Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Collection
Publication
Solaris (2020), 416 pages
Description
"Gyen Jebi isn't a fighter or a subversive. They just want to paint. One day they're jobless and desperate; the next, Jebi finds themself recruited by the Ministry of Armor to paint the mystical sigils that animate the occupying government's automaton soldiers. When Jebi discovers the depths of the Razanei government's horrifying crimes--and the awful source of the magical pigments they use--they find they can no longer stay out of politics. What they can do is steal Arazi, the ministry's mighty dragon automaton, and find a way to fight"--
Media reviews
Readers need not be history buffs to appreciate Lee’s rich worldbuilding, but those with knowledge of Korean history will find the nuance and detail especially rewarding. Lee’s masterful storytelling is sure to wow.
User reviews
LibraryThing member MillieHennessy
This was a great, genre-bending read! It's got the feel of Korean historical fiction, with some magical paints, and even automatons made of wood! Add in a non-binary MC and some subtle romance (including a great sex scene was both descriptive but left a lot to the imagination), and you have a
From the get-go, I loved how much world building was threaded into Jebi's daily activities. Readers learn a lot about the setting in the first couple chapters, but in a way that doesn't feel like info-dumping.
Our MC isn't the only non-binary character in the book and it was refreshing that both non-binary and gay characters were just a common part of the world. They weren't some special anomaly (viewed negatively or positively) , they just existed. Can we get more of this please!? I can't speak to the non-binary rep personally, but to me, it seemed very well done.
Also, automatons! Not only are there ones shaped like humans (but creepy and faceless), but there's a DRAGON. How can you not love a robot dragon? Especially one that has a caring and inquisitive personality like Arazi. The magical elements come into play with the paints that are used to write the grammar (which I thought of kind of like computer coding) which controls the automatons. I found the way the paints were created to be very interesting too - and it linked to the history of the world created here, to weave more world-building right into the story.
Phoenix Extravagant is a strange mix of calm and meandering, yet exciting and somehow it really worked! If any of this sounds at all appealing to you, I definitely recommend this read.
Show More
hit!From the get-go, I loved how much world building was threaded into Jebi's daily activities. Readers learn a lot about the setting in the first couple chapters, but in a way that doesn't feel like info-dumping.
Our MC isn't the only non-binary character in the book and it was refreshing that both non-binary and gay characters were just a common part of the world. They weren't some special anomaly (viewed negatively or positively) , they just existed. Can we get more of this please!? I can't speak to the non-binary rep personally, but to me, it seemed very well done.
Also, automatons! Not only are there ones shaped like humans (but creepy and faceless), but there's a DRAGON. How can you not love a robot dragon? Especially one that has a caring and inquisitive personality like Arazi. The magical elements come into play with the paints that are used to write the grammar (which I thought of kind of like computer coding) which controls the automatons. I found the way the paints were created to be very interesting too - and it linked to the history of the world created here, to weave more world-building right into the story.
Phoenix Extravagant is a strange mix of calm and meandering, yet exciting and somehow it really worked! If any of this sounds at all appealing to you, I definitely recommend this read.
Show Less
LibraryThing member rivkat
Jebi, a nonbinary artist with a rebel older sister, is forced to work for the (Japanese-analogue, I think) invaders who control their (Korea-analogue) country and who, it turns out, are destroying the art and artifacts of “Area Fourteen” in order to create the magical pigments that run their
Show More
automatons. Jebi is supposed to fix one of those automatons, a dragon that went awry and massacred soldiers, but instead falls in love with the duelist Vei and tries to free the dragon, with mixed results. Show Less
LibraryThing member quondame
An aspiring artist in a recently conquered region tries to find work with the new regime causing their sister to disown them and making them subject to forces darker than they had imagined. Fast moving and interesting enough to be worth the time, but not working well enough in all its parts to
Show More
convince me that it's worth recommending. Show Less
LibraryThing member jakeisreading
Readers of fantasy who get excited about discovering new magic systems will enjoy this book as much as I did. Lee has some fantastic and original ideas, but what I really enjoyed was how he incorporates magic into the story. He intertwines it with myth, history and art to frame the moral struggle
For this book Lee chooses a non-binary protagonist and a society where sexual orientation is inconsequential. This can sometimes feel like token representation, and more recently a sort of worldbuilding genre trope, but I feel that Lee is subtly drawing focus away from gender to his chosen societal themes, and I think its effective.
I’m hard pressed to think of an infallible (human) character in this book, however Lee is unbiased in his storytelling and each character feels relatable. I was fascinated by Jebi’s relationship with their sister Bonsunga throughout the story. We’re told more than once that Jebi believes art is about the inner nature of things, and it feels like Lee is studying the inner values of humans from various perspectives with this ensemble.
I loved Lee’s writing and thought this was a beautiful, nuanced story. I cannot WAIT to have a physical copy so I can stare at that stunning cover. I have high hopes that Rebellion will release a line of merch that includes a matching bedspread.
Show More
of the main characters to remain true to themselves, their heritage and their family.For this book Lee chooses a non-binary protagonist and a society where sexual orientation is inconsequential. This can sometimes feel like token representation, and more recently a sort of worldbuilding genre trope, but I feel that Lee is subtly drawing focus away from gender to his chosen societal themes, and I think its effective.
I’m hard pressed to think of an infallible (human) character in this book, however Lee is unbiased in his storytelling and each character feels relatable. I was fascinated by Jebi’s relationship with their sister Bonsunga throughout the story. We’re told more than once that Jebi believes art is about the inner nature of things, and it feels like Lee is studying the inner values of humans from various perspectives with this ensemble.
I loved Lee’s writing and thought this was a beautiful, nuanced story. I cannot WAIT to have a physical copy so I can stare at that stunning cover. I have high hopes that Rebellion will release a line of merch that includes a matching bedspread.
Show Less
LibraryThing member jsabrina
This is an original, delightful book! The protagonist, Jebi, is imperfect but lovable, someone I enjoyed spending time with, and the supporting characters were distinct individuals. It was a lot of fun to read *and* it shifted some of my paradigms about both art and gender.
You can easily read plot
* Insight into an artist's perspectives and paradigms, and some of the differences between classical Eastern vs Western aesthetics
* Symbols as magical "grammar" which compares to computer programming
* Original magical system involving the source of special paints (one of which is the titular "Phoenix Extravagant")
* A protagonist who, despite their talents, is in most ways an ordinary person
* Concepts of honor involved with family and friends, and the strains on that honor
* Not only a nonbinary protagonist, but other nonbinary people, and a plurality of marriage/family arrangements all accepted as normal
I had never read a book with a nonbinary protagonist before, and I was startled by the way it stripped ingrained bias from my reactions. Jebi was 'just' Jebi. I wasn't reacting on an instinctive level to my own gendered expectations and the degree to which they affirmed or contrasted with them.
You can easily read plot
Show More
summaries elsewhere on this page. Here are some of the elements I particularly enjoyed:* Insight into an artist's perspectives and paradigms, and some of the differences between classical Eastern vs Western aesthetics
* Symbols as magical "grammar" which compares to computer programming
* Original magical system involving the source of special paints (one of which is the titular "Phoenix Extravagant")
* A protagonist who, despite their talents, is in most ways an ordinary person
* Concepts of honor involved with family and friends, and the strains on that honor
* Not only a nonbinary protagonist, but other nonbinary people, and a plurality of marriage/family arrangements all accepted as normal
I had never read a book with a nonbinary protagonist before, and I was startled by the way it stripped ingrained bias from my reactions. Jebi was 'just' Jebi. I wasn't reacting on an instinctive level to my own gendered expectations and the degree to which they affirmed or contrasted with them.
Show Less
LibraryThing member fred_mouse
This is an amazing political thriller set in a fantasy Asia (the three named countries code as Korea, Japan, and China based on my understanding of the geography and the history of the region) that didn't get bogged down in the political machinations -- because our protagonist is extremely
I loved that there were three clear gender specifications, and that the main viewpoint character was a) the non-binary gender and b) not the only one we meet in the story (and that there was an older such character who was both named and relevant )
The two siblings, with their contrasting pragmatism and innocence about war, allowed the author to present a range of thoughts about war without being didactic, which I greatly appreciated. Our artist protagonist does a lot of thinking about the differences between art and reality when thrown in the deep end.
how the automata work, and the similarity of programming (and the risks of adding nuance/complexity increasing the potential for disaster), particularly with the detail that if there were conflicting instructions then the automata effectively have free will was interesting too. And the dragon was fabulous.
Interesting that again there was at least one gumiho in the story. At this point I'm not familiar enough with Lee's body of work to know if that is a signature detail, or just the works I've read of theirs have that similarity.
Show More
politically naive, and has been protected by their older sister.I loved that there were three clear gender specifications, and that the main viewpoint character was a) the non-binary gender and b) not the only one we meet in the story (and that there was an older such character who was both named and relevant )
The two siblings, with their contrasting pragmatism and innocence about war, allowed the author to present a range of thoughts about war without being didactic, which I greatly appreciated. Our artist protagonist does a lot of thinking about the differences between art and reality when thrown in the deep end.
how the automata work, and the similarity of programming (and the risks of adding nuance/complexity increasing the potential for disaster), particularly with the detail that if there were conflicting instructions then the automata effectively have free will was interesting too. And the dragon was fabulous.
Interesting that again there was at least one gumiho in the story. At this point I'm not familiar enough with Lee's body of work to know if that is a signature detail, or just the works I've read of theirs have that similarity.
Show Less
LibraryThing member greeniezona
Would I buy absolutely anything by Yoon Ha Lee at this point? Yes. Was I super excited to read a fantasy novel by the author of the very techy sci-fi Machineries of Empire series? Also yes. Was I very intrigued by the concept of a mecha dragon -- but make it magic and not electronic? Yes. Did I
There was a lot I liked about this. I liked that the protagonist was a soft, conflict-avoidant non-binary artist, who somehow stumbles into a situation that could turn a way. Arazi the magical mecha dragon is full of personality and is just a lot of fun.
But I don't know, maybe the pacing didn't always work for me? Maybe there were too many moments of confusion? Maybe I was disappointed in the ending? Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy this book, I just really wanted to LOVE it and didn't quite.
Show More
maybe over-hype myself for this book? I think yes.There was a lot I liked about this. I liked that the protagonist was a soft, conflict-avoidant non-binary artist, who somehow stumbles into a situation that could turn a way. Arazi the magical mecha dragon is full of personality and is just a lot of fun.
But I don't know, maybe the pacing didn't always work for me? Maybe there were too many moments of confusion? Maybe I was disappointed in the ending? Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy this book, I just really wanted to LOVE it and didn't quite.
Show Less
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2020-10-20
Physical description
9.25 inches
ISBN
1781087946 / 9781781087947
Local notes
Gyen Jebi isn't a fighter or a subversive. They just want to paint. One day they're jobless and desperate; the next, Jebi finds themself recruited by the Ministry of Armor to paint the mystical sigils that animate the occupying government's automaton soldiers. But when Jebi discovers the depths of the Razanei government's horrifying crimes and the awful source of the magical pigments they use they decide to steal Arazi, the ministry's mighty dragon automaton, and find a way to fight.
GSFF Book Club, May 2020. Signed, numbered, limited to 750 copies, blue sprayed page edges.
GSFF Book Club, May 2020. Signed, numbered, limited to 750 copies, blue sprayed page edges.