I literally just finished reading this, and wow — what a compelling read! I learned from reading Wang’s first book, Sword of Kaigen, that she is not afraid to do terrible things to her characters or to break your heart without fully mending it, and she does that again here.
This dark academia novel primarily follows Sciona, who early in the novel becomes the first female High Mage of the city of Tiran. There’s a lot of sexism in this world and she is not welcomed by her fellow High Mages, who give her a janitor as an assistant. Thomil, the janitor, is a member of the Kwen – indigenous peoples who live outside of Tiran and sometimes brave a risky crossing to get to Tiran as a matter of survival. Thomil and his niece are the only surviving members of his tribe who attempted a crossing 10 years before the start of the novel.
This book has an incredibly unique magic system. It basically uses math and coding, and typically a special device called a spellograph to map energy sources in the Otherrealm, which then powers the spells that help Tiran run. The discoveries that Sciona and Thomil make about the Otherrealm drive most of the action of the story.
It was really interesting to read this book given recent events in the United States and also given that I have been slowly reading How to be an Antiracist by Ibram X Kendi. The Kwen are second-class citizens at best, and I could see signs of what Kendi talks about regarding what people will do to stay in power and how they go about it. Although these themes aren’t new to me, and Wang is not subtle in her incorporation of sexism and racism, concurrently reading Kendi’s book made some of the underlying processes and dynamics even more apparent. It’s also interesting how she includes the very realistic that someone from an oppressed or marginalized group (Sciona as a woman) can be blind to how they express similar oppressive views to members of other groups (Thomil and the Kwen in general).
It’s hard not to compare this book to Wang’s previous book Sword of Kaigen. Some of the clunkiness of that book has been smoothed over in this one, whether from Wang’s growth as a writer or her republishing it traditionally. This book blends a unique magic system with social commentary and is a thought-provoking and satisfying read. I’m looking forward to what Wang writes next.
