Status
Checked out
Due 2020-04-02
Call number
Genres
Publication
Tor.com (2017), 214 pages
Description
Fallen prophet, master of the elements, and daughter of the supreme Protector, Sanao Mokoya has abandoned the life that once bound her. Once her visions shaped the lives of citizens across the land, but no matter what tragedy Mokoya foresaw, she could never reshape the future. Broken by the loss of her young daughter, she now hunts deadly, sky-obscuring naga in the harsh outer reaches of the kingdom with packs of dinosaurs at her side, far from everything she used to love. On the trail of a massive naga that threatens the rebellious mining city of Bataanar, Mokoya meets the mysterious and alluring Rider. But all is not as it seems: the beast they both hunt harbors a secret that could ignite war throughout the Protectorate. As she is drawn into a conspiracy of magic and betrayal, Mokoya must come to terms with her extraordinary and dangerous gifts, or risk losing the little she has left to hold dear.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member pwaites
TW: suicide ideation
I loved this little novella. It’s got awesome things like giant raptors and flying nagas, but the real reason I love this story is the deep emotional heart of the protagonist overcoming her grief and choosing to live after the death of her daughter.
I know there’s another
After her young daughter died in a tragic accident, Sanao Mokoya abandoned her old life to go hunt wild nagas near the edges of the kingdom. For three years, she’s existed in a limbo, not really caring whether she lives or dies. Now, she and her pack of raptors are trailing a naga rumored to be bigger than any she’s hunted before. And she’s not the only one looking for the naga; she soon encounters someone else, a mysterious person named Rider, who has magical capabilities unlike any Mokoya has seen before. If she can trust Rider, they can work together to defend the city of Bataanar from the giant naga… and whomever is controlling it.
It’s amazing how much The Red Threads of Fortune packs into 160 pages. It’s an intricate, beautiful story of grief, loss, and healing and the relationships between mothers and daughters. And the prose is fantastic, which isn’t a huge surprise, since I’ve already known from their short stories that JY Yang is an amazing writer.
I adored Mokoya as a protagonist. The great thing about older characters is that they’ve got so much history. Mokoya is a woman in her forties with an estranged husband and a dead daughter. And a pack of raptors, of course. She’s scarred and world weary, and at certain points she contemplates suicide. She’s the sort of rough around the edges female character I adore.
Also, she’s queer, a word that could be applied to this novella in general. Part of the world building is that children are considered gender neutral and don’t chose their gender until they get older. There appears to be no prejudice against same-sex relationships, and one of the major characters, Rider, is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns. It’s so wonderful to read a queer friendly, non-Western fantasy with great female characters. Also dinosaurs. I seriously loved the dinosaurs, you guys.
Actually, I just loved this novella in general. It’s doubtlessly one of my favorite reads of 2017, and it’s made me eager to get to The Black Tides of Heaven.
Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
I loved this little novella. It’s got awesome things like giant raptors and flying nagas, but the real reason I love this story is the deep emotional heart of the protagonist overcoming her grief and choosing to live after the death of her daughter.
I know there’s another
Show More
novella set before this one, The Black Tides of Heaven, but I haven’t gotten the chance to read it yet. Clearly, The Red Threads of Fortune stands on its own.After her young daughter died in a tragic accident, Sanao Mokoya abandoned her old life to go hunt wild nagas near the edges of the kingdom. For three years, she’s existed in a limbo, not really caring whether she lives or dies. Now, she and her pack of raptors are trailing a naga rumored to be bigger than any she’s hunted before. And she’s not the only one looking for the naga; she soon encounters someone else, a mysterious person named Rider, who has magical capabilities unlike any Mokoya has seen before. If she can trust Rider, they can work together to defend the city of Bataanar from the giant naga… and whomever is controlling it.
It’s amazing how much The Red Threads of Fortune packs into 160 pages. It’s an intricate, beautiful story of grief, loss, and healing and the relationships between mothers and daughters. And the prose is fantastic, which isn’t a huge surprise, since I’ve already known from their short stories that JY Yang is an amazing writer.
I adored Mokoya as a protagonist. The great thing about older characters is that they’ve got so much history. Mokoya is a woman in her forties with an estranged husband and a dead daughter. And a pack of raptors, of course. She’s scarred and world weary, and at certain points she contemplates suicide. She’s the sort of rough around the edges female character I adore.
Also, she’s queer, a word that could be applied to this novella in general. Part of the world building is that children are considered gender neutral and don’t chose their gender until they get older. There appears to be no prejudice against same-sex relationships, and one of the major characters, Rider, is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns. It’s so wonderful to read a queer friendly, non-Western fantasy with great female characters. Also dinosaurs. I seriously loved the dinosaurs, you guys.
Actually, I just loved this novella in general. It’s doubtlessly one of my favorite reads of 2017, and it’s made me eager to get to The Black Tides of Heaven.
Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
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LibraryThing member riida
for a 200-ish page book, this has a denseness in it that made it a sludge of a read for me...not that it was a super serious kind of read, but somehow i'm not able to immerse myself into the Tensorate world as much as I usually would other fantasy worlds...it has a flatness to it, too, such that
that said, its well written enough, and enjoyable (otherwise, i think i will just dnf the whole series). besides, the series has very intriguing premises; the Tensorate world is weird but in an almost folklore-futuristic flavour (with flying light crafts and dinosaurs running around); and this second volume has a better mystery at its heart, and also a more satisfying ending, than the first.
plus, i adore the the cover art of all four books! that alone will always earn it a half-star ^_^
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the reveals and twists do not land with the intended impact (to me anyway)that said, its well written enough, and enjoyable (otherwise, i think i will just dnf the whole series). besides, the series has very intriguing premises; the Tensorate world is weird but in an almost folklore-futuristic flavour (with flying light crafts and dinosaurs running around); and this second volume has a better mystery at its heart, and also a more satisfying ending, than the first.
plus, i adore the the cover art of all four books! that alone will always earn it a half-star ^_^
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LibraryThing member Gretchening
Not only is the worldbuilding beautiful, with an interesting setting, delightfully complex push-pull between cultures, regions, magic use and perspectives, and a fascinating plot, the heart of this book is about relationships, the effects of long-held grief (TW: over the death of her young child )), and the rewarding, difficult, complex ways in which relationships--familial, marital, loving, collegiate--change over time. I love Mokoya intensely, and her grief struck a chord, as did the ways in which her fear informs her choices, her perspectives, and, crucially, her insights. This small novella packs a big punch, and the gender system gives a lot to crunch over. I'm really looking forward to more in this world, and more work in general from this author. As a genderqueer reader, meeting a love interest who uses 'they/them' pronouns is so rare that it's profoundly impactful to see as a matter-of-fact, full, fraught and fascinating depiction. These characters live and breathe in their flawed, hurt, healing lives. If the genderqueer character and the ethical non-monogamy don't sway you... there is really awesome magic, heart-in-throat explosions, and dino-birds!
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LibraryThing member ladycato
I received this ebook through the publisher via Netgalley.
Yang has created an evocative Asian-inspired world in her Tensorate series. The setting is so immersive that I was slightly disoriented to start, but I soon found myself hooked. Mokoya is a former prophet, embittered by the loss of her
Red Threads is high on action, but the core is all about love and healing. Mokoya's pain feels profound and real, and her journey to begin the healing process is beautiful to witness. The book features a nonbinary romantic lead, which was a refreshing surprise.
Yang has created an evocative Asian-inspired world in her Tensorate series. The setting is so immersive that I was slightly disoriented to start, but I soon found myself hooked. Mokoya is a former prophet, embittered by the loss of her
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child. She busies herself with hunting naga, and is looked after by a friends who love and accept her, abrasive as she is. Rumors of a massive and aggressive naga drive her deep into danger--and into a new relationship that brings other new perils.Red Threads is high on action, but the core is all about love and healing. Mokoya's pain feels profound and real, and her journey to begin the healing process is beautiful to witness. The book features a nonbinary romantic lead, which was a refreshing surprise.
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LibraryThing member quondame
This much tighter sequel to The Black Tides of Heaven, flows quickly and introduces another delightful character.
Mokoya, no longer a prophet after the tragic death of her daughter, has gone into the desert hunting naga with her oversized raptor Phoenix, believing her daughter's soul pattern is
Mokoya, no longer a prophet after the tragic death of her daughter, has gone into the desert hunting naga with her oversized raptor Phoenix, believing her daughter's soul pattern is
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embedded in Phoenix. Following reports of a naga, a dragon like creature, of huge size and abnormal behavior, she encounters Rider, who is mounted on the naga Bramble who Mokoya mistakes for her target at first. With Rider, whose entanglements and abilities stir Mokoya into new realizations about the nature of her own prophetic nature, Akeha, and Mokoya's husband the Abbot Thennjay Mokoya must work to save the desert city Batanaar and the rebel Machinists sheltering there. Show Less
LibraryThing member jdifelice
I don't know if I liked this book more than the first one or not. They are very different stories, set in the same world, with the same characters, just from different POVs. This book takes place after the events of the first book, and I did enjoy getting to see the aftermath of everything, and
We explore grief in this novella, and definitely acceptance of who we are. There are definitely some moments of identity crisis and conflicting emotions for the characters. I really like how many aspects there are to these novellas. Mokoya definitely has courage, and resolve to keep going in the world after the events of the last novel, but you can definitely tell she is suffering and not dealing with it in the most healthy way. I liked how this was recognized and acknowledged. JY Yang did a great job exploring these themes and I am excited for more in this series.
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what was going on in the Protectorate. I just don't know if I liked Mokoya's POV as much as Akeha's. The overall story and plot were great, it moved at a good, even, pace. The writing was exceptional, yet again, and I really enjoyed learning more about this world and it's magic system. We explore grief in this novella, and definitely acceptance of who we are. There are definitely some moments of identity crisis and conflicting emotions for the characters. I really like how many aspects there are to these novellas. Mokoya definitely has courage, and resolve to keep going in the world after the events of the last novel, but you can definitely tell she is suffering and not dealing with it in the most healthy way. I liked how this was recognized and acknowledged. JY Yang did a great job exploring these themes and I am excited for more in this series.
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LibraryThing member emeraldreverie
I liked it. Fascinating world, good nonbinary rep. I enjoyed the other one better but mostly because I identify with the other twin more, I think.
LibraryThing member greeniezona
Well, once I read The Black Tides of Heaven and liked it so much, I suppose it was inevitable that I would read the rest of the series. You know, when I write a review like this I generally include a disclaimer about how much I generally try to resist getting pulled into series. But given the
ANYWAY, this second installment switches to the POV of Sanao Mokoya, who is now struggling with the grief of losing her young daughter. She keeps running around half-cocked, putting herself into dangerous situations, as those in her life struggle between giving her space and wanting her to be safe. As they investigate a massive Naga threatening the desert city Bataanar and Mokoya finds herself drawn to a mysterious stranger, secrets are discovered that could spark all-out war.
There is, again, an incredible amount of worldbuilding in this tiny novella, though I do have to say the lack of description on certain details drove me to distraction on the raptors. What are they? Bird of prey? Velociraptors? Something in between? Something else entirely? Just when I'd think I was starting to develop a good mental picture, some new remark would undermine it all.
Still definitely here for the ride, though.
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number I am currently enmeshed in or have recently finished (this one, Machineries of Empire, the Broken Earth trilogy, the Sixth World series, the Daevabad Trilogy...) I don't think I can really say that anymore.ANYWAY, this second installment switches to the POV of Sanao Mokoya, who is now struggling with the grief of losing her young daughter. She keeps running around half-cocked, putting herself into dangerous situations, as those in her life struggle between giving her space and wanting her to be safe. As they investigate a massive Naga threatening the desert city Bataanar and Mokoya finds herself drawn to a mysterious stranger, secrets are discovered that could spark all-out war.
There is, again, an incredible amount of worldbuilding in this tiny novella, though I do have to say the lack of description on certain details drove me to distraction on the raptors. What are they? Bird of prey? Velociraptors? Something in between? Something else entirely? Just when I'd think I was starting to develop a good mental picture, some new remark would undermine it all.
Still definitely here for the ride, though.
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LibraryThing member Shrike58
While there were elements of the first part of this series I liked, I was somewhat put off by the book's empress coming off like a cardboard image of an evil empress; not to mention that I really don't care for the magic system. With the second book I still don't care that much for the magic
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system, whenever the "Slack" is invoked I can't help but think of the Church of the SubGenius, but I still like the main character. The empress is mostly offstage; maybe. Show Less
LibraryThing member jakecasella
Fun. Enjoyed the magical beasts. I felt like it didn't explore a few of its big ideas very well--souls connected to other creatures, how exactly it is that the prophecies can be "disproven"--and even with the background from "Black Tides", I wasn't drawn in to the characters very much. Definitely
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lots of cool stuff going on here; may just take more pages to click for me. Show Less
LibraryThing member eldang
This is a strong second book in the series, which doesn't feel quite as rich as Black Tides but does advance the story nicely and draws Mokoya more fully than she had a chance to be drawn in Black Tides.
Note that Tor markets this as a co-first book in the series, but I think it's much better to
Note that Tor markets this as a co-first book in the series, but I think it's much better to
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start with The Black Tides of Heaven. I read this with a book club who hadn't all read Black Tides yet, and many of us ended up putting this one aside to read that first, and enjoying this one more after. Show Less
Awards
Locus Award (Finalist — Novella — 2018)
Otherwise Award (Honor List — 2017)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2017
Physical description
214 p.; 5 inches
ISBN
0765395398 / 9780765395399