The Grace of Kings (The Dandelion Dynasty, #1)

I really enjoyed this book, the main reason this isn't rated a perfect 5 is because the first 15-20% of the novel is an infodump and a half. I had to read the opening chapters twice just to get a grasp of all the different character threads and plotlines. Did I mention plotlines? This is a story with a lot of moving pieces; there is an entire world that needs establishing and a context that needs to be delivered in detail, thanks to this breadth the story trips up at its start.

Ken Liu catches his stride fairly quickly with our introduction to Kuni Garu, the central protagonist of the story. Kuni Garu is an incredibly likable and entertaining main character, and I found the entire cast of the story to be bright and alive on the page. This is all rendered in excellent prose, Ken Liu's voice and style has always been clear and descriptive, and he isn't afraid to reference and interpret Chinese literature. It is refreshing to experience a different set of tropes and reference, but I think at its heart this is a classic fantasy story about a hero and a wise king.

I had to take a break from Iain Banks after I finished Excession and this book was a wonderful palate cleanser. It was incredibly refreshing to see female characters who were well written and had agency. I absolutely loved the character of Princess Kikomi and her story arc was a big positive of the book: The female characters in this book are awesome despite the feudal setting. The women in this story are shackled by the time and setting but they are not robbed of their agency. Where another author might have exposited their tragic ends or romantic inclinations (alongside philosophic platitude and social commentary), Ken Liu breathes life into his women. The girls in this book make choices that impact the plot, and their perspective is represented in notable depth. The character of Lady Mira was very well done and I thought her story and monologue in chapter 45 were some of the best written passages in the novel.

I did have one small gripe and that was that the story felt limited by its genre and there were elements of the plot that seemed to bend in favor of trope and contrivance. This is a story that threatens the boundaries of a traditional fantasy story. Despite the rise and fall theme, it so wants to write the world in the image of its characters but can't because its world is the way it is (Because it's the dark ages bro, life sucks dude, the gods are vindictive friend, this is grounded my guy). I sensed an element of metanarrative in the way that the story rubs against the reins of its premise, and the way that the will and agency of the characters rub against the prophetic whims of the gods who oversee the plot from their perch.

Excited to see more of Kuni Garu, excited to see if the next book will shake up what has been a fairly predictable plot.