The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War, 2)
The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War, 2) book cover

The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War, 2)

Paperback – July 14, 2020

Price
$17.96
Format
Paperback
Pages
672
Publisher
Harper Voyager
Publication Date
ISBN-13
978-0062662606
Dimensions
5.31 x 1.51 x 8 inches
Weight
1 pounds

Description

“Her story’s refreshing, shocking, and there’s some sort of invisible phoenix fire god controlling everything. Behold the horizons of fantasy expand.” — Wired “This stunning sequel to The Poppy War is an epic journey of vengeance, friendship, and power . . . Kuang has created a young woman torn by her connections to friends and family, searching for love and belonging, and given power beyond her imagining. Her story is unforgettable.” — Library Journal (starred review) on The Dragon Republic “Kuang brings brilliance to this invigorating and complex military fantasy sequel to The Poppy War .” — Publishers Weekly on The Dragon Republic "The story Kuang weaves around Rin and her battle-hardened comrades-in-arms in The Dragon Republic builds upon the reputation Kuang earned with her debut as one of contemporary fantasy’s most promising writers." — Time “Kuang’s descriptive storytelling reveals the grueling psychological and material cost of war on combatants and those they are supposed to protect. Fans of epic military fantasy will be eager for the next volume.” — Booklist (starred review) " The Dragon Republic is a phenomenal follow-up to what was one of my highest rated fantasy books of 2018, and I think this exceeds the debut in almost every way...R.F. Kuang is the brightest new star in adult fantasy...Kuang has a knack for writing some of the best fantasy and makes it seem effortless. She will be mentioned alongside names such as Lynch, Lawrence, and Sapkowski for awesomeness very soon." — Grimdark Magazine “ The Dragon Republic is straight up incredible [...] It’s big, bold, beautiful, and badass.” — Fantasy Hive "This second book of hers – the difficult middle book of a trilogy, no less – seals Kuang’s place as one of the most exciting and best SFF writers of our time...The sequel to R.F. Kuang’s acclaimed debut THE POPPY WAR, THE DRAGON REPUBLIC combines the history of 20th-century China with a gripping world of gods and monsters, to devastating effect." — SFF Book Reviews “The Dragon Republic is a brilliantly unputdownable sequel that deflects the infamous middle book syndrome with brutal precision. With The Dragon Republic , Kuang has proven that her debut wasn’t a one-hit wonder, further establishing herself as the new rising queen of fantasy.” — Novel Notions on The Dragon Republic Rin’s story continues in this acclaimed sequel to The Poppy War —an epic fantasy combining the history of twentieth-century China with a gripping world of gods and monsters The war is over. The war has just begun. Three times throughout its history, Nikan has fought for its survival in the bloody Poppy Wars. Though the third battle has just ended, shaman and warrior Rin cannot forget the atrocity she committed to save her people. Now she is on the run from her guilt, the opium addiction that holds her like a vise, and the murderous commands of the fiery Phoenix—the vengeful god who has blessed Rin with her fearsome power. Though she does not want to live, she refuses to die until she avenges the traitorous Empress who betrayed Rin’s homeland to its enemies. Rin’s only hope is to join forces with the powerful Dragon Warlord, who plots to conquer Nikan, unseat the Empress, and create a new republic. But the Empress and the Dragon Warlord are not what they seem. The more Rin witnesses, the more she fears her love for Nikan will force her to use the Phoenix’s deadly power once more. Because there is nothing Rin won’t sacrifice to save her country . . . and exact her vengeance. Rebecca F. Kuang is a Marshall Scholar, Chinese-English translator, and the Astounding Award-winning and Nebula, Locus, and World Fantasy Award nominated author of the Poppy War trilogy. Her work has won the Crawford Award and the Compton Crook Award for Best First Novel. She has an MPhil in Chinese Studies from Cambridge and an MSc in Contemporary Chinese Studies from Oxford; she is now pursuing a PhD in East Asian Languages and Literatures at Yale. Read more

Features & Highlights

  • Rin’s story continues in this acclaimed sequel to
  • The Poppy War
  • —an epic fantasy combining the history of twentieth-century China with a gripping world of gods and monsters.
  • The war is over.
  • The war has just begun.
  • Three times throughout its history, Nikan has fought for its survival in the bloody Poppy Wars. Though the third battle has just ended, shaman and warrior Rin cannot forget the atrocity she committed to save her people. Now she is on the run from her guilt, the opium addiction that holds her like a vice, and the murderous commands of the fiery Phoenix—the vengeful god who has blessed Rin with her fearsome power.
  • Though she does not want to live, she refuses to die until she avenges the traitorous Empress who betrayed Rin’s homeland to its enemies. Her only hope is to join forces with the powerful Dragon Warlord, who plots to conquer Nikan, unseat the Empress, and create a new republic.
  • But neither the Empress nor the Dragon Warlord are what they seem. The more Rin witnesses, the more she fears her love for Nikan will force her to use the Phoenix’s deadly power once more.
  • Because there is nothing Rin won’t sacrifice to save her country . . . and exact her vengeance.

Customer Reviews

Rating Breakdown

★★★★★
60%
(4K)
★★★★
25%
(1.6K)
★★★
15%
(989)
★★
7%
(462)
-7%
(-462)

Most Helpful Reviews

✓ Verified Purchase

This follow-up should be called Big Betrayals

We continue with Rin on her journey now to the Dragon Republic. During this chapter in her young life, she has her Cike(group of Assassins) but she wants to be more. Do more. She literally wants to be controlled because she sees herself as a weapon. If the Dragon Warlord, Vaisra wants to use her, then he can since he is providing her and her team with a bed, food, and jobs.

They each have a common enemy: Empress Su Daji.

This book has a bit more slightly, very slightly --potential lovey-dovey scenes, but again it is something that is hugely subtle. I gripped the book tightly in my hand as I wondered allowed "Why did this person betray her? Why did they have to do that?"

I love how the author continues to never shy away from the horrific downsides of a war. I mean, is there any upside? She does this tactfully and her writing/dialogue is clear and transitions smoothly from sentence to sentence. R.F. Kuang is quickly becoming one of my favorite writers.

The Dragon Republic was painful, beautiful, horrendous, sketchy, and addicting. I am sure the conclusion to this trilogy will be just as explosive.
2 people found this helpful
✓ Verified Purchase

Engaging story!

I read about this trilogy in Writers Digest magazine. I enjoy reading historical dramas. This whole trilogy is a wonderful read. The story is framed in actual events and surrounds the story of Rin who is a war orphan whose foster family uses her to sell opium. She manages to find a way out and takes it. Her story is unique and combined history with magic powers in a believable way. It's an incredible adventure!
1 people found this helpful
✓ Verified Purchase

Very good

Came without wrinkles or some other defects
✓ Verified Purchase

:)

The plot and everything are chef's kiss. It came in great condition and I'm just so very happy that the delivery went smoothly. :)
✓ Verified Purchase

Wordy and confusing

This book was a boring waste of time
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Rare Case When the Sequel is Better than the First Book

I really enjoyed the sequel! While I wasn't surprised by some of the plot twists, I all-around really enjoyed this book. I especially like the complexities behind some of the side characters like Kitay, Venka, and Nezha. I'm very excited to start the third book of this series :)
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Got it for a friend

I bought this as a gift for my friend, it came in great condition and she loved it.
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Twist abound

The continuation in the Poppy War Trilogy only made the story better. The characters continued to grow and mature through the challenges they faced and people true intentions were made clear. It was the sequel I need for Poppy War.
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This trilogy just gets better and better

Highly original and creative novels. The characters are well drawn, there is a creative twist at *every* turn, but it always works. Loosely based on Chinese history, just as many fantasies are based on Western history. The fantasy mechanics are well thought out and really work. While not at all preachy, if the reader pays attention, the novel also is a commentary on imperialism, though not preachy in any way. My only quibble is that occasionally modern slang seems out of place. But generally a riveting read. What a fantastic young author. Look forward to more novels to come!
✓ Verified Purchase

it was okay

Honestly loved the first book, the second seemed a little lazily written and all over the place, but I still enjoyed it for entertainment purposes. Probably won’t be getting the 3rd.