They also killed thousands of “sooths” – soothsayers whom the previous emperors relied on to tell the future, who can also do magic and whose blood burns blue on exposure to air. They freed slaves and serfs, instituted gender equality, and tried to build a more just and equitable landscape. Two of them (known to history as One and Two of the Eleven) were the first rulers of the empire’s new age. Centuries ago, a band of 11 heroes overthrew the last of the so-called relic emperors. (I’m almost certainly missing references and resonances that would make the reading experience even deeper, simply due to my lack of familiarity with parts of the well from which He’s drawing.) It’s a lush, deeply realised world, full of laws and ministries and red-light districts, scents and textures and presences, histories and legacies. Descendent of the Crane sets itself in a world deeply influenced by Chinese history and culture. I more than liked Joan He’s debut fantasy.
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