The elevator pitch for this would be “popcorn read for fans of Avatar: The Last Airbender.” It was fun, but (unlike ATLA) I don’t think this’ll really stick with me - the book struggled to hold my interest.
Most of the protagonists are “war artists” (as opposed to “martial artists”), of the “ancient-family-secret-technique-that-lets-you-shatter-stone-with-your-fist” variety. The wise-mentor figure of the book, for example, is a Windwhisperer, which is an airbender by any other name.
The plot centers on Jian, hero of prophecy, destined to finally defeat the Great Khan of the barbarians that have been a continual threat to the central nation. The Hero’s birth was foretold centuries before; an entire religion has developed around waiting for him. When the signs were fulfilled and he was finally born, the various ruling nobles set aside their differences and came together to see to his safety and training against the day the prophecy would be fulfilled.
There are two wrinkles in this, however.
The first is that, instead of being raised to be a noble hero, Jian has been raised to be a pampered prince. There’s also a case of “too many cooks” going on: Jian is being trained by a dozen or so masters, all of whom think their style is the best, their secret technique is the one that will make the difference. So Jian has natural talent, but in terms of actual effectiveness he’s a complete mess.
The second wrinkle is that the Great Khan, completely shit-faced, stumbled upon, and was killed by, a patrol of ordinary soldiers. So much for the prophecy.
The action unfolds around three plotlines. Jian is now in hiding, as the ruling nobles now consider him a liability since they no longer need a savior. His crotchety old master (who kicked out the useless gaggle who had made such a hash of things shortly before news came of the Khan’s death) is trying to keep him alive and find out what went wrong with the prophecy. And the third plotline is centered on one of the champions of the Khan’s people, defeated and humiliated after his death.
First in a series (I don’t know how long) that I don’t think I’ll continue. This was fine, but as I said at the top, it didn’t really hold my interest. But if you’re looking for something fun, and you love things like ATLA, Dragonball, Kill Bill, and Bruce Lee movies, give it a shot.
Comes out on August 9.
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