The Poppy War by R F Kuang

The Poppy War (The Poppy War, #1)

by R.F. Kuang

Winner of the Reddit Fantasy Award for Best Debut 2018

'The best fantasy debut of 2018' WIRED

A brilliantly imaginative epic fantasy debut, inspired by the bloody history of China's twentieth century and filled with treachery and magic.

When Rin aced the Keju - the test to find the most talented students in the Empire - 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 had hoped to get rich by marrying her off; and to Rin herself, who realized she was finally free from a life of servitude. 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. Fighting the prejudice of rival classmates, Rin discovers that 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 psychoactive substances and a seemingly insane teacher, Rin learns that gods long thought dead are very much alive - and that mastering these 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 Federation occupied Nikan for decades after the First Poppy War, and only barely lost the continent in the Second. And while most people calmly go about their lives, a few are aware that a Third Poppy War is just a spark away...

Reviewed by wyvernfriend on

3 of 5 stars

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Complex Opium is an undercurrent of the Nikara empire.  The war with the Federation of Mugen brought it to these shores and only the powers of the Trifecta, the Vipress; The Dragon Emperor and the Gatekeeper who went to the gods and begged for power, have kept the Mugen Federation at bay.
 
The Dragon Emperor is dead, decades later, the Gatekeeper is missing and the Vipress sits on the throne and the Mugen Federation is still a threat.
 
In this world war orphan Fang Runin finds herself having to make a choice.  She can marry or she can fight for her right to be in the Military Academy in Sinegard.  There she finds a lot of obstacles and powers she didn't realise existed.  Powers that are officially forbidden.
 
There's a lot in here and a lot of things that you can see will have implications later in the series.  It led to another bad decision book club moment where I kept "just reading to the end of a chapter" until I finished the book.  There were a few moments where the bad decisions felt more plot driven than character driven but I'm sure this will be worked out in later books.  It's going to be an interesting ride.  There were interesting philosophical moments where the author was looking at belief and how magic and belief could be linked and how it could have implications when you didn't believe.
 
I hope there's a more human side of the Mugen Federation in later books because so far they're very single-minded and not very nice.

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  • 22 January, 2019: Reviewed