BREATH OF THE DRAGON

In a Chinese-inspired fantasy world, a teen on the path to personal glory discovers his role in the complex world around him.

For the past decade, Jun and his father, Li Hon, have lived in West Longhan, exiled from their East Longhan home and separated from Jun’s identical twin, Sai, and the boys’ mother for illegally practicing martial arts. Jun embraces martial arts, training daily at the Iron Core school in hopes of winning the Guardians’ Tournament: Guardian of the Scroll of Heaven is a powerful and influential position with access to the emperor. Li Hon, blaming martial arts for destroying his family, instead pushes Jun to take the imperial exams and try to join the civil service. So Jun sneaks aboard the wagon of travelling performer Chang, a blind flutist, and his daughter, Ren. His plan is to leave town, win the tournament, and prove his father wrong. Jun’s journey skillfully weaves together his martial arts training and his gradually expanding political worldview as he realizes the impact he could have as Guardian. The unpredictable plot twists and innovative magic system, which incorporates religious elements, are intriguing and, along with Jun’s realistic emotional development and reactions, create a gripping narrative. The romance between Ren and Jun is low-key; the story focuses more on familial and platonic relationships, and the depiction of the family’s separation and its impact on both Jun and his father is nuanced and believable.

A complex, hard-hitting, epic martial arts journey.