Speaking Bones is the conclusion to Ken Liu's Dandelion Dynasty series. Toward the beginning of the book, the author gives us more of his incredibly detailed military engineering, this time focused on designing on a budget. However, the focus quickly shifts to Empress Jia's secret genocide plan, which reminds me strongly of the historical Opium War and obviates the need for direct military action. Naturally, this opens up a Pandora's box of ethical concerns, leading to the discussion of pacifism as a way of life in much of the second half of the book. This extends not only to the main theater of action in Dara, but also to Princess Thera's incursion into Ukyu-Gonde, where the pacifist Thoryo's death has had a big effect on Thera. The book ends with pacifist movements taking over both lands, which I found to be a satisfying (if somewhat unrealistic) conclusion to the series. ( )

https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/speaking-bones-by-ken-liu-brief-note/

Fourth book in a fantasy series of which I have not read the first three; over a thousand pages in length; I did not get far.

This one rather grows on the flaws of the last. Long. The only fun parts are the inventions, but they come way too easily and work that would take 10 years or generations of developments is producing in weeks and months. ( )

Phew! I even prefer long books but that was a lot. I like Liu's books and there aren't many authors I'd put at least 100 hours into. When they are great they are particularly great. I have trouble with books involving too much political intrigue and family dynasties because I can't keep track of them, and this often verged on too much but it was manageable.

I also do like neat endings after all the time put into it, and the last few hours are nice if a little sudden. It felt like there was the cast of characters he wanted to end with and too many were alive right before the ending.

My main problem with it is that it's painted with a very uneven brush. Other authors take care to paint people as equally compassionate instead of just straight right and wrong. But the leuuku just became increasingly, cartonishly, evil (spoilers), feeding human baby flesh the the slaves, burning hundreds alive. It's not an anti hero just ridiculously evil. Some people are treated very compassionately (although not often with much growth), but they just repeatedly pit increasingly elaborate inventions against the same garinafins. And since it has to be a close victory to keep things interesting, they always almost lose before pushing through to win. In the end there's the point about how the broader Leuuku are given blanket pardons, which is a more difficult choice given the atrocities, I guess.

And same for the technology. Especially in the first books what I liked was it was couched in 'realism' but felt clever and unexpected with using electricity. But the last few books, he wanted to keep it as realistic so they just started inventing hype- modern innovations left and right out of the blue. It got to the point that just a few people single handedly invented roller coasters, automaton robots, automatous self organizing fliers, huge Gundam made of bone, ultrasonic weapons, the phonograph, programming languages, and OCR. Besides the earlier light bulbs and flying blimps. It's not that they aren't fun but I already know they can exist so it starts to feel monotonous. And even though they're inspired by the Leuuku or the natural world, it becomes so contrived. Like other stories which combine magic and technology at least have that magical innovation so it's unexpected. But I know the phonograph can work, so seeing them construct it with bones starts to fill silly and reinvented instead of novel. I know the end point bc I live in it right now.

But overall seeing Jia's internal strife was interesting and thinking back to Kuni Garu's rise to power it was crazy to think of how the world came. Aphorphisms like 'teeth on the board' stuck with me. I have a hard time with the idea that this world is finished ( )