A War Orphan Rises: The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang

The Poppy War (2018)
Written by: R.F. Kuang
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 549 (Kindle)
Series: Book One of The Poppy War
Publisher: HarperCollins

Why I Chose It: I had heard a lot of positive buzz about The Poppy War, but it was ultimately its Nebula Award nomination that convinced me to give it a chance.

The Premise:

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.

There are no spoilers in this review

Discussion: I began The Poppy War expecting a Harry-Potter-for-adults type of book. And for a while, that’s just what I got with this story about a “war orphan” who successful gets into her country’s most prestigious military academy. The Poppy War seems to have all the trappings of a school story, including bullies, classes, and crazy teachers, all which are handled in a very entertaining, albeit gritty way.

And then the novel reaches about the halfway mark and everything gets turned on its head. So much so, that it’s difficult to write a review without delving into spoilers. But since I want to convince as many people as possible to pick up this wonderful, yet at times challenging novel, I will do my best.

Here are some reasons why The Poppy War may be right for you.

You should pick up The Poppy War if you enjoy cheering for the underdog. The world always seems to be against Rin and often it’s due to situations beyond her control, such as her common birth. I found it incredibly easy to cheer for her, as she comes up against obstacle after obstacle, often armed with little more than her own wits and determination. Interestingly, even when she succeeds, her actions are not without consequence. The further I got into the book, the more I began to worry about how damaging Rin’s “at all cost” attitude was for her. After all, is success worth it, if you end up destroying yourself in the process? And given that the consequences of failure were often dire for Rin, how much of a choice did she really have?

You should also pick up The Poppy War if you enjoy works of Asian fantasy. The fact that The Poppy War draws its inspiration from the the Sino-Japanese War is a breath of fresh air into the genre. The worldbuilding is handled deftly by Kuang, who inserts necessary backstory throughout the novel using tools like Rin’s lessons, rather than relying on ham-fisted info dumps. The magical elements of The Poppy War are also slowly woven in, starting with simple ways to enhance martial arts, and growing to explosive heights.

And finally, you should pick up The Poppy War if you are interested in fantasy books about war, specially its psychological and emotional costs. As you might expect from a book of this nature, the content gets very dark by the end. The Poppy War doesn’t shield its reader from the horrors experienced in war by both women and children, even if some of these horrors do happen off screen. So, keep this in mind if you are triggered by content like this (the book also contains scenes of self-mutilation). Also disturbing is the impact that war has on characters that I came to care for over the course of reading this novel, especially when they are forced into impossible situations, and end up making deadly decisions.

In conclusion: I am glad that I picked up The Poppy War in my efforts to educate myself about some of this year’s Nebula nominees. The book is dark, but the characters are fantastic (especially the protagonist Rin), the setting is a real breath of fresh air, and its exploration of the consequences of war, while brutal to read, is excellently done. I look forward to see where Rin’s adventures take her in the second book in this trilogy, The Dragon Republic, which is set to come out this August.