The Art of Prophecy: 1 (The War Arts Saga)

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An ambitious and touching exploration of disillusionment in faith, tradition, and family-a glorious reinvention of fantasy and wuxia tropes."-Naomi Novik, New York Times bestselling author of A Deadly Education

but for those who love an intricately-crafted world where martial arts dominate life and the characters are compelling, then this is a book you will want to add to your TBR! appropriate for expressing the majesty of the Spirit ( Acts 17:2, 3; 2 Cor. 4:2-4; Gal. 3:1). For thisI’ve learned early on in my professional career inside and outside of publishing that I don’t know what I don’t know, so I am a huge fan of subject matter expertise. This is especially the case when it comes to artwork. I’ve learned early on in adulthood that I have pretty bad taste.

Así empieza el Arte de la Profecía. Con Jian, el héroe que designó la profecía, libre de su destino y dejando de ser relevante mientras su nueva maestra, Taishi, intenta hacerle desaprender todo lo aprendido para que se acerque mínimamente a lo que se espera de él. Con Sali, que decide aparcar sus obligaciones para vengar a su difunto Kan. Y, por último, con Qisami, una asesina que disfruta de su trabajo y que tiene como objetivo eliminar al elegido y a su maestra. Hilariously underplayed, the spoilt Jian, securely anointed as the child prodigy who will defeat the immortal god-king, the Eternal Khan, has nothing more to show for his training than his knowledge of how to hold a sword, and even that is in doubt. So when this brat decides to put down an old lady (who is btw the greatest grandmaster of magical martial arts) he truly has his comeuppance. Still with the way he’s been fawned upon ever since the prophecy it’s no wonder he’s more than a little wet behind the ears and behind the times. And Taishi is only too delighted to have a focus that will enliven her latter years. So there's a prophecy and the one chosen to fulfil it has been discovered and his training has begun with a cadre of amazing instructors in a lush and exotic setting. The writing is entertaining and witty. The world is lush, with intricate political factions and climates. It also might not surprise anyone to learn that one of the main themes of The Art of Prophecy is…well, prophecy. According to the book’s lore, many centuries ago it was foretold that a child will be born whose destiny is to defeat the Eternal Khan, the immortal god-king of the Katuia Hordes. When the story opens, this chosen one has been identified as Wen Jian, now a teenager studying at the palace under the tutelage of many masters who have been training him in martial arts since he was small boy. Somewhere along the way though, it appears that both the student and his teachers have become blinded by the pomp of prophecy, losing sight of their purpose. Thus, when the celebrated war master Ling Taishi arrives to evaluate Jian, rather than the great warrior everyone expected, she instead finds a pampered young man who has never been tried in a real battle.And Jian himself, who has to find a way to become what he no longer believes he can be—a hero after all. This is such an epic read!! I wasn’t sure what to expect as I don’t usually read books centered around martial arts that don’t have romance in them… but this was amazing!!! Taishi is an especially awesome character, being a combination of epic martial arts master and hilarious comedic relief. She is by far my favorite character. Although Jian really grew on me too.

Hands down, what I loved most about The Art of Prophecy was the way it turned a well-known fantasy trope on its head. What happens when the chosen turns out not to be the chosen one after all? While the first part of the novel played out like your typical master and apprentice scenario with Taishi taking on the role of wise teacher and Jian the part of the reluctant student, the plot was turned on its head once it is revealed that the Eternal Khan is dead. From here on out, it was anyone’s guess what would happen. While I will admit to being a big fan of warrior-in-training stories so I didn’t actually mind the cliches in the first part that much, I also had a blast once the focus shifted to Jian’s exile and all the developments that followed. Our last viewpoint character is Shadowkill Assassin Qisami, a slave to her consortium, whose assassin cell cuts a careless swathe through whatever their tasked to do. And if I somehow miraculously survive all that, I’m pretty sure I’d die of starvation or dysentery by the end of the week. It has been foretold: A child will rise to defeat the Eternal Khan, a cruel immortal god-king, and save the kingdom.

Wesley Chu

The Art of Prophecy blew my mind. Every part of this book impressed me, from the worldbuilding to the character dynamics, to the fight scenes and the weapons (Reader, I think I fell in love with Sali’s weapon of choice. I’ll let you read the book to find out what it is, but it is the coolest weapon I’ve ever read in my life and I want one really, really bad). This is the kind of book that shows you what fantasy is capable of when written by an author who is a master of his craft. years ago a prophecy said a child will be born and will defeat The Eternal Khan (a cruel immortal War king) Jian then born and anoint as The Hero, The Choosen One… the one who will fulfill the Prophecy, he then raised in a palace and trained by so many best martial artists and protected and live luxurious life, Taishi an older woman and the Greatest martial artist came to the palace to test Jian and see how far his preparation only to find a spoiled child. One day a news arrived about the death of The Eternal Khan … make all the kindom in chaos and people started to think The Prophecy is wrong. What follow is a story more wonderous than any prophecy can forsee Jian has been raised in splendor, trained by the best warriors, and celebrated before a single battle has been won. After all, he's the chosen one, selected by prophecy to defeat the immortal god-king and free the kingdom for good. But when the prophecy is proven to be incorrect, Jian still has to find a way to succeed—and maybe even become a hero in his own right.