Contemporary Authors

• The Poppy War: A Novel - 2018 Harper Voyager , https://smile.amazon.com/Poppy-War-Novel-R-Kuang/dp/0062662562/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

• R.F. Kuang - https://rfkuang.com/about/

  About

  Biography

  I immigrated to the US from Guangzhou, China in 2000. I currently study Chinese history at Georgetown, where my research focuses on Chinese military strategy, collective trauma, and war memorials. I’m a 2018 Marshall Scholar, and I’ll be heading to the University of Cambridge next fall to do my graduate studies.

  Fiction-wise, I graduated from Odyssey Writing Workshop in 2016 and attended the CSSF Novel Writing Workshop in 2017. My debut novel, The Poppy War, is the first installment in a trilogy that grapples with drugs, shamanism, and China’s bloody twentieth century.
  (Some) Press and Interviews

  April 25, 2018. Georgetown SFS. “Rebecca Kuang (SFS’18) Publishes The Poppy War, Her Debut Novel”

  April 26, 2018. BookNest. “Interview with R.F. Kuang.”

  March 26, 2018. RT Book Reviews. “R.F. Kuang Stuns With Her Debut Fantasy Novel, The Poppy War.”

  January 11, 2018. Barnes & Noble Sci-Fi and Fantasy Blog. “R.F. Kuang’s The Poppy War, An Epic Debut Inspired by 20th Century China”

  December 10, 2017. “Georgetown Author R.F. Kuang Speaks on Upcoming Novel ‘The Poppy War’”

  December 4, 2017. “MARSHALL SCHOLARSHIPS AWARDED TO TWO GEORGETOWN STUDENTS, ONE ALUMNUS”
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  they were giving these chocolates out at the DCC industry party and I’m so impressed
  so lucky to meet so many of my writing and comics heroes at #denvercomiccon this past weekend. everyone was so down to earth and kind and generous with their time. that’s the kind of writer I aspire to be! ❤️❤️❤️ (Also, Tamora Pierce is just as hilarious, incisive, courageous, and incredible as you’d imagine from reading her books.)

The Poppy War
Publishers Weekly.
265.10 (Mar. 5, 2018): p52. From Book Review Index Plus. COPYRIGHT 2018 PWxyz, LLC http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
The Poppy War
R.F. Kuang. Harper Voyager, $26.99 (544p) ISBN 978-0-06-266256-9
Debut novelist Kuang creates an ambitious fantasy reimagining of Asian history populated by martial artists, philosopher-generals, and gods. War orphan Fang Runin ("Rin") escapes abusive foster parents by gaining admission to the Nikara Empire's prestigious military academy. Though stigmatized because of her peasant background, she earns top grades and wins the annual martial arts tournament. But she refuses a typical apprenticeship and instead goes to study with the academy's disreputable Lore Master Jiang, who despairs of reviving the discredited shaman traditions. Finding her way to the home of the gods, Rin is forced to choose between obeying her master's warnings against abuse of power and unleashing divine retribution when the island nation of Mugen, armed with chemical and biological weapons, invades and massacres civilians. Kuang highlights the horrors of war, especially the moral and emotional toll on combatants who employ scorched-earth strategies. Heroic responses pale in view of the collateral damage that they trigger, and the novel does not allow its characters to slough off their culpability for channeling godly powers. Readers may empathize with Rin's desire for vengeance, but any thrill
1 of 2 7/16/18, 10:26 PM
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MA...
at her success is matched by horror at its costs. This is a strong and dramatic launch to Kuang's career. (May)
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"The Poppy War." Publishers Weekly, 5 Mar. 2018, p. 52. Book Review Index Plus,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A530430277/GPS?u=schlager&sid=GPS& xid=a4aa41c9. Accessed 16 July 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A530430277
2 of 2 7/16/18, 10:26 PM

• Book Page
  https://bookpage.com/interviews/22654-r-f-kuang
  Word count: 1563

  Web Exclusive – May 01, 2018
  R.F. Kuang
  "It’s impossible to take a scene seriously if everyone in it is tripping balls."

  BookPage interview by Chris Pickens

  R.F. Kuang’s superlative fantasy debut, The Poppy War, follows ambitious orphan Rin as she enters prestigious military academy Sinegard, attempts to survive her crushing workload and vicious fellow students, and discovers her shamanistic powers—as well as the ability to communicate with the gods through hallucinogenic drugs.

  The Poppy War enthralls readers with a textured, well-crafted world inspired by both 20th-century and Song Dynasty China, before growing steadily darker and more mature as Rin and her companions encounter the brutality of war outside the classroom and Rin tries to come to terms with her destructive power. We talked to Kuang about discovering her inner editor and creating a heroine that represents her worst impulses.

  Since this is your debut novel, what were the greatest challenges you encountered in the writing or editing process that you might not have encountered in writing workshops or during school?
  I actually hadn’t taken received any formal writing training when I finished The Poppy War. That was weirdly liberating—I wasn’t aware of all the things that could possibly go wrong, so I just had a good time writing a story that I enjoyed. But that’s not a sustainable path to improving your craft, because it means you remain ignorant of your own faults. After The Poppy War and its sequels sold, I went first to the Odyssey Writing Workshop in 2016 and the CSSF Novel Writing Workshop in 2017. That’s when I developed some serious imposter syndrome and second book syndrome. All the techniques that felt so intuitive and effortless to me when I was writing my first book now seemed impossible (I always compare this to Lyra of The Golden Compass and her alethiometer). It took a long time for me to trust my writing voice again. But now I have a confident writing voice and a harsh inner editor, which is a good place to be.

  The Poppy War draws inspiration from Chinese history. What periods of China’s past resonated most with you when writing? What resources proved the most helpful?
  The book draws its plot and politics from mid-20th-century China, and its aesthetic from Song Dynasty China. I read all the standard Western historical works—Spence, Fairbank, Dikotter, the Cambridge History of China series, what have you. On the Chinese side I was reading historians like Ray Huang. I also drew heavily from Iris Chang’s work. Her historical analysis has been challenged by many historians since The Rape of Nanking was first published in 1997, but it touches on many themes—outrage, intergenerational memory and trauma, nationalism and erasure—that are defining features of the study of the Rape of Nanjing today.

  The island nation of Mugen seems to reflect World War II-era Japan with its military might. Does The Poppy War seek in any way to reflect on Chinese-Japanese relations throughout history?
  The Poppy War has deliberate parallels to Sino-Japanese relations during the 20th century. (So deliberate, in fact, that whenever I describe the world I just say “faux China” and “faux Japan.”) The map in the hardcover looks almost identical to the East China Sea! The similarities aren’t just aesthetic. The Poppy War’s plot is mirrored almost entirely on the Second Sino-Japanese War (World War II). You see a deeply militarized, westernized society invading a comparatively backward, huge but fragile empire. You also get a fantasy version of the Rape of Nanjing, the experiments of Unit 731 and the Battle of Shanghai. And the themes of the book are, of course, intergenerational trauma and cycles of violence—extremely important topics in Sino-Japanese relations today.

  There’s a great deal of detail and care given to the scenes in Sinegard, where Rin and her fellow students learn the ways of war. What was it like to write about student life? Did you find yourself feeling nostalgic or reliving your own experiences as a student?
  I am still a student, so I wouldn’t say that writing about student life was nostalgic as much as it was cathartic. I like writing about the high-pressure academic rat race. I don’t think that many fantasy books explore the ways that students develop their own kinds of addiction to success and external praise. That mindset can ruin you. We should talk about it more.

  As the war continues, Rin and her compatriots discover scenes of increasingly monstrous acts committed by the enemy. Was it difficult to conceive of and write some of the more intense scenes of brutality that your characters witness?
  It wasn’t difficult to conceive. It’s never difficult to conceive of inhuman brutality—you just have to open a history book. But many scenes were very, very difficult to write. Parts one and two flew by during the drafting process, but parts three and four took me much longer because I could only write a few paragraphs at a time before I had to step out and take a walk.

  In many ways, The Poppy War can be seen as an examination of the effects of suffering. Physical, psychological, mental and spiritual trauma informs the identities of many characters. Was this by design? Did the suffering these characters experience make for better or different decisions in your writing process?
  Yes, The Poppy War was intentionally a study on pain, sacrifice, vengeance and trauma. There are two separate themes to tease out here. The first is pain as a necessary sacrifice for power. Rin has to give up so much, has to suffer so much, for where she ends up. She self-mutilates. She has a hysterectomy. She puts herself through brutal torture, both mental and physical, to keep her place at Sinegard. Was it worth it?

  The second theme is the question of whether past trauma ever justify future atrocities, even if it explains them. The Poppy War explores this on both an interpersonal and international level. Take Altan. He’s been through so much shit, but he takes his inner issues out on others in a way that is inexcusable. What do you do with that? Do we forgive him for being both emotionally and physical abusive towards Rin just because his childhood was a string of horrors? Then take the Nikara Empire and the Federation of Mugen, who have been abusing each other (and Speer) for centuries. When your foreign policy decisions are motivated by national trauma, when does the cycle of violence ever stop?

  Rin is a flawed and fascinating heroine, and the beating heart of this story. Do you see yourself in any part of Rin's character? How are you different from her?
  I think Rin and I are quite different! I’m generally quite positive, and she’s generally quite . . . not. I just want to become a professor, settle down with my boyfriend and live a happy life with our two corgis (we don’t own them yet, but we will). Rin wants to . . . burn cities, I guess.

  That being said, I think Rin represents my worst impulses, exaggerated to the extreme. I get angry. Rin rages. I’m ambitious. Rin is addicted to her ambition. She’s impulsive, furious, vengeful, over-the-top angry. These are all the things that I try to rein back in myself.

  What was your favorite part about constructing a universe full of gods and shamans? What other fantasy worlds gave you inspiration?
  My favorite part by far was writing about psychedelics. It’s impossible to take a scene seriously if everyone in it is tripping balls. I haven’t seen this particular mechanism used as a magic system in other fantasy works before, so I wouldn’t say I drew magical inspiration from any fantasy worlds. It all comes from history. I’ve been obsessed with the Opium Wars for a long time, and it’s interesting to entertain a world where opium is not just a source of Chinese debilitation and humiliation, but also of unfathomable power.

  When you reflect on the time you spent writing, what passages or sequences do you remember most vividly?
  The chapter about Golyn Niis–that chapter–was extremely difficult to write. I remember that week very vividly. I did my research in the morning, took a mental health break, wrote in the afternoon and took another mental health break. I cried a lot. I was getting so depressed that my roommate made me stop working on the manuscript for a few days.

  On the lighter side, I love the scene where Rin and Nezha fight back to back during the battle at Sinegard. It’s such a pivotal point in their relationship. It transforms from a petty schoolyard rivalry to something bigger.

  Can you give us any information about the next installment in Rin's story?
  Only that a draft of book two has been finished and you can expect it around a year from now (:

  ALSO IN BOOKPAGE: Read our review of The Poppy War.

• Fantasty Book Review
  http://www.fantasybookreview.co.uk/R-F-Kuang/The-Poppy-War.html
  Word count: 1884

  The Poppy War by R F Kuang
  The Poppy War book cover
  Free preview
  Rating 9.4/10
  A masterpiece by grimdark's newest and perhaps darkest daughter.

  Book of the Month

  I received an advanced reader copy of The Poppy War from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I would like to thank R. F. Kuang and Harper Voyager for this opportunity.

  Rin is a war orphan who works at her foster parents' shop and their main income is created by dealing drugs. Only just into her teenage years, Rin is offered a proposal to marry and bear children for an unattractive gentleman three times her age who has no redeeming qualities. She decides she needs to escape this presented and projected future and her only means of doing this is to study for the Keju - an examination where the top-50 students in the country that pass the test can train at the military educational establishment set in the empire's capital. Surprising everyone apart from herself she is successful and then whisked away by her tutor to the city and this is where Rin's adventure really starts.

  Although the college sections are similar in design and structure to those depicted within novels such as The Name of the Wind and The Wizard of Earthsea, The Poppy War has a lot more in common with Anthony Ryan's Blood Song. This is a dark, brutal, gruesome and occasionally uncomfortable book to experience so readers should not think that because it features a school environment with best friends, bullies, and coming of age experiences that this is dumbed down like some fantasy adventures that feature such tropes.

  The Poppy War is inspired by China's bloody 20th-century history and parallels between segments here and real events can be seen at certain points. The oriental take on fantasy is something that has intrigued me since I read Fonda Lee's - Jade City and similar to that tale Kuang's debut is complex, insightful, well-crafted and features certain characters who kick-ass at martial arts. The world building here is sublime, as is the depth of the nations history, religions and practices. There were many ways the author engineered the intricate details of her created world but my personal favourite was when the myths of the Trifecta were presented in the form of a shadow puppet show.

  The characterisation and character development employed throughout this novel are exquisite. Written in the third person perspective, Rin is the only point of view character that we follow and to say that her character and personality change throughout the course of the narrative is an understatement. She is an excellent protagonist and shortly she may be mentioned alongside genre-defining characters such as Kvothe and Vaelin. There is quite a sizeable dramatis personae and too many standout characters to mention in this review. Notable mentions go to Jiang (the Lore master who might just be a little bit insane), Nezha (Rin's rival who is the beautiful son of a warlord and who should have a glorious military career), and Altan (the college's finest student who excels in all aspects and has never lost a fight). Also, the Cike are brilliant. They are almost like this worlds version of the X-Men.

  Approximately the first half of the book is set in the school where students learn about five subjects including strategy, lore, and martial arts training. Three years later we reach the second half of The Poppy War which features skirmishes, battles, political indecision and some of the grimmest and most shocking scenes I've come across for a long time. One moment is particular stands out as being on par with the nightmare that was the hammer scene from Anna Stephen's Godblind. This story features plenty of deaths as well as torture, drug use, mutilation, implied rape, grotesque monsters and malevolent gods. The first third of the book doesn't really present this sort of darkness and despondency so I thought I'd make it clear in my review that this is a story that is very adult in nature. A good percentage of destruction, later on, is generated from this worlds magic where certain vessels can be assigned the power of the gods and wield it for their own means. As I'm sure you can imagine, this leads to ridiculously overpowered players that then can lead to complete madness.

  2017's debut fantasy releases were some of the finest of recent years and it's great to know that Kuang has picked up the baton and is carrying on the trend and leading the charge in 2018. I can safely say that this will be the finest debut of 2018 and I'd be surprised if it isn't one of the top 3 books of the year full stop. Spectacular, masterclass, brilliant, awesome... All the complimentary buzzwords you can imagine don't quite do The Poppy War justice for how amazing it is. The only very minor criticism I have is that on the cover artwork Rin has a bow and I can't remember her using such a weapon in the book. That's my only negative. If you like dark adult fantasy then check out this masterpiece by grimdark's newest and perhaps darkest daughter.

  9.4/10 - James Tivendale

  R.F. Kuang’s “The Poppy War” is one of the most hardest-hitting and impressive debuts I’ve had the privilege of reading; it pulled me through an exhaustive range of emotion from which I haven’t yet recovered. The book explores the corruption of power, the lust for vengeance, and the darkest depths of humanity and savagery. It comments on the nature of war, religion, and social imbalance. It paints an all-too-real portrait of racial atrocities, drug dependence, and genocide. Yet it is compulsively readable and quietly educational as well. Kuang seems driven to shine a spotlight on humanity at its basest level, and what we find is unfortunately all too familiar.

  These revelations are frightening for a fantasy novel, but even more disturbing when drawing comparisons to crises evident in our own recent history. This story has direct correlations with the first and second Sino-Japanese War and World War II, when the Japanese imperialists were responsible for the deaths of millions of civilians and POWs through deeds of human experimentation, starvation, chemical and biological warfare, and genocide. It was a horrifying and shameful period in human history, and it happened less than a century ago.

  But don’t let these themes scare you away from picking this book up, as the story takes on a much less oppressive tone for the first two acts. The narrative follows Rin, a teenage war orphan who is assigned to live with adoptive parents who deal opium for a living. They plan to sell Rin to a man thrice her age who can pay her parents a large dowry, and Rin envisions a life of unhappiness and disgust unless she can somehow find a way out. She learns about a test that all students can take that would place them in universities across the country. Having no money, the only college that wouldn’t charge her tuition is the very best of the best: a military academy in Sinegard, the capital city of the Nikara empire. This poor, southern girl who is years behind in her education must sacrifice everything to gain a spot at this prestigious academy where only the sons and daughters of warlords and politicians attend. Although Rin passes the test, she quickly learns that her challenges are just getting started.

  We spend the first half of the book following Rin’s progress and education in the studies of martial arts, lore, strategy, and other subjects that will prepare her for a high leadership role in the armed forces. But Rin is different than her peers; she has left her old life behind, and faces a homelessness and starvation if she doesn’t excel in her studies. She dedicates herself to learning as much as she can about the history of her empire, The First and Second Poppy Wars, and how an entire race of people were sacrificed just to gain allies in a conflict. She trains in a different form of combat than any of her other peers who have been fighting since they could stand. She starts to learn about the ancient art of shamanism, and how ingesting certain hallucinogens or opioids can help transcend her state of meditation towards communion with her gods.

  Rin is an imperfect soul who is easy to root for, especially since it is plain to see how any one of us could make the same mistakes and errors of judgment in our own youth. She means well, and is not afraid to sacrifice anything for what she believes is right and just. This theme comes into play several times throughout the course of the book and helps to shape the type of person Rin feels she is fated to become. But the gods may scoff at ideas such as fate and destiny, and Rin and her peers are forced to make the most difficult decision of all: when faced with unspeakable horror, how far would you go to exact vengeance? Can acts of terror ever truly be justified?

  Simply put, R.F. Kuang’s “The Poppy War” is a towering achievement of modern fantasy. Kuang writes in a descriptive and narrative style that presents many sides of an issue without trying to persuade the reader into thinking which path is the “correct” one, if one such exists. As the book descends into its bleak final act, the connection we’ve built with Rin and her companions is put to the test. It is a testament to Kuang’s skill as a writer to establish such a strong connection with her protagonists that the impact of the events in third act hit as hard as they do. There aren’t any real complaints I have about this book, which is wholly impressive considering how early it is in the author’s young career. This story weaves recent Chinese history into an emotionally chaotic, brilliantly-told grimdark fantasy that is impossible to forget. Read it.

  9.3 / 10 - Adam Weller

  This The Poppy War book review was written by James Tivendale and Adam Weller
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• The Skiffy and Fanty Show
  https://skiffyandfanty.com/blogposts/reviews/bookreviews/reviewpoppywarkuang/
  Word count: 1010

  Book Review: The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang

  Posted on April 18, 2018 by Paul Weimer

  In a secondary fantasy world inspired by early 20th Century China, a young woman’s determination and drive to succeed and excel at any cost runs into the horrors of war, conflict and ancient, suppressed forces in R. F. Kuang’s excellent debut novel, The Poppy War.

  The Poppy War is the story of orphan Rin. When we meet her, she is working for her adoptive family as little better than a slave. Her family, petty drug dealers in a backwater portion of the nation of the Nikara Empire, uses and abuses her mercilessly. Rin has dreams, however, dreams of escaping her backwater province, and the manipulations of her family. In the Empire, the civil service examinations, the Keju, hold the promise of a meritorious escape to one of the schools of the Empire. And once there, she can be free to study what she wishes, or so she hopes. For, once she does make it to the Sinegard, the premier academy for military matters, Rin realizes just what a wider world she has steeped into, a world that is at the brink of war with the grasping nearby Federation of Mugen. Rin’s hitherto unknown talent and her connection to the Gods is not only discovered, but tested and strained to the breaking point.

  As you might imagine, given that synopsis, in a thick fantasy novel like this, a lot is going on, even if we are in a strict and focused single point of view. The Poppy War takes Rin from her origins through the horrors of war in pacing that is assured and deeply connects us to the character and her travails. The first portion is her coming of age and escape from her unhappy circumstances, the middle portion is the travails at academy, and the final portion is full-on horrors of war and combat. Throughout, the author builds and layers character development, growth and change, really making this Rin’s story even as she reveals the deep detail of the world.

  And what a world. The early 20th century China model is clear from the get-go, a precarious empire that has suffered wars with neighbors and only by intervention from the outside, and some luck, has managed to hold on. And even so, local warlords, squabbling for power and their own gain and security, cannot cooperate even as the Federation of Mugen (which has clear analogues to the Japanese Empire) seeks to expand and take Nikara for itself. There are more parallels and allusions right down into the culture, from the civil service examinations, to references to classics and events inspired by Chinese history and literature. I caught a couple of these (mainly because I saw the movie Red Cliff) and I am sure that I missed others.

  There is plenty of worldbuilding here, though, that is completely new and unique and that is the more fantastical elements of the book. The author takes her time in making those fantastical elements concrete and more than outmoded superstitions. We learn in the course of the book that the Gods are indeed real, indeed can grant power—and that, of course, Rin has access to that power, potentially. But such access and such power has terrible costs, which we see not only in Rin, but in her fellows who can also call such power, make such contact. While the theme of what are you willing to do to get what you want is one that goes all the way back to the beginning of the novel, it is in the war portion of the novel, when the real costs of that philosophy, that desire, truly are made manifest. Collateral damage, devastation and unintended consequences of unleashing dangerous powers, even in a good cause, are themes and notes that the author explores in this third section. She does not have any happy, comforting answers, though, not for the readers and not for the characters themselves, especially Rin.

  I highly enjoyed the book, but I will warn readers that this is not a happy-go-lucky coming-of-age story that is for all ages and for all readers. While there are moments of humor and leavened levity, the novel does have really strong notes of grimness, death, devastation, madness and the costs of war and fighting war. There are haunting scenes and events in this novel that the author expertly shows just what such conflict can and will do to a place and a people, and she doesn’t pull punches in that regard. I needed a bit of lighter fare after I read this to regain my own equilibrium. Rin’s story is masterfully done, but it is not for everyone. The gorgeous, line-drawing-like cover belies the dark nature of the novel.

  I do look forward to reading subsequent volumes; this promises to be the first installment. Admittedly the novel doesn’t quite have a good “off ramp” as it might have, but for me, I’m definitely on board for the next installment.

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  About Paul Weimer

  Paul Weimer is a SF writer, gamer, reviewer, and podcaster and an avid amateur photographer. In addition to the Skiffy and Fanty Show, he also frequently podcasts with SFF audio. His reviews and columns can also be found at Tor.com and the Barnes and Noble SF blog. He is best seen on twitter as @princejvstin and his website.
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• New York Daily News
  http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/theater-arts/poppy-war-review-magical-brutal-medieval-asian-fantasy-article-1.3983245#
  Word count: 716

  'The Poppy War' book review: A magical, brutal coming-of-age tale in a medieval Asian fantasy world
  By Michael Nam
  | NEW YORK DAILY NEWS |
  May 10, 2018 | 9:36 PM
  'The Poppy War' book review: A magical, brutal coming-of-age tale in a medieval Asian fantasy world
  "The Poppy War" by R.F. Kuang (Harper Voyager)

  War, what is it good for?

  "The Poppy War" brings to life a war orphan named Fang Runin or Rin for short, who barely makes a life in a deeply divided empire of magic, martial arts and angry gods. Author R.F. Kuang constructs a magical world reminiscent of medieval China, rather than the standard European tropes common to the genre, where monsters, both human and not, can wreak unspeakable havoc.

  Rin is a young girl with little status as an orphan from the last Poppy War, taken in by abusive, drug-dealing foster parents living in a backwater province and further stigmatized by her darker-colored skin. Nothing comes easy for her, and the rigid class structure is both familiar and unique to the kind of historical setting Kuang draws from.

  The tale starts in a straightforward fantasy adventure manner, as Rin, in an effort to avoid being married off to a much older man, enlists the help of a teacher and wills herself to pass a government exam to escape to an elite military academy. There she immediately starts off on the wrong foot with the rich, snobby boy, and makes a brilliant best friend along the way.

  Some comparisons to Harry Potter are inescapable, granted.

  Still, Rin isn't a famous rich orphan. She's a poor, outcast orphan, and her stubbornness and rage are tested by her classmates and disdainful instructors until she meets and trains with the somewhat off-beat master named Jiang Ziya, through whom her dangerous potential becomes unlocked.

  After military training, Rin, her best friend Kitay, and Altan, a mysterious young man who survived his people's genocide, go from school to the impending crisis of war with the Mugen Empire, a nation of islands off the Nikaran east coast, and a genocidal rival.

  Some comparisons to real-world history are inescapable.

  The ensuing campaigns, trials and adventures go from quaintly Potter-esque to drama of historic scale. More "Hunger Games," less "Sorcerer's Stone." A larger world of war atrocities, mad gods and demented scientists ups the stakes for the peasant girl of iron will, but despite the terrible violence that Kuang describes in excruciating detail, there is a gallows humor at work and the principle characters never entirely lose their charm enough to disconnect from the reader. Despite the sometimes disturbing paths that we follow down with Rin and her allies, there is debate and nuance.

  Kuang ambitiously begins a trilogy that doesn't shy away from the darkest sides of her characters, wrapped in a confectionery of high-fantasy pulp. Where the children's "Avatar" animated-series ultimately is about optimism in the face of unending warfare, "The Poppy War" delivers a tale more fatalistic, but still relatable. Frankly, it's also just wonderful to have more genre stories told through an Asian cultural tableau. The future of Rin in this world may appear quite dark, but that of the series seems bright indeed.

  "The Poppy War" is out now from Harper Voyager.
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• Washington Post
  https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/best-science-fiction-and-fantasy-books-out-this-month/2018/05/02/bdd0e262-4d4f-11e8-b725-92c89fe3ca4c_story.html?utm_term=.8d6afa856bf0
  Word count: 170

  R.F. Kuang’s debut novel, The Poppy War (Harper Voyager), is a study in every kind of violence. The humor is a bitter laugh, the lessons bruising. The first in a planned trilogy, it spans several years in the life of Rin, a dark-skinned orphan studying in secret so she can test into the most elite military academy in the empire and thereby escape an unwanted marriage. Against all odds, Rin aces the test but soon realizes that her poverty, gender and skin color mark her as a target to her privileged classmates. She learns she has an incredible power that she can harness, but only if she gets high. The book starts as an epic bildungsroman, and just when you think it can’t get any darker, it does. Its Chinese influences and female character will garner comparisons to Mulan, but that’s a cheap thread. Kuang pulls from East Asian history, including the brutality of the Second Sino-Japanese war, to weave a wholly unique experience.

• Post Magazine
  https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/books/article/2148644/opium-wars-and-nanjing-massacre-turned-epic-fantasy
  Word count: 234

  The Poppy War
  by R.F. Kuang
  Harper Voyagers

  4/5 stars

  The Poppy War is the first novel by R.F. – or Rebecca – Kuang. Born in Guangdong province, Kuang emigrated to the United States and then England, where she plans to study at Cambridge University. The Poppy War, which she wrote aged 19, opens a trilogy that promises to “[grapple] with drugs, shamanism, and China’s bloody twentieth century”.

  Her heroine, Rin, has something of her creator: she is young, precocious and ambitious. Rin’s rise from nowhere fits into a template of modern heroes. Poor, orphaned and brilliant, she moves from the peasantry into the highest echelons of the neo-mystical Sinegard academy. Tutored by the rene­gade Master Jiang, she leads the fight against the invading Mugens (or Japanese).

  Kuang turns recentish Asian history – the opium wars, Sino-Japanese war, Nanjing massacre – into epic fantasy with considerable skill. This is elevated by an accompanying philosophy, drawn from J.R.R. Tolkien as much as Confucius, that memorialises individuals caught up in violent swathes of history. In this, Rin proves a compel­ling heroine. She is vulnerable as a peasant and a woman – she can imagine her life as the chattel of a brutal husband – and courageous enough to escape what fate and society had decreed for her. Part two can’t arrive fast enough.

• Speculative Herald
  http://www.speculativeherald.com/2018/05/07/review-the-poppy-war-by-r-f-kuang/
  Word count: 1786

  Review: The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang
  May 7, 2018
  Review: The Poppy War by R.F. KuangThe Poppy War by R.F. Kuang
  Published by Harper Voyager on May 1, 2018
  Genres: Fantasy
  Pages: 544
  Format: eARC
  Source: Publisher

  Thanks to Harper Voyager for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

  book-depository-button

  five-stars

  Sometimes I find it difficult to write a review for a book that I loved wholeheartedly, mainly because of all the emotions I’m feeling and it’s as if every single one of them is vying to burst forth from me all at the same time. The Poppy War is one of those books. There’s so much I want to say about it, like why it’s so awesome, why it spoke so strongly to me, and why you should drop everything and read it at once. Really, I just loved this book so damn much, I’m at a complete loss as to where to start.

  But perhaps a brief rundown of its premise would be a good first step. The Poppy War is the story of Rin, a war orphan who was adopted into an opium-running peasant family from a poor southern province of Nikara. Life was hard, but tolerable—that is, until they tried to marry her off to a man three times her age. A girl like her has few other options, however; but Rin is determined not to become some fat merchant’s bed slave, surprising everyone when she decides to study for the Keju imperial examinations and ends up acing them to get the top score in the province. An achievement like this automatically gets her into Sinegard, the empire’s foremost academy for military and combat training, and more importantly for Rin, it also gives her a way out of her arranged marriage and a reason to finally leave her old life behind.

  But as it turns out, Sinegard is no easy place for a poor southern girl, where the student body is mostly made up children of the Nikan Warlords and elites. To earn an apprenticeship, Rin must work harder than everyone else in the first year to prove her worth. Eventually though, the school’s eccentric Lore master agrees to take her on, recognizing in her a deadly potential. Under Jiang’s tutelage, Rin begins to learn of secret histories and the lost art of communing with the gods, beginning her journey to master the near-mythological forces of shamanism. But before her training can be completed, tensions between the Nikara Empire and the warlike Federation of Mugen across the narrow sea finally reach a breaking point, erupting into all-out war. Along with her fellow students, Rin is conscripted into the militia, providing support in the ensuing evacuations and fighting. Despite their efforts, however, Nikara quickly begins losing ground against the Federation’s might. The Empire’s enemy fights as one, while their side is fractured with indecisiveness and bickering Warlords. Unearthly powers possessed by Rin and those like her may be the only way to save her country now, but tied as they are to terrible and vengeful gods, unleashing them fully can spell deadly consequences for the entire world if she’s not prepared.

  Inspired by the Second Sino-Japanese War in the early half of the 20th century, The Poppy War includes many parallels to real events, like the 1937 massacre at Nanjing. The setting, however, more resembles the culture and civilization of the Chinese Song Dynasty, where religion and worship of folk gods played a large part in the people’s daily lives, standardized competitive examinations (which the Keju was based on) were heavily emphasized, and the level of military technology was still mostly limited to premodern armor and weapons. The result is a heady mash-up of fantasy and historical fiction, peppered with many elements derived from Chinese mythology, traditions, and folklore.

  Initially anticipating this novel to be somewhat akin to Ken Liu’s The Grace of Kings, I was at first taken by surprise by the writing style, which was much less literary than I expected. At the same time, this made the book much more approachable and easier to read, and the first part of the story even resembles a YA novel in tone and style (though it must be noted, The Poppy War is decidedly NOT a YA novel, but more on that later). Rin’s time at Sinegard is in some ways a very typical “combat/magic school story” in that she must compete for a very limited number of apprenticeships. Along the way, she makes friends and enemies among the students and teachers, while also facing discrimination from certain corners who look down on her and see her humble beginnings as proof that she won’t cut it in the Empire’s most prestigious military academy. If you enjoy books like Anthony Ryan’s Blood Song or Pat Rothfuss’s The Name of the Wind, you will find plenty to like in this introductory section.

  But then, the book moves on to its second act, in which Rin begins her shamanistic training in earnest. I would liken this part most to Karate Kid or Star Wars, where Jiang plays Yoda to Rin’s Luke Skywalker. There’s even a conversation paralleling Han Solo’s famous skeptical quote about the Force, but in Nakara, it is the study of Lore that is widely considered a hokey religion, and few remain in the Empire who believe in the power of an always-present, mystical energy. Rin flirts with regularly with the “Dark Side”, the destructive part of shamanism that, if left unchecked, could be used as a terrible, unstoppable weapon fueled by her anger and hate.

  Then, with the invasion of the Federation, the book shifts gears for the third and final time to become more of a military fantasy novel. And here, The Poppy War gets dark. Really dark. Multiple sieges and scenes depicting pitched battles remind me of works like Django Wexler’s The Shadow Campaigns series, with emphasis on military strategy and military life.

  In Part Three, we’re also hit with one of the most difficult scenes I’ve ever had to read. When you’re Chinese, it’s inevitable that you grow up hearing lots of stories about the Chinese-Japanese conflicts during the Second World War. Countless family histories have been shaped by those events, including mine. It wasn’t until I was older that my grandmother told me her family were landowners who lost everything when the Japanese forces invaded China; the warlords took advantage of the chaos to seize power, her father was set on fire, and she and a great many others had to flee to the cities in order escape the coming onslaught. So there were plenty of sobering moments when reading this book, especially the scenes describing the plight of the villages and the haunting descriptions of the trail of belongings left behind by refugees. And of course, there were the horrific atrocities. Huge warning here: the author drew from actual history for these parts, using accounts of some of the unspeakable acts perpetrated in Nanjing, or the heinous lethal human experiments that took place inside Unit 731, and she does not spare any of the brutal details. At times, it almost got to be too much, but I believe this is because Kuang truly wanted to show the sheer scope of the horrors that took place. Reading about them really shook me up and gave me chills.

  Looking back, The Poppy War feels a lot like three books in one. Mainly, the last quarter of the novel feels like a completely different beast compared to everything that came before. It’s a very jarring change, but at the same time, I could understand the reasoning behind the author’s choice to present things this way. The story “grows” with Rin, and so when you look back and juxtapose the darkness in the later chapters with the early sections of the novel, all the character’s difficulties with her studies or her petty squabbles with her schoolmates now feel so trivial and far away. It really hits home just how much the protagonist and the world around her has changed.

  In terms of criticisms, I really don’t have any, though I do have some questions on certain aspects of the magic. Like, how exactly does the use of the psychoactive drugs unlock a shaman’s connection to their gods, or why are certain individuals more predisposed to having these powers? And why don’t more Nikarans believe or even know of shamanistic magic when shapeshifting monkey-men and water-people are literally performing incredible, supernatural feats out in the open, right before their very eyes? Still, obviously, these minor concerns are far outweighed by the sheer multitude of positive aspects of the book, like amazing characters, deep and meaningful relationships, well-written and robust world-building, and one hell of an addictive story (no pun intended).

  To say I wholeheartedly recommend The Poppy War would be a massive understatement. In fact, I’m only sad that I can’t suggest it to absolutely everyone, mainly because there are some very disturbing scenes in the later parts of the book that I would warn readers against if they are uncomfortable with lots of graphic violence and brutality. If you are okay with this though, then I strongly urge you to give this one a try, as this novel has already rocketed up to the top of my list of favorite fantasy reads of all time. It was everything I wanted and more, and my book hangover is so severe right now that the only thing keeping my spirits up is the knowledge that The Poppy War is intended to be the first part of a planned trilogy, because I seriously wish it never had to end.
  five-stars

  About Latest Posts

  Stephenie Sheung
  Contributor at the Sci-Fi & Fantasy blog The BiblioSanctum. Sometimes known as "Steff" or "Mogsy" on my magical adventures through online worlds. When I'm not off slaying monsters or saving the galaxy, I also enjoy reading books. A lot of books. Don't ask me for my favorites, unless you have a lot of time!

  Need to get in touch? Find me on my blog, Goodreads, Twitter or email me

• Fantasy Faction
  http://fantasy-faction.com/2018/r-f-kuang-interview-the-poppy-war
  Word count: 1024

  R. F. Kuang Interview – The Poppy War
  Wednesday, May 2, 2018

  Rebecca F. KuangRebecca F. Kuang (writing as R. F. Kuang) immigrated to the US from Guangzhou, China in 2000. When she isn’t writing books she is a student of Chinese history focusing on military strategy, collective trauma, and war memorials. Her debut novel, The Poppy War, based on the Second Sino-Japanese War, released in the US yesterday and is releasing in the UK tomorrow. And today we were lucky enough to have her stop by to tell us about this exciting new story!

  Is The Poppy War your first book?

  Yes! First ever finished, first ever published.

  What inspired you to write it?

  Indirectly, the sheer existence of modern Chinese history. Directly, hearing wartime stories from my grandparents when I took a year off school to live and work in China for a bit. Popular works of epic fantasy take so much inspiration from European wars, but not many in the West are inspired by China. I wanted to write the book that I couldn’t find on a bookshelf.

  What genre would you categorize it as?

  Adult fantasy. Some people are calling it grimdark fantasy. I contest that label only because the darkness of TPW isn’t there for aesthetic, it’s there for historical accuracy.

  What authors influenced you?

  Too many to name. First off: Maxine Hong Kingston and Iris Chang, who are everything. As far as modern fantasy goes: N. K. Jemisin, Ken Liu, and George R.R. Martin. Orson Scott Card, problematic as he is, changed me at ten years old when I read Ender’s Game. I think I still try to write in a very Ender’s Game style–lots of heavy discussions about geopolitics interspersed with adolescent angst and witty one-liners. Also, things and planets going boom.

  Why did you chose Rin as the main character?

  The Poppy War (cover)The short version: I have never seen a southern Chinese girl who looks like me act as the protagonist of an epic fantasy book, and I wanted one.

  The long version: This story has to be Rin’s story, because it’s a tragic villain origin story. Minor spoiler here: Rin’s life is meant to parallel the trajectory of Mao Zedong from obscurity in Hunan to a genocidal dictator leading millions. I wanted to explore the psychology of a dictator. How do you go from the roots that Mao and Rin had, to holding unimaginable power and causing so much suffering with it? How do you mentally justify that to yourself? I’m uninterested in sociopathy as an answer (sociopathy is such a boring trope in fantasy besides), so I wanted to start with a girl who cares deeply for her friends, who wants to save her country, and who is firmly convinced that she’s doing the right thing. And everything is disaster from there.

  I sometimes felt Rin had romantic feelings for Kitay, Altan, and Nezha, and yet there really is no romantic subplot in the story. Why?

  I’m not particularly good at or interested in writing romantic subplots. I’m also tired of romance getting shoehorned into stories where it doesn’t necessarily belong, which seems unfortunately common in a lot of fantasy novels with female protagonists. Rin’s story is so much more than whoever she wants to bang at the moment. I mean, yes, hypothetically she would like to bang, but our girl’s got bigger problems. Altan and Nezha don’t work out for obvious reasons, and Kitay is both aromantic and asexual, so that’s not happening.

  I also admit that I’m just not particularly good at writing romance scenes. Maybe it’s because I know my parents are reading my work, so cringe. Part of it is also because I see my own characters like children, and when my children start making out with each other, I feel very uncomfortable. You kids leave room for Jesus.

  Anything else you’d like your fans to know?

  The Poppy War (detail)If you haven’t checked the content warnings for this book, now’s a good time. I’ve listed some of them on Goodreads but almost every SFF blog review has listed them too. This book is very violent, dark, and graphic. It’s not for everyone. Take care.

  The Poppy War ends with several loose threads. When can we expect to read more about Rin?

  The next two books in the trilogy, neither of which have titles yet, are scheduled to come out on a yearly basis. So next summer, if all goes according to plan!

  We would like to the thank Rebecca for taking the time to speak with us today! The Poppy War is out now in the US and will be out tomorrow (May 3rd) in the UK. To learn more about The Poppy War you can visit Rebecca’s website or follow her on Twitter @kuangrf!
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  Tags: China, fantasy, Interview, R. F. Kuang, The Poppy War

  Posted in Interviews
  J. C. Kang
  About the Author

  J. C. Kang J. C. Kang’s unhealthy obsession with fantasy and sci-fi began at an early age when his brother introduced him to The Chronicles of Narnia, The Hobbit, Star Trek and Star Wars. As an adult, he combines his geek roots with his professional experiences as a Chinese Medicine doctor, martial arts instructor, and technical writer to pen epic fantasy stories. He’s recently gotten into audiobooks to listen to while burning off his middle-aged mid-section.

• RT Book Reviews
  https://www.rtbookreviews.com/bonus-content/q-a/the-poppy-war-rf-kuang
  Word count: 1444

  R.F. Kuang Stuns With Her Debut Fantasy Novel, The Poppy War
  Mon, 03/26/2018 - 4:36pm — Alyssa Duspiva
  Monthly Edition:
  (#411) May 2018
  Fantasy fans looking for a refreshing and exciting story can find their newest obsession with military fantasy The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang. In a world inspired by twentieth century China, Rin is an orphan of the last Poppy War, left to survive as a shopgirl for an opium smuggler. Not content with her future in an arranged marriage, she studies day and night for the Keju, a state-sponsored test that will make her eligible for the most prestigious military academy in the country: Sinegard. After passing, she realizes her hard work is not done ... and the academy isn't as idealic as she thought. While training, she learns she has unnatural, untapped power from the gods — and whispers of war infiltrate the school's grounds.

  With such an amazing groundwork for an epic fantasy, we had to grab R.F. Kuang and pick her mind! Read her answers below.

  RT: Congratulations on your debut novel! What sparked the inspiration for The Poppy War?

  R.F. Kuang: The Poppy War grew out of a lot of childhood influences — Ender's Game, Avatar: The Last Airbender (ATLA), and way too many Chinese wuxia TV dramas. I'd always wanted to write a story that mixed the kind of geopolitical and psychological drama of Ender's Game (and the Shadow sequels, which are objectively better than the Speaker sequels) with Chinese mythology and magic. But I didn't have a story in mind until I started seriously studying Chinese history and delved into the horrors of China's twentieth century wars. Historian Rana Mitter published this groundbreaking book in 2013 about China's role in World War II titled Forgotten Ally — forgotten, in part, because Western curriculums rarely discuss the Chinese theater in WWII curriculums. Every high schooler in the US has heard of the Invasion of Normandy. How many of them know about the Battle of Shanghai? So I chose to write a fantasy reinterpretation of China's twentieth century, because that was the kind of story I wasn't finding on bookshelves.

  Also, I've always thought ATLA would be way better if Azula were the main character. You can read The Poppy War roughly as precisely that.

  Knowing how modern Chinese history influenced The Poppy War, was there additional research you had to do outside of your studies in Chinese military strategy? What are some of the most interesting things you learned?

  Outside of military history, I also did a ton of research on Daoist mythology and Asian shamanism. Everything about psychedelics and entheogens in the book has its root in real Eastern religious practices. I also spent many hours talking to my grandparents about their experiences during World War II, and many of those details wound up in the narrative. My grandfather fought in Chiang Kai-shek's nationalist army and had a pretty crazy time. And you can still see the bullet holes left by Japanese soldiers in the walls of my grandparents' old home.

  Rin is definitely a unique heroine — her anger and pride lets her stand out among her classmates, as well as other heroines of this genre. Was it important for you to portray a woman like Rin?

  I don't like Chosen One stories. I don't like that trope where the heroes just luck into things — they're the best warrior in the land just because, romantic interests are drawn to them for no good reason, they inherit magic that can save the kingdom, etc. I think a defining character trait for Rin is that she has no heroic destiny. Life has dealt her a nasty. She isn't born into royalty, she has no money and no connections, and by rights she has no business altering the fabric of the universe. She claws her way into everything she gets with terrible consequences, and she has a massive chip on her shoulder because she's always had this sense that she doesn't belong. The only thing she has that's truly hers is her pride, so of course she's going to defend it. Rin was also written as a direct parallel to a certain figure pivotal to Chinese history, and she borrows many of his personality traits. I don't know if it's a spoiler to specify who it is. Guess!

  A lot of time is covered throughout this book, allowing readers to follow Rin as she grows and changes. How did you choose what to include in the story, and are there any moments that had to be left out that you would have wanted to explore more?

  We (my editor, agent, and I) actually did many rounds of edits for pacing. It's a rather long book, and the excitement really starts once you get to the battlefield, but you can't make sense of Rin as a soldier until you understand her past as a war orphan and a student. I would have loved to dither around in the first half of the book a bit more. I think there are a lot of adventures I could have written about Rin at Sinegard and I'm still a little heartbroken over what we had to cut. For instance, there are these adorable scenes between Rin and Kitay during that very brief summer break they spend at Kitay's estate that I thought beautifully illustrated their relationship. There are also some conversations between Rin and Altan didn't make it, because by that part of the book we are in a war zone and it slowed the action down too much. Maybe if I ever get on Patreon, I'll post those deleted scenes online.

  Writing action can definitely be difficult, and The Poppy War is rife with battles. Do you have any tips for aspiring authors when it comes to writing fight scenes?

  I had a hard time with the fight scenes too! I think writers have trouble with them because the only experience most of us have with real fights is through watching movies, which doesn't work so well because it makes your fight scenes rather over the top and cinematographic. An instructor at the Odyssey workshop told me my fight scenes were too "ludicrously blockbustery," and that was one of the best critiques I've ever received. (It stung, though.) When you don't have personal experience, you have to research, so I ended up reading a lot of military strategy manuals and martial arts handbooks. I guess my tip would be to read about how to fight from actual fighters. Don't settle for Hollywood images.

  The worldbuilding in The Poppy War is rich — from the provinces to the gods to the history. How did you keep it all organized? Where did you start when you created this world?

  I don't do all my worldbuilding from scratch before I start writing. (I've heard some writers do that. I admire their patience.) I started by using the Song Dynasty (960-1279 CE) as a template. If I had a transportation infrastructure, military technology, or economic question, I'd just consult some history books about the Song. That made it significantly easier for me to focus on coming up with the cool stuff, like, face-stealing demons.

  After reading such an epic, I know I’m definitely excited for more! Do you have any more projects on the horizon you can talk about?

  The Poppy War is part of a trilogy, so there will be two more installments over the next two years. I'm halfway through drafting Book 3 right. When I'm finished with these books, I have a standalone novel idea about student revolutions that I want to start writing so badly that it's distracting. But I once read a good piece of advice that you shouldn't tease a project until you've actually sold it, and I'm not even close to the point where we can even start pitching it anywhere, so that's all I'll say about it.

  We're eager to see what's next — but first, pre-order your copy of The Poppy War from one of these retailers: Amazon | B&N | iBooks | Kobo | Indiebound

  *This post contains affiliate links. If you click an affiliate link and purchase an item from the vendor, we receive a percentage of the profit (even if you don't buy the item we've linked to). Thank you for supporting RT Book Reviews!
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