If you read the first couple of chapters of The Poppy War, you may get Harry Potter vibes. This is because the lead character, Rin is a young orphan girl in an unfortunate situation where she’s being used by her opium dealing foster parents. That’s until she studies in her own time so that she can ace an exam and be selected to attend a military school. It all seems charming and whimsical at first, but The Poppy War is far from charming. From Part II onward, this book becomes raw, bold and bloody.
About The Poppy War
Author: R. F. Kuang
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Date Published: May 1st, 2018
Pages: 544
Book Description
The Poppy War is a grimdark fantasy novel inspired by the politics of mid-20th-century China. The novel centers on a poor orphan, Rin, who trains in secret to pass a test that will award her entry into the elite Sinegard Academy. When a conflict surfaces between the Nikara Empire and their neighboring nation, the Federation of Mugen, Rin is called to the front lines. And it’s here where she discovers her shamanic powers, which are aided by the use of opium.
My Thoughts
The Poppy War does a wonderful job of making the reader follow Rin’s journey, and this is because her growth over the span of the story is eventful. One of the things I love the most about this book is the huge tonal shift that is best felt at the beginning of Part II.
In Part I of The Poppy War, we witness Rin’s triumph at scoring top marks in the Keju test and being accepted as a student at Sinegard Academy. Once she makes it to the academy, one might compare her journey to Harry Potter as she learns many secrets and theories about shamanism. But even throughout this early phase in the book, there are some exceptionally deep themes explored, including a life-altering decision that Rin makes about her body.
Once Part II kicks off, we begin to see Rin and her fellow students in a real battle situation. And from here on, The Poppy War holds no punches. It gets more brutal by the page turn. Sometimes in fantasy fiction, the large-scale war scenes are very much there as a backdrop for the story. But The Poppy War puts Rin—and the reader by extension—into the thick of war. Every brutal sight, smell and feeling is explored in the prose. And it’s in this violent chaos that we see Rin’s character develop.
Further into Part II, Rin’s comrades begin to realize her true power and potential, and that’s when she’s transferred to the Cike. Without saying too much, this is a unit full of warriors with special abilities. And although this is a fantasy book that reads very real, it’s through the Cike that we begin to delve into the book’s magical ethos.
They say writers should show and not tell. But on the occasions when The Poppy War begins to tell, I’m never bored or put off. The info-dumps are masked neatly and I’m never hesitant to learn more about this world that for some reason resonates so deeply. The Poppy War is inspired by real historical Chinese conflicts, but the book’s version of China is known as Nikan. And even though Nikan is fictionalized, it’s history feels just as real as the history the book draws its inspiration from. I felt like I was actually learning about real history while enjoying the journey of a young and determined girl warrior at the same time. This was helped by the fact that the writing in The Poppy War is clear and never convoluted.
Verdict
This is top tier fantasy fiction in my eyes. And even though it may not seem like it in the beginning, this is also a very raw grimdark story. I would highly recommend this book and I am eager to continue the series with the sequel, The Dragon Republic.
R. F. Kuang has inspired the writer in me.
