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3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
This BOOK!! (Thank you Solaris for an Advanced Review Copy.)
Featuring: non-binary painter who doesn't want to be complicit in imperialism but needs to make ends meet, master duelist with shifting alliances, oh and A GIANT MECHANICAL DRAGON WHO GAINS SENTIENCE.
This book felt like it was made for me. Philosophical, sweet, and earnest. Also, seeing everyone from the narrator to random characters refer to Jebi with they/them pronouns with ease throughout the novel was amazing, and a testament to what type of worlds fantasy can produce. Queer and lovely throughout, this is a fantastic book that I'll probably pick up a physical version of when it comes out in October.
Featuring: non-binary painter who doesn't want to be complicit in imperialism but needs to make ends meet, master duelist with shifting alliances, oh and A GIANT MECHANICAL DRAGON WHO GAINS SENTIENCE.
This book felt like it was made for me. Philosophical, sweet, and earnest. Also, seeing everyone from the narrator to random characters refer to Jebi with they/them pronouns with ease throughout the novel was amazing, and a testament to what type of worlds fantasy can produce. Queer and lovely throughout, this is a fantastic book that I'll probably pick up a physical version of when it comes out in October.
Unfortunately I just didn’t like Jebi, I thought they were quite boring. If this book had been from Vei’s perspective I think it would have been much more interesting. As is, it fell pretty flat. It felt like Jebi was actively fighting against the story being interesting.
The dragon was fun though.
The dragon was fun though.
adventurous
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I... didn't like this. I was really hoping to, having adored the Machineries of Empire series. But I couldn't connect with the protagonist, and the overall plot felt thematically messy. It felt as though Jebi was being ferried from one meditation on art/cultural oppression/the justification of violence to the next, while being entirely incurious about most of it. I honestly disliked Arazi the dragon, who seemed simultaneously innocent and hypercompetent.
I also hated the note it ended on.It's a more depressing ending than any of the MoE books, even though those books are notably more grim and explore similar themes more thoughtfully. It was a bittersweet ending already, and entirely spoiled by 'actually everyone's doomed and all of this was for naught', no matter how realistic. It might be different if this were the first in a series, but as it is, the book loses a star just for that.
I knew going in that it wasn't going to be the same as MoE. I'll also still read more of Yoon Ha Lee's work, having enjoyed most of it. Still, I think it says a lot that I took a pause partway through reading this (for Life Reasons) and strongly considered leaving it unfinished.
I also hated the note it ended on.
I knew going in that it wasn't going to be the same as MoE. I'll also still read more of Yoon Ha Lee's work, having enjoyed most of it. Still, I think it says a lot that I took a pause partway through reading this (for Life Reasons) and strongly considered leaving it unfinished.
3.5 stars
a somewhat dissatisfying ending and clunky writing in some parts but a great concept
a somewhat dissatisfying ending and clunky writing in some parts but a great concept
This is an original, delightful book! The protagonist, Jebi, is imperfect but lovable, someone I enjoyed spending time with, and the supporting characters were distinct individuals. It was a lot of fun to read *and* it shifted some of my paradigms about both art and gender.
You can easily read plot summaries elsewhere on this page. Here are some of the elements I particularly enjoyed:
* Insight into an artist's perspectives and paradigms, and some of the differences between classical Eastern vs Western aesthetics
* Symbols as magical "grammar" which compares to computer programming
* Original magical system involving the source of special paints (one of which is the titular "Phoenix Extravagant")
* A protagonist who, despite their talents, is in most ways an ordinary person
* Concepts of honor involved with family and friends, and the strains on that honor
* Not only a nonbinary protagonist, but other nonbinary people, and a plurality of marriage/family arrangements all accepted as normal
I had never read a book with a nonbinary protagonist before, and I was startled by the way it stripped ingrained bias from my reactions. Jebi was 'just' Jebi. I wasn't reacting on an instinctive level to my own gendered expectations and the degree to which they affirmed or contrasted with them.
You can easily read plot summaries elsewhere on this page. Here are some of the elements I particularly enjoyed:
* Insight into an artist's perspectives and paradigms, and some of the differences between classical Eastern vs Western aesthetics
* Symbols as magical "grammar" which compares to computer programming
* Original magical system involving the source of special paints (one of which is the titular "Phoenix Extravagant")
* A protagonist who, despite their talents, is in most ways an ordinary person
* Concepts of honor involved with family and friends, and the strains on that honor
* Not only a nonbinary protagonist, but other nonbinary people, and a plurality of marriage/family arrangements all accepted as normal
I had never read a book with a nonbinary protagonist before, and I was startled by the way it stripped ingrained bias from my reactions. Jebi was 'just' Jebi. I wasn't reacting on an instinctive level to my own gendered expectations and the degree to which they affirmed or contrasted with them.
3.5/5
From the cover art and blurb, it's easy to come in expecting a bombastic story with dragon rampages and art as a tool for inspiring revolution, but that's not quite on the money. Instead, Phoenix Extravagant is a more nuanced examination of colonialism and the interplay between art, rebellion, and dragons don't necessarily tie into a convenient revolutionary bundle.
Phoenix Extravagant opens to a country which definitely isn't Korea, which has been under occupation by a country that definitely isn't Japan for seemingly a decade or so. The occupiers aren't killing people in the streets or anything, but they're oppressive in the way that colonial nations tend to be. Not Korea is being stripped of both natural resources and culture by their Not Japan occupiers.
The main character, Jebi, is an artist who finds themselves unexpectedly and unintentionally thrust into the middle of the colonial tensions when they end up working with a new and very secret technology.
Overall, I really enjoyed the first half and found my interest waning during the second big story movement. I'd still be interested in reading the sequel but it didn't quite capture me enough to get to four stars.
My favorite aspect of this book was the take on colonialism (oh and dragons, I'll come back to that later). This book did a good job realistically displaying how many different reactions people living in a colonized country can have, from acceptance to being an active collaborator to rejection. You get a realistic sense of unrest, but also that the country is made up of normal people who just want to live their lives. Jebi falls into the last camp where they're not happy about the colonization, but they're also willing to partially assimilate themselves for the sake of opportunities and comfort.
The magic system also ties into colonialism and is, in addition to being a real in-world magic system, a good metaphor about the damage occupation can have on the indigenous culture. So that was pretty neat. It's a soft magic system masquerading as a hard one. We're given a few bits about its origin and that there is a logical structure to it, but very few details on how that logical structure actually works. I didn't have too much trouble just accepting the premise and moving on, but some more elaboration might have been nice. Also, there is clearly more than just this form of magic in the world but it doesn't really come into play so far. I'm curious to see if more natural forms of magic will be making an appearance in later books.
Character-wise, everyone did their jobs and were reasonably enjoyable but I didn't find myself getting particularly attached. As an artist, Jebi's viewpoint was refreshing because there aren't many artist main characters in fantasy. They also use the 'they' pronoun, which took a bit of getting used to grammatically, but is otherwise a non-issue for me. There's actually a really neat world building detail about how characters indicate their pronoun preference.
I got the most enjoyment from seeing where the plot was going. It held my interest very well in the first half because it's a high pressure situation with a clear goal. I found my interest waning somewhat towards the second half because the characters were just trying to keep their heads metaphorically above water rather than moving towards a goal in particular.
Overall, an enjoyable fantasy with an eye towards the social fallout of colonialism and how art plays into society. Recommended if you're interested in how fantasy intersects with art, or dragons.
Also particularly recommended if you're looking for representation in fantasy (this has a lot, non-binary, lesbian, polyamory, probably more than I'm missing)
Oh yeah, and the dragon is great! No details because spoilers, but I love dragons and I wasn't disappointed
From the cover art and blurb, it's easy to come in expecting a bombastic story with dragon rampages and art as a tool for inspiring revolution, but that's not quite on the money. Instead, Phoenix Extravagant is a more nuanced examination of colonialism and the interplay between art, rebellion, and dragons don't necessarily tie into a convenient revolutionary bundle.
Phoenix Extravagant opens to a country which definitely isn't Korea, which has been under occupation by a country that definitely isn't Japan for seemingly a decade or so. The occupiers aren't killing people in the streets or anything, but they're oppressive in the way that colonial nations tend to be. Not Korea is being stripped of both natural resources and culture by their Not Japan occupiers.
The main character, Jebi, is an artist who finds themselves unexpectedly and unintentionally thrust into the middle of the colonial tensions when they end up working with a new and very secret technology.
Overall, I really enjoyed the first half and found my interest waning during the second big story movement. I'd still be interested in reading the sequel but it didn't quite capture me enough to get to four stars.
My favorite aspect of this book was the take on colonialism (oh and dragons, I'll come back to that later). This book did a good job realistically displaying how many different reactions people living in a colonized country can have, from acceptance to being an active collaborator to rejection. You get a realistic sense of unrest, but also that the country is made up of normal people who just want to live their lives. Jebi falls into the last camp where they're not happy about the colonization, but they're also willing to partially assimilate themselves for the sake of opportunities and comfort.
The magic system also ties into colonialism and is, in addition to being a real in-world magic system, a good metaphor about the damage occupation can have on the indigenous culture. So that was pretty neat. It's a soft magic system masquerading as a hard one. We're given a few bits about its origin and that there is a logical structure to it, but very few details on how that logical structure actually works. I didn't have too much trouble just accepting the premise and moving on, but some more elaboration might have been nice. Also, there is clearly more than just this form of magic in the world but it doesn't really come into play so far. I'm curious to see if more natural forms of magic will be making an appearance in later books.
Character-wise, everyone did their jobs and were reasonably enjoyable but I didn't find myself getting particularly attached. As an artist, Jebi's viewpoint was refreshing because there aren't many artist main characters in fantasy. They also use the 'they' pronoun, which took a bit of getting used to grammatically, but is otherwise a non-issue for me. There's actually a really neat world building detail about how characters indicate their pronoun preference.
I got the most enjoyment from seeing where the plot was going. It held my interest very well in the first half because it's a high pressure situation with a clear goal. I found my interest waning somewhat towards the second half because the characters were just trying to keep their heads metaphorically above water rather than moving towards a goal in particular.
Overall, an enjoyable fantasy with an eye towards the social fallout of colonialism and how art plays into society. Recommended if you're interested in how fantasy intersects with art, or dragons.
Also particularly recommended if you're looking for representation in fantasy (this has a lot, non-binary, lesbian, polyamory, probably more than I'm missing)
Oh yeah, and the dragon is great! No details because spoilers, but I love dragons and I wasn't disappointed
Yoon Ha Lee has become one of those authors whose work I read automatically. This time the author takes us to an alt-history Korea during the Japanese occupation/invasion. There is unrest against the occupiers, there are people who have fought and lost loved ones, there are rigid rules in place and there is surveillance and policing against the people by automata.
Into this situation Lee introduces Jebi, a gifted painter who wants nothing more than to use their talents for meaningful work. Jebi has an older sister, who is severe, and is still grieving over their former soldier wife, dead some time now.
When Jebi and she quarrel, Jebi finds themself homeless and in financial trouble, and has to eventually take a job for the Ministry of Armor. The Director makes it clear to Jebi that he knows of their sister’s clandestine work with rebels, and that her life is dependent upon Jebi taking the job.
The more time Jebi spends at their job, the more they discover what controls the automata, and what actually goes into that control. Then, Jebi meets the most amazing automata, a massive dragon, and discovers that Arazi, though created as a tool of war, has no desire to kill anyone.
There are numerous conflicts at work in this compelling story, from the political to the personal to the philosophical, giving the story much tension.
Jebi evolves from someone who has no interest in anything political, and who does their best to ignore the worsening situation between their country and the occupiers, to someone who has to decide who they are and what they are willing to do. It’s a bumbling evolution, but reasonably believable.
There is also the interesting developing relationships between Jebi and
-Dzuge Vei, a duelist assigned by the Director to watch Jebi,
-their sister,
-the Minister, and
-Arazi.
This last relationship generates some of the best dialogue, as Arazi is delightful. And wonderful, and I love this creation by the author.
The ending felt both a little surprising and abrupt, and like there was more to come for Jebi and Arazi. I hope there is.
Into this situation Lee introduces Jebi, a gifted painter who wants nothing more than to use their talents for meaningful work. Jebi has an older sister, who is severe, and is still grieving over their former soldier wife, dead some time now.
When Jebi and she quarrel, Jebi finds themself homeless and in financial trouble, and has to eventually take a job for the Ministry of Armor. The Director makes it clear to Jebi that he knows of their sister’s clandestine work with rebels, and that her life is dependent upon Jebi taking the job.
The more time Jebi spends at their job, the more they discover what controls the automata, and what actually goes into that control. Then, Jebi meets the most amazing automata, a massive dragon, and discovers that Arazi, though created as a tool of war, has no desire to kill anyone.
There are numerous conflicts at work in this compelling story, from the political to the personal to the philosophical, giving the story much tension.
Jebi evolves from someone who has no interest in anything political, and who does their best to ignore the worsening situation between their country and the occupiers, to someone who has to decide who they are and what they are willing to do. It’s a bumbling evolution, but reasonably believable.
There is also the interesting developing relationships between Jebi and
-Dzuge Vei, a duelist assigned by the Director to watch Jebi,
-their sister,
-the Minister, and
-Arazi.
This last relationship generates some of the best dialogue, as Arazi is delightful. And wonderful, and I love this creation by the author.
The ending felt both a little surprising and abrupt, and like there was more to come for Jebi and Arazi. I hope there is.
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book feels like it was written by a committee on Tumblr who love "he's behind me, isn't he" moments in Marvel movies.