Publishers Weekly
★ 04/13/2020
Lee (Hexarchate Stories) sets an arresting tale of loyalty, identity, and the power of art in a skillfully rendered fantasy world inspired by the Japanese occupation of Korea. The Empire of Razan conquered Hwaguk six years earlier, transforming it into Administrative Territory Fourteen. When Gyen Jebi, a nonbinary struggling artist, registers for a Razanei name to enhance their job prospects, their sister, Bongsunga, calls Jebi a traitor to their Hwagugin heritage and cuts off the financial support she had been providing. Jebi is left in no position to turn down a job offer from the Razan government’s defense sector, especially not when the recruiter threatens to arrest Bongsunga for her revolutionary ties should Jebi refuse. Jebi’s task is to destroy classic Hwagugin artworks, reducing them to a powder with magical properties that can be used as a pigment to paint codes onto automatons of war and program their behaviors. When Jebi secretly teaches the mechanical dragon they’re working on to speak, Jebi learns the devastating truth behind a recent massacre. But will Jebi be able to save their people and regain their sister’s trust? Readers need not be history buffs to appreciate Lee’s rich worldbuilding, but those with knowledge of Korean history will find the nuance and detail especially rewarding. Lee’s masterful storytelling is sure to wow. Agent: Jennifer Jackson, Donald Maass Literary Agency. (June)
Locus Magazine - Paul di Filippo
"A lovely fantasy that eschews epic sturm und drang for small-scale challenges, full of tenderness, brutality, and quotidian living." — Paul di Filippo, Locus Magazine
The Nerd Daily
"The emphasis on art and painting gives the writing a poetic quality, added to by the elements of magic and mythology, which shows the depth of Lee’s research with a deft hand." — The Nerd Daily
SciFiNow
"This is a story about the intersection between art and culture; it's about how art isn't frivolous but vital, especially in times of turmoil. A thought-provoking and very timely book." — SciFiNow
SFX
"A gloriously imaginative silkpunk fantasy." — SFX
Starburst Magazine - Ed Fortune
"Yoon’s story-telling is mesmeric." — Starburst Magazine
Locus Magazine - Liz Bourke
"An elegant, eloquent novel, tense and full of incident." — Locus Magazine
Every Book a Doorway
A powerful, deeply moving book that is a wonderful read, without question one of the best of the year.” — Every Book a Doorway
From the Publisher
"Phoenix Extravagant is a book containing ruminations on imperialism, the function and sanctity of art, acculturation, and the morality of love. It also contains a bloody big and unexpectedly adorable mechanical dragon." — Jonathan L. Howard
‘A story of art, love, human connection, the power of creation, colonialism, and the roles we all have to play in fighting oppression.’
Den of Geek
Named one of the best books of 2020 by Den of Geek.
Paul Weimer
"A story of art, love, human connection, the power of creation, colonialism, and the roles we all have to play in fighting oppression."
Locus
An elegant, eloquent novel, tense and full of incident."
Adrian Tchaikovsky
"Fiercely original."
Jonathan L. Howard
"Phoenix Extravagant is a book containing ruminations on imperialism, the function and sanctity of art, acculturation, and the morality of love. It also contains a bloody big and unexpectedly adorable mechanical dragon."
Stephen Baxter
"Powerful. Unforgettable. This is another amazing piece of work, and I have the feeling I need to read it again to get it fully!"
SciFiNow 4 star review
"A smart, thought-provoking book, and one which feels incredibly timely."
Waterstones Bookseller’s Review
Phoenix Extravagant marks a different way of looking at Empire and power and living within, under, and against that than Lee’s first novels, but no less a powerful one. A fantastic, brilliant undertaking.
Starburst Magazine
"Yoon’s story-telling is mesmeric."
SFX Magazine
"A gloriously imaginative silkpunk fantasy."
SFX?
"A gloriously imaginative silkpunk fantasy."
