Strike the Zither: 1 (Kingdom of Three)

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The Strategist: The book focuses on Zephyr, who works as a strategist for Xin Ren. There are also other prominent strategist characters, such as Miasma's strategist Crow and Cicada's strategist November. As a series opener, all the elements of a riveting historical tale are present — intricate plots, unexpected twists, expansive kingdoms and interpersonal conflict...He has rendered a triumph of political fantasy, delivering a subversive, historical story that dares to ask its characters the hard questions...He’s thrilling plot and zippy characters carry the fire that burns throughout the book...Strike the Zither will transport you to another time, another realm. The end of the book is ripe with suspense, leaving you with that old, tortuous anticipation left by the final screenshot of a television episode: “To be Continued…”’ Do something!” Lotus shouts at me. “Use your brain!” Her hair has frizzed into an impressive mane around her face, and she waves her ax as if she’s itching to use it.

Strike the Zither - Joan He - Google Books

So yes. Long story short, not a fan of this god identity subplot at all. It would have been much more interesting if Zephyr was who she was for the first half of the book, with the limitations and aspirations of a mortal. And without a sparkl fairy god floating above her shoulder, hinting at plot elements to shoehorn them into the 1st person narrative.The year is 414 of the Xin Dynasty and chaos abounds. A puppet empress is on the throne. The realm has fractured and three warlordesses each hopes to claim the continent for herself. This soaring, masterful retelling becomes an epic all of its own... Readers will get lost in this rich, gorgeous, and dangerous world. " Emily Suvada, author of This Mortal Coil Rich with intrigue and epic in scale. Strike the Zither grows tall on the heroic classics it draws from, yet beats powerfully with a heart of its own. Joan He aims ambitiously and lands true each time.’ There were two main things that bothered me as I read. Firstly, He treats the profession of ‘strategist’ like of a term in early 2010s dystopian YA novels where characters are sorted into groups based on a singular personality trait. There would be phrases like, ‘oh because X is a strategist, they must believe in Y’, or ‘they did this because they’re a strategist’, which felt extremely reductive of a personality. To justify decisions or actions because ‘they’re a strategist’ ignores the underlying motivations and past experiences that make a character interesting!

Strike The Zither (Literature) - TV Tropes Strike The Zither (Literature) - TV Tropes

Another compelling aspect of STZ were the dynamic relationships between a full cast of unforgettable and complex characters. There are depictions of both found family and blood family and the similarity and differences between the two are a major driving force for both the characters and the plot. In conjunction with the major plot twists, characters’ struggles with family and connections gives an added layer of complexity to the plot and gives major actions of war, violence, and betrayal a believable and compelling motivation. ARCs are now out on netgalley and edelweiss! CWs are below; please take the care you need while reading <3 Nerdist: Could you tell me about the origin of Strike the Zither and why you decided to reimagine Three Kingdoms ? In this exciting first book in an upcoming series, Joan He reimagines Three Kingdoms, a Chinese lit classic. The gorgeous writing will draw you in and the story and characters will keep you eager for more! An ambitious young strategist risks death in a bid to turn the tides of war in an alternate historical China.Teens 16 and up in a fantasy world drink wine at feasts. Some excess is shown and hangover symptoms are mentioned. One character frequently drank to excess in the past, when she was not a mortal human. Here is the question that I can answer: there is no sequel. There is no story left for me to tell in this particular world, with these particular characters. Their arcs are fulfilled, their themes belabored upon. The publisher could offer me a contract for the sequel and I’d turn it down. That’s how strongly I feel about TOWMTF being a standalone, as a creator. In fact, here is my complete, unbridled opinion: if the characters had been more developed and not like Sims characters walking around, bumping into one another, and falling into monotonous conversations, this would have been a 5-star read for me. But they weren’t, so it’s not. In a time of typewriters and steam engines, Iris Winnow awaits word from her older brother, who has enlisted on the side of Enva the Skyward goddess. Alcohol abuse led to her mother’s losing her job, and Iris has dropped out of school and found work utilizing her writing skills at the Oath Gazette. Hiding the stress of her home issues behind a brave face, Iris competes for valuable assignments that may one day earn her the coveted columnist position. Her rival for the job is handsome and wealthy Roman Kitt, whose prose entrances her so much she avoids reading his articles. At home, she writes cathartic letters to her brother, never posting them but instead placing them in her wardrobe, where they vanish overnight. One day Iris receives a reply, which, along with other events, pushes her to make dramatic life decisions. Magic plays a quiet role in this story, and readers may for a time forget there is anything supernatural going on. This is more of a wartime tale of broken families, inspired youths, and higher powers using people as pawns. It flirts with clichéd tropes but also takes some startling turns. Main characters are assumed White; same-sex marriages and gender equality at the warfront appear to be the norm in this world. Follow me,” I wheeze. I barely see the sisters reunited before lightning strips the forest bare. The animals whine in chorus—my horse among them.