The Poppy War cover art

The Poppy War

The Poppy War, Book 1

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The Poppy War

By: R. F. Kuang
Narrated by: Emily Woo Zeller
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About this listen

Winner of the Reddit Fantasy Award for Best Debut 2018

‘The best fantasy debut of 2018’ – WIRED

A brilliantly imaginative epic fantasy debut, inspired by the bloody history of China’s twentieth century and filled with treachery and magic.

When Rin aced the Keju – the test to find the most talented students in the Empire – it was a shock to everyone: to the test officials, who couldn’t believe a war orphan from Rooster Province could pass without cheating; to Rin’s guardians, who had hoped to get rich by marrying her off; and to Rin herself, who realized she was finally free from a life of servitude. That she got into Sinegard – the most elite military school in Nikan – was even more surprising.

But surprises aren’t always good.

Because being a dark-skinned peasant girl from the south is not an easy thing at Sinegard. Fighting the prejudice of rival classmates, Rin discovers that she possesses a lethal, unearthly power – an aptitude for the nearly-mythical art of shamanism. Exploring the depths of her gift with the help of psychoactive substances and a seemingly insane teacher, Rin learns that gods long thought dead are very much alive – and that mastering these powers could mean more than just surviving school.

For while the Nikara Empire is at peace, the Federation of Mugen still lurks across a narrow sea. The Federation occupied Nikan for decades after the First Poppy War, and only barely lost the continent in the Second. And while most people calmly go about their lives, a few are aware that a Third Poppy War is just a spark away…

©2018 Rebecca Kuang (P)2018 HarperCollins Publishers Action & Adventure Epic Epic Fantasy Fantasy Historical Military Fiction Scary War Shamanism Student China

Critic Reviews

‘An outstanding debut’

DAILY MAIL

'Literary super-stardom doesn't seem too far out of her reach now'

THE HERALD

‘A book that will go down as one of the best grimdark/military fantasy debuts of all time’

BOOKNEST

‘A masterpiece by grimdark’s newest and perhaps darkest daughter’

FANTASY BOOK REVIEW

‘A wholly unique experience’

THE WASHINGTON POST

‘This first book in The Poppy War trilogy won numerous debut awards when it was published in 2018, and upon reading it you quickly understand why’

WOMAN & HOME

‘R.F. Kuang’s fresh approach to magic and hard-hitting story is a punch to the gut fantasy has needed for a long time. I can’t wait for THE DRAGON REPUBLIC’

Peter V. Brett, bestselling author of The Demon Cycle

‘Enthralling from start to finish … I thought myself prepared. I was now. R.F. Kuang’s debut is a masterful must-read, and I’ve no doubt the best is yet to come’

Nicholas Eames, author of KINGS OF THE WYLD

‘A blistering, powerful epic of war and revenge that will captivate you to the bitter end’

Kameron Hurley, author of THE LIGHT BRIDAGE

‘Fresh, assured, character-driven fantasy that’s choc full of magic, war, and betrayal. I loved it from start to finish’

Peter Newman, author of THE VAGRANT

‘A powerful, emotional journey, compellingly written’

Adrian Tchaikovsky, award-winning author of THE CHILDREN OF TIME

‘An original and engrossing tale of the coming of age of a talented young soldier amid the horrors of invasion and genocide’

Anna Stephens, author of GODBLIND

‘I so enjoyed The Poppy War by R. F. Kuang … It is all about survival, and how a person’s will and determination can change the course of their life. I loved the central character, felt her pain and her far-too-brief moments of joy, and just loved how Kuang breathes fresh life into the warrior training school … Highly recommended’

John Gwynne, author of MALICE

All stars
Most relevant  
Akin to Brandon Sanderson's creative magic systems and Wurts and Feist's Daughter of the Empire trilogy. Can't wait for the next one.

Exciting new fantasy world

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she has somehow captured the enchantment of psychedelics and brought light to the true evil of man and dominion of the pantheon

stunning and important to all psychonaughts

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I enjoyed this book. Just like a King Fu movie and would be a good movie.

Enjoyable book

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I loved this story and consumed it within weeks. the narration is incredible and really lends to the experience of the story. my imagination has been going wild with the descriptions in this book, a compelling and action packed read from start to finish. absolutely love this so much. onto book 2!!

phenomenal

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I think certain readers will love this book, but it’s a bit too dark/morally ambiguous for me. First half had me gripped by sort of lost me half way through. I don’t know if this is a spoiler, but there’s not really anyone I’m rooting for by the end of the book. There’s lack of communication between characters, choices where it’s posed as do nothing or do something bad when I can think of some more middle ground choices to take. Anyways, I think it’s a super impressive first novel, but I don’t think I’ll be continuing the series.

It’s Impressive but a bit Edgey for me

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I really love the world building in this story. The magic system is quite odd but very unique compared to every other fantasy story I’ve read. My main complaint is the pacing. For me the story accelerates through some parts that I would have enjoyed reading more about, and this becomes frustrating at times because the constant action (whilst reasonably engaging) really takes away from some potential character development. Still I would recommend this story. Read/listen to poppy war before you decide if the series is worth your time.

Good but not great

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I really enjoyed this book, the story was a bit fast at times and I felt at times I didn’t understand the ‘lifetime of suffering’ that they explained but I loved it.
The narration was great!

Really enjoyed

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I went into this knowing I’d love it, since I adored Babel, but I wasn’t expecting to love it this much !!
Also the narrator was incredible. They made it so easy to be able to tell difference between characters and portrayed emotion so powerfully. So so gifted.

Amazing!

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Beautifully articulate writing, brilliantly read by the narrator. Twists and turns were utterly unpredictable. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and fell in love with the proponent..

Descriptive immersion, clever storytelling

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I absolutely loved this book, I alternated between reading the Kindle copy and the audiobook for my first read and it was a great experience. This is a historical fantasy based on China's complex modern history, particularly the Second Sino-Japanese war and the lead up to the Cultural Revolution. R. F. Kuang majored in International History, with a focus on modern Chinese military history, and it really shows in this book.

The Poppy War reaches the perfect balance between inspiration from historical facts and reinventing a world all its own. If you love anti-heroes and morally ambiguous characters, you will find Rin utterly fascinating. The audio performance by Emily Woo Zeller is also brilliant, I am a long-time fan of her narration and I think her voice is very emotive.

The book does get very dark, especially towards the last third. A lot of the events shown actually parallel real-life horrors, which made it all the more confronting. Content warning for genocide, rapes, murder, torture, human experimentation, self-harm, and a lot of violence. The content never felt gratuitous, but do take note that the last third of book is quite graphic before you read or listen to it.

Immersive and brilliant historical fantasy

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