Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.63 AVERAGE
4.63 AVERAGE
Ken Liu did something ambitious. He dreamt up Dara from the depths of his imagination and crafted into a real place. This series is transportive and find myself grasping for the intangible. The Dandelion Dyntasy is very much a historical epic, written like a classic at times with luscious, layered prose. It spans decades in time and I love how so many characters and moments in the Grace of Kings have turn into myth and lore in-world. It’s going to be up there in my favorite political fantasies especially since this series ties so much historical elements into it.
Speaking Bones runs with the groundwork set in the Veiled Throne. It’s battle after battle and TENSE. I’ve never been so stressed 😭😭 Characters have to reckon with who they are and decide whether to follow their natures and own the consequences. The characters in this series are polarizing, flawed, and they invoke feeling like a real person whether you like or dislike them. The politics are politicking! The themes and commentary are so important and relevant to today’s world without being heavy handed in its approach as well.
Jia is the most complex, fascinating character in the series for me and I loveddddddd her chapters. No one gets her like I do. I also loved Thèra and the rest of the dissolver of sorrows cast. There’s too many major and minor characters to note, but many impacted me. Ken can scope in on someone and really have you invested in them and their life in a couple pages. Cried so many times- 🥹
The philosophical elements to the story were some of the highlights for me too. Especially to how it pertains to what it means to govern and wield the Grace of Kings….. ahh!!!
Some nits were that the timeline kinda got repetitive for me. The whole flashback in the middle of a fight scene to see how characters invented something was just done too many time and took me out of the story. As much as I love the engineering in this series, I think it got way out of hand in Speaking Bones.
Some of my favorite lines, stories, and folk-tales were in this book! I loved the call backs too. “Teeth on the board” will forever live in my mind rent free.
i'm a different person for having read these books. i felt seen by so many elements of this world. being an opera singer, i have my share of opinions about translation and whether a truly faithful translation of anything can exist. ken liu's ethos of translation aligns so closely with mine, and permeates every page of this book. he knows exactly which words to reproduce - the wine-dark sea! the very model of a modern major general! - to evoke a feeling that can't quite be described. these characters feel like my friends. i loved being with them for so long. this series is an absolute work of art. highly recommend to everyone alive, but especially people who got a little too excited about emily wilson's odyssey translation.
also, jia matiza canonically inventing lactaid is the funniest shit i've ever seen in my life.
also, jia matiza canonically inventing lactaid is the funniest shit i've ever seen in my life.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
4.5 stars. The writing style and show vs. tell ratio is still not to my preferences, but the strengths of the series are on full display, and culminate in a way such that the whole (wrapped up here) is greater than the sum of its parts.
The characters, plotting, and themes are all great. In addition to everything I usually love about epic fantasy, this series adds a lot of philosophy, science, engineering, and (mostly new to this book) constitutional theory, plus small doses of microeconomics.
In the end, the heroes are engineers who build technologies and constitutions to solve problems, and thereby build modernity. (Liu was both a software engineer and a lawyer before turning full-time to writing.)
The characters, plotting, and themes are all great. In addition to everything I usually love about epic fantasy, this series adds a lot of philosophy, science, engineering, and (mostly new to this book) constitutional theory, plus small doses of microeconomics.
In the end, the heroes are engineers who build technologies and constitutions to solve problems, and thereby build modernity. (Liu was both a software engineer and a lawyer before turning full-time to writing.)
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
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
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
emotional
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
"'I am not wise enough to know the will of the gods or the right course in life," said Thoryo. 'I only know that the world is too large, too beautiful, too interesting to let one act define us. Death only triumphs when we stop learning and growing. So long as our lungs sing with the gift of life, we cannot cease to give back to Life.'"
After a relatively lackluster experience with The Veiled Throne, I was really hoping Speaking Bones would be a return to form and blow me away to conclude this series. Unfortunately that wasn't really the case. But I did have a good time, and I am mostly satisfied with this ending and the journey through Dara across these enormous books.
There were so many great moments and segments throughout this conclusion. There's a returning sense of tension and conflict between Dara and the Lyucu, which felt almost lacking in the previous installment. There's great character moments and some impressive battle sequences. The political landscape and maneuvering recaptures it's charm and delivers on several accounts, and is especially excellent during the falling action.
Though I do have to admit I did become a little exhausted with the structure and the length of these last two books. I loved the first two wholeheartedly, but these last two both felt excruciatingly long sometimes. I personally found the engineering to get way out of hand; I just don't want to read about the constructive process for creating every single invention ever mentioned in thorough detail. I simply don't care enough. And while the worldbuilding is incredible, the same kinda goes for aspects of that element too. I eventually didn't care enough to read about the various writing systems in detail and all the subtleties and different interpretations. I didn't care enough to read in depth historical background of every single gods or significant cultural item. There's a point when I think such detailed and meticulous worldbuilding becomes overwhelming and, in my opinion, unnecessary. I don't need to know every little fact for the worldbuilding to be compelling and captivating, it can do so without becoming so grueling and strenuous to read. But maybe that's just me.
Anyways, I digress. This book is still a good conclusion regardless of it being a little frustrating. I do wish I enjoyed the final two books as much as the first two, but alas. Ultimately I'm happy I read the series and experienced more of Ken Liu's writing. The Dandelion Dynasty is certainly unique and unlike anything I've ever read, and for that alone I would recommend giving this series a shot.
"'In Dara, it is said that there is often little to divide the madness of tyrants from the grace of kings, and heroes and villains alike demand sacrifices of others. The difference, if there is one, lies in why the sacrifices are being sought: to satisfy the ambition of the few or to secure the freedom of the many.'"
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Cannibalism, War
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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:
No
adventurous
emotional
sad
tense
slow-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