[this review will be up on my blog closer to the new release date. I will update the post with links in the next months.]

Sometimes a family is an obstinate non-binary artist, a prime duelist and a philosophical mecha dragon, and isn't that just perfect?

Phoenix Extravagant is the story of Gyen Jebi, an artist married to their profession (read: kind of... oblivious about anything that isn't art) as they get caught in the middle of political machinations involving a revolutionary movement in Hwaguk, a fantasy country heavily inspired by Korea under Japanese occupation.

The main character of this book isn't a genius. They aren't good at manipulation or even that charming; they aren't the type of larger-than-life character that leaps off the page like in Machineries of Empire, because this isn't a space opera. This is deliberately a story about a very ordinary person, one good at painting but not a prodigy, who is caught in a place where they're way out of their depth. The book never lets them forget that, and neither do the characters, in a myriad of ways that vary from "subtle" to "outright laughing in Jebi's face because [character] couldn't believe they could be so dense".
I don't have a problem with that. I may prefer to read about really competent people because many things are more fun that way, yes. I also know that it's easy, as a reader, to say "well that wasn't smart", but would have I, another ordinary person who would be out of their depth, made better decisions in that situation? No, probably worse. I just need the book not to try to pass it as smart.

And Jebi grew on me. I didn't feel strongly about them at first, but something about their sometimes misplaced obstinacy, their ordinary nature paired with odd artist habits, the way they trusted too easily and were paranoid at less rational moments... I ended up really liking them, and it was probably the "must absolutely paint with mud" scene that made it for me.
I also loved the romance, because it appealed to me on so many levels (...characters who grow close physically first and then learn to trust each other? Yes. Also that sex scene.) and because I, too, would be really into the beautiful woman who is the enemy prime duelist.
The romance is far from the only important relationship in the book; there's a really complicated sibling relationship at the heart of this, tense and with a lot of conflict but also love.
And if you love animal companion stories, you probably really want to read this. My favorite character was Arazi, whom you see on the cover. Mechanical dragon-shaped war machine outside, true pacifist dragon inside!

About the worldbuilding, I always come back to how much I love the way Yoon Ha Lee incorporates queerness into his books. Here, polyamory, same-gender relationship and non-binary people (called geu-ae) are varying degrees of normal, from "not even remarked upon" to "our colonizers see this as odd but who cares". And it goes far beyond a superficial level, involving even small details like cues certain more marginalized groups use to recognize each other (haircuts) to even the very deliberate way the sex scene is written. Queerness is woven into the fabric of this world, it isn't an afterthought.
The magic system was really unique, perfect for the story, and horrifying on several levels, being (view spoiler). That was one in a series of ugly surprises.

Phoenix Extravagant deals with many aspects of living in a colonized country, from the forced assimilation barely disguised as modernization to the way the history and art of the colonized people is systematically hidden, stolen, and sometimes destroyed. It talks about food, languages, accents, and especially names; the name change Jebi goes through at the beginning seems such an easy choice to make at first, one with little cost, but it turns out not to be at all. Names have power even when that power isn't literal.
It also talks about art in the context of different philosophies between the Hwagin and the Razanei, and between both of them and the Western world, which I found really interesting to read.
And about war. I already know the ending is going to be polarizing for a lot of people but I loved it deeply, both for what it was and for what it said.

Did I love this as much as my favorite series, Machineries of Empire? No. I don't see it as a full five stars, more like a 4.5, and there were a few things I didn't like about it:
↬ this book feels the need to state the obvious at times. I wonder how much that has to do with the other series' reception, and I wonder how much I would have noticed this in another book (probably a lot less), but still, it was there;
↬ the beginning seemed aimless at first. It's very much not, and I get why it was that way, but I was thinking "where's the plot" for at least 15% of this.
I still really liked it, and want to reread it at some point in the future. I know I will appreciate some parts of it even more now that I know what they're doing.

Based on Korean history and art, Phoenix Extravagant offers beautiful perspectives on art, revolution, love, and survival. Hwagugin artist Jebi just wants to paint, a goal that is hard to achieve for Hwagugin while the Razanei rule their land. Jebi obtains a Razanei name and takes the artist exam, an endeavor that puts them in the path of armies, revolutionaries, and a pacifist dragon. Intense, enjoyable, and leaves you with a burning desire to read the sequel.

Phoenix Extravagant by Yoon Ha Lee
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

See that dragon on the cover? Yep. It definitely stole the show.

As for the story, I think I want to classify this as a silkpunk tale feeling quite like the Korean-Japanese occupation, with automatons, a simple magic system, and an overarching theme of rebellion.

The main character wasn't one I really grew into, however, and the romance was only slightly interesting to me. I enjoyed the intrigue more. I especially liked the whole thing more when we got to a certain automata.

I should mention one thing, however. I stumbled and/or grew annoyed with the over-use of the pronouns. I probably would have had the same issue if it was too many he or she, but in this case, it was they/them. I've seen it done well in other works, including Leckie's Imperial Radch series, where the genderless pronoun became a source of mystery and plot-building. But here, with the constant use, probably over-use of the pronoun, I found myself annoyed by one thing more than the rest: clarity. Clarity suffered.

Just trying to keep tabs, I was pulled out of the tale more times than I can count. This isn't a good thing. It's almost like asking a life-long reader of third-person perspectives to read nothing but first-person perspectives from now on. I'm not comfortable with the loss of clarity. It's not even about losing genders to keep all the ducks in a row. It's about losing plural and singular, too. I keep trying to count how many are in the group when our MC is alone.

All this got a lot easier once characters stuck to their names instead of the barrage of unspecific pronouns.

Honestly, I probably would have enjoyed the actual tale more if it had been a smoother read. I'm rating it a 3.5 out of 5.

Anyone who's read my blog will know that I'm a huge fan of Yoon Ha Lee's work. From the Machineries of the Empire trilogy to his short story collections, I've read and loved them all. As such, when I saw word that a new book was being written, I knew I had to get my hands on it as soon as possible. Ironically, I was telling myself I wouldn't request any more titles until I cleared my backlog, but I just couldn't resist. And I was certainly not let down. A huge thanks to Rebellion/Solaris for approving this title on NetGalley for me, despite requesting it so late in the review cycle.

From the first chapter, it's clear that this world is heavily inspired by the Japanese (the Razanei) occupation of Korea (the Hwaguk) in the 20th century. A major theme in this book is colonialism. Namely, this book hits two major points, the first being the response of the colonized people. Through different characters, Lee shows responses ranging from open resistance (Bongsunga), reluctant integration (Jebi), to open assimilation (Hak). Pheonix Extravagent also explores the behavior of the colonizers and the discrimination faced by the Hwaguk. As the summary implies, much of this commentary is done through the lens of art, in the perceived value of art styles from different nationalities, art theft, and art destruction. 

For fans of the Machineries of the Empire trilogy, the worldbuilding and the magic system will seem the most familiar. The Razanei rely heavily on their automata, automated machines that can obey basic commands, tireless and un-swayed by human emotion. These automata are brought to life by special pigments, made from the destroyed works of dead Hwaguk artists, are used to form glyphs that command the automata. From having read some of Lee's short stories, this is a concept Lee's explored before. However, Phoenix Extravagant has really expanded that concept with the horrifying background of the pigments and made it truly fascinating to read.

Of the characters, Jebi, our non-binary, pacifist, "I just want to paint" artist was my favorite. From their introduction, it's clear that Jebi just wants to paint, and if it has to be for the Razanei government and he has to adopt a Razanei name, so be it. Unfortunately for Jebi, making a living as an artist is difficult and instead of working as a typical salaried artist, they get dragged into a secret military project, the dragon automata Arazi. Naturally, having met Arazi and realizing this dragon is sapient, they hatch a plan to break him out. One of my favorite aspects about Jebi it's very obvious they have no idea what they're doing. Every plan, every action, is tinged with a sense of 'oh fuck I hope this works' and 'holy shit that worked?'. Lee captures the extremely erratic behavior of artists extremely well, from the 2AM bouts of inspiration to the hours upon hours of staring at a blank sheet of paper. There are some hilarious scenes where Jebi uses this to convince the Ministry guards to let them into places 'because artist things, y'know?'. And the Ministry guards, apparently used to this behavior, just rolls with it. Jebi embodies peak Chaotic Dumbass Energy and I love them.

Aside from Jebi, there are Vei, the Ministry of Armor's Duelist prime, Jebi's project manager and later lover, Bongsunga, Jebi's older sister, and Arazi, the dragon automata. I enjoyed Vei's character as the rational one of the pairing. Jebi's unabashed pining for her was extremely cute to read. However, as the two of them got closer, I felt like there was a lack of chemistry. I think this is largely due to a lack of Vei ever really showing affection for Jebi beyond dialogue. Bongsunga took longer to warm up to and early on I just thought she was a hardass. However, we get more of her backstory and her activities in the second half of the book and I found myself appreciating her pragmatism and dedication to her people, even if it meant going beyond her personal stakes. Arazi, was, as expected, extremely lovable. Arazi comes off as a young sheltered, though mature child, constantly asking Jebi to explain sensations that he cannot experience. And also he's a dragon. What more can a reader want?

Besides the lack of chemistry, one minor point I had issue with was the more fantastical elements. For a book so mired in practicality, the more fantasy elements like the Celestials just chilling out on the Moon or the Razenai trying to build something to travel to the moon seemed almost out of place.

Overall, I rate this book a 4/5. Yoon Ha Lee brings together a stark and fascinating world inspired by the Japanese occupation of Korea in the 20th century. The characters, Jebi, Vei, Bongsunga, and Arazi are all extremely lovable, though I had issues with Jebi and Vei's chemistry. I will have to say, that ending was, uh, unexpected.

Review to be posted on my blog at a later time

Wow. I finished this book just a few minutes ago, and I’m reeling. In the best way! But I’m not at all sure how to describe what I just experienced.

First off, Phoenix Extravagant took me completely by surprise; it was not the book I was expecting. I was incredibly excited when I heard that Lee was writing a fantasy novel, because the creativity demonstrated in his sci-fi is incredible, even though I bounced off those books (I’m not much of a sci-fi reader, and they are pretty heavy sci-fi). So, thinks I, now he’s writing fantasy I have a much better chance of being able to properly appreciate him! Because fantasy is my genre, even when it gets properly weird. This one, I’ll be able to read and be wow-ed by!

And I did! I was! This was much easier to sink into than Ninefox Gambit, and I enjoyed it immensely. But I was expecting the wild, outside-the-box, wildly-inventive creativity of Ninefox, and that’s not what this book is. Or no, that’s not right; it’s that Ninefox is immediately and obviously out there. You can’t miss the fact that it’s like nothing else you’ve ever read, because the alien strangeness is in your face from the first paragraph.

Phoenix Extravagant is also like nothing else I’ve ever read, but in a much subtler way. Superficially, the world and story of PE is fairly recognisable, even standard; the setting is obviously inspired by eastern Asia, and the magic system takes the form of a series of glyphs painted in special inks – it’s very reminiscent of computer code. A few small but delightful details stand out – one of the minor characters is a gumiho, the Korean equivalent of a kitsune, a shapeshifting fox-spirit, and her presence in society is completely normalised, a conceit that delighted me; as did the presence of the Celestials living on the moon, visible going about their lives through telescopes. But for the most part, neither the worldbuilding nor magic system are what makes this story special.

I hardly have the words to explain what it is that makes PE such a heavy hitter. I mean that literally; I don’t know what to call the primary movers and shakers of the story. Cultural forces, maybe? Phoenix Extravagant is like an ocean that is calm on the surface, but has deep and powerful currents running just beneath what’s visible. It’s about the give and take of different cultures, of shifting cultures, of cultural values and those things that are valuable to a culture (not always the same things). It’s about appropriation and assimilation, patriotism versus practicality, conquerors against the conquered. Those are the things powering the plot, driving the story and the characters within it. Those are the things that sweep you up and drag you in and keep you up late at night, turning pages as quickly as you can.

On the surface, this is a story about Jebi, a non-binary/third-gender artist of Hwaguk, a country that was conquered by the Empire of Razan six years before the book opens. Unlike their older sister, Jebi is, if not quite indifferent to Hwaguk’s vassalage, more or less at peace with it: this is the world they live in now, and they mean to succeed in it as best they can. That means paying the substantial fee to register themselves with a Razanei name – Tesserao Tsennan – and applying for a job in the now Razanei-run Ministry of Art, both things their sister Bongsunga would view as betraying their people, and unforgivable. Which is fair enough, given that Bongsunga’s wife died in the war, but Jebi knows that working with/for the Razanei is the only way they’re ever going to be able to support themself, instead of living on Bongsunga’s charity forever.

Through a tricky little knot of events and behind-the-scenes subterfuge, Jebi ends up working for the Ministry of Armor instead of the Ministry of Art, their artistic skills put to use in the creation of Razan’s magically-powered automata – which police the streets – instead of in propaganda posters or the like. And as the book’s blurb states, Jebi discovers the horrible secret behind the creation of the inks the Razanei use to create those automata…

But, see, it’s not the horrible secret you’re probably guessing it is. It’s arguably worse. And I can’t talk about it without giving too big a spoiler, but it’s that unexpected twist that sets the tone for the entire book, the linchpin of the whole story. And I’m so impressed with it, and the way it’s woven through the book, how all those cultural forces I mentioned tangle and twine with each chapter.

This book wasn’t what I expected. I seriously doubt it’s what anyone is expecting, given the blurb it was given, which isn’t lying but is definitely misleading – or possibly lying by omission. But for the best of reasons. If the blurb explained what’s actually going on in PE, it would sound so dull to most readers, and it isn’t. I don’t know that I could spin it in a way that makes it exciting either, but Lee has written it all in a way that’s un-put-downable – not because it’s non-stop action and fight scenes, but because he’s an incredible writer who makes even the slower, quiet moments resound with the reader.

Oh, and there’s a dragon. An utterly fabulous dragon. But I’m willing to bet it’s not the kind of dragon – or character – you’re already expecting it is.

It’s not Pacific Rim. It’s not an anime. But it’s a powerful, deeply moving book that is a wonderful read, without question one of the best of the year. I can’t wait until it’s out so I can talk to other people about it properly!

It pained me to give three stars to a Yoon Ha Lee work. But, this is not as enthralling as his Machineries of Empire. It is much more straightforward (no level of complexities like in MoE) and the main character, Jebi, was not as colorful as Jedao. In fact, they made me feel morose from start to finish.

The story was set a country under occupation of a foreign ruler that used automaton as part of its enforcement activities. The worldbuilding might easily refer to Korea-Japan war in the 20th century, complete with 'Westerners' threat lurking in the horizon. There was some minor magic that involved the use of pigments that could cause all sorts of destruction when applied correctly by capable artists. There was a certain automata that would steal every scene it was in. Lee is always good when describing intelligent non-living things.

All of those are not that bad, but I always felt 'surely something more exciting will happen after this' after every chapter. I kept waiting and waiting until the eye-rolling ending, which is my biggest exasperation of this book.

All in all, while this is not a bad book, quite well written in fact, I just needed a lot more.

Thanks Netgalley and Rebellion Publishing for the review copy.

Fantastic, diverse and engrossing fantasy with a strong core message about war. Brilliant characterisation and beautiful if rather sparse world building. Highly recommend.

This is a departure for Yoon Ha Lee. Previously known for the mind bending occult mathematics of the Hexarchate novels, this is a turn into fantasy, set in an imagined version of Korea under Japanese occupation.
On the plus side, there’s an intriguing and original magic system that taps into the book’s concerns about colonialism and appropriation. The characters are well realised, with believably complex relationships. And there’s also a giant metal flying dragon. Lee has put a lot of work into the art of this book, taking a theme and working with it, setting resonances and echoes of it throughout the world he has created.
But that same care doesn’t seem to have gone into the narrative, which is a little slight, a little obvious. There are some good set pieces, but there’s no complexity or surprise in the story, no tricksiness. Even the one revelation that you could generously call a twist doesn’t really surprise or shock. It’s not terrible by any means, but the storyline doesn’t feel like it’s been crafted with the same attention as the rest of the book. I’ve seen talk that this is a standalone novel, but it feels like a part one to me. There’s a blatant sequel hook at the end, but more importantly the lead character has at least two interpersonal conflicts that don’t really get resolved. I’d like to see more of this world, so I hope there is another in the works.
This is one of those books where I wish GR allowed half stars. Four stars seems generous, but three feels too low. I'll settle on 4.5 /5 for the setting and the atmosphere, 3/5 for the story. And a million out of five for that gorgeous cover.

I want to open this review up by telling you what not to expect from this book. Because I know from the experience of not really getting Yoon Ha Lee’s writing style in Ninefox Gambit, how people might not like this one, his first fantasy novel. (And because I know a lot of people have come to this off the back of his middle grade novel, which is great, but also very different to his adult style, but enough dithering.)

Things not to expect:

An action-packed ride (at least not til closer to the end).

Very much exposition on the world-building (particularly magic systems here). He’ll trust you to pick it up as you go along, and that does/doesn’t work for different people.

A light writing style (in that it’s quite detailed and dense at times).

Okay, now we’ve got that out the way, why should you read this book?

Firstly, I am biased, because I read Machineries of Empire and loved it (barring the aforementioned blip of getting into the first book). So, I knew I would like this book at the very least.

The best thing about this novel is Arazi. I mean, who wouldn’t love a snarky sentient automaton dragon? And really, the book gets very good once Arazi shows up. The relationship between him and Jebi was a little reminiscent of Jedao and Cheris in book 1 of Machineries of Empire so of course I was guaranteed to like it.

And then there’s the worldbuilding. I know I warned about the dense writing an lack of exposition above, but for me those are great aspects of it. I love being trusted by the author to pick up magic and politics as I go along, because I’m really not one for reading long passages explaining the world.

There were probably two things I was less enamoured by. The first is that Jebi is a much more passive (for want of a better word) character than Yoon Ha Lee’s previous mains. I don’t necessarily think that’s a bad thing, but for a lot of the plot they just seemed to go along with things, rather than causing them. But hey! They just want to live in peace, really, so I can see them as a more reluctant rebel type. I also didn’t love the romance, but again, that’s just me. The whole relationship was necessary to the plot, but I didn’t think the romance itself was (if that makes sense).

But overall, this was an enjoyable read. And one I urge you to take up, especially if you want to read more of Yoon Ha Lee, but adult sci fi is too intimidating right now.

Simon and Schuster was kind enough to pass along an ARC of this. I honestly wasn’t expecting how quickly I tore through this, even with shelter in place in effect here. The pitch is that an artist is “recruited” into collaborating with an occupying government and working on the sigils that animate the government’s secret automata weapon, and the deeper they go, the more they find out about the occupying government’s crimes, and the less they can stay out of politics. So they decide to steal the automata they’re working on. Yeah, it’s a heist book, but it’s also about siblings, and the role of art, and the various ways people choose to survive, and also mechs that become self aware, and war crimes, and identity. This seems like it’s going to be a one shot, but I would love to see more of these characters. Also - enby main and romance! This comes out in June, and I highly recommend picking it up when it does.

I love Yoon Ha lee! Loved his SF books, and this fantasy offering is just as good. The main character is an artist, who discovers that his art has magical abilities and uses it against the invaders. Very good prose, nice characters and as always with this author, the conflict is not just black and white.

A MASSIVE thank you to Rebellion Publishing and Netgalley for providing me with my first ever ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Phoenix Extravagant is a beautiful and at times brutal story about the struggle to remain true to our values in the face of adversity.

Jebi is a Hwagugin artist, and somewhat of a pacifist, struggling to make a living in a country recently incorporated into the Empire of Razan. When Razanei racism threatens Jebi’s livelihood, they accept a job in the Ministry of Armor, using their artistic skills to harness the mysterious magic that gives life to the automata. Jebi is soon pulled into government plots and forced to confront the reality of the Razanei colonisation.

Readers of fantasy who get excited about discovering new magic systems will enjoy this book as much as I did. Lee has some fantastic and original ideas, but what I really enjoyed was how he incorporates magic into the story. He intertwines it with myth, history and art to frame the moral struggle of the main characters to remain true to themselves, their heritage and their family.

For this book Lee chooses a non-binary protagonist and a society where sexual orientation is inconsequential. This can sometimes feel like token representation, and more recently a sort of worldbuilding genre trope, but I feel that Lee is subtly drawing focus away from gender to his chosen societal themes, and I think its effective.

I’m hard pressed to think of an infallible (human) character in this book, however Lee is unbiased in his storytelling and each character feels relatable. I was fascinated by Jebi’s relationship with their sister Bonsunga throughout the story. We’re told more than once that Jebi believes art is about the inner nature of things, and it feels like Lee is studying the inner values of humans from various perspectives with this ensemble.

I loved Lee’s writing and thought this was a beautiful, nuanced story. I cannot WAIT to have a physical copy so I can stare at that stunning cover. I have high hopes that Rebellion will release a line of merch that includes a matching bedspread.

As a massive fan of Yoon Ha Lee's previous series (the wonderful space opera series that starts with Ninefox Gambit), I was an easy sell for a fantasy book from the same author, especially that rarest of animals the standalone novel. While I can't say I'm an equal fan of the cover art chosen for the book, its contents were enough on their own to sell me completely.

Phoenix Extravagant is set in a world where automata have been introduced for some roles, such as policing the local populace of the occupied territory of Hwamal, now a subject state of the neighbouring country of Razanei. Jebi just wants to get a secure job, one which will allow them to use their talents for art, but their background is something of a handicap even though they try to hide it by taking on a Razanei name. This causes conflict between Jebi and their sister, still mourning the death of her wife during the invasion, who becomes even more incensed when Jebi takes on a job with the Ministry of Armor.

In an extension of the automata, the Ministry has used their technology to create automata for use in warfare and wants to use Jebi's knowledge and skills to understand just what went wrong with the one they currently have locked in the basement. Jebi is horrified to discover the source of the automaton's self-awareness and, alongside their growing relationship with the Ministry's chief duellist, finds themself becoming Hwamal's most unlikely revolutionary.

I really enjoyed Phoenix Extravagant, which has a plethora of interesting world-building elements and the author's customary sly humour. Jebi as a protagonist has a one-track mind without being two-dimensional and their relationship with their sister in particular feels very genuine. If I have any complaints, it might be about the speed with which Jebi and Vei's relationship appears, seemingly created out of very little, but that's a minor quibble in an otherwise excellent book.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was very, very excited to read this as I was a huge fan of the Machineries of Empire series- be aware that this is very different! Not bad, exactly, but it's paced and plotted differently (a little less ruthlessly), though you can see ideas that Yoon Ha Lee was toying with in regards to artificial intelligence and identity still at play in the character of Arazi, the pacifist war dragon mech.

Set in a fantasy version of Korea under Japanese occupation, I found Phoenix Extravagant to be an interesting but ultimately unsatisfying read. Something about the plotting just felt half baked to me- long stretches of time seem to be skipped over and while I appreciate that we can't see every little thing the main character, Jebi, does, I still finished the book feeling like I hadn't spent enough time with them. Which was a shame, because I really liked Jebi- at once both cowardly and given to unexpected (even to themselves!) acts of kindness and heroism, I found them to be a very likeable and human main character.

Maybe it was the fact that their relationship with Bongsunga, their sister, has most of its development in the back half of the book, or maybe it's because Jebi spends a lot of time in Phoenix Extravagant basically in their own head, but I just wasn't gripped by this book the way Yoon Ha Lee's other writing has held me.

However, it's still Yoon Ha Lee, so- buy it, and draw your own conclusions!

I have to say I’m predisposed to like Phoenix Extravagant because Machineries of the Empire is one of my favourite series.

This is something new again, a gorgeous novel filled with complex and diverse characters set in a fantasy version Korea Hwaguk occupied by the Japanese – called Razanei. Jebi, the non-binary protagonist, Vei [redacted because spoilers] plus a wider cast including mecha dragons and fox spirits.

It would be easy to see this as easier than his previous series because the worldbuilding is more familiar; an analogue to worlds we recognise, unlike the more alien, numeric Hexarchate. But I found great depth in the constant colonial references, from Jebi’s initial obliviousness to the pain of their name change, to their complicity in engaging with the Razanei. Everything is considered; the cultural differences between art, food, even magic were explored with a subtle touch.

I was hooked from the beginning; I wanted to hold up every page and press it against other people’s faces and say ‘read it! look how good it is!’ There’s a strong balance between the lighter moments and the horrific consequences of the ongoing story. I don’t want to say too much, I’d hate to spoil anything for a novel this good.

Plus, who could resist this cover?

Yoon Ha Lee has done it once again. It is tempting to compare Phoenix Extravagant to his other prominent work, Machineries of the Empire, which is easily one of my all time favorite science fiction series. In some ways the comparisons are unavoidable, but I did my best to view Phoenix Extravagant as it’s own independent work. And it does stand on its own, quite magnificently. While it doesn’t necessarily carry the same breadth of world-building and action as Lee’s other works, it nonetheless packs a punch in ways that are smaller, subtler, but equally compelling. Lee remains a master of creating relatable and fascinating characters; from Jebi themselves, to Vei, Bongsunga, and even the metal dragon Arazi. The strength of interpersonal relationships amid the complex plot, a keystone of what I admire about Lee’s work, shines in this novel.

Additionally, Phoenix Extravagant struck me as a compelling parable about war, as well as the atrocities of colonization and imperialism, both overt and subtle. While the horror of war and the terrible lengths people will go to justify their actions on both sides was prominent, the subtler tragedies of imperialism felt to me the most impactful—Jebi’s name change and the strife it caused between them and their sister, offhand comments made by side characters about changing cultural norms, the systematic destruction of art for the purpose of war, the looming presence of “the west” though the westerners themselves were mostly a sight unseen. I also found the story a very significant comment on the colonial theft of art through imperialism. As a White American I am obviously not able to directly relate to much of this commentary, but it does allow me to think long and hard about the dark imperialist past of my nation and culture, and the ways (in my opinion) that we are still complicit in the hoarding of cultural artifacts that are not our own—but I digress.

The one thing that bothered me, besides my desire to see more lush worldbuilding, was that sometimes I felt like there was too much going on. While I enjoyed the mention of more explicitly fantastical elements—Fox spirits, the celestials living in the sky—they did feel a little bit out of place with the rest of the story. So much else about the magic of the world, e.g. the masks, the glyphs, the pigment making process— was gone over in such intensive detail that it felt a little bit strange to have these other magical elements included without equivalent background or explanation.

Still, I was inspired and delighted by Phoenix Extravagant, and strongly hope that Lee continues this story in the future.