I loved Lee’s Ninefox Gambit and Raven Stratagem, so I dove into Phoenix
Extravagant in the hopes it would be just as good. I was wrong – it’s better! In a fantasy Korea-like land,
newly conquered by fantasy-Japan, a young artist, Jebi, ekes out a living
selling conventional mass-appeal paintings. An orphan, they live with their
sister in an uneasy relationship. Okay, I was hooked. First, my own sister is
an artist and I love the protagonist being a gifted painter longing to do
original work instead of copying others. Second, how cool is it to have a
nonbinary primary character in a world in which this is no big deal???
Back to the story: Jebi’s
plan to better their (and their sister’s) conditions is to pass the exam for
the Academy of Art. Much to their dismay, they aren’t admitted even though their
work is perfect. They are subsequently recruited/drafted by the Ministry of
Armor, the propaganda arm of the fantasy-Japan occupiers. Who have been
extracting magical pigments from priceless original fantasy-Korean art (which
involves total demolition of the pieces). Jebi reacts with horror to the
destruction of his nation’s cultural heritage. The most rare and prized of
these pigments is “Phoenix Extravagant,” vital for the mystical sigils used in controlling
masks for automata – including a sentient, robotic dragon destined to be a war
weapon. The dragon turns out to be a pacifist at heart, in no small part due to
its no-harm programming.
What happens next,
with all its twists and turns, is wildly inventive, full of heart and longing
and magic. I adored Jebi and the woman duelist-prime, and most of all, the
dragon. I can hardly wait for Lee’s next book!
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