#kuni garu

Jia thought for a moment and bent down to pluck a small flower with a full yellow crown. "They're all dear to me, but I admire the dandelion the most. It is hardy and determined, adaptable and practical. The flower looks like a small chrysanthemum, but it's much more resourceful and far less delicate. Poets may compose odes about the chrysanthemum, but the dandelion's leaves and flowers can fill your belly, its sap cure your warts, its roots calm your fevers. Dandelion tea makes you alert, while chewing its root can steady a nervous hand. The milk of the dandelion can even be used to make invisible ink that reveals itself when mixed with the juice of the stone's ear mushroom. It is a versatile and useful plant people can rely on.

"And it's playful and fun." She picked up a puff ball and blew at it, scattering the tiny feathered seeds into the air, a few of which landed in Kuni's hair.

Kuni made no move to brush them away. "The chrysanthemum is a noble flower."

"That's true. It's the last flower to bloom in autumn, defiant against winter. Its fragrance is exquisite, and overwhelms all competition. In tea, it awakens the spirits; in bouquets, it dominates the arrangement. But it is not a flower that endears."

"You don't care much about nobility?"

"I think true nobility is shown in far humbler ways."

“The more perfect the ideals, the less ideal the methods.” ― Ken Liu, The Grace of Kings

Once upon a time, there was a cruel emperor who ruled over thousands and made their life miserable. A trickster rebel leader and a righteous military heir align to bring a new world order. And so, the stage is set for The Grace of Kings, a fictional, mythical retelling of the Chu-Han contention and the foundation of the Han Empire. Kevin Liu weaves a compelling, complex, page-turning narrative around the politics of a fictional warring land. But the references, characters, and all the shocking major plot points all come from historical sources - underlining that truth is indeed stranger than fiction.

"Mercy for your foes, my king, is the same as cruelty to your friends."

"That sort of logic, Luan, could become the salve and loincloth for all tyrants."

"Queen Gin has always argued that if one goes to war, one should do all one can to win. A knife is not malicious merely because it is sharp, and a plot is not evil merely because it is effective. All depends on the wielder. The grace of kings is not the same as the morals governing individuals."'

On the island of Dara, trouble is brewing. Emperor Mapidéré has conquered and united the lands, but grows old and tired in his fruitless quest for immortality and legacy. The former six countries are slowly coming back together to reclaim their former power and glory, and among them are two boys: Kuni Garu, a slacker and vagabond in a nowhere town, and Mata Zyndu, last scion of the Zyndu clan razed to the ground during Mapidéré's conquest. Forces conspire to make them friends, then rivals, and all the while the gods set wheels to spin in the background...

The Grace of Kings is... interesting is the best way I can put it. If you've never read Chinese history it'll feel new and intriguing, but if you have it'll have stuff you won't have seen in the history books. The book draws you in with its study of the two characters we follow for the most part. The best way I can describe them is that Kuni has mostly despicable traits and is not himself despicable, and Mata has mostly noble traits and is not himself noble. They're fascinating foils the entire time, and there's a brief moment where they work together where you'll have wished for a better timeline.

But also the books is remarkably fast for its length. Spanning about 164,000 words, a little over half of the length of The Eye of the World, it instead covers ten years of events. This can make some things jarring, where characters will meet and then their relationship drastically changes over the course of two chapters, but the ability to provide a zoomed-out view of the conflict (with many fascinating characters along the way; Gin Mazoti being a personal favorite) and only really zooming in on specific moments and gambits that give you the entire flavor of the conflict. It's efficient storytelling, but it takes some getting used to, but it prevents a lot of characters from getting a really heavy focus. Mata, Jia and Kuni are really the only ones who get a really thorough examination, and Kuni and Jia mostly because of their relationship.

But it's also a deeply philosophical book. The various characters throughout the book represent a number of ideas and beliefs, most notably Kuni Garu (wheelin' and dealing') and Mata Zynda (warrior prince) but there are others that alter the flavor of the conflict and incite reflection in the reader. There's a lens applied by one character to Mapidéré, in particular, that persuades another to shift my thinking about how the conflict should end.

I've never read anything quite like The Grace of Kings. It's a book with range, confidence and something to say about war and power. The metaphor of the chrysanthemum and the dandelion is strong as hell, and something I'll consider for a long time.

I would highly recommend this book, if only so people start drawing more fanart of it. Seriously! I can barely find anything about it. Someone draw sexy fanart of Kuni Garu, STAT!