decisions. The ideas behind the content were intriguing and they presented skillfully. One of the best fantasy books I've read, I absolutely recommend it.

I don’t write many reviews. Quite apart from the time investment, few books grab me enough to move me to the pulpit. Of those few, even fewer in recent years have been Epic Fantasy, a genre I view with some wariness for its tendency to never-ending series and faux-Shakespearian dialogue. And as an unapologetic fan of Tolkien, my personal bar—not just for story, but for the level of craft needed to pull off an original work in this genre—is set very high.

So when I heard that multiple award-winning author Ken Liu was embarking on an Epic Fantasy series, I was intrigued. Liu—one of the most extraordinary talents the Science Fiction/Fantasy field has seen in the last several decades—never disappoints. And the fact that the series, named The Dandelion Dynasty, was going to be informed by and draw upon the Chinese Classics suggested this might be something new in a genre which I’ve generally found to be rather disappointing.

Well, “new” doesn’t come close. With The Grace of Kings, standalone first volume in the series, Liu knocks this one out of the ballpark. This isn’t just a terrific book, it’s an important one that comes at the epic tale from a different angle, with an unusual sensibility.

At 640 pages, The Grace of Kings, by the standards of the genre, isn’t a very large book. But the scope of lives, of events, of pure, unalloyed story that takes place here is more than most authors pack into a trilogy.

From the sweeping, cinematic opening scene, the author shows a command of his craft that delights. Like his characters, Liu takes great risks, using narrative techniques and pacings that, in the hands of another, would result in distancing and detachment. Instead, the cumulative effect of Liu’s technique, with its free-ranging viewpoint and delicious digressions as new characters are introduced, feels very close to the oral storytelling tradition at the core of every culture. As night deepens, we gather closer to the fire, listening with rapt attention, fully immersed in a world so real and characters so alive that, like Tolkien’s Middle Earth and Zelazny’s Amber, it’s impossible to not wholly believe in them.

But Liu gives us more than brave deeds and battles, love and loyalty, passion and betrayal, song and spectacle. From start to finish, and with not infrequent undertones of wry humour, The Grace of Kings is a meditation and commentary on power, and the ways in which that power seduces, drives, corrupts, and (in Liu’s own words) occasionally ennobles. This is a novel that embraces ambiguity and relativism, that makes simple judgments difficult, even impossible. In a world as real as ours, in which “good” actions can bring catastrophic results, and where people, feelings, and loyalties are subject to living, dynamic change, what is right? Who can see around all corners?

Not everyone likes to face ambiguity. For many—including those of a secular bent—the essentially Christian narrative of good and evil is more comforting. The fact that Liu can bring these questions before the reader without for a moment sounding preachy or sacrificing story, wonder, and sheer, breathless adventure is a supreme achievement—and you’d have to be dead to finish this book without asking yourself where certain lines are, or if they indeed exist. And to his credit, even at the very end, Liu never tips his hand, never makes judgments. He respects and trusts his readers to be smart enough to think for themselves.

But, you ask, what’s the book about? Well, here’s the sketchiest summary:

The islands of Dara, a sprawl of historically strife-torn, warring nations, are finally at peace. But that peace has been dearly bought: under the iron rule of the Emperor Mapideré, clans are split, families are divided, and men throughout Dara are forced by corvée to work for years at a time on the emperor’s monumental projects, often never to see their families again.

Against this backdrop of totalitarian brutality, a series of small events started by minor players—a corvée gang leader trying to save his skin by faking an outlandish prophecy; a wily, charismatic tavern rat named Kuni Garu; and the vengeful giant, Mata Zyndu, grim heir of a noble clan expropriated by the emperor—escalates by degrees into an armed uprising.

Before long, Kuni and Mata, now allies close as brothers, find themselves and their trusted followers at the forefront of a revolution that breaks the empire apart. But as their power grows, so does the complexity of the politics and the influence of their advisors and generals, paving the way for miscalculations, misunderstandings, and treachery.

And the players in Dara are not only human. The fractious gods and goddesses of this ancient land have their own designs, and are not above taking on human form to help their favourites in the power struggle unfolding in the human realm.

As upheaval grips this land of nobles and peasants, rascals and heroes, exotic creatures and wildly imaginative silkpunk technologies, Liu delights us with a cast of unforgettable characters, among whom Jia Matiza, a skilled herbalist and Kuni’s wife; Gin Mazoti, a female street urchin who rises to become the world’s greatest military commander; Luan Zya, a brilliant adventurer and Kuni’s master strategist; Kindo Marana, a tax collector reluctantly placed in command of an army; the Lady Risana, a clever illusionist and Kuni’s consort; and Gitré Üthu, the magic book of knowledge that writes itself, given to Luan by a mysterious teacher.

In conclusion, The Grace of Kings is a book whose audience extends far beyond the traditional readership for Epic Fantasy, a must-read for anyone who enjoys a great story.

Now where’s book Two?

(some very light spoilers here)

To keep it short : this is almost exactly the book I wanted to read.

I'm an ancient Chinese philosophy/history geek. I just love the ideas, the old religions and spiritual practices, the writing system(s) the crazy stuff that happened, the impressive inventions, etc... In short, I think China is (at least culturally) one the most interesting place on Earth. I simply love reading about the different dynasties and the various books that came to us from that time. Confucius of course, but also Mencius (so very modern), Mo Zi and his scary utilitarian politics, or (my favourites) the more poetical Lao Zi and Zhuang Zi.

I'm also a huge science fiction and fantasy geek. I studied literature (from Shakespeare to Dickens, from Pynchon to Steven Millhauser) at university, but it's with Tolkien's fantasy or Iain Banks' science fiction that I'll read myself to sleep.

It's not a surprise that I had been looking for a book like The Grace of Kings for a long time, then. Ever since I got into Chinese culture, I wanted to read a fantasy retelling of its history in the same vein as Tolkien is the reimagining of Ancient England, Game of Thrones the recycling of the War of the Roses, or Delany's Neveryona a sort of retelling of prehistoric Europe/Near-East. Reading Zhuangzi, I could tell that there was a world of wonders in China, and I wanted to be amazed by them too. This is exactly what happened with Ken Liu's novel.

There are plenty of references to historical events, more or less recycled to fit the story of the book, and I was always very happy to catch them. I'm sure many went over my head, but they will come to me along the years while I continue to study China and read the following books in The Dandelion Dynasty. The world invented by Ken Liu is very coherent as well as rich.

I haven't really felt the Chinese spiritual heritage rewritten in the book, which was a surprise. I guess that I expected a more "Taoist" mystical world, something like I find in Ursula Le Guin's books. But the surprise was actually very good, as the treatment of the gods was great. The parts that concerned them were probably my favourites, and I hope we'll get to know more about them in the following books. I'd love to know from where they ultimately come from, both in their world and in our own.

Something I really loved was the various war chapters. It's easy : I just couldn't let go of my reading device during these parts. I was completely hooked by them, and absolutely devoured these chapters. I usually get bored by the way battles are told in other other fantasy books... but not here. Not only did I care about the characters involved, but how they managed their successes and failures was made very interesting by the writing. I feel like the rhythm of these sections was perfect, and would sometimes feel like I was in front of a detective novel, and had a great time playing with the book and trying to second-guess the various strategies used by the characters.

As always with Ken Liu's fiction, the writing was great. When I read his fiction, I always have a "sense of flowing" which is immensely pleasant, its balance is perfect. Grace of Kings, apart from some very rare exceptions, was no exception. My only regret here is that I would have loved to have more "sense of wonder" moments. They do come, sometimes, but I felt they were too short.

Only two things I didn't care much about. First, I had a hard time with the names. They sometimes sounded quite silly in the languages I speak (French and Spanish), and I didn't feel like they were evocative enough. I sometimes forgot who was who, and often had to go back to the beginning to check.

My other problem was with the way romance was used in the novel. Quite simply, I didn't believe in its (few) love stories.

I had a great time with that novel, and I highly recommend it.

The Grace of Kings is, in a word, stunning. Normally I try to avoid making comparisons with my reviews, but here it's fitting. Ken Liu's debut possesses all the epic grandeur, intelligence, and dignity of a Guy Gavriel Kay novel, accented by the complexities, intricacies, and smirking humor of Steven Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen. It's a huge, sprawling epic, with a cast of characters that are challenging, but so well-rounded and distinct as to be immediately memorable.

There's a little bit of everything here, with influences ranging from Asian culture to Middle Eastern mythologies, from the depths of political and ethical philosophy to the heights of steampunk and magic. The storytelling is exquisite, complex and poetic, but natural and easily flowing. It's a narrative that serves to draw the reader in, with characters who insist we stick around and enjoy the story.

Kuni Garu is the charming, clever, personable bandit who grows up to become a rebel leader and political force in his own right. Paradoxically, he's utterly consumed by the ethics of leadership, but wholly defined by the treacherous manipulation of the rules of war. Mata Zyndu, on the other hand, is the very epitome of the noble but ruthless warrior. He would rather be trusted and obeyed than loved and admired, but is crippled by what he sees as the most intimate and personal of betrayals. It's a genuine sort of friendship, one that slowly deteriorates under the pressures of war, until allies become enemies in an unorthodox war. This is so very much not a simple story of good versus evil. It's a novel of complex ambiguity, one where concepts of right and wrong are as ethereal as the gods and goddesses who watch over their children.

While Kuni and Mata are the primary protagonists here, they are just two of the more strategic pieces on a very crowded chessboard. Warriors, rulers, politicians, friends, brothers, lovers, and mothers all have a part to play, and each and every one of them make an impact upon the page, even if they barely have time to exchange names. There were characters I despised with a passion, whom I wanted to see suffer the most horrible atrocities imaginable, and others I absolutely loved, whom I looked forward to meeting again when they weren't the focus, and celebrated when they were. Jia and Risana are far more than just wives and mothers, they're women who help to shape the course of war. Luan and Gin are the most admirable of ordinary people, adventurers and inventors who give of themselves to bring about an end to war. Mira and Kikomo are two of the most tragic figures in the novel, women who understand the definition of sacrifice better than any soldier.

As the novel opens, it seems that this is destined to be the story of one momentous victory, but it's really about a series of multiple victories and even more defeats. It's a conflict that moves forward at a breakneck pace, racing along from one island to another, and one army to another. It's bloody and brutal, but it's also beautiful. This is a story that works on so many levels - the personal, the political, the martial, and the magical. Mythology and science are equal partners in the conflict, both nudging the conflict in the right direction but, at the end of the day, it all comes down to the relationship between Kuni and Mata.

I came away from The Grace of Kings with mixed emotions, entirely satisfied with the way Liu resolved the story, but a little uncertain about how he's left the world. That's not a complaint - in fact, I daresay that's precisely his intent. When a story is so much about uncertainty and ambiguity, it would be the worst of all the betrayals within its pagers for it to end on a note that either simple or clear.

This is a hard review to write because I know there are people who are going to absolutely adore this book. I wasn't one of them and in the way of relationships I'm not sure if it was me or the book.

The book is so huge in scope that I often had to refer to the list of characters at the beginning to keep track because the story bounces around between a number of different points of view and at one point I realized I was confusing two similar characters whose first names started with the same letter. I also looked at the map quite often to keep the mental picture of where the action was taking place.

One of the issues of not having a single "main" character is that I found it hard to get emotionally invested in the characters. This was especially true because there was often little difference between the evil government and the actions of the rebels who were often not very noble in their actions.

I gave up for the time being about 200 pages (around 1/3) into the book. I realized I didn't care enough about what was going to happen to keep reading. I'm going to hang on to it and see if picking it up again later will get me to like it more.

You have to love epic fantasy -- and preferably a Chinese-flavored fantasy -- to want to read this book. It is very long and very involved with a large cast of characters. And this is just the first book in the trilogy.

I really like this book. I'm about half way through and can't wait to read the next book. It was actually the second book that got me curious about the series. I saw it on sale at a book store and immediately wanted to read it but since it was the second in the series, I needed to read the first one and I'm glad I am.

I was lucky enough to win an ARC of this, and it's GREAT.

If you consider yourself a fantasy reader, a lover of adventure or political intrigue, or if you've liked any of Ken Liu's short fiction (which, by the way, you should be reading if you haven't), this is a must read. The next big thing in epic fantasy. So very intelligent, so very poetic! And lots of fun to boot. It's structurally original, character-focused but also sweeping and ambitious in its painting of a richly detailed world; its world-building is accessible but also nuanced and complex; it's joyfully inventive, full of humor and gravitas, joy and sorrow, characters admirable, despicable, delightfully human, and excitingly diverse. Am I waxing poetic? It's that good. :)

As a bonus, if you're well read in your historical epic traditions (east or west), then connections and resonances abound and delight as well! I confess I don't know the eastern tradition well, but I enjoyed resonances with Homer--the two main characters are like an Odysseus and an Achilles who are first in a symbiotic friendship but then find themselves at odds--and even with Beowulf, not so much in plot as in the narrative's broad historical scope and its overarching, elegiac tone.

You'll be happy to have read this. My only warning is that you'll want to fly through it because it's so good, but then you'll be left with that bittersweet feeling of being done with a great book. My recommendation: savor this one like a heady wine, and when it's finished, go out and read all the Ken Liu short stories you can find in order to treat your symptoms of withdrawal. "Game of Thrones" can wait, so set the DVR and read this first!

Made it through 150 pages. It's just simply not that good which is surprising because Liu's short stories are amazingly well written with wonderful prose. I would recommend reading his short story book instead of this unless you're really into epic fantasy. George Martin, Brandon Sanderson and Steven Erikson's epic fantasy writing is much, much better.

J R R Tolkien has been reincarnated. I cannot better describe how amazing this book is in its scope, its characters, its world building. It is very much a novel of place as much as of people, or more, the place is as fully real as Middle Earth and that realistic nature shapes the characters as any true world must. I was a bit put off at first with all the guides. There is a pronunciation guide. There is a guide to the major characters. You won't need it. They're hard to forget. There is a glossary at the end. There are many, many maps. The maps I found useful. Usually that kind of scaffolding needs to be for the author's eyes only, but for an epic of this scope, it is justified. This is, without a doubt, the start of the next great epic in fantasy, and I cannot wait for the next book.

I. Overall: Grace of Kings (GoK) is an enjoyable epic story, which I experienced as a well-narrated audiobook. Pros: GoK excelled in having numerous characters with clearly different personalities, well-explored topics of emotional brotherhood, complex politics, how emotions can change the political landscape and start or end friendships, and much more. More than many stories, the book kept a consistent logic & rationale most of the time. Like many books, and unlike many TV series, continuity was high. Cons: Characters changed often enough to limit the depth of character exploration to ~two main characters and a few more recurring characters, and the brotherhood seemed to develop quickly and end too easily (though the ease of ending may be explained by how easily they started [& informally called each other brothers], therefore there was symmetry).

II. Comparison with four TV series ratings (out of five *s listed for each topic, with each rating deliberately + or - one point in accuracy), consisting mostly of my own experience, and partially of others’ experiences:
A. Grace of Kings (book 1 of 3 in the Dandelion Dynasty Series):
• Politics: 5
• Character Development: 4
• Unique/unusual ideas: 4
• Logical and rational plotline: 4
• Continuity: 5
• Enjoyment: 4
B. Star Trek the Next Generation, Seasons 1-2:
• Politics: 3
• Character Development: 3
• Unique/unusual ideas: 4
• Logical and rational plotline: 2
• Continuity: 3
• Enjoyment: 4
C. Babylon 5, Season 1:
• Politics: 4
• Character Development: 3
• Unique/unusual ideas: 4
• Logical and rational plotline: 4
• Continuity: 4
• Enjoyment: 3
D. Star Trek Voyager, Seasons 1-2:
• Politics: 1
• Character Development: 3
• Unique/unusual ideas: 4
• Logical and rational plotline: 2
• Continuity: 3
• Enjoyment: 3
E. Game of Thrones, Season 1:
• Politics: 5
• Character Development: 5
• Unique/unusual ideas: 4
• Logical and rational plotline: 4
• Continuity: 5
• Enjoyment: 4

III. Feminism: Firstly, what is feminism? “1 : the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes 2 : organized activity on behalf of women's rights and interests” (Merriam-Webster). Let’s start with definition #1 in describing GoK. Does this book show women as having equal rights with men? Like most novels based in eras lacking relative equality, it does not. However, a world w/o equality does not prove to be without said "theory". We need to move to the 2nd definition to best understand GoK from a feminist perspective. What is remarkable about GoK is how it shows a progression of obtaining equality due to activity initiated by one or more of the main characters, which becomes organized and effective. Essentially, this book is much like many historically based novels, but the breaks the mold by showing clear progress toward feminist ideals. It can further be reasoned that the subsequent books will continue on this same feminist path.

While the book does have more prominent male figures, it is contextually accurate to historical writing (this book isn’t non-fiction, but appears largely based on historical non-fiction). Still, if someone only appreciates a story about 50+% prominent female characters, and is less interested in the progression of feminism taking hold w/in a society, then this book may not be for them. Though, IMHO, an ideal feminist virtually stops seeing people as men or women, but as people. When reaching that state, it matters not if the characters are male or female, but that they are people. [Though this point excludes previous points about seeing men & women w/equal rights, at the point of ideal feminism via reading about characters], a person can read a story about all females, all males, or a mix, and get enjoyment from the characters that is not colored by their gender.

Thank you for reading my review, and feel free to comment. FYI, the story I'm currently listening to is "The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories" (note I tried to insert this product link, but the store links to the wrong book, so perhaps someone reading this can let the store know of this problem so "The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories" can be put down as a link), and the TV series I'm watching is "Girls".

I bought the book because I loved Ken Liu's short stories and I had really wanted to support his first novel. First chapter in, the nagging feeling that he was merely writing about the last years of the Qin dynasty with a change in names kicked in. A few more chapters and I felt tremendously let down by the fact the book is just another attempt at telling the story of the Chu-Han wars and the establishment of the Han dynasty. The characters and relationships are immediately mappable to historical characters and the web of relationships they were mired in. The plot lines were exactly the same. Confucious became Kon fi ji. Even the sad story of Han Feizi and Li Si are appropriated wholesale. The worst part of it is how the characters are stereotyped and very much in-line with the judgement of Confucian scholars for generations to come. Changing the names of people and places, adding some fantasy lands and flying bamboo airships do not equal to reinvention or reinterpretation. As a former Ken Liu fan, I'm sad to say that this is an intellectually lazy novel. For people who are unfamiliar with Chinese history, this book would surely garner the kind of raving reviews it has been getting. I suggest you bring your money elsewhere and watch a Hong Kong TVB drama series on the Chu-Han wars instead.

A fantasy inspired by early Chinese history. Based on the unification of China by the Chin Kingdom, the subsequent collapse of the Chin empire, and the emergence of the Han dynasty. The construction of this fantasy world is decent and the writing is adequate. The reality was considerably more interesting.

An epic adventure, fast-paced and thoroughly engaging. I was hooked from the opening scene.

The Grace of Kings is an ambitious debut that transports us to the Kingdom of Dara, an island world of gods and men, of feuding nobles and tales of triumph and tragedy. In this world, Liu creates a deeply textured backdrop for his story, one of family and friendship, brotherhood and betrayal.

At it's core, and the reason the pages continued to flip for me, are Liu's heroic, yet flawed characters, each struggling with their own lineage and lot in life to fulfill their purpose in a shifting world order. I found myself rooting for and against these men and women as the story wove along, anxious to see if and how their hopes for a better life would be realized.

Not a quick read, but your time will be well rewarded. I can't wait for the next installment!

I really wanted to like this book. But I didn't.

I appreciate the audacity of the sweeping epic. I felt like the author was trying to bring some of that Wheel-of-Time-style hugeness of scale, and I respect that. I appreciate the interesting cultural references. It's great to get some non-eurocentric flavor. But as a package it didn't work for me.

I read a review of a movie once that described it as "watching paint dry while being hit over the head with a frying pan". That's how I feel about this book. Lots and LOTS of stuff happens. But it's still deadly boring because I don't care about any of the characters. The people are just too unbelievable--they come across as cartoons. As a result there's no tension. Because you don't really know them, there's no surprise when they apparently go off the rails. Why shouldn't they?

And the writing is just kind of meh. Similes and metaphors that seem to be meant to be poetic just come out...jarring. (One section compares both houses and ships to water striders. Ships I can get, but houses even on stilts are just not very water-strider-like.)

Overall, I admire the ambition and I enjoyed seeing a different cultural perspective. But I probably won't continue in the series.

The Grace of Kings by Ken Lui is the first book in the Dandelion series. It is an epic fantasy that pretty much rolls a whole lot of everything into one. Do I know who Ken Lui is? Do I remember reading any of his previous books before? Do I know of the various awards that he's won? The answer is a definitive no. And it's a shame because this guy definitely seems like he was born to write these kinds of novels. It was really fun reading The Grace of Kings but unfortunately, I was left disappointed when it all finished. It had a strong beginning, which I personally think is very important in order to hold my attention, but it ultimately falls flat around 3/4 of the way in and it never recovers. In fact, I might even dare to say it was about 1/2 of the way through. The story definitely feels ambitious at first and sucks you in to the world but afterwards, you'll begin to notice that it's like the author just left you stranded where progression was concerned.

The story starts out with a boy witnessing an assassination attempt on the emperor. The other star consist of a man who is bound to restore honor to his former clan. Together, they set out to accomplish the impossible to overthrow the empire. While this plot may not seem very innovative at first, I decided to give it a chance because it's always fun to read a story about rebellion and besides, it's always up to the author to "create" the interesting piece and spin it however he wants to so that it doesn't seem cliche.

Anytime you have an epic fantasy set in this period and concerning especially Asian people, there's bound to be betrayals and more importantly, the outcome of a war/battle is determined by the strategies used by the commanders and generals. A wrong guess or a gamble can determine the fate of thousands and thousands of lives. Fear not because you'll have plenty of that in The Grace of Kings. World building I would say is very average at best. Some locations the author put more time into describing while others is just mentioned in passing.

One of the bigger concerns I had deals with character building and progression. Once again, I had high hopes as in the beginning, the characters showed some promise. This was true for both Kuni and Mata. However, as the story progressed further and further, I found this was not so anymore. What I do applaud the author for is making the characters do things that make them seem the anti-hero. War is ugly and nothing gets that point across more than by having the main characters do things that makes your blood boil just a bit. I loved it and wished more authors would have the courage to also spoil the image of their main protagonist, if just for a bit.

Battle wise, you'd expect thousands and thousands of troops fighting on the battlefield. And well, that's exactly what you'd get but the focus isn't really on putting you in the front seat of the action. As mentioned earlier, winning battles consist of outsmarting the enemy and more attention is thrown there instead. There are probably 1-3 memorable fights throughout the book in my opinion.

While The Grace of Kings felt average at best, I still managed to finish it in a small amount of time. Great authors/writers can do that and I'll admit that Ken Liu can write. I'll probably check out his previous works instead. The Grace of Kings is not bad and in fact, it's probably better than most of the other stuff out there.

I'm waiting for the next book. And the movie. I am almost done with this book and anticipate separation anxiety. I read it in line at the bank. The characterizations are unexpected, energetic. The contrasting 2 main characters are polarities and keep the momentum. I love it.

Don't waist your money if you are over the age of 12-16. This book is not for adults! It's plot is simplistic and characterization is shallow. I rarely do not finish a book but I gave up on this one.

This book sounded like something right up my alley as a sweeping tale of heroes, dynasties, intrigue and battle. Unfortunately I'm two hundred pages in and it puts me to sleep. Even though there's a lot going on the world-building never captured my imagination. There are nuggets of plot intricacy that catch my attention but then the language and pacing lose me again. I think there's a plot I'd like buried in the vast scope of this but I've lost interest in finding it. Unfortunately I also haven't connected to any of the characters so I'm also not invested in what happens to them. When I'm forcing myself to pick up a book just to get it over with it's actually time to throw in the towel.

The first third of this book was fine, not great, just fine. Then, it splintered into a mess of characters all over the place. I think it was kind of a guy bonding book, so it just never appealed to me. The world building was good, but I never cared about anyone who lived there. I'm sure this will appeal to some folks, but I am not one of them.

This is a difficult book for me to review. Liu has created a fast-paced, engaging story with plenty of layers and character interest. He tells the story of this empire's war from multiple points of view, and lets us sympathize with even the traditional "bad guys." Without resorting to excessive moral ambiguity, we can appreciate both the rebels' and the empire's perspectives. And even the climactic battle lets us celebrate and mourn at once.

All that said, I would classify this as light, fast reading suitable for summer beach time. The pace felt very rushed throughout, punctuated by exaggerated descriptions of flowers, buildings, and scenery. The latter were often nice counterpoints that helped create a mystical mood, but just as often I found myself impatient with the paragraphs of description that didn't go anywhere. Then we'd be off on a mad rush again, with very little character development happening along the way. And while I appreciated Liu's willingness to introduce minor characters with depth and backstories, his equal willingness to kill them off two chapters later eventually left me not caring about, well, any of them.

What really bothered me most, though, was that the main characters seemed very two-dimensional. While they had rich histories, I honestly couldn't keep track of who was talking, or who we were even following along with. The comparison I found myself making was to Steven Erikson's books, where you know almost instantly who the chapter is about simply from the prose, while the dialogue and descriptions reinforce everyone's individuality. Liu's characters were strangely more exaggerated and less distinct for me - everyone read more or less like a caricature of themselves, and it all blended together.

At the end of the book, I'd have to say I enjoyed the ride well enough, but I won't be picking up book two. If you prefer the depth of Erikson, Gaiman, or even Hobbs, you might find this a little light. If you prefer the storytelling of, say, Jordan or Sanderson, you might really enjoy this series.

I was very disappointed at the extreme lack of female characters - I got through about the first 70 pages and can only remember 4 out of the numerous, numerous male characters - a mom, a love interest/wife, a mother of a teenager and a tavern owner. As a woman, this book didn't appeal to me - not a lot of personal involvement with the characters (many of whom seemed to be killed off, so perhaps that's for the best). Just not a lot of depth to them. I know Mr. Liu is a great writer, but not one that appeals to me.

The Grace of Kings has been compared to Game of Thrones, but in my opinion it’s a lot better. Although it’s definitely an epic fantasy that takes things a little bit more realistically, and has a lot of politics, it avoids some of the pitfalls that A Song of Ice and Fire falls into. For one thing, there isn’t nearly as much graphic content - it implies some of it, but it doesn’t make you sit through descriptions of incest (which isn’t actually in it as far as I can remember) or rape. It mentions sexual assaults, or brutal murders, but it doesn’t sensationalize them. It doesn’t gloss over the bad stuff but it also doesn’t make that the entire focus of the novel.

More about The Grace of Kings as its own novel, and less as a comparison, I really enjoyed all of the characters. It developed them really well, so that when you looked at both sides of the conflict (or sometimes the many sides of the conflict) there were characters whose motives and personalities were clear and distinct. A lot of them die, but they also don’t feel like they die pointlessly - they die for the things that they care about, in situations that arose because they were pursuing their goals. Also, the world-building was really fun! There are gods that (kind of) interfere, and seven kingdoms/provinces (depending on what’s happening) with their own customs, written languages, and foods, even! It’s definitely not your stereotypical weirdly twisted medieval England/France setting, either. It’s pretty obviously inspired by ancient China.

In terms of detractions, other people (looking at reviews on Goodreads) tend to think that the women are not as nuanced as they could be (or that there aren’t enough of them). They also have had problems with the beginning, which has a lot of characters that Liu jumps between. Honestly, I didn’t have either of these problems, but I read really quickly, so in places where it may have felt like there weren’t enough female characters or that it was tough to get through the beginning I may have just sped over them.

As a kid I was an avid fan of the fantasy genre. I loved being whisked away to new worlds with new rules. However as I picked up and read more and more Fantasy novels I felt like I was stuck in a rut. It started to feel like the same world over and over again with a few details tweaked. The setting always felt in some way like feudalistic Europe, it grew quickly tiresome. Reading "Grace of Kings" was like a breath of fresh air. The setting is very reminiscent of Ancient China, and it's incredible. And the technology is completely new. He's created a "silkpunk" world. I highly recommend that anyone who loves fantasy novels should read this book. It will leave you wanting more.

This is EXPANSIVE fiction! The empires fall and rise on a large scale: geographically, time-wise, and by shear immensity of characters involved in telling of this story. Ken writes exquisite details about each nation and peoples in his epic story. It is a very visual telling. I feel like I have read a histy as oppose to a fictional account. Well done.

I loved this book! It was fanfreakingtastic! But don't love the characters too because you know what happens when you do that!! Working on the next book now!

If you love epic fantasy, bloody battles and a little fun then this is your book!

Happy Reading!

Mel ❤️