Books in the Poppy War series

Rin is an orphan who gets into the empire's best military academy through a brutal exam. There she discovers she can draw on the power of a god, just as war breaks out. R.F. Kuang based the story on twentieth-century Chinese history. Fantasy with real history underneath, and you can feel it.

Start with The Poppy War, then The Dragon Republic, then The Burning God. It's a true trilogy, so reading them out of order is a big no-go. Book 1 has 544 pages, book 2 has 672 and book 3 has 640. Babel and Yellowface are standalone books by the same author and don't belong to this series. Expect a hefty pile.

Know what you're getting into: The Poppy War isn't gentle fantasy. It contains harsh scenes about war, genocide and addiction, based on real events, including the Nanjing Massacre. That's why the book is mainly suitable for adult readers, and books 2 and 3 don't get any milder. Impressive and heavy at the same time. Looking for something lighter? Ask us in the shop.

Prefer collecting in hardcover? Books 1 and 2 come as a Collector's Edition: The Poppy War has 576 pages in that edition, The Dragon Republic 704. The story is the same as in the paperback, the finish isn't. We only have The Burning God in paperback. Two showpieces for the shelf.