The Art of Prophecy
Ratings24
Average rating4.1
15
Ratings24
Average rating4.1
A “superb fantasy saga” (Helene Wecker) of martial arts and magic, about what happens when a prophesied hero is not the chosen one after all—but has to work with a band of unlikely allies to save the kingdom anyway, from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Lives of Tao “An ambitious and touching exploration of disillusionment in faith, tradition, and family—a glorious reinvention of fantasy and wuxia tropes.”—Naomi Novik, New York Times bestselling author of A Deadly Education ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: Gizmodo, Kirkus Reviews, The Quill to Live So many stories begin the same way: With a prophecy. A chosen one. And the inevitable quest to slay a villain, save the kingdom, and fulfill a grand destiny. But this is not that kind of story. It does begin with a prophecy: A child will rise to defeat the Eternal Khan, a cruel immortal god-king, and save the kingdom. And that prophecy did anoint a hero, Jian, raised since birth in luxury and splendor, and celebrated before he has won a single battle. But that’s when the story hits its first twist: The prophecy is wrong. What follows is a story more wondrous than any prophecy could foresee, and with many unexpected heroes: Taishi, an older woman who is the greatest grandmaster of magical martial arts in the kingdom but who thought her adventuring days were all behind her; Sali, a straitlaced warrior who learns the rules may no longer apply when the leader to whom she pledged her life is gone; and Qisami, a chaotic assassin who takes a little too much pleasure in the kill. And Jian himself, who has to find a way to become what he no longer believes he can be—a hero after all.
Featured Series
1 primary bookThe War Arts Saga is a 1-book series first released in 2022 with contributions by Wesley Chu.
Reviews with the most likes.
After a very promising start, this one lost its hold on me along the way, as I struggled to stay invested in the secondary characters and plotlines. That said, The Art of Prophecy is action-packed, funny, and puts a fresh spin on the prophesied chosen one trope. Others will surely enjoy this more than I did, as there were a lot of elements to like here.
My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
See this review and others at The Speculative Shelf.
Merged review:
After a very promising start, this one lost its hold on me along the way, as I struggled to stay invested in the secondary characters and plotlines. That said, The Art of Prophecy is action-packed, funny, and puts a fresh spin on the prophesied chosen one trope. Others will surely enjoy this more than I did, as there were a lot of elements to like here.
My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
See this review and others at The Speculative Shelf.
More like 3.5 stars, rounded up.
I admit, I got sucked in by another pretty cover. I have a thing for striking black and white art.
Jian is told from an early age that he's the chosen one, the one who is expected to do great things and save the people based on prophecy alone. The problem is that he was raised knowing this, and as a result grows up spoiled, unprepared, and basically untrained. Taishi, an elderly martial arts master sent to test him on his preparedness, is stunned and disgusted to find out what's been made of their once-in-a-lifetime champion, and becomes his teacher to make things right. Along the way, this master/student duo meets up with skeptical side characters who disagree with Jian's Chosen One role, and things decidedly do not go as planned.
This book definitely reminded me of high flying fantastical wuxia films I've seen in the past. There's lots of magical martial arts involved, drunken style references, and a good bit of sometimes slapstick humor. The cast is large and interesting for the most part, though I had some side characters I liked more than others. The setting is definitely inspired by Imperial China, but varied enough that I didn't get a been-there-done-that vibe. The Chosen One trope, evident from the book's description, is turned on its head in an interesting (if not unexpected) way, which was refreshing to read.
All that said, this book just didn't hit the right notes for me to rate it much higher. The writing style was just okay, a bit flat for what I generally read. The book was also very long and a bit meandering in its many different plot lines, and the constant shifting of viewpoints were sometimes hard to keep up with. It definitely had an anime/wuxia feel to parts, which I really appreciated, but sometimes in other parts just didn't work.
I highly recommend this book if you're into high flying wuxia epics, particularly because this is the first book of a series. Maybe pass on it if you're looking for depth and nuance, though.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I loved this book. A chosen one where someone else full fills the prophecy? Count me in!
And it was for better than it sounds. Tasha. Oh how love her. with only one arm, a I take no shit personality, and one of the best fighters she ruled the page. Pair that with a whiny chosen one and its brilliance.
I was hooked to the story from page one. I did not expect it to take turns it did and loved it.
The worldbuilding is expansive and woven into the tale expertly.
Go pick this up, you won't regret it!
The Prophecy says that the Eternal Khan will be defeated by a boy. That boy is Jian.
Taishi is said to be the greatest in magical martial arts. Even now that she is older, no one has surpassed her talents.
Taishi travels to see how the boy Jian is progressing in his training.
She finds a spoiled brat unprepared for a fight of any kind. To think he could defeat the Eternal Khan is laughable.
This is a great story. I absolutely adore Taishi! She is fantastic!
Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an e-arc.
