In some ways, I liked this book more than the first one. It's more imaginative in the way it uses technology, and it has a more bizantine plot. In some ways, I also liked it less because it's less about the grand epic struggles and more about horrible things that people do when they're changed by power (though there was some of that in the first book). And also because my favorite characters died (no spoilers, though, this is a fantasy book spanning decades and multiple wars. People die, you know?)

I'm eager to read the next book in the series! ( )

Like it's predecessor, The Grace of Kings, The Wall of Storms is an excellent examination of human nature in the sphere of politics and war. Also like it's predecessor, it tends not to go quite where you expect it to. I enjoyed it and look forward to the next in the series. ( )

This book made me have all the feelings. I was a big fan of Luan Zya in the first book, and this book, well, it shook me, is all I'll say about that. Ken Liu created a huge, vivid world here, one that is very complex, with a multitude of problems, and no easy answers. I wasn't happy with how a few characters changed (looking at you Empress Jia), but there were other surprises that I enjoyed very much. I can't wait for book 3. ( )

This second novel is superior to the first. It's an easy comparison. The characters and the plot development just WORK.

So, what? The previous novel had irritating characters? hmmm... well, they weren't all bad but some did irritate me. Portrayals of women, for one. But this new novel had none of that. Indeed, we have lots of great female characters. Leads that are smart, fascinating, and also RUTHLESS. :)

This Silkpunk fantasy straddles the line between fantasy (in beasts) and science fiction (airships, electromagnetism) firmly couched in the epic fantasy world (such worldbuilding!) brought to us in the first Dandelion Dynasty.

I really loved how much of this was devoted to learning, research, and the politics surrounding it. The battles and the invasion later were also fantastic, but for a long time, the primary feel of the book was a good YA, or rather, a brilliant student and a brilliant teacher. What happens later is tragic and glorious, but for any fan of Eastern-style fantasies, this is an old and well-respected tradition. :)

And I cried a little. :)

These are huge books. It's impossible to comment on any but a few aspects, but if you love super-rich worldbuilding, epic sweeps of time and history in an Asian-like empire filled with fire-breathing beasts, lightning-wielding airships, and an almost-impossible-to-navigate wall of storms separating vast reaches of the world, then you can't go wrong with this. Seriously. It's tons better than the first book. :) ( )

The Wall of Storms is the follow up to The Grace of Kings. I started reading this immediately after I finished reading the last novel. I absolutely loved the first book in the series, so the bar was high for this novel. Perhaps, the bar was set to high, because I was a little disappointed in this novel. It’s not that it was bad, but it clearly does not measure up to the first novel in the series.

The novel takes place about ten years after The Grace of Kings. Kuni Garu is now the emperor trying to keep his kingdom together with duct tape and cult of personality. He faces treachery from within his own house, disgruntled nobles in the various kingdoms, and followers of the deceased hegemon. This is all the prelude to an upcoming invasion by a group of people who seem kind of like Vikings, but instead of longships they have flying beasts that breathe fire and are capable of all sorts of destruction.

There is a lot of intrigue in this novel. There are also all sorts of technological innovations, which set this series apart from any epic fantasy series I have ever read, where magic is replaced by primitive (by our standards) technological innovation. There are, however, two big problems in this novel. One is that it is overwritten. It doesn’t have to be nearly as long as it is. I think if about 200 pages or so were chopped off, it would have been a better read. There are entire passages and flashbacks that contribute little to the story. The second point is that the characters in the first novel were terrific. They were phased out or killed off in this novel, for the most part, and the next generation of characters replacing them, which were more in focus here, were not nearly as compelling. In any story, but especially a series, the characters are the lifeblood of the story.

The ending of the novel sets up for a third in the series, and I will be interested in reading it, but my enthusiasm for it has waned a bit.

Carl Alves - author of Two For Eternity ( )