by Ken Liu
First published 2016
Kuni Garu leads his band of outlaws through another raid when fate throws him together with Mata Zyndu, the exiled son of nobility. The bandit relies on cunning and charm while the aristocrat commands through honor and strength. Despite their opposing natures, they forge a powerful alliance against the tyrannical emperor. Their rebellion grows as they battle massive conscripted forces, face silk-wrapped airships in the skies, and encounter gods who shift their very forms. Victory comes at a price neither anticipated. With the emperor dead, Kuni and Mata each command their own armies and territories. The former friends now stand on opposite sides of a growing divide. Kuni believes in pragmatic governance that serves the common people. Mata holds fast to traditional codes of justice and noble duty. Their conflicting visions for the realm push them toward an inevitable confrontation that will determine the future of their world.
Genres: adventure, action, epic-fantasy, alternate-history
Vibes: epic, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: The Dandelion Dynasty
656 pages · Mass Market Paperback · Gallery / Saga Press