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The Art of Prophecy
A Fantasy Novel by Wesley Chu
Book 1 of the The War Arts Saga Series
Subgenres & Tropes:
- Chosen One,
- Prophecy,
- Martial Arts Fantasy,
- Multiple POV,
- Reluctant Hero
This book is for you if you're into...
- Prophecy stories that flip expectations on their head
- Badass older women who steal every scene
- Martial arts fantasy with flawed, surprising heroes
From Little Stack
Ling Taishi is one of the greatest war (martial) artists in the world, so naturally she’s the one best-suited to training the “Chosen One” Jian. Except it turns out Jian isn’t really the Hero of Prophecy everyone believes he is. Worse, he’s nowhere near as capable a war artist as he ought to be. Get ready to enjoy a whole mess of fun as Taishi breaks him down to build him back up again. And when his identity shatters and his entire reason for existing is ripped out from under him, Taishi will be there to show just the tiniest hint of kindness to make all that grumpiness so worth it!
So many stories begin the same way: With a prophecy. A chosen one. And the inevitable quest to slay a villain, save the kingdom, and fulfill a grand destiny. But this is not that kind of story. It does begin with a prophecy: A child will rise to defeat the Eternal Khan, a cruel immortal god-king, and save the kingdom. And that prophecy did anoint a hero, Jian, raised since birth in luxury and splendor, and celebrated before he has won a single battle. But that’s when the story hits its first twist: The prophecy is wrong.
What follows is a story more wondrous than any prophecy could foresee, and with many unexpected heroes: Taishi, an older woman who is the greatest grandmaster of magical martial arts in the kingdom but who thought her adventuring days were all behind her; Sali, a straitlaced warrior who learns the rules may no longer apply when the leader to whom she pledged her life is gone; and Qisami, a chaotic assassin who takes a little too much pleasure in the kill. And Jian himself, who has to find a way to become what he no longer believes he can be—a hero after all.
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