(no subject)

[skygiants]

There are a lot of extremely exciting books coming out this year, and of all of them the one I was MOST excited for was Zen Cho's wuxia novella The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected In Water.

Now I have read an ARC and a.) I am happy to learn my assessment was correct and b.) all I want to do is read it again instead of any of the other books piled up on my dresser ....

The main cast:

Lau Fung Cheung, an extremely hot and charismatic bandit contractor and leader of a wacky band of very shady misfits
Tet Sang, our POV character, Fung Cheung's second in command with a Mysterious Past; gruff, pragmatic, well-respected, and very tired
Geut Imm, a nun who has maintained a bright attitude despite the total destruction of her tokong in the ongoing quiet war between the currently occupying Protectorate and Reformist bandits, and is now, for some inexplicable reason, very enthusiastic about joining up as the only woman among a wacky band of very shady misfits

Fung Cheung enjoys having Geut Imm around! He thinks it's funny!

Tet Sang, for various reasons, does not.

What happens next is, simultaneously, a fun wuxia adventure with lots of martial arts, and an extremely compelling exploration of faith and identity and the ways that one holds onto the things that matter in the wake of immense tragedy, and finds meaning in the ashes of the life that one used to have. The dynamic that builds between Geut Imm and Tet Sang over the course of the novella is extremely good; I love them a lot and would read ten more novellas about their adventures! Though I am a bit sorry they don't get to hang out with Fung Cheung any more at the end of the book, as I have great sympathy for Fung Cheung's hopeless passion for Tet Sang. I mean, who wouldn't! Tet Sang is so dreamy!

The book will be properly out in June; I am looking forward to it very much and will attempt to exhibit restraint and hold off on reading it again until that time so I'm ready to talk about it with people!

Comments

[rymenhild]

I am very excited by this book and I can't wait to read it.

At the same time, I am sad that it, like many books I've been extremely excited about lately, is a tor.com novella. I started reading Sarah Gailey's Upright Women Wanted last night just before 11 pm and was loving it when I suddenly ran out of book at 11:45 just as things were getting interesting. Why does tor.com keep commissioning these terrific writers to publish books about half the lengths they should be, and why do they set their prices the way they do? Fortunately I'm at a stage in my life when I can afford to spend money on books, but I do get frustrated when I put down $10 on a book I read in less than an hour.

[lirazel]

I'm glad I'm not the only one with this complaint. There are, of course, stories that are suited for the novella form, but so many of these stories would benefit from being significantly longer. It's a confusing trend.

[sovay]

I started reading Sarah Gailey's Upright Women Wanted last night just before 11 pm and was loving it when I suddenly ran out of book at 11:45 just as things were getting interesting.

It wraps up too fast for its narrative?

[rymenhild]

It's the introduction without the development. At the end of the novella, the wide-eyed newcomer has just been inducted into the new world and is ready to have proper adventures.

[sovay]

At the end of the novella, the wide-eyed newcomer has just been inducted into the new world and is ready to have proper adventures.

I can see that being a selling point for sequel novellas, but obnoxious for a one-shot standalone.

[skygiants]

I'm definitely with you on the price-setting -- a novella should not be priced the same as a 300-page book -- but I have to say, I'm actually really happy that tor.com has revived the possibilities for stuff in that particular length to get published -- I haven't read Upright Women Wanted, but I think it's unlikely that Order of the Pure Moon (which does feel like the right length for its story to me, as much as I would love to read more stories in this world and with these characters) would have found a home five years ago before tor.com decided to invest in novellas, or that Martha Wells would have seen the career revival she's gotten with Murderbot.

... this is definitely a little self-serving of me, because I also sometimes write in the novella length and it's nice to know there's a place for that. >.> But, idk, I think anything that opens up more options for people to publish stories in different modes and lengths outside of the constraints of mainstream standards for What Makes a Book is probably a net positive.

[sophia_sol]

I have been looking forward to this book for a while and I'm glad to hear it is so good! I can't wait to read it myself!

[skygiants]

I'M SO HAPPY, it's everything I hoped!

[dolorosa_12]

Oh, lucky you! That novella is one of my most anticipated books of 2020, so I'm extremely pleased to hear that it's as good as it sounds.

[skygiants]

We already had it on preorder when I came into the offer of the ARC 😂 but that just means we get the luxury of one copy for home and one for lending!

[chestnut_pod]

Ooh, this sounds like fun. I can't believe I missed the announcement for it! I think Zen Cho works amazingly well in short forms -- much as I like Sorcerer to the Crown and its sequel, I love her book of short stories and her Hugo-winning novelette from two years ago. So I'm excited to see what she does with something novella-length!

[skygiants]

Yeah, I love absolutely everything Zen's written, but Spirits Abroad has a bunch of my favorite stuff in it -- it's a real gift to be able to craft character compellingly in a short space, and she's one of the best at it that I've seen. And Order of the Pale Moon does that and then has enough room to move through a very satisfying arc!

[aurumcalendula]

Awesome! I'm very glad to hear it's a good as it sounds!

[skygiants]

It very truly is, I loved absolutely everyone!

[hilarita]

I am eagerly awaiting its landing!

[skygiants]

I'd already preordered it before getting the ARC, so the published copy landing on my doorstep will be my sign that it's time to reread! :D

[shati]

I'm excited!! In part because it's a novella (sorry Rym!) which I don't really think to try often, but I think might be kinder to my attention span than full-length novels are.

[skygiants]

I personally am pro-novella! Some of them don't manage to land effectively in the space that they have but some of them absolutely do tell the right story for their length, and I am pro this book in particular being a novella because I think it works extremely well for the story it's got to tell.

[qian]

<3 <3 I have a tiny seed of an idea for another Tet Sang and Guet Imm story featuring Fung Cheung; I'm gonna try to make it sprout after the current WIP is done ...

[genarti]

omg I hope that seed sprouts!! I devoured the book last night before bed and would have happily read a zillion more stories about their adventures.

[skygiants]

YESSSSSSSSSS

[obopolsk]

Oh, I have an ARC of this that I had a mental note to give you -- glad you got your hands on it! (I haven't read it yet but probably will in the next week or two.)