Reviews

The Art of Prophecy by Wesley Chu

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sherwoodreads's review

Wuxia is a genre that has kept reinventing itself over millennia of Chinese history. I recollect reading that a literary critic and scholar bitterly complained about its hoary cliches and the rotten public taste for such tales--and that was a couple centuries BC.

Every time it gets stamped out by the government it comes back in a new form. These days it seems that the Xuanhuan form is firmly in the mainstream, and gaining popularity fast among English-speaking readers. I think Jin Yong, who reinvented the form for the modern reader, is in a direct line to this often hilarious, definitely tongue-in-cheek wuxia adventure that combines some cultivation novel tropes with modern sensibility and narrative drive.

I see that it has a zillion reviews already, so I'm not going to add yet another recap. I'll just say that I had a blast reading this book. Everybody is the hero of their own story, including the anti-hero hero, and even the villains. The result was such fun--I'm looking forward to more, because this was definitely a setup for a series.

seforana's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Content Warnings

czeleia's review against another edition

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adventurous tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

birdsat4am's review

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adventurous medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

surprisingly funny writing with characters i really enjoyed. will be reading the next one :>

kcr928's review

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adventurous emotional tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

readwithiffy's review against another edition

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4.0

Wuxia-inspired fantasy with a twist on the chosen one trope. I really enjoyed Jian and Taishi’s dynamic - the naive, spoiled kid with his older, tough mentor (with a soft spot). The worldbuilding was layered and refreshingly unique. There’s more POVs but Sali grew on me towards the end, through her journey as a leader in the tough times for her people. Qisami didn’t seem as fleshed out as a later pov, but served as comedic relief, the twisty assassin and her shadow crew. All the characters have their own new relationships with unexpected folks, but by the end, I love the little squad Jian had… you know found family gonna get me. 🥹

This would’ve been ranked higher if the plot didn’t become a slog in part 2. There was a point where I was only interested in Jian’s chapters, my baby idc. I also wished the conflict with the Zhuun and the Eternal Khan and his people were a bit more developed. Some things like the pods were hard to visualize. While I love how witty this book is, the humor landed flat for me sometimes, but overall I binged this story, would recommend!