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A review by zoekatereads
The Grace of Kings by Ken Liu
5.0
The Grace of Kings is the first novel in the epic fantasy series The Dandelion Dynasty, a reimagining of the birth of China's Han Dynasty. An epic world, complex characters, a gripping and heart breaking plot.
'Emperor Mapidéré was the first to unite the island kingdoms of Dara. Now, on his deathbed, his people are exhausted by his grandiose projects, and his counsellors conspire for their own gain.
Even the gods are restless.
A clever bandit and the vengeful son of a deposed duke each lead rebellions against the emperor's brutal regime. Their paths cross as they journey to the heart of the empire, witnessing clashes of armies, fleets of silk-draped airships, magical books, and shapeshifting gods. Their unlikely friendship will alter the balance of power in Dara... but at what cost?'
This truly blew me away.
The world-building was fantastic. The story sits on the familiar backdrop of Eastern Asia, and Liu weaves in fantastical elements (gods, airships, creatures) that really elevate the setting and support the plot throughout. The book is an interesting blend of historical fiction and fantasy.
The first half of the novel introduces multiple characters and plotlines, which was initially a bit tricky to get my head around. But as the novel progresses and the focus moves more towards our two main characters, everything comes together in an incredibly satisfying way. All the information provided in the first half provides a deeper understanding of the events to come and created a really rich backdrop for the main characters and their stories.
The Grace of Kings is very heavy on political intrigue, lots of plotting, back-stabbing, war and great battles. The pacing was really interesting, with sizeable time jumps that really add to the epic scale of the events that took place in this time.
While not a particularly character-driven novel, I found myself completely enraptured by the characters and the decisions they made. The way Liu constructs his characters is wonderful. They're complex, deeply flawed, and I often found myself wondering whether I was rooting for them or not (which I sense is by design).
It felt like quite an achievement finishing this book, and my enjoyment really surprised me. I'm genuinely looking forward to continuing the series.
“A knife is not malicious merely because it is sharp, and a plot is not evil merely because it is effective. All depends on the wielder. The grace of kings is not the same as the morals governing individuals.”
'Emperor Mapidéré was the first to unite the island kingdoms of Dara. Now, on his deathbed, his people are exhausted by his grandiose projects, and his counsellors conspire for their own gain.
Even the gods are restless.
A clever bandit and the vengeful son of a deposed duke each lead rebellions against the emperor's brutal regime. Their paths cross as they journey to the heart of the empire, witnessing clashes of armies, fleets of silk-draped airships, magical books, and shapeshifting gods. Their unlikely friendship will alter the balance of power in Dara... but at what cost?'
“What is fate but coincidences in retrospect?”
This truly blew me away.
The world-building was fantastic. The story sits on the familiar backdrop of Eastern Asia, and Liu weaves in fantastical elements (gods, airships, creatures) that really elevate the setting and support the plot throughout. The book is an interesting blend of historical fiction and fantasy.
The first half of the novel introduces multiple characters and plotlines, which was initially a bit tricky to get my head around. But as the novel progresses and the focus moves more towards our two main characters, everything comes together in an incredibly satisfying way. All the information provided in the first half provides a deeper understanding of the events to come and created a really rich backdrop for the main characters and their stories.
The Grace of Kings is very heavy on political intrigue, lots of plotting, back-stabbing, war and great battles. The pacing was really interesting, with sizeable time jumps that really add to the epic scale of the events that took place in this time.
“Emperor, king, general, duke,” he whispered to himself. “These are just labels. Climb up the family tree of any of them high enough and you’ll find a commoner who dared to take a chance.”
While not a particularly character-driven novel, I found myself completely enraptured by the characters and the decisions they made. The way Liu constructs his characters is wonderful. They're complex, deeply flawed, and I often found myself wondering whether I was rooting for them or not (which I sense is by design).
“There’s never going to be an end to suffering if ‘he deserves it’ is all the justification people need for inflicting pain.”
It felt like quite an achievement finishing this book, and my enjoyment really surprised me. I'm genuinely looking forward to continuing the series.