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viina's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
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
4.5
greg_m's review against another edition
5.0
"All life is an experiment. Who can plan so far ahead? I just promise myself to do the most intereseting thing everythime there is an opportunity."
"Great men do not wait for their greatness to be recognized."
The islands of Dara erupt into war once more as external and internal forces rip apart the vicious Xana empire. A rebellion that sparks among a group of refugees grows to consume a war-god reborn named Mata Zyndu and the humble-born bandit Kuni Garu and propels the two to become the most important people throughout the islands for years to come.
I fell in love with this book. The series is about 2.5 years old at this point, but I had never heard of it when I grabbed it off the shelf at Barnes & Noble; now, I am chomping at the bit waiting to get my hands on [b:The Wall of Storms|18952381|The Wall of Storms (The Dandelion Dynasty, #2)|Ken Liu|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1455985460s/18952381.jpg|26965697]. My eye is firmly fixed on Ken Liu now for whatever else he may surprise me with.
Until I picked this book up, I had felt stuck in a reading rut, but once it really stuck its teeth into me it pulled me right out.
"Great men do not wait for their greatness to be recognized."
The islands of Dara erupt into war once more as external and internal forces rip apart the vicious Xana empire. A rebellion that sparks among a group of refugees grows to consume a war-god reborn named Mata Zyndu and the humble-born bandit Kuni Garu and propels the two to become the most important people throughout the islands for years to come.
I fell in love with this book. The series is about 2.5 years old at this point, but I had never heard of it when I grabbed it off the shelf at Barnes & Noble; now, I am chomping at the bit waiting to get my hands on [b:The Wall of Storms|18952381|The Wall of Storms (The Dandelion Dynasty, #2)|Ken Liu|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1455985460s/18952381.jpg|26965697]. My eye is firmly fixed on Ken Liu now for whatever else he may surprise me with.
Until I picked this book up, I had felt stuck in a reading rut, but once it really stuck its teeth into me it pulled me right out.
brokenjac's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
tanuwanu's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
caprafalconeri's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
I don't really know how to feel about this book. It's 21 hours of never showing and only telling, and it never feels like the characters are able to act of their own motivations. I'm not sure if I want to continue the story when it feels like the characters themselves have no agency over the decisions they want to make.
joyfullyjordi's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
zakzetter42's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
blackhobbit's review against another edition
4.0
It had started at three stars until the middle of the book. It had became a five star book when it started to find it focus. It was hopping around from character to character. I had to knocked it to four stars because of the beginning. I can’t see why it is a lot of people favorite series, but hopefully I will find out soon.
unnursvana's review against another edition
4.0
There is a lot going on in this series and the scope is so large that the story itself feels, in a way, very compressed together. It's sometimes as if you're being told about events from the past in a very abridged version rather than a full narrative, which makes the text perhaps a little dry and the plot becomes much more important than the characters themselves. At least in the first book Liu is really building up the world and setting the scene. It takes the story a while to get going, but as soon as it all starts, it doesn't really stop, and you just must hold on tight on this incredible journey. You never really know what is going to happen next.
The story is very much going from one event or one conflict to another, as if we are witnessing historical events. I feel like there are perhaps some characteristics of Wuxia-storytelling going on here, which is not for everyone. The world seems both ancient and new and the fantasy within the story is perhaps a little more low-key than some would like, but it works well for this story. At first the fantasy comes mainly from the gods who pop up from time to time and are interfering in human affairs – and that part kind of adds another angle to all this political intrigue. And that's where I think the charm of this story is. This great, morally grey world deals with old traditions and modern opinions, as well as the ruthlessness of war, different philosophies and politics. Every small thing has an impact on something else and it so well strung together into this big, epic story. Every character is flawed in their own way, but so interesting and works well within the world. Nothing feels out of place or miscalculated. Everything has a point to it.
The story is very much going from one event or one conflict to another, as if we are witnessing historical events. I feel like there are perhaps some characteristics of Wuxia-storytelling going on here, which is not for everyone. The world seems both ancient and new and the fantasy within the story is perhaps a little more low-key than some would like, but it works well for this story. At first the fantasy comes mainly from the gods who pop up from time to time and are interfering in human affairs – and that part kind of adds another angle to all this political intrigue. And that's where I think the charm of this story is. This great, morally grey world deals with old traditions and modern opinions, as well as the ruthlessness of war, different philosophies and politics. Every small thing has an impact on something else and it so well strung together into this big, epic story. Every character is flawed in their own way, but so interesting and works well within the world. Nothing feels out of place or miscalculated. Everything has a point to it.