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The Dandelion Dynasty #2
The Wall of Storms
The second book in The Dandelion Dynasty, the epic fantasy trilogy by Ken Liu.
Dara is united under the Emperor Ragin, once known as Kuni Garu, the bandit king. There has been peace for six years, but the Dandelion Throne rests on bloody foundations – Kuni's betrayal of his friend, Mata Zyndu, the Hegemon. The Hegemon's rule was brutal and unbending – but he died well, creating a legend that haunts the new emperor, no matter what good he strives to do.
Where war once forged unbreakable bonds between Kuni's inner circle, peace now gnaws at their loyalties. Where ancient wisdoms once held sway, a brilliant scholar promises a philosophical revolution. And from the far north, over the horizon, comes a terrible new threat... The scent of blood is in the water.
Dara is united under the Emperor Ragin, once known as Kuni Garu, the bandit king. There has been peace for six years, but the Dandelion Throne rests on bloody foundations – Kuni's betrayal of his friend, Mata Zyndu, the Hegemon. The Hegemon's rule was brutal and unbending – but he died well, creating a legend that haunts the new emperor, no matter what good he strives to do.
Where war once forged unbreakable bonds between Kuni's inner circle, peace now gnaws at their loyalties. Where ancient wisdoms once held sway, a brilliant scholar promises a philosophical revolution. And from the far north, over the horizon, comes a terrible new threat... The scent of blood is in the water.
881 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 4, 2016
963 people are currently reading
24835 people want to read
About the author
Ken Liu
467 books22k followersKen Liu (http://kenliu.name) is an American author of speculative fiction. A winner of the Nebula, Hugo, and World Fantasy awards for his fiction, he has also won top genre honors abroad in Japan, Spain, and France.
Liu’s most characteristic work is the four-volume epic fantasy series, The Dandelion Dynasty, in which engineers, not wizards, are the heroes of a silkpunk world on the verge of modernity. His debut collection of short fiction, The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories, has been published in more than a dozen languages. A second collection, The Hidden Girl and Other Stories, followed. He also penned the Star Wars novel, The Legends of Luke Skywalker. His latest book is All That We See or Seem, a techno-thriller starring an AI-whispering hacker who saves the world.
He’s often involved in media adaptations of his work. Recent projects include “The Regular,” under development as a TV series; “Good Hunting,” adapted as an episode in season one of Netflix’s breakout adult animated series Love, Death + Robots; and AMC’s Pantheon, with Craig Silverstein as executive producer, adapted from an interconnected series of Liu’s short stories.
Prior to becoming a full-time writer, Liu worked as a software engineer, corporate lawyer, and litigation consultant. He frequently speaks at conferences and universities on a variety of topics, including futurism, machine-augmented creativity, history of technology, bookmaking, and the mathematics of origami.
In addition to his original fiction, Liu also occasionally publishes literary translations. His most recent work of translation is a new rendition of Laozi’s Dao De Jing.
Liu lives with his family near Boston, Massachusetts.
Liu’s most characteristic work is the four-volume epic fantasy series, The Dandelion Dynasty, in which engineers, not wizards, are the heroes of a silkpunk world on the verge of modernity. His debut collection of short fiction, The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories, has been published in more than a dozen languages. A second collection, The Hidden Girl and Other Stories, followed. He also penned the Star Wars novel, The Legends of Luke Skywalker. His latest book is All That We See or Seem, a techno-thriller starring an AI-whispering hacker who saves the world.
He’s often involved in media adaptations of his work. Recent projects include “The Regular,” under development as a TV series; “Good Hunting,” adapted as an episode in season one of Netflix’s breakout adult animated series Love, Death + Robots; and AMC’s Pantheon, with Craig Silverstein as executive producer, adapted from an interconnected series of Liu’s short stories.
Prior to becoming a full-time writer, Liu worked as a software engineer, corporate lawyer, and litigation consultant. He frequently speaks at conferences and universities on a variety of topics, including futurism, machine-augmented creativity, history of technology, bookmaking, and the mathematics of origami.
In addition to his original fiction, Liu also occasionally publishes literary translations. His most recent work of translation is a new rendition of Laozi’s Dao De Jing.
Liu lives with his family near Boston, Massachusetts.
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August 28, 2024
A mind-blowing masterpiece. The Wall of Storms is the best second book of a series I’ve read since Words of Radiance.
Hopeful and inadequate. That's how I feel right now writing this review. It doesn't matter how hard I try, it is a futile attempt to capture all the brilliance of this masterwork in a review, but I shall try and hope I can attract more readers into trying this book and series. It's been almost six years since The Wall of Storms, the second book in The Dandelion Dynasty by Ken Liu came out, and it's ridiculous how a book as good as this is still so under hyped. After reading more than 500 epic fantasy books, it's getting harder and harder to feel completely enthralled, hooked, immersed, and transported to a different world. The Wall of Storms did that for me. It made me remember why I continue to love reading epic fantasy. I loved The Grace of Kings, but The Wall of Storms enacted a miracle, a miracle in which this sequel somehow surpassed The Grace of Kings in every possible way. The seeds of Dandelion planted in The Grace of Kings bloomed in The Wall of Storms. Also, before I begin my review, the US edition cover art done by Sam Weber suddenly has a deeper meaning to it after reading the content of this book. With the antlered creature and the berries, you will find out why this cover art is chosen after you read the book. Now, allow me to begin my wall of texts.
Do you know how sometimes an author requires 100-200 pages, sometimes even longer, before the book gets good? This is certainly not the case with The Wall of Storms. With The Grace of Kings, Ken Liu has established an iron-strong foundation for the early section of this book to instantly grab the reader's attention. In Whispering Breezes, Ken Liu also planted more seeds of chaos and excellent character groundwork we know will reward its readers in the later sections of the book. But this doesn't mean the first out of the four parts of the novel were ever boring. Just within the first 260 pages, I've highlighted more than 20 passages. This is the calm before the storm section of the novel, and it is already packed with subtle tensions and an immaculate display of literary prose. One out of many examples, we see the truth behind how the Calendrical Dozen was formed. This is told with a story within a story technique, and the revelation of how the humble Orchid joined the Calendrical Dozen was terrific.
Remember the passage above, this is one of the many dominant themes in the book. The story in The Wall of Storms begins five years after the end of The Grace of Kings. The aftermath and repercussion of the Crysanthemum-Dandelion war can still be felt, and Whispering Breezes mainly deal with two key plotlines: the Palace Examination and the introduction of Zomi Kidosu and Emperor Ragin's children. Both Zomi Kidosu and Emperor Ragin's children are hugely important characters in The Dandelion Dynasty series. Their characterizations and introductions were immediately executed with finesse. Liu tackles the palace examination, Zomi Kidosu's introduction, and developing the Emperor's children by juggling between two timeframes magnificently. I personally think Zomi's flashback chapters contain one of the most endearing portrayals of mentor-apprentice I have ever read in a book. I had such a wonderful time reading the development between Zomi and her mentor, being invested in Emperor Ragin's Children (especially Princess Thera), and the Palace Examination. As I said earlier, the Palace Examination is supposed to be the calm before the storm moments of the book, but it felt intense already. It felt like Liu improved tremendously as a writer and storyteller in this sequel, and the plotting, characterizations, and literary prose he put on the pages of The Wall of Storms were (in Zomi's words) so magnidazzlelicious and beautinificent. And then, The Wall of Storms turned from great to something incredible when Whispering Breezes escalated to Gusts and Gales.
For years, I have seen political content in epic fantasy sometimes criticized for being uninteresting. I disagree with this. It all depends on execution. And the political intrigues in The Wall of Storms are the most thrilling sections of political conflicts I have read since Martin's magnum opus of A Song of Ice and Fire. It was 130 pages of relentless deadly political thrillers with no shortage of pulse-pounding and heart-wrenching moments. The betrayals and the anxiety I had when I read this book were real. The reach and outcome of the manipulations and planning were unpredictable. And seeing all the dominos of discord fell one by one, I was seething with true rage and hatred over one character; I am actually angry again now. And this is good. This character is intentionally put there to be hated, at least I think so. I'm not mentioning her name to avoid spoilers, but readers who have read this book will know who I'm talking about.
She is undoubtedly a villain through and through. She may think what she was doing was selfless and justified, but it was the other way around from my perspective. She was extremely selfish because of her willingness to justify ALL her ruthlessness, provocations, and manipulations because of her outrageous paranoia. SHE, and only SHE, thought her methods were necessary. After every vile thing this character did, not just in part two of the novel but part four as well, Cersei Lannister actually looked like a saint compared to her. This level of emotional investment can be achieved when the author is masterful in writing both lovable and despicable characters. And Liu has successfully developed the myriad of characters in The Dandelion Dynasty so far, new and returning, with sharp precision. The Gusts and Gales of emotions have convinced me The Wall of Storms would earn a 5 out of 5 stars rating from me. And then, Tempest from the North arrived, and I was proven mistaken.
I was wrong, not because this is not awesome, but because a 5-stars rating is not enough. Yes, I would give The Wall of Storms a 6 out of 5 stars rating if I could. We have seen Liu's exceptional capabilities in scheming and writing political thrillers, but how about battles and war scenes? Evidently, as much as I loved the battle and war scenes in The Grace of Kings, it turns out I saw merely glimpses of Ken Liu’s talent in writing battle scenes in The Grace of Kings. And honestly speaking, that was not enough to prepare me for the emotional onslaughts to come in Tempest from the North. Everything in this book simply exceeded my expectations. Liu has constructed some of the most heart-hammering sequences of battle scenes I have ever read in the genre. Not for one, not two, but several; the third part of the novel comprised about 300 pages of the whole book, and it was embedded with jaw-dropping scenes inflicted by the exhilarating dance of hurricanes. In order to maximize the effect of the clash of civilizations for its readers, Ken Liu made sure two crucial aspects were set in place.
First, Liu showed that the invaders are not merely caricatures of evil villains. They are real people with real distinct cultures and struggles. Similar to the characters in the book, I was filled with wonder as they gazed upon the impenetrable and mythical Wall of Storms. Wall of Storms is a line of the cyclone that rose up to the sky from the sea. The thrill of discovery and the dangers of visiting a new land felt palpable, and it was fruitful to know the invaders’ perspectives and backgrounds. In a similar fashion to Dara, The Land of Ukyu and Gonde felt rich with history. In The Grace of Kings, Liu introduced us to a gigantic creature called cruben, the massive whale that ruled the sea in Dara. In The Wall of Storms, Liu introduced Garinafins with an exploding impact, and the face of the world will never be the same again with this creature that ruled the sky in existence.
And then secondly and the most important one: the characters. I need to emphasize this point again, and I wish I could keep doing it. Liu has created and developed some of the utterly well-written characters I have ever read, especially the female characters. I am seriously astounded and impressed by Liu's depth of characterization here. I actually pity the readers who discontinued reading the series because they thought the series lacked well-written female characters just from reading The Grace of Kings. I disagree with this perspective, I knew Liu was playing the long game, and readers get to reap the reward here. Readers who gave up on the series after reading The Grace of Kings would not get to know some of the best female characters to ever be put in a novel. Whether you love or hate the characters, Liu excels in his characterizations. Simple as that. Gin Mazoti, Princess Thera, and Zomi Kidosu, among many other characters in the book, were some of the most amazing characters I have come across in fantasy. Not just because they are female, but because they were supremely well-written. This is especially true for Gin Mazoti, the legendary marshal of Dara, a character I loved dearly since her first appearance in The Grace of Kings, and now that praise has been forged with an eternal flame.
My deep connections with the characters are why the invasions of Dara felt so monstrous. The Lyucu inhabitants caused a cyclone of deaths in the Islands of Dara with their arrival. And I was left emotional, reeling, exhausted, and terrified by the savage demonstration of brutality, violence, and destruction. I was frightened by the massacre and yet enchanted by the narrative to keep turning the pages of The Wall of Storms. I was scared because I did not want to see characters I loved encounter their demise, but I could not function properly in real life without finding out the final outcome of the immense confrontations of whirlwinds. And so I continued. And, of course, the heavens shook, and the earth trembled when Liu delivered the coup de grace in A Clash of Typhoons.
The last 130 pages of The Wall of Storms exhibited intricate and breathtaking climax sequences. Rekindling the fire of hope is never easy. Seeing our beloved characters struggle to ignite that tiny and necessary spark in the threat of overwhelming darkness and evil made me emotional. Liu also unleashed his creativity in devising clever and believable military tactics during the climactic Battle of Zathin Gulf. The mechanisms and biology behind the technologies and creatures used in this battle were explained thoroughly. The aerial battles in The Wall of Storms are the finest aerial battles I have ever read in an epic fantasy novel. Charged with the silkmotic force, the fiery detonations across the sky to repel the invaders seemed like they happened in front of me. It was an incredibly cinematic and unforgettable pandemonium; the war is the highest test of valor in the face of horror, malice, and despair. Heavy sacrifices (unfortunately and realistically) will have to be made. But can the House of Dandelion achieve victory? Well, I have said more than enough in this wall of text. I will leave the detailed captivating reading experience and outcome for you to find out for yourself.
I unsheathe the Doubt Ender when I articulate this, The Wall of Storms is an indisputable and marvelously crafted masterpiece. Brimming with characters that sink deep under your skin, engaging epic war scenes, meticulously expansive world-building, and lyrical prose equipped with the pearl of wisdom, The Wall of Storms is hands down one of the best fantasy books of all time. The content inside The Wall of Storms felt equivalent to reading two superlative epic fantasy novels in one package. The judgment of history will decide whether my praises for The Wall of Storms are well-deserved or not. I am not sure whether or how the second half of the series could top this book, but I am happy to be proven wrong. Based on everything I've read by Ken Liu so far, I feel inclined to state that he is a genius storyteller, and it's safe to say he has become one of my top favorite authors. On that note, time for me to end this wall of text with this parting message: I encourage you to read this series. The Dandelion Dynasty is now included as one of my top favorite series of all time, and I am hoping The Veiled Throne and Speaking Bones will make me love the series even more. Bravo, Ken Liu. I am absolutely in awe of this masterpiece.
You can order this book from: Blackwells (Free International shipping)
You can find this and the rest of my reviews at Novel Notions | I also have a Booktube channel
Special thanks to my Patrons on Patreon for giving me extra support towards my passion for reading and reviewing!
My Patrons: Alfred, Andrew, Andrew W, Amanda, Annabeth, Ben, Diana, Dylan, Edward, Elias, Ellen, Ellis, Gary, Hamad, Helen, Jimmy Nutts, Joie, Luis, Lufi, Melinda, Meryl, Mike, Miracle, Nanette, Neeraja, Nicholas, Reno, Samuel, Sarah, Sarah, Scott, Shawna, Xero, Wendy, Wick, Zoe.
"Hope was the currency that never ran out, and it was the fate of the poor to toil and endure, wasn't it?"
Hopeful and inadequate. That's how I feel right now writing this review. It doesn't matter how hard I try, it is a futile attempt to capture all the brilliance of this masterwork in a review, but I shall try and hope I can attract more readers into trying this book and series. It's been almost six years since The Wall of Storms, the second book in The Dandelion Dynasty by Ken Liu came out, and it's ridiculous how a book as good as this is still so under hyped. After reading more than 500 epic fantasy books, it's getting harder and harder to feel completely enthralled, hooked, immersed, and transported to a different world. The Wall of Storms did that for me. It made me remember why I continue to love reading epic fantasy. I loved The Grace of Kings, but The Wall of Storms enacted a miracle, a miracle in which this sequel somehow surpassed The Grace of Kings in every possible way. The seeds of Dandelion planted in The Grace of Kings bloomed in The Wall of Storms. Also, before I begin my review, the US edition cover art done by Sam Weber suddenly has a deeper meaning to it after reading the content of this book. With the antlered creature and the berries, you will find out why this cover art is chosen after you read the book. Now, allow me to begin my wall of texts.
"The dreams of the great lords of the world were built upon the blood and bones of the common people. The blossoming of the golden chrysanthemum required the fertilizer made from the ashes of the Hundred Flowers. That was an eternal truth."
Do you know how sometimes an author requires 100-200 pages, sometimes even longer, before the book gets good? This is certainly not the case with The Wall of Storms. With The Grace of Kings, Ken Liu has established an iron-strong foundation for the early section of this book to instantly grab the reader's attention. In Whispering Breezes, Ken Liu also planted more seeds of chaos and excellent character groundwork we know will reward its readers in the later sections of the book. But this doesn't mean the first out of the four parts of the novel were ever boring. Just within the first 260 pages, I've highlighted more than 20 passages. This is the calm before the storm section of the novel, and it is already packed with subtle tensions and an immaculate display of literary prose. One out of many examples, we see the truth behind how the Calendrical Dozen was formed. This is told with a story within a story technique, and the revelation of how the humble Orchid joined the Calendrical Dozen was terrific.
"A god of war is also the god of those who are caught in the wheel of eternal struggle, who fight on despite knowledge of certain defeat, who stand with their companions against spear and catapult and gleaming metal, armed with only their pride, who strive and assay and press and toil, all the while knowing that they cannot win.
"You are not only the god of the strong, but also the god of the weak. Courage is better displayed when it seems all is lost, when despair appears the only rational course.”
Remember the passage above, this is one of the many dominant themes in the book. The story in The Wall of Storms begins five years after the end of The Grace of Kings. The aftermath and repercussion of the Crysanthemum-Dandelion war can still be felt, and Whispering Breezes mainly deal with two key plotlines: the Palace Examination and the introduction of Zomi Kidosu and Emperor Ragin's children. Both Zomi Kidosu and Emperor Ragin's children are hugely important characters in The Dandelion Dynasty series. Their characterizations and introductions were immediately executed with finesse. Liu tackles the palace examination, Zomi Kidosu's introduction, and developing the Emperor's children by juggling between two timeframes magnificently. I personally think Zomi's flashback chapters contain one of the most endearing portrayals of mentor-apprentice I have ever read in a book. I had such a wonderful time reading the development between Zomi and her mentor, being invested in Emperor Ragin's Children (especially Princess Thera), and the Palace Examination. As I said earlier, the Palace Examination is supposed to be the calm before the storm moments of the book, but it felt intense already. It felt like Liu improved tremendously as a writer and storyteller in this sequel, and the plotting, characterizations, and literary prose he put on the pages of The Wall of Storms were (in Zomi's words) so magnidazzlelicious and beautinificent. And then, The Wall of Storms turned from great to something incredible when Whispering Breezes escalated to Gusts and Gales.
"You see, you enjoyed my lectures on the Incentivists and the Patternists because I dressed them up as lessons on how to fly a balloon. A good idea is more easily absorbed if it is given the right expression, and that is why even when you have the right answers, you'll convince more people when you present them with good handwriting and proper sentence construction."
For years, I have seen political content in epic fantasy sometimes criticized for being uninteresting. I disagree with this. It all depends on execution. And the political intrigues in The Wall of Storms are the most thrilling sections of political conflicts I have read since Martin's magnum opus of A Song of Ice and Fire. It was 130 pages of relentless deadly political thrillers with no shortage of pulse-pounding and heart-wrenching moments. The betrayals and the anxiety I had when I read this book were real. The reach and outcome of the manipulations and planning were unpredictable. And seeing all the dominos of discord fell one by one, I was seething with true rage and hatred over one character; I am actually angry again now. And this is good. This character is intentionally put there to be hated, at least I think so. I'm not mentioning her name to avoid spoilers, but readers who have read this book will know who I'm talking about.
“The art of war requires withholding information from the enemy as long as possible, and not every victory is worth the pursuit.”
She is undoubtedly a villain through and through. She may think what she was doing was selfless and justified, but it was the other way around from my perspective. She was extremely selfish because of her willingness to justify ALL her ruthlessness, provocations, and manipulations because of her outrageous paranoia. SHE, and only SHE, thought her methods were necessary. After every vile thing this character did, not just in part two of the novel but part four as well, Cersei Lannister actually looked like a saint compared to her. This level of emotional investment can be achieved when the author is masterful in writing both lovable and despicable characters. And Liu has successfully developed the myriad of characters in The Dandelion Dynasty so far, new and returning, with sharp precision. The Gusts and Gales of emotions have convinced me The Wall of Storms would earn a 5 out of 5 stars rating from me. And then, Tempest from the North arrived, and I was proven mistaken.
"What courage it took for the starving and the poor to continue the mere act of existence, of survival, of endurance. Such quiet acts of heroism were not celebrated, and yet they made up the foundation of civilization, far more than all the honorable sentiments of the Ano sages and the pretty words of the nobles."
I was wrong, not because this is not awesome, but because a 5-stars rating is not enough. Yes, I would give The Wall of Storms a 6 out of 5 stars rating if I could. We have seen Liu's exceptional capabilities in scheming and writing political thrillers, but how about battles and war scenes? Evidently, as much as I loved the battle and war scenes in The Grace of Kings, it turns out I saw merely glimpses of Ken Liu’s talent in writing battle scenes in The Grace of Kings. And honestly speaking, that was not enough to prepare me for the emotional onslaughts to come in Tempest from the North. Everything in this book simply exceeded my expectations. Liu has constructed some of the most heart-hammering sequences of battle scenes I have ever read in the genre. Not for one, not two, but several; the third part of the novel comprised about 300 pages of the whole book, and it was embedded with jaw-dropping scenes inflicted by the exhilarating dance of hurricanes. In order to maximize the effect of the clash of civilizations for its readers, Ken Liu made sure two crucial aspects were set in place.
“It is only when one is away from home that one can see its beauty.”
First, Liu showed that the invaders are not merely caricatures of evil villains. They are real people with real distinct cultures and struggles. Similar to the characters in the book, I was filled with wonder as they gazed upon the impenetrable and mythical Wall of Storms. Wall of Storms is a line of the cyclone that rose up to the sky from the sea. The thrill of discovery and the dangers of visiting a new land felt palpable, and it was fruitful to know the invaders’ perspectives and backgrounds. In a similar fashion to Dara, The Land of Ukyu and Gonde felt rich with history. In The Grace of Kings, Liu introduced us to a gigantic creature called cruben, the massive whale that ruled the sea in Dara. In The Wall of Storms, Liu introduced Garinafins with an exploding impact, and the face of the world will never be the same again with this creature that ruled the sky in existence.
“I was taught that what we fill our hearts with has much more to do with our fates than our native talents or circumstances. I was named Dissolver of Sorrows, and I intend to live up to my name. If our situation seems hopeless, we can either give in to it and lament our fortune, or revise the script and chart ourselves a new course. We’re always the heroes of our own stories.”
And then secondly and the most important one: the characters. I need to emphasize this point again, and I wish I could keep doing it. Liu has created and developed some of the utterly well-written characters I have ever read, especially the female characters. I am seriously astounded and impressed by Liu's depth of characterization here. I actually pity the readers who discontinued reading the series because they thought the series lacked well-written female characters just from reading The Grace of Kings. I disagree with this perspective, I knew Liu was playing the long game, and readers get to reap the reward here. Readers who gave up on the series after reading The Grace of Kings would not get to know some of the best female characters to ever be put in a novel. Whether you love or hate the characters, Liu excels in his characterizations. Simple as that. Gin Mazoti, Princess Thera, and Zomi Kidosu, among many other characters in the book, were some of the most amazing characters I have come across in fantasy. Not just because they are female, but because they were supremely well-written. This is especially true for Gin Mazoti, the legendary marshal of Dara, a character I loved dearly since her first appearance in The Grace of Kings, and now that praise has been forged with an eternal flame.
“There are no born heroes, and legends are just stories. Gin, you know the truth as well as I. But the world sometimes demands a man or a woman to step forward to embody the will of the many, and thus are legends and heroes born. True courage comes not from being certain and unafraid, but from doing what must be done even while being terrified and full of doubts.”
My deep connections with the characters are why the invasions of Dara felt so monstrous. The Lyucu inhabitants caused a cyclone of deaths in the Islands of Dara with their arrival. And I was left emotional, reeling, exhausted, and terrified by the savage demonstration of brutality, violence, and destruction. I was frightened by the massacre and yet enchanted by the narrative to keep turning the pages of The Wall of Storms. I was scared because I did not want to see characters I loved encounter their demise, but I could not function properly in real life without finding out the final outcome of the immense confrontations of whirlwinds. And so I continued. And, of course, the heavens shook, and the earth trembled when Liu delivered the coup de grace in A Clash of Typhoons.
“Though all life is an experiment, there are moments of purity of purpose that demand no justification. Today, Dara is under threat of a dark storm that has no comparison. There is no long view that can justify enslavement and capitulation. When the only alternative is death and servitude, I believe all of us know what must be the right choice.”
The last 130 pages of The Wall of Storms exhibited intricate and breathtaking climax sequences. Rekindling the fire of hope is never easy. Seeing our beloved characters struggle to ignite that tiny and necessary spark in the threat of overwhelming darkness and evil made me emotional. Liu also unleashed his creativity in devising clever and believable military tactics during the climactic Battle of Zathin Gulf. The mechanisms and biology behind the technologies and creatures used in this battle were explained thoroughly. The aerial battles in The Wall of Storms are the finest aerial battles I have ever read in an epic fantasy novel. Charged with the silkmotic force, the fiery detonations across the sky to repel the invaders seemed like they happened in front of me. It was an incredibly cinematic and unforgettable pandemonium; the war is the highest test of valor in the face of horror, malice, and despair. Heavy sacrifices (unfortunately and realistically) will have to be made. But can the House of Dandelion achieve victory? Well, I have said more than enough in this wall of text. I will leave the detailed captivating reading experience and outcome for you to find out for yourself.
“Every cupa stone can be sacrificed, as long as the game is won.”
I unsheathe the Doubt Ender when I articulate this, The Wall of Storms is an indisputable and marvelously crafted masterpiece. Brimming with characters that sink deep under your skin, engaging epic war scenes, meticulously expansive world-building, and lyrical prose equipped with the pearl of wisdom, The Wall of Storms is hands down one of the best fantasy books of all time. The content inside The Wall of Storms felt equivalent to reading two superlative epic fantasy novels in one package. The judgment of history will decide whether my praises for The Wall of Storms are well-deserved or not. I am not sure whether or how the second half of the series could top this book, but I am happy to be proven wrong. Based on everything I've read by Ken Liu so far, I feel inclined to state that he is a genius storyteller, and it's safe to say he has become one of my top favorite authors. On that note, time for me to end this wall of text with this parting message: I encourage you to read this series. The Dandelion Dynasty is now included as one of my top favorite series of all time, and I am hoping The Veiled Throne and Speaking Bones will make me love the series even more. Bravo, Ken Liu. I am absolutely in awe of this masterpiece.
"When you've lived for as long as I have, you realize that the greatest pleasures in life are not very impressive at all. It's better to have one true friend who can understand the voice in your heart when you pluck out a hesitant tune on the zither than to have the unthinking adoration of millions."
You can order this book from: Blackwells (Free International shipping)
You can find this and the rest of my reviews at Novel Notions | I also have a Booktube channel
Special thanks to my Patrons on Patreon for giving me extra support towards my passion for reading and reviewing!
My Patrons: Alfred, Andrew, Andrew W, Amanda, Annabeth, Ben, Diana, Dylan, Edward, Elias, Ellen, Ellis, Gary, Hamad, Helen, Jimmy Nutts, Joie, Luis, Lufi, Melinda, Meryl, Mike, Miracle, Nanette, Neeraja, Nicholas, Reno, Samuel, Sarah, Sarah, Scott, Shawna, Xero, Wendy, Wick, Zoe.
April 5, 2023
Reared 4.5
Fanfreakingtastic! I look forward to the next book in 2019! God, I hate even thinking about next year because the only thing that pops in my head is, "what if the cancer comes back." It makes me afraid to look forward to books 😕
Happy Reading!!
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
Fanfreakingtastic! I look forward to the next book in 2019! God, I hate even thinking about next year because the only thing that pops in my head is, "what if the cancer comes back." It makes me afraid to look forward to books 😕
Happy Reading!!
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
November 20, 2025
RATING BREAKDOWN
Characters: 4⭐️
Setting: 5⭐️
Plot: 5⭐️
Themes: 5⭐️
Emotional Impact: 4⭐️
Personal Enjoyment: 5⭐️
Total Rounded Average: 4.75⭐️
The tonal shift from The Grace of Kings to The Wall of Storms is apparent immediately. The story is far more character-focused now that the timeline has slowed down. With lots of flashbacks and some of the short-story-style chapters that focus on specific characters, I became more attached and extremely invested. I still feel like the main characters of the saga are just coming of age, and so I'm waiting for that 5-star character feeling, where I know and care about the characters inside and out. I'm hoping this comes in The Veiled Throne.
Plotwise, the political maneuvering is next-level in this book. I was sweating, tense, unable to turn pages fast enough. I truly had no idea how the Dandelion Dynasty was going to survive for most of this book, and am still boggled at how everything shook out. It's so unpredictable with extreme stakes.
The world-building also expands in this installment in such a lush way. New creatures, lands, peoples, languages, and history. It unfolds in this epic and poetic way, akin to something like The Iliad or The Odyssey. The interference and commentary of the gods also contribute to this parallel. It just has this epic mythological quality to it, but also feels original and like nothing I've read before. I was so mesmerized by the visual descriptions.
Thematically, we're getting into some heavy-hitting concepts here with the complexity of land ownership, classism, colonization, tradition, societal progress, justice, honor, integrity, identity, gender politics, succession, ambition, slavery, coercion, autonomy, and more. There's so much to process, and Liu does very little hand-holding. There is a trust in the reader and a demand for the trust of the reader as the story unfolds.
I have so much respect for this series for its originality, execution, style, and emotional impact. I'm really loving it.
Characters: 4⭐️
Setting: 5⭐️
Plot: 5⭐️
Themes: 5⭐️
Emotional Impact: 4⭐️
Personal Enjoyment: 5⭐️
Total Rounded Average: 4.75⭐️
The tonal shift from The Grace of Kings to The Wall of Storms is apparent immediately. The story is far more character-focused now that the timeline has slowed down. With lots of flashbacks and some of the short-story-style chapters that focus on specific characters, I became more attached and extremely invested. I still feel like the main characters of the saga are just coming of age, and so I'm waiting for that 5-star character feeling, where I know and care about the characters inside and out. I'm hoping this comes in The Veiled Throne.
Plotwise, the political maneuvering is next-level in this book. I was sweating, tense, unable to turn pages fast enough. I truly had no idea how the Dandelion Dynasty was going to survive for most of this book, and am still boggled at how everything shook out. It's so unpredictable with extreme stakes.
The world-building also expands in this installment in such a lush way. New creatures, lands, peoples, languages, and history. It unfolds in this epic and poetic way, akin to something like The Iliad or The Odyssey. The interference and commentary of the gods also contribute to this parallel. It just has this epic mythological quality to it, but also feels original and like nothing I've read before. I was so mesmerized by the visual descriptions.
Thematically, we're getting into some heavy-hitting concepts here with the complexity of land ownership, classism, colonization, tradition, societal progress, justice, honor, integrity, identity, gender politics, succession, ambition, slavery, coercion, autonomy, and more. There's so much to process, and Liu does very little hand-holding. There is a trust in the reader and a demand for the trust of the reader as the story unfolds.
I have so much respect for this series for its originality, execution, style, and emotional impact. I'm really loving it.
February 6, 2018
Take it all, Liu. Take all your well deserved stars and thank you for still haunting me with your words.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I can count on one hand the number of books that have rendered me speechless, the magnificent Wall of Storms is one of them.
And since I can’t paint magic in words, here’s my shortest review yet.
SIMPLY PERFECTION. HAUNTINGLY BEAUTIFUL.
Thank you and good bye.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I can count on one hand the number of books that have rendered me speechless, the magnificent Wall of Storms is one of them.
And since I can’t paint magic in words, here’s my shortest review yet.
SIMPLY PERFECTION. HAUNTINGLY BEAUTIFUL.
Thank you and good bye.
May 8, 2022
This book was absolutely insane.
November 22, 2019
Somewhere between George RR Martin's A Game of Thronessand Shi Nai'an's Water Margin, the Dandelion series from Ken Liu is an amazing read. The The Wall of Storms picks up the story from The Grace of Kings 5 years after Kuni Garu's victory over deified Mata of the double-pupiled Mata Kyundu where the fragile peace in Dara is undermined by internal strife and then the Lyuku (kind of like the Dothraki but more cunning and with cud-chewing dragons) threat appears to possibly destroy the empire.
There are several elements of this book which I found striking and original:
- the strong female leads. With the possible exception of Game of Thrones, few fantasy series that I have read have offered a variety of strong, intelligent female leads (and even female-female love) without succumbing to pandering or pornography. In Ken Liu's world, women have to fight for their place in society in Dara, but - with the explicit support of Kuni - they are encouraged to realize their potential. Perhaps, the reader might feel that the effect is a little forced, but I personally found it refreshing (particularly given the latent wave of misogyny now polluting the political currents in society). Overall, the book is probably appropriate for YA-type audiences as the sexual situations are subdued and the violence, while present, is not the primary focus of the book: it is the characters and how they perceive and survive in this world that is paramount.
- the geek factor. If you have read his short stories in The Paper Menagerie and Other Storiesor his excellent translations of Cixin Liu's The Three-Body Problem and Death's End, you may conclude as I did that Ken Liu is a geek's geek. He loves creating problems and using engineering to solve them. This, again, is especially refreshing as american political discourse now has to defend against obscurantisms such as young earth creationism and cretin white supremacism, because it demonstrates as my favorite character Luan always says that "everything is knowable."
- the schools of philosophy. Not being Chinese or having lived in China, I cannot claim to be an expert (and would love someone to chime in in the comments on whether I am completely off track), but I think he was referring to four currents in modern Chinese philosophy: moralism from Confuscism, patternism from Taoism, incentivism from capitalism, and fluxism from Buddhism (or perhaps Tao and Buddhism need to be reversed?) In any case, the way that the characters were influenced by one or more of these schools and how they and the overall society reacted to internal strife and external threats based on them gave a whole depth to this fascinating book.
- the political allegory. The world of Dara's varied rulers and history and their dealing with crises, the use of torture (with a ghastly reminder of techniques also described in his short stories) mirrors the experiences of modern and imperial China in a multitude of ways. What impressed me the most is how the author demonstrates that there are no easy solutions, that there is a sea of grey between black and white and that a refusal to see that will always lead to bloodletting and slaughter.
It will be an impatient wait for the next installment of the Dandelion Dynasty, but I am sure that Ken Liu will make it worth the wait.
Fino's Cixin Liu and other Chinese SciFi and Fantasy Reviews
The Three Body Problem
The Dark Forest
Death's End
The Wandering Earth
Supernova Era"
Ball Lightning
The Redemption of Time (Fan Fiction approved by Cixin Liu)
Invisible Planets (Short Story Anthology)
The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories
The Grace of Kings
The Wall of Storms
There are several elements of this book which I found striking and original:
- the strong female leads. With the possible exception of Game of Thrones, few fantasy series that I have read have offered a variety of strong, intelligent female leads (and even female-female love) without succumbing to pandering or pornography. In Ken Liu's world, women have to fight for their place in society in Dara, but - with the explicit support of Kuni - they are encouraged to realize their potential. Perhaps, the reader might feel that the effect is a little forced, but I personally found it refreshing (particularly given the latent wave of misogyny now polluting the political currents in society). Overall, the book is probably appropriate for YA-type audiences as the sexual situations are subdued and the violence, while present, is not the primary focus of the book: it is the characters and how they perceive and survive in this world that is paramount.
- the geek factor. If you have read his short stories in The Paper Menagerie and Other Storiesor his excellent translations of Cixin Liu's The Three-Body Problem and Death's End, you may conclude as I did that Ken Liu is a geek's geek. He loves creating problems and using engineering to solve them. This, again, is especially refreshing as american political discourse now has to defend against obscurantisms such as young earth creationism and cretin white supremacism, because it demonstrates as my favorite character Luan always says that "everything is knowable."
- the schools of philosophy. Not being Chinese or having lived in China, I cannot claim to be an expert (and would love someone to chime in in the comments on whether I am completely off track), but I think he was referring to four currents in modern Chinese philosophy: moralism from Confuscism, patternism from Taoism, incentivism from capitalism, and fluxism from Buddhism (or perhaps Tao and Buddhism need to be reversed?) In any case, the way that the characters were influenced by one or more of these schools and how they and the overall society reacted to internal strife and external threats based on them gave a whole depth to this fascinating book.
- the political allegory. The world of Dara's varied rulers and history and their dealing with crises, the use of torture (with a ghastly reminder of techniques also described in his short stories) mirrors the experiences of modern and imperial China in a multitude of ways. What impressed me the most is how the author demonstrates that there are no easy solutions, that there is a sea of grey between black and white and that a refusal to see that will always lead to bloodletting and slaughter.
It will be an impatient wait for the next installment of the Dandelion Dynasty, but I am sure that Ken Liu will make it worth the wait.
Fino's Cixin Liu and other Chinese SciFi and Fantasy Reviews
The Three Body Problem
The Dark Forest
Death's End
The Wandering Earth
Supernova Era"
Ball Lightning
The Redemption of Time (Fan Fiction approved by Cixin Liu)
Invisible Planets (Short Story Anthology)
The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories
The Grace of Kings
The Wall of Storms
April 26, 2023
Arguably best book I've read this year. Absolutely phenomenal!
5/5
5/5
July 5, 2017
This book was exceptional. Literally, there are no more words that can better describe this than that. It was an amazing follow-up to a book I already fell in love with, and it did everything and more than I could have imagined.
Why did I love this just as much as I did?
- Female characters. These ladies ROCKED. Seriously. I have no idea how many fantasy books I have read over the years (A LOT) that are written by men and include women...done well. I have read plenty of books where women are included but they fit into stereotypes and they don't always feel genuine or individual, not a problem here.
- Thera - My favourite character of the book - was incredible. She has a head on her shoulders and she's not afraid to use it. Not only is she able to communicate big ideas, be innovative and be fun, she's also loyal and sensitive and humble and brilliant. I think a large part of her charm comes from the fact that she's absolutely just like me (or how I imagine I'd be in a fantasy book world), and I just completely aligned with so many of her beliefs and ideas. I cannot tell you just how much I related to this character, it was EXCELLENT.
- Jia - one of the MOST difficult women to decipher becuase she's both completely the best mother ever (everything she does is for her children) and equally the most ruthless and deadly plotter. Her intentions are scary becuase they make sense as a reader, and yet she does some truly awful things that you can't ever forgive even knowing her motives.
- Gin - A stoic and wonderful leader who is breaking boundaries and defying the 'norm' by leading the armies of Emperor Kuni. I cannot begin to describe how much one of Gin's scenes affected me. It was intense and wonderful and sad all at once.
- Zomi - a truly individual character whose back-story bring a lot of the time between this book and the last to light. She's a scholar who is intent on making things better, but she's also there for the people she loves, intelligent and willing. This, however, doesn't mean she doesn't make mistakes and as much as I hated to see her make them, the recovery was excellent too.
- Next up, the world. This is set in an Eastern-inspired world which takes a lot of influence from the old Chinese Dynasties. The plot and the landscapes all focus heavily on a very different way of life to what we know in the Western world, and the era we're following is a time of war, strife, knowledge and innovation. I could not help but to constantly be awed by the way that inventions we have in our real world were being brought into the plot, played with, and utilised by the characters.
- The other wonderful thing was the plot itself. I just could not have pinned this story down. Truly it was all over the place and yet totally controlled. We see new continents, new parts of the current world, and new creatures, beasts, peoples and more. The world and plot interweave so well that you just feel immersed in the actions of the characters and the way the drama is unfolding before you. I cannot believe just how much I fell into the story and how many times I thought Liu was setting up one thing only for it to go a completely new wonderful way and to take me by surprise.
- The magic. This world has some really cool ideas using older technologies, but there is also magic and this includes Gods who can manifest and tinker with the humans, magic that can cloud and fog minds, Garafin beasts who can fly and are kind of like big elephants, and much more besides. The Wall of Storms itself is a kind of magic, and that was very crazy and dramatic too.
- The EMOTIONS. This book really got to me and made me feel becuase the characters felt SO real and genuine and when they got into trouble it made me truly sad. Some of the scenes in this book are devastating or enchanting alike, and I felt myself on a roller-coaster of emotions all the time.
- THE ENDING - I need more......... :O
So basically, was there anything at all I didn't like? Honestly, no. I just fell in love with this book and I would even go so far as to say it's my favourite book of the year so far. I just don't know what will come out on top after this!
5*s - wonderful... :D :D :D
Why did I love this just as much as I did?
- Female characters. These ladies ROCKED. Seriously. I have no idea how many fantasy books I have read over the years (A LOT) that are written by men and include women...done well. I have read plenty of books where women are included but they fit into stereotypes and they don't always feel genuine or individual, not a problem here.
- Thera - My favourite character of the book - was incredible. She has a head on her shoulders and she's not afraid to use it. Not only is she able to communicate big ideas, be innovative and be fun, she's also loyal and sensitive and humble and brilliant. I think a large part of her charm comes from the fact that she's absolutely just like me (or how I imagine I'd be in a fantasy book world), and I just completely aligned with so many of her beliefs and ideas. I cannot tell you just how much I related to this character, it was EXCELLENT.
- Jia - one of the MOST difficult women to decipher becuase she's both completely the best mother ever (everything she does is for her children) and equally the most ruthless and deadly plotter. Her intentions are scary becuase they make sense as a reader, and yet she does some truly awful things that you can't ever forgive even knowing her motives.
- Gin - A stoic and wonderful leader who is breaking boundaries and defying the 'norm' by leading the armies of Emperor Kuni. I cannot begin to describe how much one of Gin's scenes affected me. It was intense and wonderful and sad all at once.
- Zomi - a truly individual character whose back-story bring a lot of the time between this book and the last to light. She's a scholar who is intent on making things better, but she's also there for the people she loves, intelligent and willing. This, however, doesn't mean she doesn't make mistakes and as much as I hated to see her make them, the recovery was excellent too.
- Next up, the world. This is set in an Eastern-inspired world which takes a lot of influence from the old Chinese Dynasties. The plot and the landscapes all focus heavily on a very different way of life to what we know in the Western world, and the era we're following is a time of war, strife, knowledge and innovation. I could not help but to constantly be awed by the way that inventions we have in our real world were being brought into the plot, played with, and utilised by the characters.
- The other wonderful thing was the plot itself. I just could not have pinned this story down. Truly it was all over the place and yet totally controlled. We see new continents, new parts of the current world, and new creatures, beasts, peoples and more. The world and plot interweave so well that you just feel immersed in the actions of the characters and the way the drama is unfolding before you. I cannot believe just how much I fell into the story and how many times I thought Liu was setting up one thing only for it to go a completely new wonderful way and to take me by surprise.
- The magic. This world has some really cool ideas using older technologies, but there is also magic and this includes Gods who can manifest and tinker with the humans, magic that can cloud and fog minds, Garafin beasts who can fly and are kind of like big elephants, and much more besides. The Wall of Storms itself is a kind of magic, and that was very crazy and dramatic too.
- The EMOTIONS. This book really got to me and made me feel becuase the characters felt SO real and genuine and when they got into trouble it made me truly sad. Some of the scenes in this book are devastating or enchanting alike, and I felt myself on a roller-coaster of emotions all the time.
- THE ENDING - I need more......... :O
So basically, was there anything at all I didn't like? Honestly, no. I just fell in love with this book and I would even go so far as to say it's my favourite book of the year so far. I just don't know what will come out on top after this!
5*s - wonderful... :D :D :D
June 28, 2025
1.) The Grace of Kings ★★★★
this is the closest to a five star four star that you could ever imagine. this is literally so many of my friends’ favorite book of all time! so please do not let this four star rating make you think this isn’t a masterpiece in its own right, because it is, but i fear i did put a little too much hype into starting this and it did impact my reading. but that’s completely my own fault, and here is a little prequel to let you know that!
okay okay okay, this second book does feel a lot like a first book. we had some amazing building blocks of the history for this world and these families with the grace of kings , but in the wall of storms we really get to see the tale in the present day begin. we get to see the emperor, and the women he loved, but this time we get to see what they all have built and done over the years. he has four children, who are all so very different, and has yet to pick a ruler in waiting. but his children very quickly meet another young girl, zomi kidosu, who has truly stolen my heart in every way imaginable. so we follow all of these people, both old and new, and see how the gods are tangled up in their lives, much more than anyone realizes in the story.
this book is beautiful, this book is heartbreaking, and this book is very impressive. this story is so empowering in so many ways, yet also shows all the ways that humans are so very flawed, and can commit atrocities that feel unspeakable. i truly think ken liu is one of the greatest writers of our generation, and his writing is something that feels like magic, even when he’s not writing about gods. this series is a hard read, but a very powerful one, and i am honored that i get to read it.
trigger + content warnings: violence, gore, blood, war, colonization, dead animal (whale), self harm mention, self inflicted wound, sickness, missing parent, loss of parents, fire, slavery, sa / rape, drugging, mention of suicide in past, torture, murder, mass murder, death, grief, battle, talk of extreme torture / also involving children, vomit, talk of plague, cannibalism mention (this book gets pretty dark at times, please use caution)
blog | instagram | youtube | wishlist | spotify | amazon
“Like all true stories, it was a mix of legends and facts, of myths imagined and deeds done, of the heart of darkness and the crown of light, of experiences borne and gaps filled, of things seen and visions that could only be authenticated by the mind's eye.”
this is the closest to a five star four star that you could ever imagine. this is literally so many of my friends’ favorite book of all time! so please do not let this four star rating make you think this isn’t a masterpiece in its own right, because it is, but i fear i did put a little too much hype into starting this and it did impact my reading. but that’s completely my own fault, and here is a little prequel to let you know that!
okay okay okay, this second book does feel a lot like a first book. we had some amazing building blocks of the history for this world and these families with the grace of kings , but in the wall of storms we really get to see the tale in the present day begin. we get to see the emperor, and the women he loved, but this time we get to see what they all have built and done over the years. he has four children, who are all so very different, and has yet to pick a ruler in waiting. but his children very quickly meet another young girl, zomi kidosu, who has truly stolen my heart in every way imaginable. so we follow all of these people, both old and new, and see how the gods are tangled up in their lives, much more than anyone realizes in the story.
this book is beautiful, this book is heartbreaking, and this book is very impressive. this story is so empowering in so many ways, yet also shows all the ways that humans are so very flawed, and can commit atrocities that feel unspeakable. i truly think ken liu is one of the greatest writers of our generation, and his writing is something that feels like magic, even when he’s not writing about gods. this series is a hard read, but a very powerful one, and i am honored that i get to read it.
trigger + content warnings: violence, gore, blood, war, colonization, dead animal (whale), self harm mention, self inflicted wound, sickness, missing parent, loss of parents, fire, slavery, sa / rape, drugging, mention of suicide in past, torture, murder, mass murder, death, grief, battle, talk of extreme torture / also involving children, vomit, talk of plague, cannibalism mention (this book gets pretty dark at times, please use caution)
blog | instagram | youtube | wishlist | spotify | amazon
December 31, 2024
Ken Liu is one hell of a writer, it’s actually scary😮💨
October 22, 2022
Wall of Storms by Ken Liu is magnificent. There was a cover quote that said it somehow managed to improve on Grace of Kings in every way, and I basically can't disagree.
First I should mention, this novel is less sweeping, and less zoomed out than Grace of Kings was. I generally preferred this, and it still did cover a lot of events, and was similar to Grace of Kings, just not to the same extreme extent.
No plot details because that would spoil Grace of Kings, but let me just say that this novel excels in almost all aspects. It is one of those novels that is has a grand scale and epic battles, thought provoking exploration of themes, complicated, and interesting characters, and it does this while getting me to just read one more chapter until 3 am multiple times.
It is one of the best paced tombs I have ever read. Something meaningful happens in every chapter, and despite having a lot of characters, a non linear plot, and being relatively dense. It read very quickly. Every time I sat down to read this book, I ended up being surprised at how many pages I read.
I think the thematic work, and setting are probably the two most obvious things this novel does really well, but would also like to give a shoutout to the plotting. It is non linear. We are generally moving forward in time, but often will pop back into the past, to see how something got there. And it just stayed so consistently engaging, and the attention to detail was really impressive. I at no point found myself asking
"But why should I care about this" when we went into the past.
However, these things were already really good in book 1. In my opinion the 2 things that leveled up the most, was the character work, and the prose. Which were already good in book 1, but I definitely found myself thinking of more of the characters as people, and generally found the dialogue to feel more natural. Same thing with the prose, I think there were some absolutely chaotic(epic) scenes in this book, and Liu did a really good job of maintaining clarity in those moments, and I also definitely had more instances where I specifically noticed how well crafted the writing was.
This also has some of my favorite tactics, and problem solving I have seen. I could see people caring about the engineering, technology problem solving less than me, but I thought it was so cool, and also generally did a really really good job of always making sense. Ken Liu describes this series as Silkpunk, and that means the type of engineering from the Chinese empire, taken to the extreme.
Just trust me, it's really really cool.
So, do I have any complaints? Well, not literally none, i'm sure there were individual things I wasn't the largest fan of while reading, but I would have nothing more then minor nitpicks.
The Wall of Storms was fantastic, epic, rich, and intricately plotted, while containing moments of beauty, tragedy, and sheer epicenes.
9.4/10
First I should mention, this novel is less sweeping, and less zoomed out than Grace of Kings was. I generally preferred this, and it still did cover a lot of events, and was similar to Grace of Kings, just not to the same extreme extent.
No plot details because that would spoil Grace of Kings, but let me just say that this novel excels in almost all aspects. It is one of those novels that is has a grand scale and epic battles, thought provoking exploration of themes, complicated, and interesting characters, and it does this while getting me to just read one more chapter until 3 am multiple times.
It is one of the best paced tombs I have ever read. Something meaningful happens in every chapter, and despite having a lot of characters, a non linear plot, and being relatively dense. It read very quickly. Every time I sat down to read this book, I ended up being surprised at how many pages I read.
I think the thematic work, and setting are probably the two most obvious things this novel does really well, but would also like to give a shoutout to the plotting. It is non linear. We are generally moving forward in time, but often will pop back into the past, to see how something got there. And it just stayed so consistently engaging, and the attention to detail was really impressive. I at no point found myself asking
"But why should I care about this" when we went into the past.
However, these things were already really good in book 1. In my opinion the 2 things that leveled up the most, was the character work, and the prose. Which were already good in book 1, but I definitely found myself thinking of more of the characters as people, and generally found the dialogue to feel more natural. Same thing with the prose, I think there were some absolutely chaotic(epic) scenes in this book, and Liu did a really good job of maintaining clarity in those moments, and I also definitely had more instances where I specifically noticed how well crafted the writing was.
This also has some of my favorite tactics, and problem solving I have seen. I could see people caring about the engineering, technology problem solving less than me, but I thought it was so cool, and also generally did a really really good job of always making sense. Ken Liu describes this series as Silkpunk, and that means the type of engineering from the Chinese empire, taken to the extreme.
Just trust me, it's really really cool.
So, do I have any complaints? Well, not literally none, i'm sure there were individual things I wasn't the largest fan of while reading, but I would have nothing more then minor nitpicks.
The Wall of Storms was fantastic, epic, rich, and intricately plotted, while containing moments of beauty, tragedy, and sheer epicenes.
9.4/10
May 18, 2022
I will go farther than any dandelion seed; I will lead a revolution."
Oh boy. It is so hard to talk about great sequels, because I just want to gush about so much.
This book is better than its predecessor in every way. It is a triumph of intelligence. This book made me happy, sad, inspired, anxious (so anxious), thoughtful (so many thoughts), confused, enraged, melancholy and hyped. It is not interested in glorifying war, but is instead a love letter to engineers, poets, philosophers, scholars, teachers, linguists, and other people whose jobs are typically not to save a nation.
The way Liu tells a story is so meticulous but rewarding. There will be sections of this book where a character will go off to learn about cow stomachs or street magicians or how languages evolve or the weight of gas and you're like, "how is this relevant?" but then it IS. The last 150 pages of this book cries out to be on screen, and it is not because of badasses swinging swords, but because of a group of intelligent people with very little in common putting their heads together to spark ingenuity and creativity.
I finally get why the ASOIAF crowd should read this, there is a lot to like here. But there's a lot to appreciate regardless; WoS has political intrigue, rebellion, herbivore-dragon riding Mongolian-esque Vikings, kite assassins, airship battles, giant sentient narwhals, morally grey characters, strong female characters, LGBTQ major characters, Character death...oh lord the deaths.
I admire the focus on different kinds of strength. Not every strong woman is Brienne of Tarth and not every strong man is Achilles. I wonder how much Liu was inspired by men like strategist Zhuge Liang, because I feel his influence all over this book.
I don't rate books against each other, so while I think this book is better than GoK, it will get a slightly lower rating. While nearly everything about this is a triumph in my eyes, there was a giant coincidence in this book that for all my goodwill, I couldn't get over. Plus there was a very oddly placed flashback in the middle of the climax. But overall, one of the best books I've ever read.
9.5/10
Oh boy. It is so hard to talk about great sequels, because I just want to gush about so much.
This book is better than its predecessor in every way. It is a triumph of intelligence. This book made me happy, sad, inspired, anxious (so anxious), thoughtful (so many thoughts), confused, enraged, melancholy and hyped. It is not interested in glorifying war, but is instead a love letter to engineers, poets, philosophers, scholars, teachers, linguists, and other people whose jobs are typically not to save a nation.
The way Liu tells a story is so meticulous but rewarding. There will be sections of this book where a character will go off to learn about cow stomachs or street magicians or how languages evolve or the weight of gas and you're like, "how is this relevant?" but then it IS. The last 150 pages of this book cries out to be on screen, and it is not because of badasses swinging swords, but because of a group of intelligent people with very little in common putting their heads together to spark ingenuity and creativity.
I finally get why the ASOIAF crowd should read this, there is a lot to like here. But there's a lot to appreciate regardless; WoS has political intrigue, rebellion, herbivore-dragon riding Mongolian-esque Vikings, kite assassins, airship battles, giant sentient narwhals, morally grey characters, strong female characters, LGBTQ major characters, Character death...oh lord the deaths.
I admire the focus on different kinds of strength. Not every strong woman is Brienne of Tarth and not every strong man is Achilles. I wonder how much Liu was inspired by men like strategist Zhuge Liang, because I feel his influence all over this book.
I don't rate books against each other, so while I think this book is better than GoK, it will get a slightly lower rating. While nearly everything about this is a triumph in my eyes, there was a giant coincidence in this book that for all my goodwill, I couldn't get over. Plus there was a very oddly placed flashback in the middle of the climax. But overall, one of the best books I've ever read.
9.5/10
December 20, 2024
This was SO GOOD!!! I'm really glad I'm continuing on in this series because The Wall of Storms blew me away. This is an epic political fantasy saga with top notch character work including a lot of strong and interesting women. The blend of historical fantasy, complex court politics, military technology, and themes of colonization are masterfully done. But with great (and flawed) characters you are invested in reading about. Perfection and I look forward to continuing the series.
October 20, 2016
5 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum https://bibliosanctum.com/2016/10/20/...
“Not all wars are fought with swords and spears, and not all foes are found on the battlefield. The times are changing, brother, and we must change along with them.”
I think it’s safe to say, if you loved The Grace of Kings, Ken Liu’s phenomenal debut that took the genre by storm last year, you will also be blown away by its magnificent sequel. Liu’s prose is as beautiful and lyrically expressive as ever as we dive once more into this scintillating world where history and mythology collide. You will again be met with epic battles and court intrigue, the triumphs of victory and heartaches of defeat, the timeless fiery passions and ambitions of people touched by fate.
And yet, like the above quote so poignantly suggests, the winds of change are sweeping across the realm, and The Wall of Storms is a story of transformation and adaptation. The empire of Dara still faces challenges but now they come in other guises, and those who want to survive will need to learn to understand the forces they are up against. Conflicts come from both within and without, and yet sometimes your foes are not flesh and blood but philosophies and concepts.
Hence the war continues, even though the long uprising is over and Kuni Garu now sits on Dara’s throne as emperor. In the first part of the novel, we look at how the clashes have persisted, though now the focus has shifted from the arts of war to the scholarly ways of learning. We also have another generation enter the equation. The book begins as Emperor Kuni’s children—Timu, Phyro, Thera, and Fara—sneak out of the palace to enjoy a day of listening to stories in a local tavern. Through the storyteller, we are briefly brought up to speed on the tumultuous relationship between Kuni Garu and the now deceased legendary warlord Mata Zyndu, a subject which was a major part of The Grace of Kings. All hell breaks loose, however, when a disgruntled patron in the crowd accuses the storyteller of sedition for glorifying Zyndu, the Emperor’s one-time friend turned bitter rival. Thankfully, someone else steps in to defend the storyteller and tavern-goers—a character who is new to the series but whom nonetheless plays a very important role in this novel.
Zomi Kidosu is her name, and much of The Wall of Storms is dedicated to the story of her life. The first half of this book tells of Zomi growing up in a poor fishing village, scarred and crippled from an accident which left her with little prospects for the future. But fate leads her to a chance encounter with Luan Zya, the wandering philosopher and former adviser to the emperor. Recognizing Zomi’s intelligence and latent potential, Luan decides to take the girl on as a student, and thus begins one of the most beautiful and heartfelt friendships I have ever read.
Zomi’s efforts eventually lead her to sit the Imperial Examinations. Once again, we can see how history has inspired Ken Liu’s writing and the world of The Dandelion Dynasty. It was a delightful surprise when I saw that the author had taken a fascinating piece of history from ancient China—the real Imperial examination system—and mirrored it for his purposes here. Intended as a way to select the best candidates for civil service, the examinations were indeed as tough and exclusive as Liu portrayed them in this book. Such exams helped shape ancient China’s history, and over time became one reason for the shift from militaristic policies to more scholarly and bureaucratic ones in the early dynasties—a shift that is happening in Dara as well, as this sequel hints. The examinations also encouraged cultural unity, and that really fits one of the key themes in both The Grace of Kings and The Wall of Storms: the idea that there’s more than one way to win a war and conquer your vassals. Again, we talk about change in this sequel—like putting down swords and picking up pens instead.
But if you think this book is going to be dominated by talk of the scholarly pursuits, you are also mistaken. The second half of the book goes back to all out warfare as a rebellion threatens the stability of Dara. In addition to that, a mysterious force also invades from beyond the wall of storms. This is where Princess Thera steps up and becomes an impressive figure in her own right, pushing back against her detractors who are practically in fits at the absurd idea that a mere woman can hold and wield power. These attitudes are summarily smacked down as the sexist, stupid views they are as Thera proves why she is regarded by her father as the strongest and wisest of his children.
Indeed, in this sequel, the women steal the show. I think those who noted the relative absence of major female characters in the previous book will be happy to see that this is not the case here. Between Zomi and Thera, we have two very influential women rocking these pages, but there’s also the behind-the-scenes conflict at court between Empress Jia and consort Risana. While their war of wills involves more subtle attacks rather than overt fighting, it very much parallels the battle of ideologies we saw between Kuni and Mata in the first book. Yet another example of The Wall of Storms displaying familiar themes, but coming at them with a different approach.
Still, the evolution and transformation of this series notwithstanding, if you didn’t take to the style of The Grace of Kings, you’ll probably experience the same issues with this sequel. Liu’s writing is elegant and rich, and like I said in my review of the first book, his evocative prose is meant to be savored. Together with the mini-tales and historical asides he injects into the main plot though, this can sometimes slow the pacing and weigh down the overall story. But if, like me, you were enchanted with this book’s predecessor and enjoyed every moment of its epic, far-reaching narrative, you will love The Wall of Storms just as much if not more.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: whether he’s penning short stories or 800+ page novels, Ken Liu’s writing is so inspiring. If you are a fan of epic fantasy and you haven’t read The Grace of Kings yet, you are missing out on some of the best writing and storytelling this genre has to offer. Now having finished The Wall of Storms, this sequel only served to cement this series in my mind as a true work of art.
“Not all wars are fought with swords and spears, and not all foes are found on the battlefield. The times are changing, brother, and we must change along with them.”
I think it’s safe to say, if you loved The Grace of Kings, Ken Liu’s phenomenal debut that took the genre by storm last year, you will also be blown away by its magnificent sequel. Liu’s prose is as beautiful and lyrically expressive as ever as we dive once more into this scintillating world where history and mythology collide. You will again be met with epic battles and court intrigue, the triumphs of victory and heartaches of defeat, the timeless fiery passions and ambitions of people touched by fate.
And yet, like the above quote so poignantly suggests, the winds of change are sweeping across the realm, and The Wall of Storms is a story of transformation and adaptation. The empire of Dara still faces challenges but now they come in other guises, and those who want to survive will need to learn to understand the forces they are up against. Conflicts come from both within and without, and yet sometimes your foes are not flesh and blood but philosophies and concepts.
Hence the war continues, even though the long uprising is over and Kuni Garu now sits on Dara’s throne as emperor. In the first part of the novel, we look at how the clashes have persisted, though now the focus has shifted from the arts of war to the scholarly ways of learning. We also have another generation enter the equation. The book begins as Emperor Kuni’s children—Timu, Phyro, Thera, and Fara—sneak out of the palace to enjoy a day of listening to stories in a local tavern. Through the storyteller, we are briefly brought up to speed on the tumultuous relationship between Kuni Garu and the now deceased legendary warlord Mata Zyndu, a subject which was a major part of The Grace of Kings. All hell breaks loose, however, when a disgruntled patron in the crowd accuses the storyteller of sedition for glorifying Zyndu, the Emperor’s one-time friend turned bitter rival. Thankfully, someone else steps in to defend the storyteller and tavern-goers—a character who is new to the series but whom nonetheless plays a very important role in this novel.
Zomi Kidosu is her name, and much of The Wall of Storms is dedicated to the story of her life. The first half of this book tells of Zomi growing up in a poor fishing village, scarred and crippled from an accident which left her with little prospects for the future. But fate leads her to a chance encounter with Luan Zya, the wandering philosopher and former adviser to the emperor. Recognizing Zomi’s intelligence and latent potential, Luan decides to take the girl on as a student, and thus begins one of the most beautiful and heartfelt friendships I have ever read.
Zomi’s efforts eventually lead her to sit the Imperial Examinations. Once again, we can see how history has inspired Ken Liu’s writing and the world of The Dandelion Dynasty. It was a delightful surprise when I saw that the author had taken a fascinating piece of history from ancient China—the real Imperial examination system—and mirrored it for his purposes here. Intended as a way to select the best candidates for civil service, the examinations were indeed as tough and exclusive as Liu portrayed them in this book. Such exams helped shape ancient China’s history, and over time became one reason for the shift from militaristic policies to more scholarly and bureaucratic ones in the early dynasties—a shift that is happening in Dara as well, as this sequel hints. The examinations also encouraged cultural unity, and that really fits one of the key themes in both The Grace of Kings and The Wall of Storms: the idea that there’s more than one way to win a war and conquer your vassals. Again, we talk about change in this sequel—like putting down swords and picking up pens instead.
But if you think this book is going to be dominated by talk of the scholarly pursuits, you are also mistaken. The second half of the book goes back to all out warfare as a rebellion threatens the stability of Dara. In addition to that, a mysterious force also invades from beyond the wall of storms. This is where Princess Thera steps up and becomes an impressive figure in her own right, pushing back against her detractors who are practically in fits at the absurd idea that a mere woman can hold and wield power. These attitudes are summarily smacked down as the sexist, stupid views they are as Thera proves why she is regarded by her father as the strongest and wisest of his children.
Indeed, in this sequel, the women steal the show. I think those who noted the relative absence of major female characters in the previous book will be happy to see that this is not the case here. Between Zomi and Thera, we have two very influential women rocking these pages, but there’s also the behind-the-scenes conflict at court between Empress Jia and consort Risana. While their war of wills involves more subtle attacks rather than overt fighting, it very much parallels the battle of ideologies we saw between Kuni and Mata in the first book. Yet another example of The Wall of Storms displaying familiar themes, but coming at them with a different approach.
Still, the evolution and transformation of this series notwithstanding, if you didn’t take to the style of The Grace of Kings, you’ll probably experience the same issues with this sequel. Liu’s writing is elegant and rich, and like I said in my review of the first book, his evocative prose is meant to be savored. Together with the mini-tales and historical asides he injects into the main plot though, this can sometimes slow the pacing and weigh down the overall story. But if, like me, you were enchanted with this book’s predecessor and enjoyed every moment of its epic, far-reaching narrative, you will love The Wall of Storms just as much if not more.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: whether he’s penning short stories or 800+ page novels, Ken Liu’s writing is so inspiring. If you are a fan of epic fantasy and you haven’t read The Grace of Kings yet, you are missing out on some of the best writing and storytelling this genre has to offer. Now having finished The Wall of Storms, this sequel only served to cement this series in my mind as a true work of art.
October 3, 2025
this blew mw awayy
November 11, 2017
Review for The Grace of Kings
As much as I adored The Paper Menagerie I was a bit disappointed by The Grace of Kings. It delivered a great story in a fascinating world, but the characters were sorely lacking. Their actions were informed by the needs of the story instead of the story being informed by the natural decisions of the characters. They were serviceable but shallow and the story moved forward because it had to, not due to any natural flow.
Thankfully this problem was remedied in The Wall of Storms. In fact the first chunk of the book was a slow as The Grace of Kings was fast paced. But it wasn't bad slow, it was set-up slow. We were introduced with a gaggle of new characters and appraised of all the things that happened since the end Grace of Kings. This slow pace allowed the characters to develop their own motivations and goals. We got to know them and their way of thinking which greatly informed their decisions later in the book. The characters themselves are very well developed and all suffer from their own vices and shortcomings. Liu handles the political motivations and maneuvering of the characters very well adding a subtle dimension to the story that was lacking in The Grace of Kings.
Oh, and he kills them off. A LOT. Liu was more than willing to clear away old characters to make room for the next generation. And these aren't gratuitous or shock killings. They all stem either from some mistakes the characters made or flow naturally from the events in the story. All these deaths are earned and well executed.
The world building continued to be excellent with Liu mining aspects of classic dynastic Chinese culture and weaving them into his silkpunk setting. Liu built on the foundation of The Grace of Kings with the new regime lead by Kuni. Liu is deftly weaves some modern concerns and themes into the story such as the benefits of affirmative action (namely that people with different backgrounds can provide intangible benefits to an otherwise monolithic organization due to their different life experiences) and the risk of self-selecting systems that inadvertently reinforce their own internal biases at the expense of overall efficacy (don't worry, Liu illustrates this much more effectively than my clumsy language just tried to do). While this is a fantastical world Liu infuses it with real world mundane problems.
But the world is fantastical, especially with the arrival of the book's antagonists. But Liu gives his world a neat twist. Much like steampunk, silkpunk has a very strong science aspect to it. so when faced with a new challenge the protagonists turn to SCIENCE to answers. Seriously, they set up research facilities and then actually listen to the scientists when formulating plans to overcome the enemy (if only we had leaders in the America that would do that -_-). I really liked how Liu adapted the dynastic Chinese influences into the rational exploration of the natural world we see in this book. I always thought fantasy needed more science and appreciated Liu's approach to it. It fit very naturally in his world and provided the story a turn I do not usually expect in fantasy books.
So basically this book had everything: great story, awesome setting, nuanced and well developed characters, excellent writing. My only complaint is that I now have to wait for the next book for much too long of a time (anything over right now qualifies as too much time in this case). So if you were a bit wary after finding The Grace of Kings not living up to your expectations I would say give this one a shot, I know I found it to be a marked improvement and enjoyed the heck out of it.
As much as I adored The Paper Menagerie I was a bit disappointed by The Grace of Kings. It delivered a great story in a fascinating world, but the characters were sorely lacking. Their actions were informed by the needs of the story instead of the story being informed by the natural decisions of the characters. They were serviceable but shallow and the story moved forward because it had to, not due to any natural flow.
Thankfully this problem was remedied in The Wall of Storms. In fact the first chunk of the book was a slow as The Grace of Kings was fast paced. But it wasn't bad slow, it was set-up slow. We were introduced with a gaggle of new characters and appraised of all the things that happened since the end Grace of Kings. This slow pace allowed the characters to develop their own motivations and goals. We got to know them and their way of thinking which greatly informed their decisions later in the book. The characters themselves are very well developed and all suffer from their own vices and shortcomings. Liu handles the political motivations and maneuvering of the characters very well adding a subtle dimension to the story that was lacking in The Grace of Kings.
Oh, and he kills them off. A LOT. Liu was more than willing to clear away old characters to make room for the next generation. And these aren't gratuitous or shock killings. They all stem either from some mistakes the characters made or flow naturally from the events in the story. All these deaths are earned and well executed.
The world building continued to be excellent with Liu mining aspects of classic dynastic Chinese culture and weaving them into his silkpunk setting. Liu built on the foundation of The Grace of Kings with the new regime lead by Kuni. Liu is deftly weaves some modern concerns and themes into the story such as the benefits of affirmative action (namely that people with different backgrounds can provide intangible benefits to an otherwise monolithic organization due to their different life experiences) and the risk of self-selecting systems that inadvertently reinforce their own internal biases at the expense of overall efficacy (don't worry, Liu illustrates this much more effectively than my clumsy language just tried to do). While this is a fantastical world Liu infuses it with real world mundane problems.
But the world is fantastical, especially with the arrival of the book's antagonists. But Liu gives his world a neat twist. Much like steampunk, silkpunk has a very strong science aspect to it. so when faced with a new challenge the protagonists turn to SCIENCE to answers. Seriously, they set up research facilities and then actually listen to the scientists when formulating plans to overcome the enemy (if only we had leaders in the America that would do that -_-). I really liked how Liu adapted the dynastic Chinese influences into the rational exploration of the natural world we see in this book. I always thought fantasy needed more science and appreciated Liu's approach to it. It fit very naturally in his world and provided the story a turn I do not usually expect in fantasy books.
So basically this book had everything: great story, awesome setting, nuanced and well developed characters, excellent writing. My only complaint is that I now have to wait for the next book for much too long of a time (anything over right now qualifies as too much time in this case). So if you were a bit wary after finding The Grace of Kings not living up to your expectations I would say give this one a shot, I know I found it to be a marked improvement and enjoyed the heck out of it.
November 26, 2016
A rich world full of fascinating characters, where nothing interesting happens
I had high hopes for this series after reading Grace of Kings, but I was disappointed. Liu does a great job building his world, loading the story with details large and small. For the most part, his characters are multi-faceted and well-motivated, with the primary villains of the story being glaring exceptions, but I'll get back to that.
The main problem here was the plot. It was a joyless, predictable slog which wrangled characters into their assigned places by fiat. Things happen, and the reasons are half-heartedly explained in flashbacks. So many flashbacks. Spoilers follow
The central plotline of the Not-Mongol invasion churns along with no real surprises until the last chapters, but that's fine. We get some fun battle scenes and an excuse to examine the history and pantheon of the islands. The constant technological marvels that keep Dara in the war are less interesting than the political missteps and infighting that almost bring them down, but I expected that. Pekyu Tenryo is a cartoonish villain, bent on brutal conquest for no reason in particular and espousing a caricature of Nitzschean ethics as justification. But whatever, he keeps things moving forward.
The secondary plotline of Empress Jia's intrigues is just baffling. Nothing in the previous novel indicates that she would go full-on evil stepmother, nor is there an explanation for how she suddenly developed a severe case of Stupid Evil Genius Syndrome. She somehow manages to manipulate all the major players in the Empire, despite broadcasting her intentions from the very start. She intentionally brings the Empire to a civil war which will totally destroy the fragile political system she presumably had a hand in creating, then exhibits minimal surprise and remorse when it all blows up in her face. Then she keeps doing the same thing for the rest of the book and no one says anything! The whole plotline was just an excuse to shed a few characters that would have been too useful during the war, and put the Empire into a weakened state. It was awkwardly manufactured suspense.
Zomi's storyline was probably the most coherent. Too bad so much of it was wrapped up in those damn flashbacks.
Thera's ascension to the throne was a puzzler. Ok, Kuni, your sons are duds, so you want your born leader daughter to inherit? Don't bother telling anyone except that one old friend who you see every couple of decades. Don't bother giving her any kind of real preparation our special education. For God's sake don't let her in on the secret, or give her a chance to plan our make alliances. Bet just start educating some peasant girls and leave the rest up to fate. Somehow she winds up in charge, but it felt so forced and unnatural.
I had high hopes for this series after reading Grace of Kings, but I was disappointed. Liu does a great job building his world, loading the story with details large and small. For the most part, his characters are multi-faceted and well-motivated, with the primary villains of the story being glaring exceptions, but I'll get back to that.
The main problem here was the plot. It was a joyless, predictable slog which wrangled characters into their assigned places by fiat. Things happen, and the reasons are half-heartedly explained in flashbacks. So many flashbacks. Spoilers follow
The central plotline of the Not-Mongol invasion churns along with no real surprises until the last chapters, but that's fine. We get some fun battle scenes and an excuse to examine the history and pantheon of the islands. The constant technological marvels that keep Dara in the war are less interesting than the political missteps and infighting that almost bring them down, but I expected that. Pekyu Tenryo is a cartoonish villain, bent on brutal conquest for no reason in particular and espousing a caricature of Nitzschean ethics as justification. But whatever, he keeps things moving forward.
The secondary plotline of Empress Jia's intrigues is just baffling. Nothing in the previous novel indicates that she would go full-on evil stepmother, nor is there an explanation for how she suddenly developed a severe case of Stupid Evil Genius Syndrome. She somehow manages to manipulate all the major players in the Empire, despite broadcasting her intentions from the very start. She intentionally brings the Empire to a civil war which will totally destroy the fragile political system she presumably had a hand in creating, then exhibits minimal surprise and remorse when it all blows up in her face. Then she keeps doing the same thing for the rest of the book and no one says anything! The whole plotline was just an excuse to shed a few characters that would have been too useful during the war, and put the Empire into a weakened state. It was awkwardly manufactured suspense.
Zomi's storyline was probably the most coherent. Too bad so much of it was wrapped up in those damn flashbacks.
Thera's ascension to the throne was a puzzler. Ok, Kuni, your sons are duds, so you want your born leader daughter to inherit? Don't bother telling anyone except that one old friend who you see every couple of decades. Don't bother giving her any kind of real preparation our special education. For God's sake don't let her in on the secret, or give her a chance to plan our make alliances. Bet just start educating some peasant girls and leave the rest up to fate. Somehow she winds up in charge, but it felt so forced and unnatural.
April 23, 2023
That was wild.
December 23, 2023
Holy mother of fuck what a book! The Wall of Storms was fucking incredible start to finish.
I absolutely loved the character Zomi and her interactions with Luan and Thera. Her engineers mind and her way of approaching the world as a puzzle to solve hits very close to home. Liu has an incredible talent for writing ingenious and fantastically creative yet believable feats of resourceful engineering that I found myself being consistently fascinated with. Seeing the characters using a more scientific and engineering approach to dealing with the threat of fantastic beasts, for example, was so creative and interesting.
Seeing so many of my favorite characters from Grace of Kings die horribly was emotionally too much at times. There was one death in particular that just ruined me and it made the stakes of the conflict much more real as a result. Which, as unpleasant as it is, makes the story more compelling.
Speaking of said conflict though, my one gripe with the book would be that the primary antagonists, the Lyucu, are so irredeemable evil and remoresless that it sometimes feels unbelievable. Their moral degeneracy seems to me to be over the top and they're not ever shown to have any redeeming qualities. This makes it hard to believe them as actual humans and not creatures specifically designed to be evil like orcs. Hopefully, I'll see more humanity from them in the later books, we'll see.
Overall, The Wall of Storms is fucking great and I am very excited for the next book in the series.
I absolutely loved the character Zomi and her interactions with Luan and Thera. Her engineers mind and her way of approaching the world as a puzzle to solve hits very close to home. Liu has an incredible talent for writing ingenious and fantastically creative yet believable feats of resourceful engineering that I found myself being consistently fascinated with. Seeing the characters using a more scientific and engineering approach to dealing with the threat of fantastic beasts, for example, was so creative and interesting.
Seeing so many of my favorite characters from Grace of Kings die horribly was emotionally too much at times. There was one death in particular that just ruined me and it made the stakes of the conflict much more real as a result. Which, as unpleasant as it is, makes the story more compelling.
Speaking of said conflict though, my one gripe with the book would be that the primary antagonists, the Lyucu, are so irredeemable evil and remoresless that it sometimes feels unbelievable. Their moral degeneracy seems to me to be over the top and they're not ever shown to have any redeeming qualities. This makes it hard to believe them as actual humans and not creatures specifically designed to be evil like orcs. Hopefully, I'll see more humanity from them in the later books, we'll see.
Overall, The Wall of Storms is fucking great and I am very excited for the next book in the series.
July 15, 2025
The Wall of Storms (The Dandelion Dynasty, #2) - Ken Liu
يبدأ الجزء الثاني من سلسلة سلالة الهندباء "جدارُ العواصف"؛ في السنة التاسعة من حكم الإمبراطور كوني غارو لأرخبيل دارا.
يمضي الأمبراطور أيامه موازنًا بين بناء دارا وتلبية مطالب الشعب ورؤيته والحفاظ على التقدم واستفرار كل أجزاء دارا بعد انتصاره
وتنشئة أبنائه والتفكير بالقرار الصعب: من سيختار لولاية العهد؟.
لكن يصل خطر رهيب من الغرب .. من أرض لا يعرف عنها سكان دارا شيئًا.يأتي الغزاة فجأة وتصعب مواجهتهم من قبل سكان دارا الذين لم يعرفوا هذا النوع من الأعداء من قبل، تعم الفوضى في البلاد ويكتشف قادة دارا أنَّ محاربتهم تنطلب أشكالًا جديدة من المواجهة وتضع عدّة شخصيات في اختبارات خطيرة...
هذه رواية طويلة جدًا، مليئة بالمعارك والمؤامرت الداخلية والخارجية، والاختراعات والأفكار الفلسفية المهمة...
كين ليو يكتب ملحمة مذهلة بكل المقاييس ومتعددة الأصوات ويجمع عشرات القصص في كتاب واحد، من الأساطير والقصص الشخصية، طبقات من الحكايات كالعادة، كين ليو بارع في سرد الحكايات سواء في الخيال العلمي أو الفانتازيا.
هذه مراجعتي الألف، وسعيدة أنها لإحدى أعمال كين ليو .
~
يوم الثلاثاء، العشرون من محرم - 1447 هـ
يبدأ الجزء الثاني من سلسلة سلالة الهندباء "جدارُ العواصف"؛ في السنة التاسعة من حكم الإمبراطور كوني غارو لأرخبيل دارا.
يمضي الأمبراطور أيامه موازنًا بين بناء دارا وتلبية مطالب الشعب ورؤيته والحفاظ على التقدم واستفرار كل أجزاء دارا بعد انتصاره
وتنشئة أبنائه والتفكير بالقرار الصعب: من سيختار لولاية العهد؟.
لكن يصل خطر رهيب من الغرب .. من أرض لا يعرف عنها سكان دارا شيئًا.يأتي الغزاة فجأة وتصعب مواجهتهم من قبل سكان دارا الذين لم يعرفوا هذا النوع من الأعداء من قبل، تعم الفوضى في البلاد ويكتشف قادة دارا أنَّ محاربتهم تنطلب أشكالًا جديدة من المواجهة وتضع عدّة شخصيات في اختبارات خطيرة...
هذه رواية طويلة جدًا، مليئة بالمعارك والمؤامرت الداخلية والخارجية، والاختراعات والأفكار الفلسفية المهمة...
كين ليو يكتب ملحمة مذهلة بكل المقاييس ومتعددة الأصوات ويجمع عشرات القصص في كتاب واحد، من الأساطير والقصص الشخصية، طبقات من الحكايات كالعادة، كين ليو بارع في سرد الحكايات سواء في الخيال العلمي أو الفانتازيا.
هذه مراجعتي الألف، وسعيدة أنها لإحدى أعمال كين ليو .
~
يوم الثلاثاء، العشرون من محرم - 1447 هـ
October 3, 2022
It's an incredible shame that The Dandelion Dynasty is still so underrated, albeit I could see that it is getting more well-deserved attention and praises. Ken Liu is undisputedly brilliant. So much so that I found myself at loss for words to describe why I think so. It's the combination of the sweeping epic generational stories that he's aiming to tell with these books, the compelling characterisation of the entire cast as well as the ingenious application of science in the context of the silkpunk worldbuilding of these books. Female empowerment done right was also another one of its key highlights, and those who felt Liu didn't do a good job in this aspect in The Grace of Kings should definitely read this sequel to know what his master plan was all along.
There's still a lot to be drawn from history in terms of the overarching narrative that was present in The Wall of Storms. In spite of these historical parallels, the story still felt wholly original and the direction in the personal plots of the characters was not entirely predictable. It was a riveting read that was packed with wonder and with emotions which ranged from excitement to rage, joy to grief, and trepidation to anticipation. My heart was broken many times, and during the epic climactic scene at the end, I could barely read the words through my tears.
To top it all off, Liu's ability to write with evocative grace is unparalleled in science fiction fantasy. There were so many passages in this book that touched my heart like nothing I've ever encountered, and to make it even better, it's not purple nor bloated. As a Chinese, I could see the influence of Chinese literature and poetry in the manner of Liu's writing in how it could convey deep meanings through economy of words and drawing upon characteristics of nature. It's really difficult for me to truly describe it as I don't have his mastery. All I can say is that these books are masterpieces because of the emotionally powerful story that was delivered through the sublime craftsmanship of Liu's writing. Please read them!
There's still a lot to be drawn from history in terms of the overarching narrative that was present in The Wall of Storms. In spite of these historical parallels, the story still felt wholly original and the direction in the personal plots of the characters was not entirely predictable. It was a riveting read that was packed with wonder and with emotions which ranged from excitement to rage, joy to grief, and trepidation to anticipation. My heart was broken many times, and during the epic climactic scene at the end, I could barely read the words through my tears.
To top it all off, Liu's ability to write with evocative grace is unparalleled in science fiction fantasy. There were so many passages in this book that touched my heart like nothing I've ever encountered, and to make it even better, it's not purple nor bloated. As a Chinese, I could see the influence of Chinese literature and poetry in the manner of Liu's writing in how it could convey deep meanings through economy of words and drawing upon characteristics of nature. It's really difficult for me to truly describe it as I don't have his mastery. All I can say is that these books are masterpieces because of the emotionally powerful story that was delivered through the sublime craftsmanship of Liu's writing. Please read them!
March 4, 2024
Massive tale of political intrigue, war, leadership and beautiful characterization.
The Dandelion Dynasty is quickly turning into one of my favorite fantasy series. The first book The Grace of Kings was not perfect with imbalanced pacing and it took a bit to get into although I still really enjoyed it. This second installment was basically perfect. It has an incredible cast of characters who are very well fleshed out. The court political intrigue in the beginning and how it interfaces with a new and enormous conflict is spectacular and then the setting and world was truly something special. The rumors are true: this series is amazing and you should read it.
MAJOR SPOILES BELOW
This section is mostly to summarize and refresh my memory of the book for when I read the next installment:
The Dandelion Dynasty is quickly turning into one of my favorite fantasy series. The first book The Grace of Kings was not perfect with imbalanced pacing and it took a bit to get into although I still really enjoyed it. This second installment was basically perfect. It has an incredible cast of characters who are very well fleshed out. The court political intrigue in the beginning and how it interfaces with a new and enormous conflict is spectacular and then the setting and world was truly something special. The rumors are true: this series is amazing and you should read it.
MAJOR SPOILES BELOW
This section is mostly to summarize and refresh my memory of the book for when I read the next installment:
November 24, 2025
This was a solid sequel to The Grace of Kings. I really admire the scope of the story that Ken Liu has crafted. It's truly epic and an ambitious undertaking. The political intrigue continues to be fantastic and a highlight for me. We also were introduced to some great new characters. Thera may be my new favorite.
There are a couple of things that hold this back from being a 5 star read for me. The biggest issue I have is that this story is still not character driven enough for me. That's not to say that the characters aren't interesting. I just don't feel like I ever get enough time with anyone to be more than superficially invested. Many of the bigger moments didn't have much of an emotional impact on me.
I also wish the antagonists in the story had more depth. Their actions come off as being evil just for the sake of being evil. I'm not really a fan of that and feel it's a missed opportunity. Despite these issues, I still think this series is brilliant and innovative in so many ways. I look forward to reading the next installment.
There are a couple of things that hold this back from being a 5 star read for me. The biggest issue I have is that this story is still not character driven enough for me. That's not to say that the characters aren't interesting. I just don't feel like I ever get enough time with anyone to be more than superficially invested. Many of the bigger moments didn't have much of an emotional impact on me.
I also wish the antagonists in the story had more depth. Their actions come off as being evil just for the sake of being evil. I'm not really a fan of that and feel it's a missed opportunity. Despite these issues, I still think this series is brilliant and innovative in so many ways. I look forward to reading the next installment.
September 15, 2024
Phenomenal.
As of writing this review, this book has 7,463 ratings. And that is a travesty.
Grace of Kings was very good. An entire series worth of fantasy packed into a tight, streamlined opening salvo. The Wall of Storms surpasses its predecessor in every way.
The characters are more engaging. Zomi Kidosu and Princess Thera steal the show by the end. Luan Zya becomes a person of legend. Marshal Gin Mazoti provides some of the most epic scenes in fantasy. And of course, Kuni Garu deserves flowers for a particularly powerful speech that left me with goosebumps.
The story doesn't stop providing intrigue and action. All the way to the last page. Politics are intense. Battle sequences are unforgettable. World building is entrancing.
The things that keep this book from being a perfect 10/10 are so minor, I'm not even going to mention them. Ken Liu has a masterpiece on his hands. And after two books, I feel this has the potential to rival things like Stormlight. I am eager to continue and am thoroughly impressed.
Tell your friends about this series.
9.6/10
As of writing this review, this book has 7,463 ratings. And that is a travesty.
Grace of Kings was very good. An entire series worth of fantasy packed into a tight, streamlined opening salvo. The Wall of Storms surpasses its predecessor in every way.
The characters are more engaging. Zomi Kidosu and Princess Thera steal the show by the end. Luan Zya becomes a person of legend. Marshal Gin Mazoti provides some of the most epic scenes in fantasy. And of course, Kuni Garu deserves flowers for a particularly powerful speech that left me with goosebumps.
The story doesn't stop providing intrigue and action. All the way to the last page. Politics are intense. Battle sequences are unforgettable. World building is entrancing.
The things that keep this book from being a perfect 10/10 are so minor, I'm not even going to mention them. Ken Liu has a masterpiece on his hands. And after two books, I feel this has the potential to rival things like Stormlight. I am eager to continue and am thoroughly impressed.
Tell your friends about this series.
9.6/10
June 30, 2024
Absolutely amazing! Betrayals that sting, victories that I want to cheer for, and a world that continues to grow in wonder. A truly multi-generational epic fantasy saga that I cannot wait to to continue :)
Unfortunately I don't have the headspace for a full review, but I loved this. I have struggled reading physical books for most of the year, and this pulled me back into it!
Can't wait to dive into books three and four :)
Unfortunately I don't have the headspace for a full review, but I loved this. I have struggled reading physical books for most of the year, and this pulled me back into it!
Can't wait to dive into books three and four :)
July 6, 2024
Long book but very rewarding read. Ken Lius Dandelion Dynasty might turn out to being one of my favourite series. I think its better than Fonda Lees Greenbone Saga more people should read this.
November 20, 2021
11/20/21 reread: I love this world and these characters so it's a 5 stars for me, though I do want to additionally flag that there is a bit of a magical cure trope.
Just like with Grace of Kings, I do find myself struggling to recommend this book whole-heartedly to everyone, because I definitely don't think it'll be everyone's cup of tea, but I really loved this sequel. I loved all the new characters we were introduced to - Thera, Zomi, and Tanvanaki were the standouts for me, but I also loved seeing Gin and Luan Zya's storylines develop in this book. Jia was also a very interesting character to follow, and I personally loved the way Ken Liu stuck to the most notorious things that the person she's based off of in history did, while still somehow making me understand and sympathize with her.
I will say, I feel like this installment was far more depressing and tragic than the first book, and I don't think I was quite in the right headspace for it for the last 300 pages or so. I honestly don't think I've ever felt this stressed reading a book before, but alas, here we are.
I absolutely loved how much of a deep dive into the technology and engineering in this world we got into. There are some magical elements, but a lot of the magic we're introduced to in this book also feels very technical and science-y, and I personally loved those parts. I also loved the beginning portion where we got to explore the education system in this world and how we got to focus on the scholars for a bit before diving back into war. I can definitely see why some people found this boring, but these were actually some of my favourite parts.
Where I'm slightly conflicted is the introduction and the way the Lyucu people were portrayed. There was a lot I did like - while the world in this book isn't alt-China per se, it's definitely heavily influenced by Chinese history and culture, and I really liked how Liu explores and portrays more than one ethnic group (the Lyucu are mainly inspired by the Xiongnu people), because I think this is often missing from a lot of Chinese-inspired works. I did also appreciate that he made it a point to question who has claims over the land, and how viewing another culture as barbaric/uncivilized is an issue of cultural ignorance. That being said, I'm not 100% sure on whether I think this was the best execution, and I do think perhaps too much time was spent on portraying the Lyucu as the "barbaric" group before subverting that in the narrative.
Some trigger warnings: violence, death, animal cruelty, slavery, rape/sexual assault - while I don't think this book is graphic by any means, this is a military/war fantasy and these are things that are mentioned throughout, so do proceed with caution if you are sensitive to these things. There is one rape scene in particular (not graphic or explicit) that I do want to flag - if you need chapter/page numbers, please let me know - the scene involves a female character raping a male character, and this is acknowledged in the book as non-consensual and the male character has to deal with the trauma and emotional manipulation afterwards.
All that being said, I loved this book. I think if you're into historical c-dramas, or want to learn a bit of Chinese history (Liu is fairly faithful to the main events/players in history, though I'd say he takes more creative license in this book than the last based on what I know), I highly recommend this series. This is definitely a new favourite series of mine, and Ken Liu is a new favourite author. His writing style is my favourite kind - utilitarian and straightforward at times, but also very poetic at the moments where its needed. This book is everything I love about political and military fantasy, and I cannot wait until the third book comes out November!
Just like with Grace of Kings, I do find myself struggling to recommend this book whole-heartedly to everyone, because I definitely don't think it'll be everyone's cup of tea, but I really loved this sequel. I loved all the new characters we were introduced to - Thera, Zomi, and Tanvanaki were the standouts for me, but I also loved seeing Gin and Luan Zya's storylines develop in this book. Jia was also a very interesting character to follow, and I personally loved the way Ken Liu stuck to the most notorious things that the person she's based off of in history did, while still somehow making me understand and sympathize with her.
I will say, I feel like this installment was far more depressing and tragic than the first book, and I don't think I was quite in the right headspace for it for the last 300 pages or so. I honestly don't think I've ever felt this stressed reading a book before, but alas, here we are.
I absolutely loved how much of a deep dive into the technology and engineering in this world we got into. There are some magical elements, but a lot of the magic we're introduced to in this book also feels very technical and science-y, and I personally loved those parts. I also loved the beginning portion where we got to explore the education system in this world and how we got to focus on the scholars for a bit before diving back into war. I can definitely see why some people found this boring, but these were actually some of my favourite parts.
Where I'm slightly conflicted is the introduction and the way the Lyucu people were portrayed. There was a lot I did like - while the world in this book isn't alt-China per se, it's definitely heavily influenced by Chinese history and culture, and I really liked how Liu explores and portrays more than one ethnic group (the Lyucu are mainly inspired by the Xiongnu people), because I think this is often missing from a lot of Chinese-inspired works. I did also appreciate that he made it a point to question who has claims over the land, and how viewing another culture as barbaric/uncivilized is an issue of cultural ignorance. That being said, I'm not 100% sure on whether I think this was the best execution, and I do think perhaps too much time was spent on portraying the Lyucu as the "barbaric" group before subverting that in the narrative.
Some trigger warnings: violence, death, animal cruelty, slavery, rape/sexual assault - while I don't think this book is graphic by any means, this is a military/war fantasy and these are things that are mentioned throughout, so do proceed with caution if you are sensitive to these things. There is one rape scene in particular (not graphic or explicit) that I do want to flag - if you need chapter/page numbers, please let me know - the scene involves a female character raping a male character, and this is acknowledged in the book as non-consensual and the male character has to deal with the trauma and emotional manipulation afterwards.
All that being said, I loved this book. I think if you're into historical c-dramas, or want to learn a bit of Chinese history (Liu is fairly faithful to the main events/players in history, though I'd say he takes more creative license in this book than the last based on what I know), I highly recommend this series. This is definitely a new favourite series of mine, and Ken Liu is a new favourite author. His writing style is my favourite kind - utilitarian and straightforward at times, but also very poetic at the moments where its needed. This book is everything I love about political and military fantasy, and I cannot wait until the third book comes out November!
August 21, 2019
This second novel is superior to the first. It's an easy comparison. The characters and the plot development just WORK.
So, what? The previous novel had irritating characters? hmmm... well, they weren't all bad but some did irritate me. Portrayals of women, for one. But this new novel had none of that. Indeed, we have lots of great female characters. Leads that are smart, fascinating, and also RUTHLESS. :)
This Silkpunk fantasy straddles the line between fantasy (in beasts) and science fiction (airships, electromagnetism) firmly couched in the epic fantasy world (such worldbuilding!) brought to us in the first Dandelion Dynasty.
I really loved how much of this was devoted to learning, research, and the politics surrounding it. The battles and the invasion later were also fantastic, but for a long time, the primary feel of the book was a good YA, or rather, a brilliant student and a brilliant teacher. What happens later is tragic and glorious, but for any fan of Eastern-style fantasies, this is an old and well-respected tradition. :)
And I cried a little. :)
These are huge books. It's impossible to comment on any but a few aspects, but if you love super-rich worldbuilding, epic sweeps of time and history in an Asian-like empire filled with fire-breathing beasts, lightning-wielding airships, and an almost-impossible-to-navigate wall of storms separating vast reaches of the world, then you can't go wrong with this. Seriously. It's tons better than the first book. :)
So, what? The previous novel had irritating characters? hmmm... well, they weren't all bad but some did irritate me. Portrayals of women, for one. But this new novel had none of that. Indeed, we have lots of great female characters. Leads that are smart, fascinating, and also RUTHLESS. :)
This Silkpunk fantasy straddles the line between fantasy (in beasts) and science fiction (airships, electromagnetism) firmly couched in the epic fantasy world (such worldbuilding!) brought to us in the first Dandelion Dynasty.
I really loved how much of this was devoted to learning, research, and the politics surrounding it. The battles and the invasion later were also fantastic, but for a long time, the primary feel of the book was a good YA, or rather, a brilliant student and a brilliant teacher. What happens later is tragic and glorious, but for any fan of Eastern-style fantasies, this is an old and well-respected tradition. :)
And I cried a little. :)
These are huge books. It's impossible to comment on any but a few aspects, but if you love super-rich worldbuilding, epic sweeps of time and history in an Asian-like empire filled with fire-breathing beasts, lightning-wielding airships, and an almost-impossible-to-navigate wall of storms separating vast reaches of the world, then you can't go wrong with this. Seriously. It's tons better than the first book. :)
June 2, 2024
4.5 stars for a great follow-up to Grace of Kings. The things I loved in this epic chunker I really loved -- from a new main child POV character who charmed me the instant she stepped onto the page and then throughout her coming-of-age journey, to some fascinating new worldbuilding that gets explored in Liu's unique sweeping mytho-historical style, to a very intense plot turn that led to plenty of suspenseful and fresh action scenes. There is also so much thematic depth being carried through from book 1 in terms of the challenges of founding a new nation and the way that history lives on and gets interpreted and used in future generations
I enjoy how Liu has a lot of very competent leaders and military strategists on all sides of conflicts in this series, and watching them face off against each other and pull off surprising and clever strategic moves to try to counter each other is a continual delight. I also like how he'll cut to flashback in the middle of a battle scene to show how a new piece of strategic knowledge was learned, for us then to see it applied in an exciting way in the present. The focus here on contributions by scholars and engineers is just so satisfying.
And while I think the action set pieces are fantastic, I also loved some of the quieter sequences such as when the new precocious POV character is learning alongside her teacher while going on some adventures together. There are also some heartfelt scenes I couldn't get enough of revolving around finding friendship and romance, and on the flip side there were some harrowing and dark tales relayed to catch other characters up on years of experiences that had me on the edge of my seat.
It wasn't all perfect for me though, as a few things kept popping out to me that maybe were dampening my investment in the story. One is that Liu doesn't do the greatest job establishing all of the named side characters, and even though I read this essentially back-to-back with Grace of Kings, a bunch of characters that carried over from that book just made very little mark with me. And in a story with lots of high stakes conflict and plenty of time passing by, there are a lot of character deaths that happen on page and I thought a bunch of them had pretty low impact with characters that I barely felt like I knew outside of their name (that wasn't the case with every side character though, as a couple definitely got me a bit emotional with a brave last stand or heroic sacrifice, as in those cases Liu had brought them to vivid life, with one instance getting me invested from a very brief conversation and backstory we got on a common soldier).
Also at a tense turning point in the middle of the book, a character was placed in a situation to give away very specific military tactics in such a goofy way that it took me out of an otherwise very high-stakes sequence, and it was just so unnecessary for what followed.
Liu also spends a lot of the first half of the book in a plot line that didn't engage me much involving a conniving character trying to foment rebellion, and I think I would've preferred if that all took up a lot fewer pages. Some of my disengagement in that section I think stemmed from how great it feels to be with Liu's less cynical POVs, and then switching back to someone who's like Liu's version of Cersei Lannister (though much less compelling to me than Cersei) just never hit right with me for some reason. Other readers I know appreciate this character much more, and she is definitely complex and multi-faceted, so it could definitely be a me-thing that this side of the story wasn't working much for me.
While I was getting a bit worried in the first half that this book wasn't taking off for me, a major new plot turn came into play about halfway through that shook up the whole series in a really cool way and sent the book in a new direction. The second half was straight fire, and I'm extremely eager to continue the tale!
I enjoy how Liu has a lot of very competent leaders and military strategists on all sides of conflicts in this series, and watching them face off against each other and pull off surprising and clever strategic moves to try to counter each other is a continual delight. I also like how he'll cut to flashback in the middle of a battle scene to show how a new piece of strategic knowledge was learned, for us then to see it applied in an exciting way in the present. The focus here on contributions by scholars and engineers is just so satisfying.
And while I think the action set pieces are fantastic, I also loved some of the quieter sequences such as when the new precocious POV character is learning alongside her teacher while going on some adventures together. There are also some heartfelt scenes I couldn't get enough of revolving around finding friendship and romance, and on the flip side there were some harrowing and dark tales relayed to catch other characters up on years of experiences that had me on the edge of my seat.
It wasn't all perfect for me though, as a few things kept popping out to me that maybe were dampening my investment in the story. One is that Liu doesn't do the greatest job establishing all of the named side characters, and even though I read this essentially back-to-back with Grace of Kings, a bunch of characters that carried over from that book just made very little mark with me. And in a story with lots of high stakes conflict and plenty of time passing by, there are a lot of character deaths that happen on page and I thought a bunch of them had pretty low impact with characters that I barely felt like I knew outside of their name (that wasn't the case with every side character though, as a couple definitely got me a bit emotional with a brave last stand or heroic sacrifice, as in those cases Liu had brought them to vivid life, with one instance getting me invested from a very brief conversation and backstory we got on a common soldier).
Also at a tense turning point in the middle of the book, a character was placed in a situation to give away very specific military tactics in such a goofy way that it took me out of an otherwise very high-stakes sequence, and it was just so unnecessary for what followed.
Liu also spends a lot of the first half of the book in a plot line that didn't engage me much involving a conniving character trying to foment rebellion, and I think I would've preferred if that all took up a lot fewer pages. Some of my disengagement in that section I think stemmed from how great it feels to be with Liu's less cynical POVs, and then switching back to someone who's like Liu's version of Cersei Lannister (though much less compelling to me than Cersei) just never hit right with me for some reason. Other readers I know appreciate this character much more, and she is definitely complex and multi-faceted, so it could definitely be a me-thing that this side of the story wasn't working much for me.
While I was getting a bit worried in the first half that this book wasn't taking off for me, a major new plot turn came into play about halfway through that shook up the whole series in a really cool way and sent the book in a new direction. The second half was straight fire, and I'm extremely eager to continue the tale!
June 23, 2023
Una delusione inaspettata.
Sono trascorsi circa dieci anni dagli eventi narrati nella "Grazia dei Re", primo romanzo della saga della Dinastia del Dente di Leone e la situazione nelle isole di Dara è pacifica e in crescita. Naturalmente le cose si complicano e la pace è messa a rischio da nuove mortali minacce.
I protagonisti del primo romanzo lasciano la scena ai nuovi.
Abbiamo la ragazzina povera ma dotata di grande intelligenza, la regina che inaspettatamente si rivela machiavellica, la principessina saggia e geniale, per finire con la guerriera indomita e pure cavalcatrice di draghi. Peccato che le loro linee narrative siano banali e scontate, la loro caratterizzazione stereotipata. Risultato opposto ai protagonisti della "Grazia dei Re" (uomini e donne) imperfetti e diversi, di gran lunga più interessanti.
La trama tende a dilungarsi in situazioni abbastanza inutili e noiose, semplici riempitivi, come i tanti flashback che raccontano e non mostrano o come la prima metà del romanzo, lenta e farcita di filosofia, sembra un libro a sé stante poiché dopo 250 pagine si chiude il tutto e si cambia situazione. Dalla metà del romanzo ci si sveglia un po' ma quello a cui assistiamo è un susseguirsi di battaglie viste dall'esterno in cui i personaggi sono semplici spettatori o addirittura assenti mentre lo scrittore si dilunga in spiegazioni tecniche sull'utilizzo e il funzionamento dei vari macchinari scientifici e bellici. Una noia abissale. Mi ha ricordato il tedioso approccio di James Islington al suo sistema magico nella Licanius Trilogy.
In questo mondo fantasy la magia non esiste e al suo posto c'è l'ingegneria, tra sottomarini a vapore a forma di pesce, navi volanti a gas, aquiloni giganti, lanciafiamme e specchi speciali.
Peccato lo scrittore senta la terribile necessità di spiegare per filo e per segno e in dettaglio il funzionamento di ogni meccanismo e non ancora pago, si dilunghi in disquisizioni relative alla struttura concettuale della scrittura a ideogrammi, per giungere infine la dove nessun uomo ha mai osato prima: dare una spiegazione scientifico/biologica al soffio infuocato dei draghi. E con questo colpo di grazia alla divina arte dell'Immaginazione, il mio cervello ha ceduto di botto ed ho collassato.
Vorrei aggiungere un particolare sui nomi dei personaggi, fate attenzione:
Dimu, Dasu, Doru, Dara, Fara, Rapa, Theca, Thera, Than, Yelu, Yemu, Kimo, Timu, Gin, Rin, Jia, sono solo alcuni dei nomi propri di alcuni personaggi che troverete. Non so voi ma io ho avuto alcune leggere difficoltà...
Purtroppo la mia attenzione e il mio interesse sono andati calando esponenzialmente procedendo nella lettura, giungendo a fine romanzo annoiato e demoralizzato avendo ancora in mente il buon ricordo del primo romanzo.
Sono trascorsi circa dieci anni dagli eventi narrati nella "Grazia dei Re", primo romanzo della saga della Dinastia del Dente di Leone e la situazione nelle isole di Dara è pacifica e in crescita. Naturalmente le cose si complicano e la pace è messa a rischio da nuove mortali minacce.
I protagonisti del primo romanzo lasciano la scena ai nuovi.
Abbiamo la ragazzina povera ma dotata di grande intelligenza, la regina che inaspettatamente si rivela machiavellica, la principessina saggia e geniale, per finire con la guerriera indomita e pure cavalcatrice di draghi. Peccato che le loro linee narrative siano banali e scontate, la loro caratterizzazione stereotipata. Risultato opposto ai protagonisti della "Grazia dei Re" (uomini e donne) imperfetti e diversi, di gran lunga più interessanti.
La trama tende a dilungarsi in situazioni abbastanza inutili e noiose, semplici riempitivi, come i tanti flashback che raccontano e non mostrano o come la prima metà del romanzo, lenta e farcita di filosofia, sembra un libro a sé stante poiché dopo 250 pagine si chiude il tutto e si cambia situazione. Dalla metà del romanzo ci si sveglia un po' ma quello a cui assistiamo è un susseguirsi di battaglie viste dall'esterno in cui i personaggi sono semplici spettatori o addirittura assenti mentre lo scrittore si dilunga in spiegazioni tecniche sull'utilizzo e il funzionamento dei vari macchinari scientifici e bellici. Una noia abissale. Mi ha ricordato il tedioso approccio di James Islington al suo sistema magico nella Licanius Trilogy.
In questo mondo fantasy la magia non esiste e al suo posto c'è l'ingegneria, tra sottomarini a vapore a forma di pesce, navi volanti a gas, aquiloni giganti, lanciafiamme e specchi speciali.
Peccato lo scrittore senta la terribile necessità di spiegare per filo e per segno e in dettaglio il funzionamento di ogni meccanismo e non ancora pago, si dilunghi in disquisizioni relative alla struttura concettuale della scrittura a ideogrammi, per giungere infine la dove nessun uomo ha mai osato prima: dare una spiegazione scientifico/biologica al soffio infuocato dei draghi. E con questo colpo di grazia alla divina arte dell'Immaginazione, il mio cervello ha ceduto di botto ed ho collassato.
Vorrei aggiungere un particolare sui nomi dei personaggi, fate attenzione:
Dimu, Dasu, Doru, Dara, Fara, Rapa, Theca, Thera, Than, Yelu, Yemu, Kimo, Timu, Gin, Rin, Jia, sono solo alcuni dei nomi propri di alcuni personaggi che troverete. Non so voi ma io ho avuto alcune leggere difficoltà...
Purtroppo la mia attenzione e il mio interesse sono andati calando esponenzialmente procedendo nella lettura, giungendo a fine romanzo annoiato e demoralizzato avendo ancora in mente il buon ricordo del primo romanzo.
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