I have heard from other readers who was so taken back that they simply refuse to continue reading, but I had the opposite reaction: I became even more invested because it put me in a narrative limbo where I no longer knew where the story would go- and that is exciting to me. I am very infrequently surprised by where a book takes me, and The Sword of Kaigen absolutely did when something thoroughly unexpected happened at the halfway mark. The topic of blind nationalism is something this book discusses, and part of Mamoru's coming of age journey is realising that the world is not as simple as he imagines it to be. The Matsudas and other famous bloodlines are considered the bulwark against invaders of the Kaigen empire, forming the metaphorical “Sword of Kaigen”. The book follows two main characters: 14-year-old Mamoru and his mother Misaki, both from the prestigious and mythic Matsuda clan of warriors, known for their bloodline technique of manifesting the Whispering Blade, a sword made of ice that is stronger than steel. If I am to pitch this book in an elevator, I’d call it “ Avatar meets The Poppy War“, but personally I think The Sword of Kaigen is a much, much better story than The Poppy War if I am being honest and I wish it can get even a fraction of the attention Poppy War gets. but these skills are divided by nations and race, much like Avatar: the Last Airbender/Legend of Korra. The magic system is basically themed around the control of elements like water, fire, wind, etc.
Readers of Theonite, whatever their background, are intended to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes. As the author herself put it in an interview,
Kuang’s The Poppy War-except in this case, China (the Ranganese) is the aggressor. The war story that this book is obviously drawing from is the Second Sino-Japanese War-like R.
And more importantly to this book, Japan (Shirojima) is actually a vassal state of Korea (Jungsan), which together, form the Kaigen empire. I was quite disoriented at first but what I quickly learned is that the world that The Sword of Kaigen is set in is a world similar to our own but West Africans (the Yammankalu) won the civilisation lottery, dominating the globe and colonising Europeans (Hadeans). Wang’s Theonite sci-fi series, and all I knew about it going in is that it is a war story (as it says on the front cover)
The Sword of Kaigen is a fantasy standalone book set in M. I have never read a self-published book before and when I asked for recommendations in this sub, this one title floated above the rest.
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