Being the voracious bibliophile that I am, I make a habit of reading as much of a book as I can. That may include everything from dustcovers to the two-line reviews others write in the back. I read exordiums, dedications and acknowledgements. So the author’s notes for this story immediately raised my eyebrows. The author has taken alchemical practice of the Tang dynasty (circa 618 to 906 A.D.) and decided on employing artistic license to bring it to life. Alchemy as a form of science was practiced in the East and the West and many authors have rendered their versions of Western European practices in this dubious pseudoscience. (Mary Shelley makes a reference to it in her famous novel “Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus”.)
Here we have a chance to read one writer’s vivid imagining about the Eastern version. Even though she warns that she’s taken liberties with history and language, we are immediately immersed in a glittering vision of a bygone world. A nighttime vision shows a girl in pursuit of strange knowledge, a chase that flays her alive and leaves her draped among the stars. It’s an invigorating experience, leaving the reader breathless with the majesty of her dream.
The text enthralls with its poetic language, its sense of ancient lore and the ruthlessness of a young girl who doesn’t tolerate fools. Zǐlán comes off as being cool headed, steely, practical, intelligent, ambitious and remorseless. She’s got dreams of a better life. She’s got talent and drive. She’s got PLANS.
Zǐlán also has a business to run and no interest in doling out charity. When a careless customer impedes on her time, she contemplates stabbing him with a dagger but knows that it would be hard to explain to her aunt about the resulting bloodstains. The juxtaposition of hardheartedness and rationality is enough to startle you into laughter.
Her matter-of-fact attitude is refreshing. She’s got edges but they give her a stimulating roughness and the author leavens them with genuine warmth when she’s interacting with her cousins. She reminds me of Maomao, the main female protagonist from “The Apothecary Diaries” by the author Natsu Hyuuga. They’ve both got extraordinary talents and are determined not to waste them. In a world where women’s gifts can be just as important as men’s, they’re clearly not going to let little things like poverty or lack of breeding stop them from getting what they want. I’m looking forward to seeing Zǐlán’s incredible future.
Here we have a chance to read one writer’s vivid imagining about the Eastern version. Even though she warns that she’s taken liberties with history and language, we are immediately immersed in a glittering vision of a bygone world. A nighttime vision shows a girl in pursuit of strange knowledge, a chase that flays her alive and leaves her draped among the stars. It’s an invigorating experience, leaving the reader breathless with the majesty of her dream.
The text enthralls with its poetic language, its sense of ancient lore and the ruthlessness of a young girl who doesn’t tolerate fools. Zǐlán comes off as being cool headed, steely, practical, intelligent, ambitious and remorseless. She’s got dreams of a better life. She’s got talent and drive. She’s got PLANS.
Zǐlán also has a business to run and no interest in doling out charity. When a careless customer impedes on her time, she contemplates stabbing him with a dagger but knows that it would be hard to explain to her aunt about the resulting bloodstains. The juxtaposition of hardheartedness and rationality is enough to startle you into laughter.
Her matter-of-fact attitude is refreshing. She’s got edges but they give her a stimulating roughness and the author leavens them with genuine warmth when she’s interacting with her cousins. She reminds me of Maomao, the main female protagonist from “The Apothecary Diaries” by the author Natsu Hyuuga. They’ve both got extraordinary talents and are determined not to waste them. In a world where women’s gifts can be just as important as men’s, they’re clearly not going to let little things like poverty or lack of breeding stop them from getting what they want. I’m looking forward to seeing Zǐlán’s incredible future.