Když Rin složila kche-ťü — zkoušky určené pro nejnadanější žáky v říši — na výbornou, byl to šok pro všechny: pro hodnotitele, neschopné uvěřit, že válečná sirota z provincie Kohouta by mohla projít bez podvádění, pro Rininy poručníky, plánující svou svěřenkyni vhodně provdat a přijít touto cestou k bohatství, i pro samotnou Rin. Té došlo, že se konečně osvobodila ze života v porobě. To, že se dostala na Sinegard — nejprestižnější vojenskou akademii v Nikanu —, bylo ještě překvapivější.
Ale překvapení nejsou vždy příznivá. Být na Sinegardu snědá venkovská holka z jihu totiž není lehké. Rin při boji s předsudky soupeřících spolužáků zjistí, že oplývá smrtonosnou, nadpřirozenou mocí — vlohami pro bezmála bájné umění šamanství. Při důkladnějším poznávání svého nadání s pomocí psychoaktivních látek a zdánlivě šíleného učitele se navíc dozví, že bohové, považovaní za dávno mrtvé, jsou živí až příliš a …
Vyškolili ji pro válku. Ona ji hodlá ukončit.
Když Rin složila kche-ťü — zkoušky určené pro nejnadanější žáky v říši — na výbornou, byl to šok pro všechny: pro hodnotitele, neschopné uvěřit, že válečná sirota z provincie Kohouta by mohla projít bez podvádění, pro Rininy poručníky, plánující svou svěřenkyni vhodně provdat a přijít touto cestou k bohatství, i pro samotnou Rin. Té došlo, že se konečně osvobodila ze života v porobě. To, že se dostala na Sinegard — nejprestižnější vojenskou akademii v Nikanu —, bylo ještě překvapivější.
Ale překvapení nejsou vždy příznivá. Být na Sinegardu snědá venkovská holka z jihu totiž není lehké. Rin při boji s předsudky soupeřících spolužáků zjistí, že oplývá smrtonosnou, nadpřirozenou mocí — vlohami pro bezmála bájné umění šamanství. Při důkladnějším poznávání svého nadání s pomocí psychoaktivních látek a zdánlivě šíleného učitele se navíc dozví, že bohové, považovaní za dávno mrtvé, jsou živí až příliš a na ovládnutí jejich schopností závisí víc než jen přežití ve škole.
V nikarské říši totiž vládne mír, ale za úzkým pásem moře stále číhá Mukenský svaz. Ten po první makové válce okupoval Nikan celá desetiletí a ve druhé prohrál vládu nad světadílem jen tak tak. A zatímco se většina obyvatel v klidu věnuje svým životům, někteří vědí, že třetí maková válka může vzplanout kdykoli…
from magical academy bildungsroman to brutal colonial genocide
3 stars
(audiobook) i was surprised by how quickly this one turned from magical academy bildungsroman to brutal colonial genocide. the setting feels like a loose stand in for china and japan, and the culture and history were an interesting aspect of the story. the main character was flawed and difficult to like but still engaging. i enjoyed the book, but not enough to feel like i want to read the rest of the series right away.
An orphaned child on the cusp of their teenage years escapes their abusive adoptive parents by gaining admission to an elite school where they learn to channel all sorts of amazing abilities and powers.
So far, so Harry Potter. But this is no derivative work. Firstly, the setting is a fantasy world version of China, with a plethora of cultures and expectations vastly different from many more traditional fantasies.
And although it starts out reading almost like a Young Adult book, as you progress towards the final third of the novel things change. They change a lot, becoming downright brutal in places, and by the time you get to the final pages you realise that this is most definitely a quality addition to the grimdark subgenre of fantasy.
Really well-written, the dialogue flows (in natural modern English with swear words, not a stilted English indicating it's not English), and the epic scope of the story doesn't get in the way of sympathetic characters or diminish the horrors and cruelty of politics and war. In fact, the historical analogies are obvious (read the authors note at the end) but the end tied it all together even more than I expected.
Meh, ik weet het niet. Beetje onevenwichtig, het eerste deel nogal YA chosen one/ kostschool, tikkie stereotiep, maar nog wel aardig. Daarna slaat het om naar nogal bloederig en gewelddadig. De hoofdpersoon neemt ook nogal typische beslissingen, niet bijster sympathiek, mild uitgedrukt. Ik twijfel of ik nog tijd investeert in deel 2 en 3.
A reimagining of China & Japan, with shamans & gods for interest, and war crimes & genocide for a horrifying reality check. Misleadingly begins with standard 'orphan goes to hero school' trope, but turns disturbingly dark without warning.
I kind of liked this (as in I would have given it 3 or 4 stars), then I read the bad reviews on goodreads and... (rest of review in reply because I'm going to need a spoiler warning)
I saw lots of enthusiasm for The Poppy War from other book reviewers and bloggers over the past few years since its publication so put it on my wishlist, but I didn't make any further efforts towards reading this book until it was suggested for February's Readalong and I realised it is actually a perfect My WorldReads fit. I learned that The Poppy War series, while being an imaginative fantasy adventure tale, is also strongly reflective of China's twentieth century history. While I am not knowledgeable enough on that topic to spot all the references, I could recognise significant events such as the Opium Wars themselves of course and also the horrors of Nanking which is retold here in a city called Golyn Niis.
From the early chapters where young Rin is mercilessly driving herself to achieve and then succeed in an education to which many people feel she is …
I saw lots of enthusiasm for The Poppy War from other book reviewers and bloggers over the past few years since its publication so put it on my wishlist, but I didn't make any further efforts towards reading this book until it was suggested for February's Readalong and I realised it is actually a perfect My WorldReads fit. I learned that The Poppy War series, while being an imaginative fantasy adventure tale, is also strongly reflective of China's twentieth century history. While I am not knowledgeable enough on that topic to spot all the references, I could recognise significant events such as the Opium Wars themselves of course and also the horrors of Nanking which is retold here in a city called Golyn Niis.
From the early chapters where young Rin is mercilessly driving herself to achieve and then succeed in an education to which many people feel she is not entitled, I could understand that The Poppy War was not going to be a light tale, but that didn't prepare me for the grim darkness that Kuang takes us to. This is not a novel for the faint-hearted, especially when considering that its most gruesome scenes aren't fantasy at all. That said, I found Rin's story to be a compelling read which has left me eager to plunge into the sequel.
Rin herself is brilliantly complex and, frequently, not someone with whom I could easily sympathise, even though I could always understand why she makes certain choices. Kuang is skilled at making her protagonists utterly believable while giving them jaw-dropping supernatural abilities and incorporating mythological aspects. This combination allowed me to completely suspend my disbelief while I was breathlessly immersed in Rin's reality.
I'm delighted to have finally started to experience The Poppy War series and hope that I won't wait so long before starting on the second novel!
This is a good book. It's well-written with a solid plot and I found the characters interesting (if a bit one-dimensional, but this is the first in a series so I let it slide). I get why people give it praise!
... but I really dislike militaristic narratives. I find them grating. I probably won't be continuing the series. It's not you, it's me.
Engaging military fantasy grounded in Chinese history
4 stars
I enjoyed this book very much, both for its approach to fantasy through Chinese (rather than European) culture and for its basis in real-world history. The last third of this book is filled with the graphic horrors of fascists at war, so I wouldn't recommend this for young readers. (Thinking of my niece, who loves to read.) I particularly like the end of the book, because in the end our hero commits an act of fascist evil herself, and we are forced to think about things like the nature of justice, the cost of vengeance, and the dangers of power. Looking forward to jumping into The Dragon Republic!
Well written with an interesting setting and core idea. I couldn't get past the graphic atrocities about 2/3 of the way in. I know that conflict was brutal in real life, so I don't know how accurate these depictions are, but I don't want to know either. Things like this leave me disturbed for years and nightmare ridden for weeks.
