Wesley Chu is a writer I’ve had on my “to read” list for a few years now, his Tao books are popular and well-received as where is Io books. While those were more on the science fiction side of the speculative fiction genre, The Art of Prophecy is full out Epic Fantasy and the first novel in The War Arts Saga. In it, Chu blends Wuxia/martial arts seamlessly into the Epic Fantasy genre, as he tells the tale of a young main raised to be the savior and to fight against a Big Bad. Of course, prophecy doesn’t quite go according to plan.
An epic fantasy ode to martial arts and magic—the story of a spoiled hero, an exacting grandmaster, and an immortal god-king from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Lives of Tao.
It has been foretold: A child will rise to defeat the Eternal Khan, a cruel immortal god-king, and save the kingdom.
The hero: Jian, who has been raised since birth in luxury and splendor, celebrated before he has won a single battle.
But the prophecy was wrong.
Because when Taishi, the greatest war artist of her generation, arrives to evaluate the prophesied hero, she finds a spoiled brat unprepared to face his destiny.
But the only force more powerful than fate is Taishi herself. Possessed of an iron will, a sharp tongue—and an unexpectedly soft heart—Taishi will find a way to forge Jian into the weapon and leader he needs to be in order to fulfill his legend.
What follows is a journey more wondrous than any prophecy can foresee: a story of master and student, assassin and revolutionary, of fallen gods and broken prophecies, and of a war between kingdoms, and love and friendship between deadly rivals.
Wen Jian has been raised since an infant thinking he would have to face the Eternal Khan and save his people from annihilation, trained by men of war, he’s known a life where he is the most important person in the world…or at least the nation in which he lives. He is the Champion of the Five Under Heaven, whose coming has been prophesized for centuries. As may be expected, Jian is just a bit spoiled, you might say if you have a heavy dose of sarcasm in your voice when you say it. When a revered master of war – Taishi – arrives at the Celestial Palace in order to assess Jian’s training, she finds his abilities lacking. Jian, of course, doesn’t like that Taishi doesn’t cow-tow to him and is tough on him after years of being pampered. Chu gives these two characters a fantastic dynamic as their relationship develops. No sooner does Jian start to accept Taishi does the world learn that the Eternal Khan has in fact died. This renders Jian’s purpose and existence moot. This isn’t too much of a spoiler as it happens fairly early in the novel.
Even though I enjoyed their dynamic together early in the novel, Chu’s characterization was even stronger when the teacher and student were apart. Jian took to heart his interactions with Taishi as he tried living under an assumed identity. He matured and showed restraint where he easily could have given into urges to show off, urges that would have gotten the better of him had he not spent time under Taishi’s tutelage.
I appreciated everything about Taishi, her lack of patience, the fact that she’s missing an arm, the fact that she’s an older woman, and the fact that nobody blinks an eye at a woman being a master war artist. Everything about her is conveyed through the characters as accepted for who she is, her missing limb is seen in some ways as a badge of honor by some.
What the novel then turns out to be is a lengthy and entertaining answer to the question of “What if the Prophecy was wrong?” Well…it turns out the true nature of the Eternal Khan was very misunderstood by Jian’s people, but we learn more about the Eternal Khan and the Katuia Hordes of the Sea of Grass who worship him through the character of Salminde (Sali). Sali finds herself on a quest to a new Eternal Khan. This also allows readers to gain a sympathy with the “other side” because Sali is a fantastically realized character. I appreciate when characters buck the “expected” in favor of logic and reason and Sali has a great wit about her that makes her particular journey quite enjoyable.
The Grass Sea is a fascinating place that highlights Chu’s inventive creativity with creatures, cityscapes, and magic that felt truly unique. The true nature of the Eternal Khan is a fascinating concept in and of itself. There’s more to see here in the Grass Sea and I hope Chu explores this area in more detail in the second novel in the series.
Marked by strong characters who happen to be women, Chu’s Art of Prophecy is a firecracker of a first series novel. He’s got a fantastic ability to conjure powerful imagery with his words, especially in the action and fight scenes. As it turns out, Mr. Chu has a background in acting, stunt work, and martial arts, and those abilities in his possession translate fantastically to the page.
Recommended
© 2022 Rob H. Bedford
Published by Del Rey Books | August 2022 | 528 Pages
The War Arts Saga #1
https://wesleychu.com/
Review copy courtesy of the publisher giveaway at NY Comic Con
