Yoon Ha Lee

Dragons. Art. Revolution. Gyen Jebi isn’t a fighter or a subversive. They just want to paint. One day they’re jobless and desperate; the next, Jebi finds themself recruited by the Ministry of Armor to paint the mystical sigils that animate the occupying government’s automaton soldiers. But when Jebi discovers the depths of the Razanei government’s horrifying crimes—and the awful source of the magical pigments they use—they find they can no longer stay out of politics. What they can do is steal Arazi, the ministry’s mighty dragon automaton, and find a way to fight…

Phoenix Extravagant

The new blockbuster original fantasy work from Nebula, Hugo and Clarke award nominated author Yoon Ha Lee! For generations the empire has spread across the world, nigh-unstoppable in their advance. Its power depends on its automata, magically animated and programmed with sigils and patterns painted in mystical pigments. A symbol-painter – themselves a colonial subject – is frustrated in their work when their supply of Phoenix Extravagant dries up, and sets out to find the source. What they’ll discover is darker than anything they could have imagined…

Sunny

Ryan LaFerney

So a while back I tried reading Yoon Ha Lee's much-praised sci-fi novel, Ninefox Gambit. I'll admit the worldbuilding was unique, and I could tell that Yoon Ha Lee had a fascinating voice - and a good writer, but all the heady mathematical concepts that comprised the universe of that story were just not for me. It felt all too overwhelming. And I couldn't connect with the characters. 

So I picked up Phoenix Extravagant with some hesitation. The premise intrigued me (artists, mechanical dragons, war-check) but would I be able to go along for the ride? Turns out that Phoenix Extravagant is the type of work I love: it's full of fascinating worldbuilding with characters you care about. And it reads like an adult version of a Miyazaki film. 

Phoenix Extravagant by Yoon Ha Lee is a story that instantly caught my attention. It didn't take me too long to let go of my hesitation. It's set in a fantasy land inspired by Korea under Japanese occupation, containing a mixture of magic and technology, and with a giant sentient mechanical dragon. I mean, what’s not exciting about that?

The story follows Jebi, a non-binary artist who lives in Hwaguk, a country that is living under the occupation of Razanei, a neighboring nation that defeated their forces a decade before. Jebi has been living with their older sister, trying to find steady work as an artist, but failing despite their skills. Jebi isn’t a prodigy by any means, but still competent enough that they feel they can make a living from their craft. When Jebi discovers that the Ministry of Armour is looking for artists they find themselves recruited to help the forces occupying their nation. Jebi thinks they are helping the Ministry of Armor to paint the mystical sigils that animate the occupying government’s automaton soldiers but little do they know about the depths of the Razanei government’s horrifying crimes—and the awful source of the magical pigments they use. So when Jebi finds out, they find they can no longer stay out of politics.

What they can do is give the automation a voice with a particular glyph, and steal Arazi, the ministry’s mighty dragon automaton, and find a way to fight…

What makes this story great is not only the worldbuilding but the characters. As a person who has dabbled in the arts (okay maybe more than dabbled, I went to art school), I instantly connected to Jebi. All they want to do is make art. They do not care about the war effort, unlike their militant sister. And if you love animal companion stories, well you'll love this book. My favorite character was Arazi, whom you see on the cover. Arazi is a mechanical dragon-shaped war machine outside, but a true pacifist dragon inside!

Phoenix Extravagant is truly a tale about many different kinds of love. Perhaps this is why I really connected with it. The love of Jebi for art, the love between Jebi and their sister, the inconvenient love that Jebi develops for a high-ranking Ministry member, and what might possibly be my favorite love between a person and a mechanical dragon. 

Phoenix Extravagant is a quick read but is epic in its own right. There are more betrayals, surprises, and blurry lines between good and evil than GOT. It is a story about love, war, colonialism, cultural erasure, & art. It managed to be violent and gentle all at the same time. And it has one of the best and impressionistic endings of any fantasy book I've ever read.

Phoenix Extravagant is that rare fantasy book with fascinating worldbuilding and huge heart. Read it soon.

Christine Bruce

I loved just everything about this world. I loved the links to history, the extravagant indulgences in science fiction, and the way Jebi had no idea what was happening the entire time while the people around her moved like pieces on a chess board. 
More than anything I loved the Dragon, Arzi. It was my favorite animal sidekick so far this year. I loved how it didn't want to kill, despite being built for war. I loved how it protected Jebi and was fascinated by hair colors. And more than anything its subtle jokes. 
I loved the ending as well, while not very hopeful in the grand scheme of things, it was perfect for Jebi. It was a direct line linked to real world historical events, and I think the subtle exploration of that turbulent time in history was well done and deserves some major exploration. 
If there are ever more in this series, I definitely will be checking them out. As it stands, I'll be devouring Lee's back catalogue in the coming months.

The highly anticipated paperback of the smash new blockbuster original fantasy work from Nebula, Hugo and Clarke award nominated author Yoon Ha Lee! Dragons. Art. Revolution. Gyen Jebi isn’t a fighter, or a subversive. They just want to paint. One day they’re jobless and desperate; the next, Jebi finds themself recruited by the Ministry of Armor to paint the mystical sigils that animate the occupying government’s automaton soldiers. But when Jebi discovers the depths of the Razanei government’s horrifying crimes—and the awful source of the magical pigments they use—they find they can no longer stay out of politics. What they can do is steal Arazi, the ministry’s mighty dragon automaton, and find a way to fight…

Dave Perkins

Refreshingly different world. Absolutely loved the journey through the eyes of an artist.

Lost me a bit in the second half once everything suddenly sped up and went a bit bonkers. Still have a lot of love for the slow beauty of the first chunk. 🐉

Jennifer

I felt divided rating Phoenix Extravagant. Doing some background research about this book, I can see that Yoon Ha Lee incorporated elements of Korean history and culture into the worldbuilding. I also appreciate the diverse representation in the book (main character Jebi is nonbinary and goes with a gender neutral pronoun). I certainly think this book has a lot of potentials for a good fantasy novel: dragons, queer characters, and political intrigue - to name a few. 

Despite the good ideas, I didn't feel very invested with Phoenix Extravagant. I think the writing falters from several areas: slightly muddled worldbuilding, a prose that didn't stand out, and finally lack of proper character arc. As this is narrated from Jebi's perspective, it was irritating that they - as a character, didn't really grow through the course of the novel (I didn't find Jebi likeable to start with, but the fact that they stay like this for the whole novel???? don't know what's going on).

So it's kind of disappointing that a book with so many promising ideas falls way short in its execution. Had Jebi got more character arc throughout this standalone, I'd certainly connect to the story more.

N.B. This novel contains following content warnings: illnesses, grief / loss of loved ones, death, violence, and weapons

(2.5 stars out of 5)

Heather Killeen

Rating: 3.75/5 mechanical talking dragons 

Format: ebook/audiobook. I’d like to thank the author and Pride Book Tours for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! I started with the ebook and then switched to audio about halfway through to speed up my reading (narrated by the talented Emily Woo Zellar!)

To sum up: 
Jebi lives to paint. Desperate to do so and to make a little cash, Jebi gets recruited by the Ministry of Armor to use magical pigments to bring their government’s automaton soldiers to life. Jebi has tried to stay out of politics, but when they find out where the magical pigments come from, they have to choose a side and that side may be on the metal dragon's they just helped bring to life. A little sci-fi, a pinch of silk-punk, a dash of romance, and a lot of action, this book is sure to have a little something for everyone!

What I enjoyed: 
The world that Lee creates in this book is wonderfully rendered. I could easily understand how the politics of their world worked and it was used to lend a depth and tension to the story I really appreciated. I really enjoyed the characters in this book as well! Jebi is a fierce and interesting non-binary main character whose perspective is particularly interesting because of their interest in art. Everything they see and feel is through this lens of being an artist and I found that fascinating. I also loveeed the romance element in this story (although I felt it was a little rushed at the beginning). Although the plot felt a little herky-jerky at times, it did a pretty good job of revealing information and rising the stakes as we go. 

What was meh:
The main reason for docking a few stars off my review is that I kept getting distracted by questions I had about how the magical pigments worked. I never fully understood the limits of it and therefore I could never 100% commit to the believability of the story. Some spoilery questions/qualms I had: (view spoiler)[ Why are reprinted books eligible for making pigments but print reproductions are not? How does the pigment/glyph allow Arazi to speak into a character’s mind? The whole telepathy thing really confused me tbh. It was unclear if Arazi was talking to just the narrator or a selection of people around them at any given time. Also, is there a limit to the distance Arazi can telepathically communicate?  (hide spoiler)]. These questions obviously aren’t vital to understanding the plot, but they were nonetheless distracting for me. If the rules and limits aren’t clearly defined then I tend to get frustrated. 

Overall, I thought this brought up some great discussions about art, the repatriation of art, and the value art holds for a culture. It didn’t always deliver on translating into magical flying dragons but I enjoyed the ride nonetheless!

Phoenix Extravagant

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