vote yes if you have finished the entire book.

vote no if you have not finished the entire book.

(faq · submit a book)

it's interesting, a few people on my post yesterday about the dandelion dynasty told me they were taking it as a rec for the series, but i didn't actually recommend the series in that post. it's making me think about whether i would rec it to people, a question i hadn't fully considered yet (as it is a very different question from "do i like this book?"). so this is me figuring out the answer to that question. i'll keep it spoiler-free (though i make no promises on brevity).

i just finished book 3 (of 4) and each installment has left me more invested than i was before, but the series started out very slow, and i didn't really get into it until halfway through book 2. i wouldn't be surprised if a lot of people bounce off the first book; i didn't, but only because 1) i almost never give up on a book that i've started (it's a character flaw of mine 😕) and 2) my trust in ken liu is ridiculously high because the other stuff i've read by him is so beloved to me. so my reaction to feeling kind of meh about book 1 was "okay, let's see where he's going with this" rather than "i guess this just isn't my cup of tea."

i should say that the problem might just be my own ignorance/lack of familiarity with the form. i don't read a lot of epic fantasy - in fact, lord of the rings is the one series that i have given up on reading a couple of times because it just left me totally indifferent. so if you like epics, you are starting out way ahead of me and can maybe just ignore the rest of this post lol, but i think i had to adjust to what the form is asking of me and what it's best suited to accomplish before i could get fully on board.

the main thing i struggled with is the writing, like the actual sentence-level mechanics of voice and style. this surprised me, because i usually find his writing very beautiful, or, when not beautiful, i can get a sense of the effect he means to achieve by employing a certain style. but in this series, the writing came across as kind of awkward and one-note to me at first, and i couldn't see a reason for it to be that way.* the dialogue especially - different characters don't really have different ways of speaking, they all feel pretty much the same. this was one of the main things i had to adjust to, but i do get it now. i don't just mean that i got used to the style and it doesn't bother me anymore, though that is true; i mean that i now understand the effect he means to achieve by employing this style, which gives it purpose and inextricably ties it to the story he's telling (this becomes especially clear in book 3, as it's directly related to a major theme of that book). if the style were different, he would be telling a different story; that's the sign of a successful execution, i think.

i said in the tags on yesterday's post that one reason the series doesn't have much of a fandom on here might be that the characters aren't natural blorbos. of course every character is probably the blorbo of somebody somewhere, but i don't know that these characters were designed to be blorbos, if that makes sense. not that they're plot devices either! every single one of them is conflicted and complicated and compelling, and most of them are followed over a period of many years, so we see them develop as people over time. but there is no protagonist, for example. you could also say that every character is a protagonist. the "list of major characters" at the beginning of book 3 is six pages long, and there are stories to be told about each of these characters, and none of them are told in isolation. but in a way, the characters themselves are not the point, or if they are, it's in aggregate - it's in the ways they're all complex, the ways they all have motivations that make sense to them (and that make sense to us, once we get to know them). and it's about power and the roles that the characters play in their society, rather than the roles the characters play in the story. or maybe those are the same thing! because ultimately, the main character of this story is the society. and the plot is the history of this society, rather than the journey or life of a single person or handful of people.**

(sidenote, there will be a period during book 1 when you will think to yourself, "wow, all the women characters are super one-dimensional and the narrative doesn't seem to respect them." this is on purpose. just keep going.)

the plotting is intricate while also feeling very organic. he's got dozens of plates in the air at once, he's maintaining them over a long period (these books are MASSIVE), and he's somehow making it seem like a real history, not like an author pulling strings. i haven't finished it yet, but my guess is that he's going to pull off a very satisfying conclusion that's at the same time very open-ended. definitely looking forward to it.

and the worldbuilding. oh, the worldbuilding. this is some of the most detailed, complex, realistic*** worldbuilding i've ever encountered, and he covers SO much ground. you want linguistic worldbuilding? you got it. philosophy? it's here. psychology of empire? coming right up. the nitty-gritty of everyday governance? buddy, pull up a chair. mechanical engineering? how much time you got?? (it better be enough time to read 3504 physical pages, because that's how long this series is.) and he's drawing on chinese history and cultural narratives rather than slapping lipstick on a tolkien clone (see his comments here, but stop reading at "In this continuation of the series" if you want to avoid spoilers). he WILL go on for a hundred pages about a single invention, but it's SO interesting that he is allowed. this is a story about how technology (including language, and schools of thought, and agriculture, and...) shapes, and is a product of, its time and place and people, so again, this is all to purpose. but it's also just. really cool.

the last thing i'll say, and this is mainly for other ken liu fans, is that one of the things i most love about his short stories is how they tap into emotions i didn't even know i had, as though they're reaching inside of me and drawing to the surface ways of experiencing consciousness and love and mortal life that i had no idea were in there. this series is not causing emotional revelation for me in the way his other stories do, which isn't a bad thing - i don't mean to say the series is not engaging or that it inspires no emotions! i just mean, iykyk. if you've read the paper menagerie and are expecting that experience, you will have a better time here if you leave those expectations at the door. i am invested in this book because it's engaging my intellect, curiosity, sense of wanting to find out what else the characters will learn and what's going to happen next...less because it's turning my heart inside out inside my chest. and like thank goodness, because i don't think i could survive four entire 900-page books' worth of that! but anyway. word to the wise.

tl;dr: yes, i recommend it, especially if you like epic fantasy. if you're a fan of ken liu's other work, this is quite different, so just know that going in!

*this opinion is of course subjective and not universally shared. for instance, see this review of book 3 (full of spoilers, so don't actually read it lol) which says "There's Liu's voice to hold onto, though — beautifully deployed here and fully in command of the language of his imaginary universe." so ymmv. maybe it's an epic fantasy thing.

**this is making me realize that the story is commenting on this very thing through a tension between bureaucracy (founded on interchangeability) and monarchy (informed by a specific personality). dude. that's so meta!

***though sometimes i'm like, "really? you scaled up that invention to use untested on the battlefield in the span of like two weeks? sure, jan." so sometimes he falls down a little on translation of ideas into logistics, but it makes for such a great story that i'll allow it.

When the other polls will be out, they'll be in my 'fantasy polls' tag.

I've been reading The Grace of Kings by Ken Liu and have clocked two separate direct references to the Wheel Of Time so far as well as a huge amount of thematic influence (especially in regards to duty, freedom, the unforgiving nature of history, and the power of stories/legends) and I am shocked, shocked that I haven't seen more WoT fans talking about this book.

In a lot of ways it's like what would happen if Jordan had decided to put the emphasis on Artur Hawking or the Seanchan consolidation instead of Tamon Gai'don: full of meditations on power, empire, and the merciless march of time. And also the protagonists where less unstable Mat and a slight more batshit Lan.

A moment of appreciation for fantasy books with a cast of characters list and/or a glossary of key terms. They have saved my reading comprehension on multiple occasions

final book find of the week! heard tons of praise for this series

looking up the Dandelion Dynasty and seeing everyone's eloquent reviews and then there's me like

every time i think of kikomi from the grace of kings

this is the most amount of prep/notes ive done yet on the podcast for a single episode. 12/10 would recommend 

The Grace of Kings

Thoughts On: The Dandelion Dynasty

So I finished reading these recently and I just need to gush over what has become one of my favorite book series for a minute! It's so good! The plot, the complex characters, the political intrigue!

So much political intrigue!

In a nutshell, it's basically about two best friends who get involved in a rebellion to overthrow a tyrant... and then what happens afterwards! Seriously, the blurb for the first book doesn't even try to hide what the real story is:

Wily, charming Kuni Garu, a bandit, and stern, fearless Mata Zyndu, the son of a deposed duke, seem like polar opposites. Yet, in the uprising against the emperor, the two quickly become the best of friends after a series of adventures fighting against vast conscripted armies, silk-draped airships, and shapeshifting gods. Once the emperor has been overthrown, however, they each find themselves the leader of separate factions—two sides with very different ideas about how the world should be run and the meaning of justice.

Highly recommend it, especially if you're a fan of books like the ASoIaF series. Just a warning, though, there is a scene in the second book in which one of the characters gets drugged and sexually violated, but it's treated as the horrendous act that it is without romanticizing it. That said, the victim in question also ends up developing what can probably best be described as Stockholm Syndrome, but again, it's treated as such. All the intimate scenes are also fade-to-black.

My favorite character is definitely Jia—not necessarily because of her as a person, but because of her as a character. But really, they're all good in their own ways, or at least I thought so. Even if you end up hating a character for taking a certain action, you at least get to see how they came to develop this mindset (looking at you especially, Jia) and I love that!

Rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌕

frank: let me get this straight. thalia and jason’s domain is the sky, percy’s domain is water, and hazel and nico’s domain is basically the underground?

annabeth: yes

frank: but… can’t percy also create storms? that have clouds and lightning and thunder?

annabeth: yes

frank: and… and can’t percy also create earthquakes and make volcanoes erupt?

annabeth: yes

frank: so… in a way, doesn’t that mean everywhere is percy’s domain?

annabeth: yes.

annabeth: but don’t tell him. he hasn’t had that realization yet

Happy Halloween season! Here's another stab at my own take of Carrie White, based on her book description. I'm super happy with how these turned out! I'd love to tackle some of the other characters in the book eventually, especially Margaret!

EDIT:

Now available as an art print here!

--

Check out more of my work on other platforms!

My Instagram -- My Twitter

“this character is dead” to you maybe. I don't know where y'all live but I live in denial

I'm upset about "The Grace of Kings"

1 star

640 pages

Contains: I’m not even going to tell you because I don’t recommend you read this

This is a negative review! I'd very much not recommend reading it if you're emotionally invested in this series or if it has brought you any kind of joy. I'll be complaining about this book a lot. I'm sorry, but I really didn't like it!

I went into The Grace of Kings thinking I was going to become obsessed with this series. I’d heard very, very good things from reviewers I trust, all saying this is a series of epic proportions that engulfs you and draws you in. People even called it “unique”. Plus, I’d listened, last year, to Mr. LeVar Burton reading Mr. Liu’s famous The Paper Menagerie, and was moved to tears by that short story. I was ready to be dazzled.

I’m guessing that by my star rating you can infer that I was not dazzled.

The Grace of Kings has one of the most pitiful excuses for writing I have ever read. Especially after finishing a lyrical series, like Mr. Seth Dickinson’s brilliant The Masquerade Series, it’s almost impossible to enjoy Mr. Liu’s painfully dry writing style. It’s predictable and boring, leaving no room for nuance. This bleeds into the characterization, as we’re repeatedly told things about these characters we have – painful, dreadful – 600 pages to spend time with.

For instance, the author will show the audience that a character is picking up a bowl of rice. The next sentence is almost always, “he had picked up the rice bowl because he was very hungry, and hated being hungry”, explaining to us the character’s actions. This is, of course, perfectly fine if done in moderation, but dreadful when done frequently. And this is what Mr. Liu does: every decision gets explained, every thought is told to the audience. Absolutely nothing is left to the imagination. This makes the book boring and almost child-like, as it grabs you by the shoulders and painfully reminds you of why certain characters do certain things, as if it didn’t trust you to remember anything about these people you’ve spent so much time reading about.

But the writing misdemeanors don’t stop there. I can’t believe I’m saying this about a published piece of fiction that had multiple reviewers before being put out to the public, but the punctuation is just awful. It's not expressive at all, which causes most of the dialogue to read like it's being spoken in a monotone voice. Actually, no, maybe that's the fault of the dialogue itself, which is as dry as a desert and elicited absolutely no reactions from me even in its throes to be endearing, romantic or funny. 

In addition, there are just funky little beginner mistakes. There are words repeated inside sentences, and I once ran into a sentence that had two clauses beginning in "because", one following the other. Plus, chapters end in odd places. Not in a way meant to enact suspense, or a cliff-hanger – though if Mr. Liu was trying to do so, he failed spectacularly – but just… ending. Out of nowhere. Leaving me to turn my pages in alarm, wondering if Amazon forgot to ship me an end to my chapter.

The characters are… fine, I guess, but like most of this book they feel half-baked. The plot is convoluted, to be kind, and a mess, to be frank. With the excuse of The Grace of Kings being "epic", Mr. Liu introduces a series of characters only to find a fate for them off-screen or kill them off in the next couple of chapters. There is no regard for the politics or fine details of administering a) a rebellion; b) a kingdom: c) anything at all, which is fine, I guess, but becomes quite ridiculous by the eleventh time someone unprepared has assumed the control of a province and is doing just fine at managing it. Until the halfway mark it's impossible to predict what's going to happen next – which is also fine, I guess – not because of any genius on Mr. Liu's part, but because the plot is just a bunch of strings all jumbled up together. After that it all becomes very predictable and the pacing is a hot mess, everything moving by super quickly as you watch in desperation – and it was about at that point that I stopped reading.

I also have a very specific bone to pick: why are characters moving from one part of the world to another in literal seconds? They do have flying airships but it's established you need a large crew and that they're only for military use. The lack of any thought to the movement of characters through the space is just an indication of how little care was put into the building of this world.

It's hard to explain just how terrible I found The Grace of Kings, and just how confused I am by everyone's high opinions of this book. I think the best way to put it into words is that it feels like I'm reading a rough – and let's say extra rough, for good measure – draft of what will one day become a great book, if it gets a good editor to take a look at it. The thought of continuing this series – or this book, I did DNF it – fills me with absolute dread. Suffice it to say, I won't be picking up the next book.

Unless someone offers me a thousand dollars. Then I'll reconsider. But I'll bargain, first.

anyway literally everyone is going through something all the time!!! everyone is wounded!!! everyone is human & no one makes it out of this life unscathed!! maybe try approaching people in good faith instead of always defaulting to the worst possible interpretations of each other