A very good idea, but a poor execution
A review of The Grace of Kings by Ken Liu
The world was still so imperfect, and great men were always misunderstood by their own age.
The Grace of Kings is one of those books, you would think I would fall in love with instantly and just be completely swept off my feet.
Political intrigues? Check.
Epic fantasy setting? Check.
Historical background? Check.
Battles, armies and gods? Check, check, check!
And yet, I was not able to finish it. The Grace of Kings, is one of those books that I would categorise as a good idea, a very good idea in fact, but poor execution. It even has all the background it needs as it is a retelling of the fall of the Qin dynasty and the subsequent rise of a new one, the Han dynasty in ancient China. How could it fail then?
What it boils down to in my case, is the storytelling. Ken Liu gets lost in everything else that goes on in this story, that he forgets to actually sit down and do a proper storytelling. The initial start of this book was actually good, it got me interested and introduced elements that I enjoy in an epic fantasy. However, the more I read on, the less engaged I started to feel, the enthusiasm started to wither and by the time I was getting closer to the 300 pages mark, I realised I actually did not care for a single character in this story nor the plot.
Then it is time to call it quits.
The main issue I had with The Grace of Kings is the lack of storytelling and getting a invested in the stakes of this epic story. What I love about these kinds of books are the way authors connects so many players, their play for power, the political landscape, the wars or rebellions forming in the background - it all adds a deep dive into another world, but that is heavily imbedded in the characters and their goals.
The problem Liu has, is that he does not actually connect the story that is unfolding, to the characters we are introduced to in a way that makes us feel the stakes. I have no issues keeping track of multiple characters or POVs, political schemes and so on, but that is usually because I have gotten to know a character and can place them in this “map” of what is unfolding as I read on.
This story jumps quite a lot, not only between multiple characters, but also storylines that are never really given time to unfold and become important to you as a reader. By the 200 pages mark, I had already lost track who was actually on what side, who was who and by the end, I did not care anymore - because it did not matter. As the story narrowed down to the two main protagonists, I had no real feeling of understanding of where this was going. It was just confusion and messy and there was no cause that I felt I wanted to root for. Multiple characters had been introduced and then killed off within a couple of pages, before I even had time to get an idea of who they were and why they were an important part of the story.
The whole introduction of the gods was also lost on me. They observe and occasionally have a conversation and following the characters - but why? What was the point?
There were a couple of things I enjoyed at the start of this book, there were excellent dialogues here and there. Great twists that I did not see coming and moments that really lingered with me. But all of that, lost its appeal due to the fact that it did not actually connect with me or the rest of the story. A book that had so much potential, but sadly just fell through.
Character driven vs. plot driven
This reading project has so far taken me through 30 books from the original 100 on TIMEs list. There has been a few surprises and a few let downs and so far I have DNF’d 8 books from the list.
The thing I have learned about myself is that I have changed as a reader, quite a lot in fact, since the beginning of this reading project back in 2020. I used be more in love with the world building of books, hence my love of books by authors like Tolkien, Sanderson, Pullman and Jordan, just to mention a few who really shaped me growing up.
However, I have gradually shifted over to being more of a character driven reader. I have always been a kind of reader who gets lost in the pages, who is sucked into the book so much, that I can leave this world behind - usually it was because of the world described in the books was just so delightful and magical.
Over the past few years though, I have become more invested in the characters. I do believe it has to do with the kind of books I have picked up, both on this list and outside it, but also because I have become more interested in people and how their choices drives a story forward. There is much more time spent on getting to know them, see the core of who they are, the trials they are put through, how it affects not only them, but the people around them.
How many small acts suddenly has HUGE implications for the story down the line. My favourite books are those, where you suddenly get a call back to a small thing, that might even have passed you by in an earlier chapter or book, and then it suddenly blows up in your face. To truly see a character, to get to know them, to understand where they are coming from, to get under their skin in a way - those are the books that really stick with me.
That is not to say that world building is not important to me within this genre, is still is, very much so. But I am more willing to forgive a lesser world building or even poor world building and/or plot, if the characters are well-written. That is my go to now - if I love the characters I am willing to read on, even when the story itself might not be good. That is also why The Grace Kings failed me, the story was not executed well, but its death sentence was the characters.
I am still on the fence when it comes to which book from the list to pick next. I do believe it will have to be a character driven book, just to get me back into it. The list has been an education within the fantasy genre, making me read sub-genres that I would probably not have picked up on my own, introduced me to new authors and also figuring out what kind of reader I am. I still have 70 books to read and I am excited to see where it takes me.
Until next time,
happy reading! ✨