The story follows a Chinese boy pulled from his home and trained in the magic of translation to power silver ingots. As he matures, he questions his role in supporting the colonism that wrenched him from his home land.

It's well written, interesting and thought provoking read. It's not an escapist fantasy, and parts of it go into the day-to-day life of a scholar a bit too much for my taste. I enjoyed it but wouldn't recommend if you like your fantasy full of daring exploits and wizardly magic.