The Poppy War
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The Poppy War
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Seslendiren:
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Emily Woo Zeller
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Yazan:
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R.F. Kuang
Winner of the Reddit Fantasy Award for Best Debut 2018
‘The best fantasy debut of 2018’ – WIRED
A brilliantly imaginative epic fantasy debut, inspired by the bloody history of China’s twentieth century and filled with treachery and magic.
When Rin aced the Keju – the test to find the most talented students in the Empire – it was a shock to everyone: to the test officials, who couldn’t believe a war orphan from Rooster Province could pass without cheating; to Rin’s guardians, who had hoped to get rich by marrying her off; and to Rin herself, who realized she was finally free from a life of servitude. That she got into Sinegard – the most elite military school in Nikan – was even more surprising.
But surprises aren’t always good.
Because being a dark-skinned peasant girl from the south is not an easy thing at Sinegard. Fighting the prejudice of rival classmates, Rin discovers that she possesses a lethal, unearthly power – an aptitude for the nearly-mythical art of shamanism. Exploring the depths of her gift with the help of psychoactive substances and a seemingly insane teacher, Rin learns that gods long thought dead are very much alive – and that mastering these powers could mean more than just surviving school.
For while the Nikara Empire is at peace, the Federation of Mugen still lurks across a narrow sea. The Federation occupied Nikan for decades after the First Poppy War, and only barely lost the continent in the Second. And while most people calmly go about their lives, a few are aware that a Third Poppy War is just a spark away…
©2018 Rebecca KuangA very intense fantasy that does not pull punches. It is a close examination on the effects of war both national and personal. A new and interesting direction for fantasy. Probably wouldn’t recommend to someone new to fantasy, but would definitely recommend to a fantasy fan who is looking for something different.
Rambling Review
Well this was brave. If nothing else R. F. Kuang has shaken up the fantasy community. The first half of this book seems to be fairly standard, tropy fantasy that I believe most people will enjoy. All good so far. Then war hits. And hits hard.
The violence is pretty bad but I wouldn’t say it is worse than many other fantasy novels. The main difference is with scale. I have listened to fantasies with graphic combat sequences, such as Joe Abercrombie. I have listened to the brutal tactical battles of Brian Staveley. But I don’t think anything has felt more real than the Poppy War. The consequence of war are stripped bare in some ways that can be difficult to read.
One reason for this is the historical parallels with the real world. Feuding War lords, technologically superior nations, hell how many wars have been fought for control of opium. Where many authors create a deep vibrant world by creating fantasy adaptations of real world things, Kuang just directly inserts history, objects, and substances to create a connection with the reader. There are even huge uses of magic where you don’t need to look hard for the real world inspiration.
Another reason for the realism of the Poppy War is that there are no heros. The moral greyscale is blurred to the point where there are times that you don’t want the main character to succeed. Most fantasy conveys a sense of ‘this guys is right’ even if it is just through sentence phrasing. Kuang doesn’t. She lays out decisions, flaws and atrocities and leaves it up to you how to take them.
Sort of leading on from that. The main character, Rin. Hard working, resilient orphan transformed into a merciless rage filled soldier. As said before the start is pretty standard. However, Rin then goes through an intense character change as a result of the people and events around her. I think what Kunag wanted to do was look at how war has an effect at the national and personal level, and what she does with Rin is quite a bold move in my opinion. I will say through-out most of the book I didn’t like Rin. I was always rooting for her to make certain choices and grow as a character. And she did develop, just not always in the way I wanted. This sounds very negative but actually I think it is one of the things that makes this book stand out and makes it great to listen too. It does not do what the reader wants. It goes where it would go. This is basically why I would recommend it to a seasoned fantasy fan. It isn’t an easy book to listen too, but I do think it is one of the best fantasies in my library.
Nattering on Narration
Emily Woo Zeller is a good narrator in my opinion. She embodies Rin well and delivers scenes and emotions well. Some of her character voices are a little shrill and it took me by surprise at times when wearing headphones. Occasionally some of the characters did come across as quite whiny, but I think that was a choice that fitted even though it grated at times. For me the narration helped enforced some of the more intense emotional effects of the circumstances. In short, not my favourite narration, but one that worked well.
Quick aside. At the time of this review I have already finished Book 2 (the Dragon Republic). Some of the things I have said were taking this into account. The themes and characters arcs started in book one are continued and developed really well. I think that the books are better appreciated together and am really looking forward to the final instalment.
Conclusion
This was a hard book to listen to. The strong parallels with real world events made it really hard hitting. Rin has some great development that is taken in some interesting directions that were not necessarily enjoyable, but certainly made it original. I would definitely recommend this to a fantasy fan who is looking for a different take on the genre.
Well that was intense.
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I also found the use of expletives unnecessary at times, everyone loves a good expletive but often they felt out of place and not within keeping with the rest of the text. Some of the graphic scenes are also very uncomfortable, it was not really necessary to go into so much detail, (you will know the part when you get there) less is more at times.
My biggest gripe however was with the narration. Many of her male character voices made me laugh out loud they were so awful, think your Mum doing silly voices for the giant in Jack and the Beanstalk when you were 3. Her female voices become so sqweeky and shill at times I had to turn the volume down until she had stopped, literally nails down a blackboard.
Shame as it started so well.
Did not enjoy Emily Woo Zeller's narration.
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Great but very dark
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The book started off really well with a headstrong girl, who turned into an insecure, often indecisive, disrespectful young woman and soldier.
For a supposedly smart person, she often fails to see the obvious or the logical which really struck me considering how clever she was at the beginning of the book.
Apart from that, it was a really good book. I kept going back to Wiki to fill my lack of knowledge on 20th century Chinese History in and for that I am grateful to have come across this book.
Will I be reading the rest of the series? Probably not. I just cannot relate to Rin as I find her outbursts and antics too annoying.
Too much teenage angst
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not my cup of tea
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