Review of "Phoenix Extravagant" by Yoon Ha Lee

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for a review, which is why my review is being posted before the (coronavirus-delayed) release date.

Non-spoiler review first, since this is coming so early: the short version is, you should absolutely be excited for this book. It's a sharp turn in many ways from Yoon Ha Lee's previous work--there are no space battles, little math or technical language, and characters don't spend much time sharing each other's bodies or experiences. What it does retain are carefully crafted images, an unflinching look at the pain and human toll of war, and clever use of the physical world to ground emotional and metaphysical ideas. Once again, Yoon Ha Lee immerses us in a world where magic is not just a fact of the world, it's an emotional reflection of the way it works--painting literally captures the way we see and shape the world. Even if you thought Machineries of Empire wasn't for you, this book is worth a second look--and if you did, then I probably don't need to convince you.

Spoilers follow! Don't read ahead unless you want to know, in great detail, what happens and to whom.

Unlike with the (pro? an?)tagonist of Machineries of Empire, the infamous Shuos Jedao, Jebi is more accessible to those around him and to the reader. Our connection to them comes not from others' experiences with them, but with their own experience in the world. This experience is what makes their painting such a powerful device for capturing the effect of the occupation; Jebi's art provides an embodiment of their relationship with the occupation and their struggles over what is worth memorializing. As a big fan of the "elegant duelist" character, the presence of Vei was a great chance to see a more refined, classical version of combat, and also--through her duel--a well-used opportunity to subvert it. By making all of the novel's central characters approach the occupation from distinct angles, Yoon Ha Lee is able to show us how it is made of people, people with ideas and beliefs about how to do good in the world despite their frequently untenable positions. He refuses to take the easy way out and cast cackling villains or draw equivalences between Bongsunga's willingness to render Razanei art and Hanfanden's careless disregard for Jebi's culture. Instead, the ending provides a literal "zoom out" moment that leaves us with the idea that perhaps we are all much much smaller players on the world stage than we believe, even when the corner of it that we do inhabit is overwhelmingly vast. Vei's duel and Jebi's earthquake stand out as crisp, poignant scenes, and Hak the gumiho is a beautifully written minor character whom I would have loved to see more of. It's these little moments and the plot that carries them forward that make this book worth anyone's while.

Overall takeaway: Yoon Ha Lee's science fiction was full of fantasy, so it makes sense that his "fantasy debut" would be a wonderful example of the rich detail and emotional resonance that makes the genre work. A quieter, more direct book than Machineries of Empire, "Phoenix Extravagant" nevertheless manages to turn the abstract issues of the mind into events we can see and cannot help but feel.

4.5 out of 5.