The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water

by Zen Cho

Overview

A 2021 Locus Award Finalist!

A Lambda Literary Award Finalist

A Book Riot Must-Read Fantasy of 2020

Amazon's Best of 2020 So Far

“Fantastic, defiant, utterly brilliant.” —Ken Liu

Zen Cho returns with The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water, a found family wuxia fantasy that combines the vibrancy of old school martial arts movies with characters drawn from the margins of history.

A bandit walks into a coffeehouse, and it all goes downhill from there. Guet Imm, a young votary of the Order of the Pure Moon, joins up with an eclectic group of thieves (whether they like it or not) in order to protect a sacred object, and finds herself in a far more complicated situation than she could have ever imagined.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250269256
Publisher:	Tor Publishing Group
Publication date:	06/23/2020
Pages:	160
Sales rank:	357,660
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 8.10(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Zen Cho was a finalist for the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer and her short story collection Spirits Abroad was a joint winner of the William L. Crawford Fantasy Award. Her debut novel Sorcerer to the Crown won a British Fantasy Award for Best Newcomer and was a Locus Awards finalist for Best First Novel. She lives in the UK.

Editorial Reviews

03/16/2020

With this whimsical fantasy novella, Hugo Award–winner Cho (The True Queen) delivers a wuxia-tinged tale of banditry and brotherhood. After a group of bandits save Guet Imm, a young nun of the Pure Moon Order, from harassment, she joins them and tags along on their exploits. The bandits have recently come into possession of a sacred object of the Pure Moon Order, which they intend to sell, but their endeavors both to find a buyer and to steal more goods consistently go awry. When Guet Imm, whose true motivations come as a late reveal, discovers a fellow devotee of the Pure Moon Order within the bandits’ ranks, both characters must reckon with and reevaluate their faith. This quirky sketch of the Tang Dynasty offers more mischief than martial arts or magic, which will disappoint readers hoping for action, but fans of found family narratives will enjoy the band-of-brothers dynamic of the bandits. This cheeky take on old-school tropes is pleasant but slight. Agent: Caitlin Blasdell, Liza Dawson Assoc. (June)Correction: An earlier version of this review misgendered a character.

Publishers Weekly

"Fun and full of adventure."—John Scalzi

“Fantastic, defiant, utterly brilliant.” —Ken Liu

“A fun and sweet wuxia-inspired tale of banditry, faith, and changes both of the world and of the self. By turns hilarious, sharp and heartbreaking, it will keep you turning the pages late at night.” —Aliette de Bodard

“Both hilariously fun and deeply moving, this tale has shenanigans and soul.”—Karen Lord

Praise for Zen Cho

“Zen Cho unpins the edges of the canvas and throws them wide.” —Naomi Novik

“A sheer delight from beginning to end.” —Samantha Shannon

“Complex and rich.” —Genevieve Cogman

“A winning combination of magic and thrill.” —The Washington Post

From the Publisher