Jimmy
The Dandelion Dynasty series is a quintessential case of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. While I don’t think any individual book quite cracks my favourites of all time, Ken Liu has, across this quartet of tomes, crafted an extremely deeply thought-out world, replete with cultures, histories, traditions, philosophies and mythologies. Against this backdrop he has then unravelled a plot which is so intricate and expansive in scope that there was no way I could I predicted the conclusion that was reached by the end of the final book.
There are so many things which this series does well. While it undeniably draws very heavily on imperial Chinese history and various conflicts and interactions the Chinese dynasties had with northern nomadic peoples, this derivation is much more than window dressing. Liu has clearly thought through and expanded on the various aspects which he has taken inspiration from and there is a very organic feel to how they both work within the world that he has created and inform the views and actions of the characters. The stand out example of this to me (and one of the main ways this series differentiates itself in my eyes) is the manner in which language, writing and philosophy were woven into how the characters thought and acted and also had a critical impact on major plot points, which I feel I haven’t seen to such a degree since reading Tolkien. The way that the characters were built up with innate personalities based on their upbringing and background, which were then meaningfully changed and challenged by the people they interact with and the experiences they undergo, was also quite compelling to me.
The other main thing which has impressed me immensely with this series is how it deals with inter-cultural conflict - not just as a clash of two different peoples who are intent on self preservation or conquest, but as a collision of ways of life, age old customs and deep-seated morals. When two peoples are so fundamentally different, but somehow have to coexist, there are undeniably issues that arise at every level of society, from the rulers down to the lowest class, and from an individual’s personal perspective to the macro view of the state. The Dandelion Dynasty taps into all of these, and has characters grappling with questions like how certain values can mean different things in each culture, whether one can truly forgive the atrocities of the past committed by both sides, what is the greater good for both cultures, what does it mean to belong to one culture or the other, or both… I cannot think of another fantasy book or series where both the plot and characters are so tied up with the consideration of these kinds of issues of humanity and the outcomes of the decisions made in response at both personal and political levels.
This isn’t a perfect series. Across four doorstopper books, there are certainly places where pacing suffers and time jumps are sometimes confusing to follow. Some of the side characters are also fell into recognisable stereotypes. I also had a minor suspension-of-belief gripe (particularly in the last book) with the technological leaps that were being made in the time given, even though the actual inventions themselves as twists on real world devices was extremely creative. In the end though, it is no denying that this is a monumental work which ticks boxes across the board - for world building, character development, unique prose, high stakes, climactic battles, unpredictable plot… the list goes on. It belongs in the S Tier for me, and although I’m not slating for an immediate re-read, I can already see it will be just as rewarding an experience, if not more, when I get to it.
The Dandelion Dynasty series is a quintessential case of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. While I don’t think any individual book quite cracks my favourites of all time, Ken Liu has, across this quartet of tomes, crafted an extremely deeply thought-out world, replete with cultures, histories, traditions, philosophies and mythologies. Against this backdrop he has then unravelled a plot which is so intricate and expansive in scope that there was no way I could I predicted the conclusion that was reached by the end of the final book.
There are so many things which this series does well. While it undeniably draws very heavily on imperial Chinese history and various conflicts and interactions the Chinese dynasties had with northern nomadic peoples, this derivation is much more than window dressing. Liu has clearly thought through and expanded on the various aspects which he has taken inspiration from and there is a very organic feel to how they both work within the world that he has created and inform the views and actions of the characters. The stand out example of this to me (and one of the main ways this series differentiates itself in my eyes) is the manner in which language, writing and philosophy were woven into how the characters thought and acted and also had a critical impact on major plot points, which I feel I haven’t seen to such a degree since reading Tolkien. The way that the characters were built up with innate personalities based on their upbringing and background, which were then meaningfully changed and challenged by the people they interact with and the experiences they undergo, was also quite compelling to me.
The other main thing which has impressed me immensely with this series is how it deals with inter-cultural conflict - not just as a clash of two different peoples who are intent on self preservation or conquest, but as a collision of ways of life, age old customs and deep-seated morals. When two peoples are so fundamentally different, but somehow have to coexist, there are undeniably issues that arise at every level of society, from the rulers down to the lowest class, and from an individual’s personal perspective to the macro view of the state. The Dandelion Dynasty taps into all of these, and has characters grappling with questions like how certain values can mean different things in each culture, whether one can truly forgive the atrocities of the past committed by both sides, what is the greater good for both cultures, what does it mean to belong to one culture or the other, or both… I cannot think of another fantasy book or series where both the plot and characters are so tied up with the consideration of these kinds of issues of humanity and the outcomes of the decisions made in response at both personal and political levels.
This isn’t a perfect series. Across four doorstopper books, there are certainly places where pacing suffers and time jumps are sometimes confusing to follow. Some of the side characters are also fell into recognisable stereotypes. I also had a minor suspension-of-belief gripe (particularly in the last book) with the technological leaps that were being made in the time given, even though the actual inventions themselves as twists on real world devices was extremely creative. In the end though, it is no denying that this is a monumental work which ticks boxes across the board - for world building, character development, unique prose, high stakes, climactic battles, unpredictable plot… the list goes on. It belongs in the S Tier for me, and although I’m not slating for an immediate re-read, I can already see it will be just as rewarding an experience, if not more, when I get to it.