March 1, 2023
Once prophesied to be the Chosen One who would vanquish the Eternal Khan, an immortal god king, Jian is now just another young man trying to get by. Still, he's managed to link up with grandmaster Taishi, and she's got other plans, yanking a bunch of aging grandmasters from retirement to prepare Jian for one last task. From a No. 1 New York Times best-selling author and Astounding Award winner. Prepub Alert.
Copyright 2023 Library Journal
Copyright 2023 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
July 28, 2023
Jian, the central character in Chu's epic fantasy series, once believed that he was the prophesied hero who was to defeat the Eternal Khan and become savior to all. But when the prophecy was discovered to be wrong, Jian instead lost everything he had, including nearly losing his life. His grandmaster Taishi, however, still believes that Jian has a purpose and brings in retired grandmasters to help her get Jian in shape and train him in their particular war arts. Others are discovering their own paths as well. The assassin Qisami is hired by a beautiful noblewoman to protect her from those who seek her power; on her mission, Qisami discovers much of what she has been missing, including friendship and purpose. Sali's purpose ended with the Eternal Khan, but she refused to bend to it, and now her exiled clan looks to her for leadership and a new home. Chu's prose envelops readers, bringing both settings and characters into vivid reality. VERDICT The sequel to The Art of Prophecy highlights the drive for personal purpose, no matter what one may believe. Chu's delightful and immersive story pays tribute to martial arts and magic and is filled with enlightened and humorous dialogue.--Kristi Chadwick
Copyright 2023 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
Three years after the events in the previous volume of this martial arts fantasy series (The Art of Prophecy, 2022), the paths of three foes diverge. As the Zhuun empire approaches civil war, the fighting skills of the empire's Prophesied Hero, Wen Jian, are improving. He's still not ready to fight the Eternal Khan, but that's fine for now, because the Khan hasn't been reincarnated yet. However, there's still an enormous bounty on his head, and the religion that anointed him a hero now dubs him a villain for not having killed the previous Khan. The Khan can't reincarnate until one of his inner circle, Salminde the Viperstrike, submits herself to a ritual death and frees the portion of the Khan's soul trapped and rotting within her. While Salminde seeks a way to cure herself and prevent the birth of a new Khan, the sociopathic assassin Maza Qisami is desperate for a way out of her own troubles. Having lost considerable status and money for failing to kill Wen Jian, she accepts a new assignment that just might get her back on track--unless she gets too comfortable in her cover as a ducal servant and/or entirely fails to notice that someone is planning to double-cross her (the reader will figure out most of what's going on long before poor Qisami does). This story continues Wen Jian's personal journey from rash, na�ve spoiled brat to perhaps, eventually, a true martial artist, while vigorously introducing new characters and new plotlines. It is also genuinely interesting to watch Qisami begin to question her previously ruthless ways and confront the consequences of her behavior, and to see both her and Salminde struggle to seize a purpose and a place to belong that represent more than the next great fight against an enemy. As a result, this is a fun and fascinating book in its own right, and not a mere setup for the final installment in the trilogy. Fights, schemes, snappy dialogue, and some genuinely touching moments make this series continue to shine.
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