Reviews with content warning for Suicide - The Grace of Kings

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The Grace of Kings by Ken Liu

23 reviews

josiah17's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I have been looking forward to starting this series for so long. It was probably my most anticipated series just ahead of Sun Eater. And I'm extremely glad I thoroughly enjoyed this first installment.

"A knife is not malicious merely because it is sharp, and a plot is not evil merely because it is effective. All depends on the wielder. The grace of kings is not the same as the morals governing individuals."

Now, after reading Ken Liu's short story collection The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories, I was entirely convinced I would love this series. Liu's gorgeous prose and intelligent writing in the form of epic fantasy, inspired by Asian history. It seemed perfect. However, if I knew more about this series beforehand rather than avoiding as many details as possible, I would've thought otherwise because this book is not something I'd normally reach for. This is entirely due to the play-like drama storytelling format with third person omniscient narration. The characterization is seemingly quite distant, and as a mostly character-driven reader that's not something that appeals to me. Nonetheless, Ken Liu's brilliant writing makes (not quite as poetic in prose as the aforementioned short story collection but still lovely) it all work beautifully. I come to care about the characters and what they represent. Their journeys and relationships explore meaningful themes and questions of power and morality. I absolutely loved the dynamic between Kuni and Mata. I found this story incredibly impactful and thought-provoking despite my unexpected bout of hesitancy in the beginning.

"Safety is an illusion, as is faith without temptation. We're imperfect, unlike the gods, but in that imperfection we may yet make them jealous."

The worldbuilding in this is quite exceptional too. The fantastical elements feel innovative with these gas-powered airships, the meddling and argumentative gods of Dara, and of course the cruben which are essentially giant narwhals who are even ridden by the natives of the island Tan Adü. How can you not be swept away by a world like this!? The Asian-inspired elements are certainly there too, and provide a great atmosphere for the whole narrative landscape.

"The Four Placid Seas are as wide as the years are long.
A wild goose flies over a pond, leaving behind a voice in the wind.
A man passes through this world, leaving behind a name."

Going back to the play-like drama writing style, it makes the pacing almost snappy quick a lot of the time, at least in my opinion, which I found nice even considering how absolutely massive the scope and timeline is for this story. It's a very ambitious novel. And I can understand one of the main criticisms of of this book being that it can feel disjointed because of that. It often jumps from place to place, character to character, especially early on. It also jumps ahead months in time in mere sentence with a summarization of events that have occured. The way character background stories are inserted can also add to that potential disjointment. I think all of this comes from Ken Liu being only a short story writer before this book. It is his debut. But for me, I did not feel like this book was too disconnected besides a bit in the very beginning. But nothing more than the normal adjustment period when diving into a new large sff series.

"Who says it praises only the chrysanthemum? Does the dandelion not bloom in the same hue, my brother?"

All in all, I thought The Grace of Kings was a wonderful book. Especially for a debut. It's unique, captivating, philosophical, tragic, and thrilling. Plus I just loved reading out of the broken binding midnight edition set I've purchased. Can't wait to start The Wall of Storms because I hear it only improves in all aspects going forward!

"You swept through the world in a tempest of gold. My brother, there will never be another like you in these Islands."

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ashthigs7's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

This book was pretty good. It wasn’t exactly the grand epic I was expecting. I do agree with other reviews here that compare it more to a history text. The events cross over a great time period, so we don’t really spend a lot of time on certain wars or side characters. There are actually so many characters that are introduced one paragraph and then die the next, so you don’t really create any sort of relationship with many of the characters. That definitely lends to the textbook air, because it’s way less emotional and more of just “oh he’s here, he’s gone now.” I really didn’t like Mata’s arrogance and conceit; I hope that was the goal, because he wasn’t a very sympathetic character, even with his “softer” moments. Even with the main characters, it was hard to feel any real connection to their various relationships because everything moved so quickly -

such as when Kuni and Mata meet, then start calling each other brothers, then find their way to enemies.

The gods were another idea that I felt wasn’t flushed out enough - they were so important, yet their impact/storylines felt very lackluster and few and far between to me. It was almost like Liu would forget that the gods played a big role in the storyline and then create something small for them, then they’d be forgotten again. I definitely wanted more from the book. Even the ending was a bit frustrating for me,

especially when Kuni’s friends and trusted council started preparing for his betrayal even before his coronation, even though throughout the 18 years of war he never once betrayed them? Like what?

I’ll probably continue the series, but it’s not high on my TBR.

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chrisb913's review

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adventurous dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

For a debut novel, this was incredible. It took me on a journey through all of Dara and Ken Liu has established and the detail he put into the HUGE cast of characters was amazing. Even if the side characters were there for only a couple chapters, he was able to incorporate such life into them. Also his "villain" work is on point. The way Ken made me dispise certain characters through their inner monologuing, actions, and words. I literally could not stop reading this book.

There were two major cons for me though. One was the rampant misogyny throughout. The "villains" were open about it but even the heroes had it shine through from time to time either in actions or inner monologuing. Also, around the 55%-75% mark the story feels like it comes to a screeching halt to slog through some muck. It does pick up and ends on a high note.

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chasinggrace's review

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adventurous challenging tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

A fantastic, epic, detailed story of the battle for power in one of the most intricate worlds I’ve ever read about. This story examines the ethics of war, trust between friends and foes, betrayals of grand proportions, and how far one will go for what he believes is right.

The culture that the author creates is masterful and the world is lush. If you take the time to understand the intricacies of this land and its people, you’ll be transported.

However, it’s clear that this book is to be seen as a tool for world-building. While the pacing isn’t bad, the middle of the novel is bogged down with details - names, battles, animals, locations, places, gods, etc - that slow down the plot. I found this book difficult to want to pick up at times, because it isn’t something to be consumed lightly. There is a need to constantly remind myself of who is who, where everyone is, which god rules which state, what city is where, etc. Many characters are introduced just to be killed, but such is the matter of war.

Overall, I’m interested to see where this story goes, but I hope the next books are more intriguing than a war & peace play-by-play. I hope to feel more attached to the characters, hopefully through more intricate relationships. This was a slow-burn labor of love to read.

Favorite characters I hope to see explored in the following books: Jia, Gin, Kuni

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aloy's review

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adventurous dark emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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isi__1's review against another edition

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dark reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.25

This novel felt extremely ambitious. The plot spans many years, there‘s a ton of different named characters, a lot of them fairly relevant to the bigger picture, and all of it is told by an omniscient narrator. Thus, the reader always knows what every character in any scene is feeling and/or thinking at any point in time.
The focus of the story constantly switches between different sides of the war and also between more important characters and very minor characters.

The best way to describe this book is that it feels like reading a textbook about this important historical event: This battle happened at this place, then these characters met and had a discussion about this topic, then this other battle took place, then this person died, then another battle took place,…you get the gist.
I saw someone else describe this as “outlining a whole epic series“ which is a rather apt description, in my opinion.

Because the narration felt so clinical and impersonal, I had a hard time getting attached to the characters. In the same way you wouldn‘t really get attached to the characters in a history textbook. I‘ve heard that the sequel is a bit more character-driven. That‘s why I really want to try it. If it doesn‘t manage to pull me in, though, I‘m just gonna have to accept that this series might not be for me.

It very well is a case of this book just not working for me personally. I would still recommend checking it out if it sounds interesting, because it could be a new favorite for someone else.
The writer is certainly skilled and the book feels well-thought-out. The concept is definitely quite intriguing, but the execution simply didn‘t work for me.
I don‘t dislike this book, but I also don‘t care about it at all. It unfortunately left me with this feeling of apathy. Not necessarily what I‘m looking for when I‘m reading a book for entertainment.

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blacksphinx's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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thecriticalreader's review against another edition

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adventurous fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

Context:

I decided to read The Grace of Kings by Ken Liu because I was in the mood for epic fantasy and have heard a lot of positive things about it. I borrowed it from my library through the Libby App.

Review:

I don’t think that anyone has ever told Ken Liu about the “show, not tell” rule in writing. Everything—and I mean everything—is spelled out for the reader in The Grace of Kings. He constantly explains what is happening, who the characters are, what the characters are thinking, what personality traits the characters have, why the characters are doing something, what philosophical themes and questions the reader should ponder, why a certain aspect of the plot is important or impactful, etc. Exchanges between characters go something like this:

Character 1: I am feeling _____ because ______ elements of my upbringing conditioned me to react this way.

Character 2: You are indeed _______. Would you like to hear my plan to achieve ______, which will fulfill your ______ desires in ________ exact way?

Character 1: Sure, what is your plan?

Character 2: My plan is to trick the enemy using _____ tactics. They will fall for these tricks because of ______ elements of their personality or planning.

Character 1: Wow, your plan is so smart because they will not see ______ tactics coming, because of ______ elements of the personality or planning.

As you can tell, this can become frustrating and repetitive quickly. That being said, there are a few advantages to this writing style. It makes an otherwise intimidating epic fantasy book incredibly easy to digest, as the reader never has to do any thinking for themselves. Since many consider The Grace of Kings to be a prologue of sorts for the rest of the series, Liu can cram an enormous amount of plot and action into one book. He tells the reader exactly what they need to know so that each scene propels the storyline forward. In this way, The Grace of Kings is a fast-paced and exciting read, a somewhat uncommon trait in epic fantasy tomes.

Liu’s extreme “tell not show” approach to storytelling, however, hinders the book more than it helps. It insults the reader’s intelligence by spelling out the obvious and strips the reader of any agency. Furthermore, the book spends no time lingering with the characters or world for the sake of development. I’m not someone who believes that every epic fantasy needs to be a slow burn filled with quiet character moments and lengthy descriptions of the setting, but good gracious! Let us get to know the characters rather than just telling us who they are! You can’t have an emotional payoff without quality buildup!

I was willing to accept the story as it was and enjoy the ride, even if the style of narration didn’t fit my tastes. Unfortunately, I found a lot of the dialogue to be cliché and cringeworthy: every time Liu clearly wanted a character to sound witty, flirtatious, profound, or badass, I found myself rolling my eyes. His attempts at championing feminist ideals in the narrative are also a joke, as it’s clear that he doesn’t actually know how to write female characters. Oh, and did I mention that the central conflict of the story is the result of a stupid miscommunication, just like in a bad rom-com movie? At a certain point, it was hard to take The Grace of Kings seriously, I knew that my chances of genuinely enjoying it were slim.

I’m willing to concede that The Grace of Kings has a clever, ambitious plot and some cool worldbuilding elements; it kept me more or less entertained for 600+ pages, so that’s an accomplishment. Nevertheless, it suffers from a writing style that leaves nothing to the imagination. I think in the hands of a more capable writer—someone like Guy Gavriel Kay, for instance—The Grace of Kings could have been a masterpiece.

The Run-Down:

You will probably like The Grace of Kings if . . .

· You want to read a fast-paced, exciting epic fantasy of grand scope

· You are more of a plot-driven reader than a character-driven reader

You might not like The Grace of Kings if . . .

· You want to spend time getting to know a world and its characters

· You dislike a writing style that leaves nothing to the imagination

· You dislike poorly written female characters

A Similar Book:

Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay (a 4.5-star read for me!)

Similarities Include:

· Epic fantasy about a people rebelling against a despotic rule