I’ll be honest. I definitely requested The Art of Prophecy by Wesley Chu based on the cover. I’m not ashamed – I did it! And I’m truly glad that I did. The first installment of The War Arts Saga shows great promise of what this epic fantasy will have in store for us. Continue reading to get my take on this new release by Wesley Chu.
Summary
It has been foretold: A child will rise to defeat the Eternal Khan, a cruel immortal god-king, and save the kingdom.
The hero: Jian, who has been raised since birth in luxury and splendor, celebrated before he has won a single battle.
But the prophecy was wrong.
Because when Taishi, the greatest war artist of her generation, arrives to evaluate the prophesied hero, she finds a spoiled brat unprepared to face his destiny.
But the only force more powerful than fate is Taishi herself. Possessed of an iron will, a sharp tongue—and an unexpectedly soft heart—Taishi will find a way to forge Jian into the weapon and leader he needs to be in order to fulfill his legend.
What follows is a journey more wondrous than any prophecy can foresee: a story of master and student, assassin and revolutionary, of fallen gods and broken prophecies, and of a war between kingdoms, and love and friendship between deadly rivals.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
Points of View
Several points of view tell the story of The Art of Prophecy. I tend to think this can make a book richer or more complicated. Here we have a case of the former, fortunately. These points of view create a more in-depth and conflicting narrative. As the reader, I was able to see the plot play out from the vantage points of characters who are actively working against each other. This added depth to the overall story, leading to my investment in most of the main characters’ goals.
World Building
Chu creates an exciting world that centers on the struggle between the Eternal Khan and the prophetic hero fated to defeat him. Throughout The Art of Prophecy, the audience learns about the major factions and cultures in this world. This brings to light contentions and complicated political and social issues that are ever present in this narrative. While I am not always a fan of action scenes in writing, the focus on war arts really worked in this world. I mean, the main idea is that the prophetic hero is supposed to defeat the Eternal Khan. How else would this happen without a fight? Even though Chu crafted the world incredibly well, there is enough room for the world to continue to grow.
Characters
The Art of Prophecy does have some stereotypical characters such as the spoiled hero, grouchy teacher, and the anti-hero driven by the need to save their people. That does not mean that these characters are just their stereotypes. Chu’s characters are funny and unique that kept me invested in their lives and goals. But admittedly there was not a great deal of character growth. I am, however, very interested to see how Chu develops these characters more over the series.
Plot
The Art of Prophecy was fairly fast-paced considering the size of the book and all of the world-building Chu accomplished. A lot occurred in this first installment with twists and turns abound. The main critique I would have is that the ending was … okay. If this was a stand-alone book, I think I would be disappointed. The fact that this is the first book in the series, I will allow the vague ending. (As if I have any actual say in it…)
Overall
It’s clear that Wesley Chu put a lot of work into the start of The War Arts Saga. The characters and world are vibrant and feel very real. While the ending leaves some to be desired, the audience is able to question where our intrepid warriors will go next. Regardless I would easily recommend The Art of Prophecy to anyone who likes epic fantasies because this book is just that.
Find The Art of Prophecy on Goodreads, Amazon, Indiebound, Bookshop.org & The Book Depository