The Poppy War

A Novel

De: R. F. Kuang

Narrado por: Emily Woo Zeller

A brilliantly imaginative talent makes her exciting debut with this epic historical military fantasy, inspired by the bloody history of China’s 20th century and filled with treachery and magic, in the tradition of Ken Liu’s Grace of Kings and N. K. Jemisin’s Inheritance Trilogy.

When Rin aced the Keju - the Empire-wide test to find the most talented youth to learn at the Academies - it was a shock to everyone: to the test officials, who couldn’t believe a war orphan from Rooster Province could pass without cheating; to Rin’s guardians, who believed they’d finally be able to marry her off and further their criminal enterprise; and to Rin herself, who realized she was finally free of the servitude and despair that had made up her daily existence. That she got into Sinegard - the most elite military school in Nikan - was even more surprising.

But surprises aren’t always good.

Because being a dark-skinned peasant girl from the South is not an easy thing at Sinegard. Targeted from the outset by rival classmates for her color, poverty, and gender, Rin discovers she possesses a lethal, unearthly power - an aptitude for the nearly-mythical art of shamanism. Exploring the depths of her gift with the help of a seemingly insane teacher and psychoactive substances, Rin learns that gods long thought dead are very much alive - and that mastering control over those powers could mean more than just surviving school.

For while the Nikara Empire is at peace, the Federation of Mugen still lurks across a narrow sea. The militarily advanced Federation occupied Nikan for decades after the First Poppy War, and only barely lost the continent in the Second. And while most of the people are complacent to go about their lives, a few are aware that a Third Poppy War is just a spark away....

Rin’s shamanic powers may be the only way to save her people. But as she finds out more about the god that has chosen her, the vengeful Phoenix, she fears that winning the war may cost her humanity...and that it may already be too late.

R.F. Kuang studies modern Chinese history. She has a BA from Georgetown University and is currently a graduate student in the United Kingdom on a Marshall Scholarship. The Poppy War is her debut novel.

©2018 Rebecca Kuang (P)2018 HarperCollins Publishers

Bright Star Burns Quick

I heard about this book through a Reddit post a few months ago, and to my delight it was available when a recent cross country drive came up. I fell into the world immediately. From the get go, Rin’s drive and ambition had me following along. For every one of her achievements, the stakes grew. From street to to school, to war and all its atrocities, Rin’s experience is certainly a harrowing one.

Now, I applaud miss Kuang’s debut. The world vivid and pulses with a real brutality. She paints action scenes so fluidly, and her sensory input is fantastic. The first two parts were unrelentingly gripping.

As the book continued, there came a shift from Rin’s internal struggle from more of what she did to more of what she thought. The philosophical quandaries began to dominate the pages, and the pace of the story started to trudge. Not to say that I don’t like understanding a characters thoughts, but it felt like they began to loop in redundancy. I think a large part of that is due to Rin’s obsession with Altan, and who through and through felt like the weakest character. Anything focused on him and his rage or hatred just slogged. And the heavy focus on him towards the end of the book really arrested the momentum going into the war.

All in all, I really enjoyed most of the book. The blips that irked me were not enough to keep me from finishing it. I appreciate the fact that miss Kuang pulled zero punches with her historical references, and I look forward to future books.

average fantasy

the none eropean setting help it feel very refreshing, Felt like the middle slogg a bit to much. the academy part could have been better fleshed out didnt feel like you get much of chance to know many of the side characters introduced during academy times of the story. the story also suffers from white room syndrome where often there would be barely any description beside knowing there was a table in the room kind of thing or get no description at all even if characters changed rooms or farther locations. action scenes were often very vague but that enjoyment is just readers preference I guess. There was good job with food description and the storys good length to listen to while traveling.

Wow that was a lot

A a a a a. A a. A an any cat rat rep deep k

why doesn't this book have a trigger warnings

so much to unpack with what I just read. So upu know  this has lots of need to know spoilers! #1 Why doesn't The Poppy War by R.F Kuang have trigger warnings for rape!!! This is the new It book everyone is talking about. And no one is talking about the SEXUAL ASSAULT
In chapter 21 or 22 I think it is horriblely graphic. #2  I am so ok with war books, I am so ok with magic and I'm  great with mixing them together... buttt this book did not mix well In my opinion. There was a more a focus on the gruesomeness of War It was just so focused on how awful war is and how awful drugs Than to really give give us an understanding of the powers in this world. The magic was to watered down with drugs to make any true understanding to why people are fighting for it.

Wonderful debut! Congratulations!

Very nice debut novel. the sequel will be very interesting. good character history, but could use more history about the twins. looking forward to the next book.

Brutal but incredible book.

excellent prose and fantastic narrator. not for the faint of heart. it does not dance around wartime atrocities, and it's better for it.

Started with the book, ending with the audiobook

Let’s just say I started off with the physical book and I trudged through it. Then I decided I didn’t want to give up on the book and I used my credit to get the audiobook. I’m not disappointed that I did, I’m disappointed that I didn’t start from the beginning with the audio. I think Emily did a great job narrating. Some of the men’s voices were funny but I still enjoyed it. I was able to get in to the story more because of her narration. I will probably but the audiobook for Dragons Republic, instead of reading the physical copy though.

Not sure I got it?

Unsophisticated writing at best at par with The Hunger Games. The book starts well but the author quickly takes the plot on a meandering course of magic and warfare that honestly doesn’t make much sense. The characters are a bit cookie cutter and their development adequate at best. Not a bad listen but surely there is better out there.

Brilliant, Game Changing, and Brutal!

(No Spoilers) This series set a new high bar for me in grimdark warfare realism, and may have actually changed my expectations of Fantasy books in general.

THE GOOD

Paradigm Shift? This is one of those series that once you've read it, you wonder why no one else was been writing this way before? Most if not all Fantasy books featuring war all present it from the viewpoint of nobility, wizards, generals, soldiers, etc. I now have the expectation of seeing the collateral damage to the common folk, and if the author doesn't include that viewpoint it's going to feel like a cop-out.

Echoes of Red Rising While reading I was struck by how much this series reminds me of Red Rising, but in a good way. While Poppy Wars didn't spend nearly as long in the "school" setting Red Rising, it does pull heavily from the relationships formed there. Much like Red Rising, you can expect every character from the school to make an appearance at some point, and play some important role in the story due to their connection to the main character.

Similarly, I found the tone of the book reminded me quite a bit of Red Rising. Because everything the characters do is so damn important with thousands (or millions) of lives hinging on their decisions. The stakes are always very high.

Gore Factor: At this point, I'm all in on grimdark, and DAMN does this deliver. The graphic descriptions of atrocities committed by both sides are all the more harrowing because it's all based loosely on real events.

People are horrible y'all.

THE NOT-AS-GOOD

I am having trouble coming up with anything negative to say about this series. Perhaps the only gripe I could level at the series is that it was a bit tiring to read. It's "heavy", and not something I'm likely to reread anytime soon. I'm glad I read it, but this was a series that takes you to a dark mental place, so perhaps avoid this if you happen to be going through a rough patch.

THE VERDICT

I think this series is brilliant, and I will be following the authors career closely.

Absolutely love this book and how is this a debut.

Rin may be a little intense and extra morally grey but wow am I fully invested in her survival. The school is wild. Tutor... Altan... Jung... So many moving pieces. IF YOU NEED TRIGGER WARNINGS MAKE SURE YOU TAKE A GANDER. Chapter 21 will destroy you so no shame in skipping if need be. That being said the brutality in this story draws from the authors background on Chinese history and is a no fluff depiction of war. Also how dare R.F. Kuang write such a complex story with vibrant characters at such a young age while in school because I'm over her questioning what I've done with my life.