April Book Club Discussion: Steel Crow Saga by Paul Krueger

Editor’s Note 6/22/2020: At the time of the original posting, Speculative Chic was unaware that author Paul Krueger had harassed various people in the publishing industry. We do not condone harassment, and we stand with those people who’ve been harmed as a result of his actions. Speaking up is one of the bravest things they can do, and we thank them for doing so.

Blurbs don’t usually sell books to me, but when I saw that Fonda Lee describe Steel Crow Saga as “Pokémon combined with Avatar: The Last Airbender,” I instantly wanted to know more. Paul Kreuger’s a new author for me, but it was clear from the description that the cool factor was going to be high. And Steel Crow Saga has more going for it than that. The book possesses rich worldbuilding, memorable characters, a fresh look at established genre conventions, and a giant action sequence on a moving train (but more on that later).

Steel Crow Saga (2019)
Written By: Paul Krueger
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 516 pages (Hardcover)
Publisher: Del Ray

The Premise:

Four destinies collide in a unique fantasy world of war and wonders, where empire is won with enchanted steel and magical animal companions fight alongside their masters in battle.

A soldier with a curse
Tala lost her family to the empress’s army and has spent her life avenging them in battle. But the empress’s crimes don’t haunt her half as much as the crimes Tala has committed against the laws of magic… and her own flesh and blood.

A prince with a debt
Jimuro has inherited the ashes of an empire. Now that the revolution has brought down his kingdom, he must depend on Tala to bring him home safe. But it was his army who murdered her family. Now Tala will be his redemption — or his downfall.

A detective with a grudge
Xiulan is an eccentric, pipe-smoking detective who can solve any mystery — but the biggest mystery of all is her true identity. She’s a princess in disguise, and she plans to secure her throne by presenting her father with the ultimate prize: the world’s most wanted prince.

A thief with a broken heart
Lee is a small-time criminal who lives by only one law: Leave them before they leave you. But when Princess Xiulan asks her to be her partner in crime — and offers her a magical animal companion as a reward — she can’t say no, and soon finds she doesn’t want to leave the princess behind.

This band of rogues and royals should all be enemies, but they unite for a common purpose: to defeat an unstoppable killer who defies the laws of magic. In this battle, they will forge unexpected bonds of friendship and love that will change their lives — and begin to change the world.

This is a book club, so expect some spoilers either in the discussion portion or in the comments below.

Discussion

To begin our discussion, let’s dive into the world. While Tomoda was once a vast empire, the nations under its control have broken free through a deadly war. Now, the people left behind must find a way towards peace, despite their lingering hatred. It’s a complicated setup, but Kreuger does an excellent job of establishing distinct cultures by pulling from real-world events and creating unique magic systems. Tomoda, for example, clearly draws from Japanese history, and its food and clothing have a very Japanese slant. I also like the fact that the author chose to tell this story seemingly after the big events (such as the war) have taken place. This allows us to explore the lingering results of colonialism, and how difficult it can be to set things right after countries have been torn apart.

The magic systems are where the cool factor kicks in, and this book has several of them, including shadepacting, metalpacting, and hexbolts. Shadepacting is the most explored among them, and where the Pokémon comparisons kick in. By mentally bonding with an animal, the user receives a fierce animal spirit that it can use to fight enemies. Not only does this concept result in some really exciting action sequences, but I like how the different characters in the book view this magic system. To many people, it’s just a part of their culture, but to the vegetarian Tomodanese, who go as far as to grant personhood to animals, it is an abhorrent practice akin to slavery. But even among cultures that celebrate shadepacting, there are still taboos, as we see with Tala choosing to Shadepact with her deceased brother Mang.

While Steel Crow Saga has rich worldbuilding elements, the characterization is equally good. Each one of the four main characters has a distinct journey and personality, and, unlike a lot of books that use multiple perspectives, all four storylines feel strong. I also really liked the fact that this book has such prominent LBGT rep, with plenty of queer characters who come across as genuinely complex. This results in one of my favorite plotlines of the book, which is the love story between Xiulan (our runaway princess detective) and Lee (a thief). The two characters have a wonderful energy to their dialogue, and it was so much fun to watch them come together.

In fact, for a book that isn’t about romance, I was pleased by all the romantic subplots. I like how the author takes classic romantic pairings (the princess and the thief. Two people on either side of a war) and makes them unique by adding in LGBT elements and plopping them into an entirely original fantasy setting. Steel Crow Saga also seemingly takes its inspiration from stories found in video games and animation (hence “Pokemon combined with Avatar: The Last Airbender”). By taking elements more commonly explored in other formats and putting them into a novel, it feels like a fresh and exciting take.

Admittedly, there are some points in the book where I found the plotting to be a little slow. I mainly experienced this in the first half of the book, where there’s a lot of setup and establishing worldbuilding elements before the four characters really come together. Fortunately, when they do, it’s in a GIANT ACTION SEQUENCE that takes place on a MOVING TRAIN.

Okay, so here’s a confession, I love fight scenes on trains. Sure, fight scenes on any mode of transportation are enjoyable to read/watch (especially car chases that feature characters hanging onto the top of vehicles for dear life. Those are great), but train fights are the pinnacle. There is just something super exciting about people jumping between train cars and fighting inside and outside of moving trains. And oh boy, does Steel Crow Saga have a good one, wonderfully set up as our characters settle into what they think is going just to be a journey, and then turns to exciting/fighting goodness. I especially love the moment when Tala shows up expectantly.

In Conclusion

Steel Crow Saga is a fantasy novel that’s worth your time. If you enjoy fantasy books that are inspired by Asian history, then this is likely a good choice for you. Yes, I had some issues with the pacing of the first half, but the novel has so much going for it. Whether it’s cool action sequences, complex characters/relationships, or a great fight scene on a train, I was ultimately pleased with the results. Steel Crow Saga is a stand-alone novel, but if Paul Krueger ever decides to circle back to it, I would certainly pick it up.

Recommended Reading

The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang: While Steel Crow Saga digs into the powerful aftereffects of colonialism, this book, which clearly draws from the Sino-Japanese War, is right in the thick of it. Much like Steel Crow Saga, The Poppy War (and the sequel The Dragon Republic), is also an example of Asian fantasy and contains complex characters. Just keep in mind that both books have a lot more war-time violence then Steel Crow Saga, if that’s something you’re sensitive about.

The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty: If you’re looking for a book about cultures caught up in complicated pasts, and their attempts to break out of a cycle of violence, then the Middle Eastern-inspired City of Brass would be a fantastic choice. Having a book that primarily takes place in one city results in a less sprawling tale, but it never feels less grand. The sequel, The Kingdom of Copper, is also recommended.

Jade City by Fonda Lee: It felt a shame not to mention Lee’s book, considering it was her recommendation that convinced me to pick up Steel Crow Saga in the first place. But if you’re looking for cool factor, Jade City has that in spades, a result of a great, jade-based magic system that lends itself well to some intense action sequences.

Grass by Keum Suk Gendry-Kim and Wild Swans by Jung Chang: Perhaps you’d like to read about some of the history that inspired parts of Steel Crow Saga. Both titles are biographies that dig into the impacts of the Sino-Japanese War. Grass is a graphic biography about a girl who was forced to become what’s commonly known as a “Korean Comfort Woman.” It does a fantastic job of getting into the personal impacts of the time period. It’s worth noting that Grass does have scenes of sexual assault, but the artwork in those scenes is quite abstract, which makes them lass graphic. Wild Swans (which admittedly, I have not read in over ten years), tells the stories of three generations of Chinese women and how their lives were impacted by large scale events, including the effects of Japanese imperialism. Both books are a lore more personal and small scale then what you’d expect to find in an epic fantasy story, but the content is still relevant.

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May’s Book Club Selection: The Tethered Mage by Melissa Caruso, hosted by Lane Robins on Friday, May 29th!