Regarding silkpunk from one of the Ken Liu interview: "Like steampunk, silkpunk is a blend of science fiction and fantasy. But while steampunk takes as its inspiration the chrome-brass-glass technology aesthetic of the Victorian era, silkpunk draws inspiration from classical East Asian antiquity. My novel is filled with technologies like soaring battle kites that lift duelists into the air, bamboo-and-silk airships propelled by giant feathered oars, underwater boats that swim like whales driven by primitive steam engines, and tunnel-digging machines enhanced with herbal lore, as well as fantasy elements like gods who bicker and manipulate, magical books that tell us what is in our hearts, giant water beasts that bring storms and guide sailors safely to shores, and illusionists who manipulate smoke to peer into opponents’ minds. The silkpunk technology vocabulary is based on organic materials historically important to East Asia (bamboo, paper, silk) and seafaring cultures of the Pacific (coconut, feathers, coral), and the technology grammar follows biomechanical principles like the inventions in Romance of the Three Kingdoms. The overall aesthetic is one of suppleness and flexibility, expressive of the cultures that inhabit the islands." And yes the book is fantastic. I loved it as well.
I'm taking my time with speaking bones because I don't want to ever leave Dara. I hope ken liu does more with the setting, there's so much he could do in this universe. Or writes another epic fantasy series, because I liked his short stories but LOVE this series so much. I never thought I'd cry at the end of a 200+ page cooking contest, but alas, here we are. He's a god damn genius
I think it’s a bit like three body problem series, which I liked but didn’t love, where it’s more like a medium to explore themes than a real story and characters aren’t real characters but embodiments of concepts which I must admit didn’t like
I think that's because you've only read the first book, it's very loosely tied to characters because it is a retelling so you get a plethora of character perspectives so the groundwork can be laid for the next 3 books. The next book is a lot more focused on specific characters it's not as "jumbled" as the grace of kings. Unless you finished the series and still feel this way then maybe it just wasn't for you.
I read “The Grace of Kings” last year and I still think about the book. It’s an amazing book and I absolute love it (unpopular opinion: I enjoyed it more than “The Wall of Storms”, which is an amazing book also).
I actually just started this book this week. I was going to put it down for good, but wanted to see what people on RU-vid had to say first. I have found that our tastes line up fairly close so I naturally clicked on this video. I have decided to finish it and try at least book two. I prefer character driven plots, but am willing to see this through at least Wall of Storms. Thank you for your review!
00:48 I can't express just how much it bothers me that the UK publisherer falsely advertises the hardcover versions of the first two books, when they don't actually exist. It's like they know a beautiful set of matching hardcovers is great for their marketing, but they refuse to actually sell them to us.
UK publishing has long laboured under the delusion that UK readers don’t care about the quality or format of a book, just the price and content. I have to make frequent trips to the US and always fit in a trip to a bookstore because, while more expensive, the quality of the books is typically so much nicer and hardbacks are easier to get.
I had to force myself to finish this book. I thought it was really boring and got nowhere fast. Glad there's a lot of people enjoying it though. Just wasn't for me.
I tried. I did. I tried really hard to (a) read book 1 and (b) get into the story and (c) like it! Oh dear, did I struggle. It was like reading someone else’s notes for a book. There was no depth. I didn’t get to KNOW any of the characters. I didn’t get to LIKE any of the characters and I just didn’t understand where things were going and by the time I stopped reading (2/3 way through), I no longer cared - I was so bored! I felt I had failed to understand something that everyone else who had read (and raved about) the series had discovered. In fact this book threw me into a fantasy slump! I’m over it now (reading Jade War), but it ruined things for me for quite a while.
I just bought this Dandelion series along with the bound and broken series. The more I watch your reviews the more I spend. LOL. But thank you! You are keeping me up to date with fantasy which I love!
I’m 20% in and so far I haven’t been able to care for a single character 😢 seems a bit silly even 😳 Ex: “why do they insist on eating rice? Meat is so much better”…..Seriously, Ken Liu???!
I read The Grace of Kings late last year and got off track before diving into The Wall of Storms. You’ve inspired me. I think I’ll add it into my TBR for this month. Thanks!!
This was a dnf for me and you explained perfectly why that was. I'm very much a character driven reader and I found this confusing and boring. Its a book I wish I did love because the story itself sounds so good.
Hi there. I have not read or listened to that book or series yet, but it is on my tbr list. Maybe, once I get done with the A Certain Magical Index light novel OT series and while I am waiting for the New Testament series to be translated, I will start working on this series.
Certainly not for everyone, but the series has been my favorite read in the last decade, probably. Loved every second! I would also highly suggest watching/listening to Ken Liu talk about what went into writing it. His process is FASCINATING.
Glad you loved it so much. I am incredibly excited to read The Walls of Storms! I did chat with Ken Liu for my Patreon monthly interview and I was blown away by his writing process and how much thought he put into the world-building!
I'm a third done with speaking bones, but I have a hard time imagining it topping wall of storms but every book has been a 5/5, for different reasons, so I don't imagine speaking bones is anything less than an amazing end
I agree with you on your review. I'm more of a character driven reader and there were parts of this book that bored me where I almost DNF. I pushed through after hearing from everyone say how great it was and it got better, not exactly a favorite but I am curious to read book 2 to see what happens next.
Yeeeesss, I love this!!! Thanks for spreading the love for this series, it deserves so much more hype! I totally agree with everything you said, it's such a unique and inventive series! Though, I am a very character driven reader and I totally don't understand why this particular story clicked so well for me... but I am not complaining, haha. Can't wait to hear your thoughts on the sequels, it really only gets better! Get ready for emotional damage!!
Definitely adding this to my TBR after watching this video. In a way your description of this book reminds me a bit of the Silmarillion (describing the long-scale history of a region rather than focusing on the development of individual characters). I loved the Silmarillion, and this book sounds right up my alley. Also Liu's analysis of governments sounds a bit like classical Burkean conservatism.
Per the internet: Silkpunk is a genre that combines two elements: silk, an aesthetic style inspired by Asian-Pacific culture, history, and mythology, and punk, a tendency to rebel, question, and deconstruct. It is related to other genres such as cyberpunk, steampunk, and solarpunk.
Thanks for the review. Based on your description, I do plan on giving this book a read. I am interested in both History and English Literature, so it sounds like this is a perfect combination for me. I also want to see how a modern 3rd person omniscient narrator works in this book. I also like your description of looking down on a map and hearing the history of the place.
The Comparison of how Mata and his Uncle view the Xana Empire in their first chapter, followed by Kuni doing the same in his second chapter, is simply fantastic: Where Mata and his Uncle sees the Xaba Empire as an oppressive and «unnatural» New World Order in Dara, Kuni sees it as positive in ending the numerous petty wars between the Kingdoms (for the glory of the Nobles and horror of the Common People…) and creating an cosmopolitan environment throughout Dara of trade, art and gastronomy (if unnecessarily oppressive and harsh in its current form…). As a student of History and Political Science, this was music to my ears. And that is before the wonderful and amusing (and later tragical and torn) relationship between the two polar opposites of Mata and Kuni! While the main plot and characters are clearly inspired by the history and legends surrounding the Creation of the Qin and Han Dynasties of Ancient China, Liu has also stated that it is as much an American Fantasy, with characters and inventions more akin to those of Thomas Jefferson and Ben Franklin. The literal interventions of the Gods is as much a callback to Chinese literature (“Journey to the West” comes to mind), as the “Iliad” and the “Odyssey”. The Divided Kingdoms of Dara is as much inspired by the Kingdoms preceding the Qin Dynasty, as the Petty Kingdoms of Ancient Ireland (which Dara sorta resembles in geographical shape). The themes of colonialism and imperialism are as much based on the Sinification of Modern Southern China as American “Manifest Destiny” or other Western Settler Nations: The Aboriginals of Dara resembles the Aboriginals of Australia and the Pacific Melanesians (especially in appearance with some having blonde hair”, but also aspects of the Ancient Nanman Tribes of Southern China and the Indigenous People of Taiwan! And the multiculturalism of Dara is as much a reflection of Modern US as it is of the Tang Dynasty of China! Have just started to read book #3 “The Veiled Throne” (though I did cheat and read the prologue as soon as I got the book: AMAZING 🤩!) and already I can easily put in my top 5 reads this year! Skål og hald fram med det gode arbeidet ditt!
You're right on the money ahah Since I usually prefer character-driven stories, it was hard for me to get into it right from the start, and the 3rd person omniscient didn't help either ahah I'm not giving up on the book tho. I want to try reading it a second time because Ken Liu is one of my favourite authors. His short stories are masterpieces I'd say.
I've bought it but not read yet. People dying all the time sounds like it will mess with my heart...or make it cold. If it's to brutal I tend to not care for the characters
Started reading this a few days ago... Tbh I've been struggling with getting into it, I really wanted to enjoy it from the get go based on thrle reviews I've seen. I'll stick with it because I don't quit on books, well maybe once but I hope it gets better.
Love your review! I read the first book, and I am kind of reluctant to read the second one.... I had really high expectations for the first book and got crushed ...for my personal taste, it felt like a history book with some fantastical elements, and I just wanted some more fantasy or silkpunk init....but I do get why some readers absolutely love it!
Hope you're feeling better soon- what a dedicated booktuber! 🙂 I started this book but after a few chapters decided strategically to wait, and start again when I had more brain space- perhaps something to read when on annual leave. Amazing worldbuilding but was too much for my brain at the time.
I devoured the entire series between the end of last year into February. The Dandelion Dynasty is probably my favorite completed fantasy series of all time, even better than Greenbone Saga and Mistborn. The Grace of Kings is great for all the reasons you say, but the entire series is a masterpiece and I hope more readers discover this truly special series. It should be considered along with the greats in the genre.
@AMajor good call bud, good call. Enjoy one of the finest books in fantasy I've ever read and I've read many. It rivals words of radiance as a second book in a series, for sure.
I got 100 pages into Grace of Kings last year and was really enjoying it but had to put it down for other obligations. This is a good reminder for me to pick it back up again soon!
Just finished book 1, and while I was a bit bored the first half, it definitely grew on me-I ended up loving it by the end! From what I hear about the remaining books, I can’t wait to continue the series! How do I get those covers?? I have the black ones and like the ones you have so much more!!
I DNF’d about 1/3 of the way into the book. Super sad as silk punk sounded so promising, just didn’t find the characters interesting and for me there was a lack female characters as well. I might try again one day as I own the first three books.
This was also one of my favorite reads this year. I think it is truly masterful -- it is a shame at its low GR rating. Don't be afraid to try it if it sounds good to you!
The funny thing is this I don't like fully character driven novels where the plot takes a back seat. It puts me to sleep 😅. I am a world building & plot first guy. The 3.75 rating in Goodreads for this book put me off reading it. The Roman history pitch you gave sold me. I should have researched more. Lol. Knowing that I am the minority here where most people generally don't rate these kind of novels much. The synopsis of the book in goodreads doesn't do it justice then for its epic scope. Also Jade Legacy covering a vast stretch of years was one of my favorite things ever and also Malazan is my No 1 series. All your points about "cons" makes me wanna read it more 🤣
The 3.75 average rating is criminal. The Grace of Kings is a masterpiece and the rest of the series is even better. It's as good and arguably better than Stormlight Archive.
I read this book last year and had left the following Goodreads review. Very similar to your review. "The story is told almost entirely by the author who describes and explains everything. It felt rushed, like a historical summary in which significant world changing events were quickly skimmed over and very little time is spent on the character development or their point of views" I felt no connection whatsoever to the characters. I hear the next three books are supposed to be character driven and much, much better, but unless the next book comes up on a Kindle sale or I find a cheap one at a thrift store, I will no be continuing with this series. I prefer third person omniscient limited and some first person.
There are a lot of characters (especially in the first book), but it gets more focused by Book 2 and honestly the characters are all incredibly well done.
It was a DNF at page 360 for me. I was bored and I did not like how the female characters were written, I can´t really put my finger on why it just had me icky.
I can't disagree more, I think this is such an easy series to recommend. The characters are very very important, you just can't see how subtle he writes it. When people think about fantasy history books they think fire and blood, this isn't anything like that, it's way more cohesive as a story. It does jump around a lot, jump perspective, and time, but it's just a prologue to set up the rest of the series, like you said. It's absolutely not the main focus of the whole story, it's a dynasty story, all about how it goes down. If anyone reads this, and has a hard time with the first book, please read the wall of storms. It's WAY more similar to a traditional fantasy story.
One of my favorite books of all time. It was nice to read a book that felt like it was written for adults. Too much of popular fantasy, feels like they dumb it down too much for the reader or the author isn’t educated enough to write with nuance. Liu is a breath of fresh air for the genre.
