Description: After saving her nation of Nikan from foreign invaders and battling the evil Empress Su Daji in a brutal civil war, Fang Runin was betrayed by allies and left for dead. Despite her losses, Rin hasn't given up on those for whom she has sacrificed so much - the people of the southern provinces and especially Tikany, the village that is her home. Returning to her roots, Rin meets difficult challenges and unexpected opportunities. While her new allies in the Southern Coalition leadership are sly and untrustworthy, Rin quickly realises that the real power in Nikan lies with the millions of common people who thirst for vengeance and revere her as a goddess of salvation. Backed by the masses and her Southern Army, Rin will use every weapon to defeat the Dragon Republic, the colonising Hesperians, and all who threaten the shamanic arts and their practitioners. As her power and influence grow, though, will she be strong enough to resist the Phoenix's intoxicating voice urging her to burn the world and everything in it?
Brief description:
Rebecca F. Kuang is the #1 New York Times and #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of the Poppy War trilogy, Babel: An Arcane History, Yellowface, and Katabasis. Her work has won the Nebula, Locus, Crawford, and British Book Awards. A Marshall Scholar, 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, where she studies diaspora, contemporary Sinophone literature, and Asian American literature.
Review Quotes:
"A dark and devastating conclusion that transcends its roots in historical fact to examine brutal truths." - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Kuang's Poppy War series, the saga of a young shaman fighting to bring the old gods back to her homeland, comes to a striking close in this gritty finale." - Publishers Weekly
"It feels nostalgic, wistful even ... The Burning God is the best-written book of the trilogy ... This place and this protagonist are singular in fantasy literature." - Book Marks
"The Burning God is an excellent book, and the trilogy as a whole is a masterpiece. Decades from now, I'm sure that R.F. Kuang's Poppy War trilogy will prove to be one of the most influential fantasy series of the modern era." - Grimdark Magazine
"Kuang has crafted a story that is truly epic in nature, making this trilogy one of the best epic fantasies of the past decade." - Tor.com
"The Burning God is a triumph....It is a spectacular work--perhaps my favourite release of 2020." - Fantasy Hive
"A wholly unique experience." - Washington Post on The Poppy War
"Bringing her complex Poppy War trilogy to a poignant conclusion, Kuang shines a searing light on the devastating price and valiant sacrifices that warfare requires of all involved." - Booklist (starred review)
"An incredible end to this epic trilogy. Mixing historical parallels of Chinese history, the themes of war, politics, and colonialism are balanced with terrific, flawed characters and amazing worldbuilding." - Library Journal (starred review)