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A review by slowreaderpeter
The Sword of Kaigen by M.L. Wang
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
This was a fascinating read. I had expected it to continue to grow and grow and grow and get unwieldy in its scale of an epic conflict. And then, instead, it was a deeply intimate and introspective work of literature.
I found the themes came through incredibly strong, but not in a way that smacks you in the face. They were intelligently done. The story explored propaganda (and how personally earth-shattering it is to wake up from that), censorship, racism, nationalism, forms of trauma, and an expanded and broad-encompassing look at toxic masculinity.
This book was so much more than I had expected it to be. The writing genuinely surprised me, and I found some of the character and thematic work to be so vivid and strong. In many ways it reminded me of Babel by R. F. Kuang, but with the addition of some exceptionally written action sequences.
I found the themes came through incredibly strong, but not in a way that smacks you in the face. They were intelligently done. The story explored propaganda (and how personally earth-shattering it is to wake up from that), censorship, racism, nationalism, forms of trauma, and an expanded and broad-encompassing look at toxic masculinity.
This book was so much more than I had expected it to be. The writing genuinely surprised me, and I found some of the character and thematic work to be so vivid and strong. In many ways it reminded me of Babel by R. F. Kuang, but with the addition of some exceptionally written action sequences.