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sakon76 ([personal profile] sakon76) wrote2010-06-03 10:00 pm
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50 in '10: #13

Title: Dragon in Chains
Author: Daniel Fox
Length: 399 pages


This was one that was recommended somewhere on the internet. Probably here on LJ on my friends page. Maybe by Tamora Pierce? By someone, anyway. So when I popped onto my library's website and saw they had it and the sequel, I made a mental note to snag them the next time I went in, and did.

This is another take on the whole "fantasy China" that's ubiquitous in anime/manga (think Fushigi Yuugi for starts) but which my own favorite version of is in The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox (which my husband introduced me to and is totally awesome; go read it if you haven't already). This is a very fully thought out universe and a deeply planned story, or at least feels like one. There are a lot of different character threads to follow through the book and this is not a quick read. But subtlety, good strong world building, and characters that feel real are definitely made of win.

Verdict: Recommended. Now I start in on the sequel.