The Grace of Kings is excellent in many ways and highly disappointing in one major aspect. Aftermath: Star Wars: Journey to The Force Awakens. The Grace of Kings (1) (The Dandelion Dynasty). The Grace of Kings is an ambitious, astonishing, and sublime work, one that both exemplifies and diverges from what one might think of when it comes to epic fantasy. This is a very interesting tale, reminding me as I read it just how little I still know of Chinese history. If you're a seller, Fulfillment by Amazon can help you grow your business. Enter: James Brownstone. It was fantastic)! So, so much to like, but the author has fallen in love with the place he’s writing about, and not the people and is therefore writing a much less interesting story. I want to romance kingdoms and wallow in all the warring states, and yet, from everything I do know, this novel is and remains unique. (Courtesy) This article is more than 5 years old. He tells an onion of a story, many layers in a Chinese tradition, but there are also some Western sensibilities as well. Kinda nearly succeeds. We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Good writing, setting inspired by Chinese history with just a pinch of steampunk in mature low fantasy story and all that from author of masterful short story collection Paper menagerie and other stories. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. I made my own map for the book before even writing it, and based on it, Saga generously commissioned a professional map from Robert Lazzaretti. Unlike all of those works, in this first volume of The Dandelion Dynasty series, we are treated to a fantasy universe with middle age technology, interfering gods, and a wonderful mashup stories and legends inspired by classical Chinese and Polyn. Some years back, Ken Liu saw a call for stories about wizards from a … Full content visible, double tap to read brief content. I think most literary scholars would agree that it’s a good thing Achilles didn’t survive the Trojan War. The main problem for me is that, despite being billed about two main characters, the world is the main character. The Grace of Kings, by Ken Liu, combines familiar tropes of modern fantasy with the grandeur of a classical heroic epic.The resulting hybrid is complicated, tragic, and triumphant, at once sweeping in scope and intimately grounded in the lives of its characters, and unafraid to test the strengths and weaknesses of its own heroic ideals. But the further you read into it, the delivery just isn't quite right. Omg!!! Enter your mobile number or email address below and we'll send you a link to download the free Kindle App. (Courtesy) This article is more than 5 years old. I ran across this book for the first time at Shakespeare and Co. on the left bank of Paris. Please try again. Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. Will it be coming out as an ebook here? Grab this today. On the other hand the characters felt very undeveloped and descriptions suffered from too much telling, not enough showing. The long and the short of it is: you want Achilles to fight your wars for you, but you probably don’t want him hanging around town when the fighting is done. Stealing a living god will save his family. Chapter 3: Kuni Garu. Is a 16-year-old squire the key to their salvation? The Grace of Kings is a story of rebellion. Please try again. Paris, sneaky little turd that he was, was at least a good enough shot to spare Ancient Greece the unenviable task of having to figure out what to do with a guy like Achilles in peacetime: a guy who lives only for blood and glory, who considers the ability to paralyze others with fear by his mere presence a cardinal virtue. The Grace of Kings really is a work of epic proportions. I can't wait to read the next volume The Wall of Storms to see what happens next! I think most literary scholars would agree that it’s a good thing Achilles didn’t survive the Trojan War. King Réon of Xana conquered the seven kingdoms of Dara and forged them into The Xana Empire. Gallery / Saga Press; Reprint edition (August 9, 2016). When I heard Ken Liu was finally doing a novel, and epic fantasy no less, I could hardly contain myself. Kuni Garu an intelligent youth with little motivation and Mata Zyndu the giant last son of the Zyndu Clan fight ba. The Grace of Kings (The Dandelion Dynasty, #1). Second, I like people to root for. I like the premise (empire ending, ancient Far East, God’s warring), the ideas, the prose and style of writing, and I like big sprawling epic fantasy books. On first read, I found similar names to be confusing among major characters (will probably resolve on re-read), and the general implausability of some technology, inconsistently utilized, to be discouraging. The two main protagonists show up every few chapters with all the others being about other characters who tell interesting stories and then vanish off stage (often because they die). Mata rebels to restore the status quo, while Kuni does it because, otherwise, he’s irrelevant. It is hard to know where to start with this book. So, I’ve had to think hard about what it is I don’t like about this book. You can return the item for any reason in new and unused condition: no shipping charges, Or get 4-5 business-day shipping on this item for $5.99 Reviewed in the United States on December 29, 2016, Reviewed in the United States on March 11, 2016. The Grace of Kings, his debut novel, is the first volume in a silkpunk epic fantasy series set in a universe he and his wife, artist Lisa Tang Liu, created together. Summary An attempt at a modern, more imaginative version of Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Sable never meant to fall in love with the enemy. With his new empire Réon gave himself a new name Emperor Mapidéré. I am somewhat conflicted by this book. It was a finalist for a Nebula Award and the recipient of the Locus Award for Best First Novel. It should rank amongst the genre's best works." I'm still really not sure how I feel about this one. The long and the short of it is: you want Achilles to fight your war. A feast for the imagination, Liu’s vividly drawn and philosophically rich world took us—and the fantasy genre—to breathtaking new heights. The Tiro Kings of the Six States Princess Kikomi and King Ponadomu of Amu: the jewel of Arulugi and her granduncle. A flawed hero is fine, as is an anti hero, but the protagonists aren’t particularly well developed (they are off-stage most of the time) and then make what seem like out of character, self harming decisions, I assume this is in order to add tension to the plot but the man who turns his life around because of a woman he adores, worries about her when separated and then dives into a harem in the later book seems odd to me, as does the hardened battle hero falling into depression. — Amal El-Mohtar "The Grace of Kings is an ambitious, astonishing, and sublime work, one that both exemplifies and diverges from what one might think of when it … "The Grace of Kings is a fantasy, with petty meddling gods, odd mechanized inventions, and a sense that mystical powers lurk around the corner. As Jia, Kuni's wife, says, "When you learn enough about the world, even a blade of grass can be a weapon." The grace of kings. I loved Ken's book so much I blurbed it as the wuxia Game of Thrones. The idea of a well-reviewed eastern-influenced high fantasy, which didn’t resort to tired western clichés about ninjas, kungfu masters and proverb-spouting sages was very appealing. Training as the king’s sorcerer seems like the life Jon always wanted, but he’ll have to do it while dealing with other sorcerers he can’t quite trust, Epic, action and adventure fantasy: Outlandish magic, mystery, Gods, romance, spectacular battles and irresistible heroes. At … See all 10 questions about The Grace of Kings…, Most Anticipated: Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Novels of 2015, a.k.a King Zheng of Qin, a.k.a Qin Shi Huang, The Redemption of Time (Fan Fiction approved by Cixin Liu), Invisible Planets (Short Story Anthology), "'We Have Always Fought': Challenging the 'Women, Cattle and Slaves' Narrative", you can see how many speed bumps and WTF moments I ran up against, the reactions I jotted down while reading, The Grace of Kings (The Dandelion Dynasty #1), "The Grace of Kings" First Impressions *No Spoilers*, The Grace of Kings / Overall discussion / ***SPOILERS***, Catch Up on These Big Sci-Fi and Fantasy Series. Wily, charming Kuni Garu, a bandit, and stern, … Quest for the Three Books: A Coming of Age Sword & Sorcery Fantasy Novel (Sacred Kn... Tales of a Nuisance Man (The Duke Grandfather Saga Book 1), The Wall of Storms (2) (The Dandelion Dynasty), The Poppy War: A Novel (The Poppy War, 1), Broken Stars: Contemporary Chinese Science Fiction in Translation. Learn more about the program. When magic is threatened, two peaceful worlds will fall under siege. The novel was the 2016 Locus Award Best First Novel winner. The story is dripping with issues of trust, deceit and betrayal whilst also telling some incredibly moving stories of … I read the first several pages while standing in the shop, and had it not been quite so weighty a tome to carry home in my already overstuffed luggage, I’d have bought it on the spot. Harry Potter meets Good Will Hunting - one brainiac janitor, four super-hot wizards and the wild, unexpectedly deadly Mage Trials. The Grace of Kings is the first book in the Dandelion Dynasty book series written by Ken Liu. Star Wars: Thrawn Ascendancy (Book I: Chaos Rising) (Star Wars: The Ascendancy Tril... From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back (Star Wars). The map is not merely an “extra” to the book, but integral to it. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. Start by marking “The Grace of Kings (The Dandelion Dynasty, #1)” as Want to Read: Error rating book. The Emperor Mapidéré is on a tour of the ... Chapter 2: Mata Zyndu. A few disjointed thoughts on the book, which I finished yesterday. (Prices may vary for AK and HI.). This is Ken's wife, and I'm answering on his behalf. Please try again. Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video! "The Grace of Kings" by Ken Liu. Closed Captions [cc] available!Pick up your own copy of The Grace of Kings by Ken Liu from the Book Depository.

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