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Thunder
Tang Dynasty China...
Wu Jin has both brains and beauty. Though poor, his family are noble enough for Jin to sit the imperial examinations in the hope of obtaining a high-ranking government position. When his parents are killed and his home destroyed in a fire, Jin clings to his dreams and travels to the provincial capital for the exams. Pursued by a sinister horseman, he seeks refuge at a tumbledown inn, little realising that he’s entered the abode of a fox-spirit.
Tian Zhen is a huxian, a transcendental fox of immense power and considerable seductive charm. He’s startled when Jin sees through his illusions, and believes it’s Jin’s destiny not only to become his lover, but also to help him find a lost talisman—the symbol of Zhen’s heavenly role as the Guardian of Thunder. But convincing Jin won’t be easy, and the search for the talisman turns deadly when Jin discovers it’s connected to the man who murdered his parents...
Wu Jin has both brains and beauty. Though poor, his family are noble enough for Jin to sit the imperial examinations in the hope of obtaining a high-ranking government position. When his parents are killed and his home destroyed in a fire, Jin clings to his dreams and travels to the provincial capital for the exams. Pursued by a sinister horseman, he seeks refuge at a tumbledown inn, little realising that he’s entered the abode of a fox-spirit.
Tian Zhen is a huxian, a transcendental fox of immense power and considerable seductive charm. He’s startled when Jin sees through his illusions, and believes it’s Jin’s destiny not only to become his lover, but also to help him find a lost talisman—the symbol of Zhen’s heavenly role as the Guardian of Thunder. But convincing Jin won’t be easy, and the search for the talisman turns deadly when Jin discovers it’s connected to the man who murdered his parents...
90 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 31, 2010
1 person is currently reading
38 people want to read
About the author
Kate Cotoner
20 books20 followersKate Cotoner lives in the north of England with her OH and a demanding bonsai named Mr M. She has a fondness for Asian men tempered with a love of hunky Germanic and Mediterranean types, and manages to combine love for all three types whilst watching Formula One motorsport. She loves history, needlepoint, reading, watching brainless blockbusters and meaningful foreign films, staring at US crime shows, and baking French-style bread. She likes strong, plot-driven stories and charismatic characters set against a sweeping, romantic backdrop of history, suspense, international locations and whatever else happens to take her fancy at the time.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
April 19, 2010
An artfully crafted short that showcases the potential this author's future stories have to offer. [4.5 stars:]
Set in China, this fantasy follows the journey of a young man sidetracked by a magical immortal, a fox spirit. The characters are engaging, the action is well-paced, and the plot has just enough twists to keep things interesting without bunching up the reader's knickers.
I was smiling, but disappointed, when I reached the end. I wanted there to be more, simply because I had fun reading Cotoner's story. There were only a few details I took issue with, and they were relatively minor -- and probably point at a cultural gap more than anything. She hides info-dumping in well-written dialogue, but it still feels the same to me. There weren't many such spots, but enough for me to take note. I thought it odd that despite the prevalent philosophical themes, the antagonist characters in the story are so clearly cut and dry, one-dimensional, and undeveloped. I think this might be one such "gap", as I seem to recall other instances of Chinese stories, either set in that ethnic area, or written by individuals of that background, that demonstrate similar features in the antagonist role.
Of course, it didn't ruin the reading for me -- and it could just be that I'm hypersensitive to that particular aspect right now.
Overall, a fun, quick read that puts a smile on the reader's face. :D Write another one, K.C. Longer, please?
Set in China, this fantasy follows the journey of a young man sidetracked by a magical immortal, a fox spirit. The characters are engaging, the action is well-paced, and the plot has just enough twists to keep things interesting without bunching up the reader's knickers.
I was smiling, but disappointed, when I reached the end. I wanted there to be more, simply because I had fun reading Cotoner's story. There were only a few details I took issue with, and they were relatively minor -- and probably point at a cultural gap more than anything. She hides info-dumping in well-written dialogue, but it still feels the same to me. There weren't many such spots, but enough for me to take note. I thought it odd that despite the prevalent philosophical themes, the antagonist characters in the story are so clearly cut and dry, one-dimensional, and undeveloped. I think this might be one such "gap", as I seem to recall other instances of Chinese stories, either set in that ethnic area, or written by individuals of that background, that demonstrate similar features in the antagonist role.
Of course, it didn't ruin the reading for me -- and it could just be that I'm hypersensitive to that particular aspect right now.
Overall, a fun, quick read that puts a smile on the reader's face. :D Write another one, K.C. Longer, please?
April 8, 2010
A very enjoyable and evocative story set in ancient China. I will probably have to read again to catch all the nuances and grasp some of the explanations fully. The justice-is-served Happy Ending was very satisfying and might leave room for some follow-up on how Jin's plans work out.
October 13, 2010
Finally a long story by Kate Cotoner. Kate caught my eye with "Enslaved", and since then we've been discussing history and writing and life, and I recruited her for "Echoes of the Future", so we're writer friends. But her work came first - it's just "unfortunate" that I end up being friends with great writers and then could be accused of not being subjective. Well, I'm the first person to say "this sucks" to a friend. They do the same for me.
"Thunder" is a novella set in Ancient China. I always read stories set in Asia/Japan/China with a little trepidation. Torquere especially has put out some atrocious stuff (I vaguely remember two, I think, were-dragons prattling on for many pages in a very immature style which made my eyes bleed).
This is not one of those stories. This is actually set in a foreign culture, and Cotoner gently guides us through a different world and mindset, and the writing is totally engrossing. I finished this in one go, despite having writing of my own to do, and I want to read it again to get the nuances. This has supernatural elements but is, at the same time, so real that I'd call it a China-set Historical Urban Fantasy rather than a fairy tale.
The men in this story are a young, idealistic scholar and a supernatural being. Both are drawn with great care, and their relationship has to struggle against the divide in what they are, ancient curses, the corruption of the political class, ignorance and superstition. It's a little "Beauty and the Beast", and I'd just love seeing that on film. Cotoner is a very visual writer, a warm writer, you can feel that she actually pours love and care into her stories and characters; too many writers just write some porn and kick it out of the door, but I never get that feeling with her stuff. Meticulously researched and told with verve and heart.
The sex scenes are very hot. There's a scene towards the beginning where our young hero "encounters" a sentient shadow. And, yeah, that scene made my e-reader steam. But the "faceless lover" might just be my personal kink.
It wouldn't be Cotoner if this wasn't also very "plotty". There are many more things going on than "just" the romance. Too much out there is just sex scene after sex scene. Nope. This is a proper, full-fledged story with developed characters, plot, twists, and some very suspenseful scenes that had me eat it all up and wanting more.
In any case, it's well worth checking out. I'll certainly read this again.
"Thunder" is a novella set in Ancient China. I always read stories set in Asia/Japan/China with a little trepidation. Torquere especially has put out some atrocious stuff (I vaguely remember two, I think, were-dragons prattling on for many pages in a very immature style which made my eyes bleed).
This is not one of those stories. This is actually set in a foreign culture, and Cotoner gently guides us through a different world and mindset, and the writing is totally engrossing. I finished this in one go, despite having writing of my own to do, and I want to read it again to get the nuances. This has supernatural elements but is, at the same time, so real that I'd call it a China-set Historical Urban Fantasy rather than a fairy tale.
The men in this story are a young, idealistic scholar and a supernatural being. Both are drawn with great care, and their relationship has to struggle against the divide in what they are, ancient curses, the corruption of the political class, ignorance and superstition. It's a little "Beauty and the Beast", and I'd just love seeing that on film. Cotoner is a very visual writer, a warm writer, you can feel that she actually pours love and care into her stories and characters; too many writers just write some porn and kick it out of the door, but I never get that feeling with her stuff. Meticulously researched and told with verve and heart.
The sex scenes are very hot. There's a scene towards the beginning where our young hero "encounters" a sentient shadow. And, yeah, that scene made my e-reader steam. But the "faceless lover" might just be my personal kink.
It wouldn't be Cotoner if this wasn't also very "plotty". There are many more things going on than "just" the romance. Too much out there is just sex scene after sex scene. Nope. This is a proper, full-fledged story with developed characters, plot, twists, and some very suspenseful scenes that had me eat it all up and wanting more.
In any case, it's well worth checking out. I'll certainly read this again.
April 25, 2011
Magical story set in historical China.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews