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I have no doubt this will end up being the best fantasy debut of the year [...] I have absolutely no doubt that[Kuang’s] name will be up there with the likes of Robin Hobb and N.K. Jemisin. Booknest.eu A year at Sinegard of her rival classmates—all heirs of the Warlords and the wealthy and privileged—telling her to cease the folly of imagining herself their equal only gave Rin’s determination a more savage edge, and soon Rin learns, with the aid of her seemingly insane and much-disdained teacher, that she possesses a lethal aptitude for the nearly-mythical art of shamanism. The Poppy War” is the first novel in the “Poppy War” series, which was released in the year 2018. Opium runs freely throughout the center of the Nikara Empire, and is a constant reminder of the war fought with the Federation of Mugen that took it to the empire’s shores. The war ended thanks to the Trifecta, three heroes known as the Gatekeeper, the Vipress, and the Dragon Emperor. All were legendary figures, and each bestowed with godlike powers and united the Empire’s warlords against the Federation.
An epic historical military fantasy, inspired by the bloody history of China’s twentieth century and filled with treachery and magic. Ultimately, she says, she loves the series for the ways it examines race and power. For instance, she has a quote from Rin in the second book up on a corkboard: "I've seen how power works. It's not about who you are, it's about how they see you. And once you're mud in this country, you're always mud." Interestingly, the two major political parties in Taiwan are the KMT and DPP (Democratic Progressive Party). The KMT maintains that Mainland China should rejoin them while the DPP view themselves as never being part of the People’s Republic of China because Taiwan is an independent country. Finding her savior in Tutor Feyrik, she'd been able to make a name for herself as a fighter and to keep her stepmother happy (and rich) enough to keep Rin around.
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This book is a dramatic and strong launch to Kuang’s writing career. Rin’s character radiates an extraordinary vitality and her arc is simply nothing short of astounding due to the amount of years the book covers. She is not someone who gives up, and goes through quite a lot to achieve what she wants. Here is a breathtaking, spectacular, and epic read that is tough to put down. This is a book about the brutality and reality of war. Decades have gone by. The Trifecta is ruined, the Gatekeeper disappeared, the Dragon Emperor is dead, and the Vipress sits alone on the throne at Sinegard. The poppy remains, yet peace reigns. The Poppy War was a fun, engrossing, journey to a world I wish I could visit and a school I wish I could attend. With its strong characters, interesting world building, and intriguing plot it is a great read that I would recommend to anyone.”— The Quill to Live
The Gaokao is China’s version of the American SAT and British A-level tests and is known as one of the hardest exams in the world. The gaokao is a national event equivalent to a public holiday…but much less fun. Construction work is halted near examination halls, so as not to disturb the students, and traffic is diverted. Ambulances are on call outside in case of nervous collapses, and police cars patrol to keep the streets quiet. I can safely say that this will be the finest debut of 2018 and I’d be surprised if it isn’t one of the top 3 books of the year full stop. Spectacular, masterclass, brilliant, awesome [...] Simply put, R.F. Kuang’s “The Poppy War” is a towering achievement of modern fantasy. Fantasy Book Review She has a BA from Georgetown in International History, where her researched focused on collective trauma, Chinese military strategy, and war memorials. Kuang was drawn to the school because of its debate club. She graduated from the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown. After she graduated in the year 2018, she spent the summer coaching a debate camp in Colorado. She is a 2018 Marshall Scholar. TPW begins with Rin studying for the Keju, a national entrance exam for the Empire’s military academies. In the book, Rin literally mutilates herself as motivation to keep studying because acceptance to Sinegard is the only way she can escape her abusive home. While you might find Rin’s studying to be extreme, Rebecca has mentioned that the Keju takes inspiration from the modern-day Gaokao and imperial exams during the Qing dynasty. This looks like a good match for readers of Red Rising. Omnivoracious (10 Highly Anticipated New Science Fiction and Fantasy Books)The exciting end to The Poppy War trilogy, R. F. Kuang’s acclaimed, award-winning epic fantasy that combines the history of twentieth-century China with a gripping world of gods and monsters, to devastating, enthralling effect. The map in the book draws direct parallels from real life with the Nikara Empire being China, the Federation of Mugen being Japan, and Speer having the most similarities to Taiwan. The series further analyzes the impact of the West’s imperialism and colonialism through the Hesperians. The Poppy War series by R. F. Kuang is an epic trilogy that follows the journey of Rin, a young girl from the Rooster Province, who rises to become a powerful and feared warrior. Set in a world inspired by 20th-century China, the series explores themes of war, politics, power, and morality with a deep and complex plot that will keep readers hooked from start to finish.
Nam, Michael (2018-05-10). " 'The Poppy War' book review: A magical, brutal coming-of-age tale in a medieval Asian fantasy world". New York Daily News . Retrieved 2018-05-12. But Rin — unhinged as she is — now has critical acclaim and passionate fans around the world; Kuang recently won the Astounding Award for best new writer at the Hugo Awards ceremony. I asked some of her fans what resonated with them.While the Great Chinese Famine isn’t fully depicted in the series, it is hinted at in The Burning God.Here is where most of my personal knowledge ends so I’ll be pulling quotes from this Guardian article, “China’s Great Famine: The True Story.” As of December2022 [update], The Poppy War has been translated into 14 languages in addition to its native English.
As a result, it will be up to readers to interpret her actions and decide whether they are good, bad, or ‘for the greater good’. Some readers will lean more lenient, others more harshly. And that is the entire point of the novel and the series.
Publication Order of Standalone Novels
Federation of Mugen, the name of the group of antagonists in this book, in Japanese means Infinite/Fantasy/Dream and they resembled the Japanese code of war where they are simply tools for the Emperor to use.
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