Steel Crow Saga

De: Paul Krueger

Narrado por: Kim Mai Guest

Four destinies collide in a unique fantasy world of war and wonders, where empire is won with enchanted steel and magical animal companions fight alongside their masters in battle.

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NPR • Tordotcom • Kirkus Reviews

A soldier with a curse
Tala lost her family to the empress’s army and has spent her life avenging them in battle. But the empress’s crimes don’t haunt her half as much as the crimes Tala has committed against the laws of magic . . . and against her own flesh and blood.

A prince with a debt
Jimuro has inherited the ashes of an empire. Now that the revolution has brought down his kingdom, he must depend on Tala to bring him home safe. But it was his army who murdered her family. Now Tala will be his redemption—or his downfall.

A detective with a grudge
Xiulan is an eccentric, pipe-smoking detective who can solve any mystery—but the biggest mystery of all is her true identity. She’s a princess in disguise, and she plans to secure her throne by presenting her father with the ultimate prize: the world’s most wanted prince.

A thief with a broken heart
Lee is a small-time criminal who lives by only one law: Leave them before they leave you. But when Princess Xiulan asks her to be her partner in crime—and offers her a magical animal companion as a reward—she can’t say no, and she soon finds she doesn’t want to leave the princess behind.

This band of rogues and royals should all be enemies, but they unite for a common purpose: to defeat an unstoppable killer who defies the laws of magic. In this battle, they will forge unexpected bonds of friendship and love that will change their lives—and begin to change the world.

Reseñas de la Crítica

“A heady look at postcolonial emotions, Asian cultures, and anime influences . . . a well-built magical world of warring factions.”—Library Journal (starred review)

“With a well-realized world and strong characters, many of whom are queer, Krueger's novel will feel as fast-paced and exciting as its animated influences and leave the reader longing for more. Highly recommended for any fantasy fan.”—Booklist (starred review)

“A post-colonial fantasy draws on Japanese, Chinese, Korean, and Filipino cultures for a multinational tale of political intrigue. . . . This Asian-influenced sociopolitical drama explores the complications that ensue after the war, when no one's hands are clean. Characters face the consequences of the choices they made during the conflict and consider whether it's possible to rise above deeply ingrained prejudices and forge alliances with former enemies. Such grave matters are leavened by amusing banter, solid action, and two charming nascent romances of opposites. As tasty as the mushroom adobo that appears in the book both as food and metaphor.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Starts with a bang and never slows down . . . Think Pokémon meets The Golden Compass, with plenty of original and frightening twists along the way. . . . Krueger deftly gives each character their own point of view without losing sight of the novel’s central theme: We’re stronger together than we are alone.”—BookPage

beautiful fantasy tale

I loved this story, I originally was going to only listen during my commute and ended up spending many evenings listening. I couldn't bring myself to stop until the very end! the characters are relatable and grow through the story. the political aspects are well done and I can't wait for the next book in the established universe.

Really enjoyed this book!

Listening to Steel Crow Saga was such a fantastic journey. The lore felt like it was pulled from 90s-00s fantasy cartoons we grew up with and the story was so well written. I loved the wit and grit of each character and you fall in love with each as you read on. Plus it had fantastic LGBTQA+ representation I wasn't even expecting when I picked this book up. It's a must read!!!

A fascinating adventure

Loved this tale of War and peace, love and hate and forgiveness. Interesting and fun characters in an action-packed plot. The narrator was excellent.

Fun, but needs more worldbuilding

I'm not sure what to think about this one. I liked the characters, they were all different and likable, while the narrator breathed a great amount of life into them. The plot was good, as a soldier had to protect the prince of her former oppressors from factions of her own army. The magic was cool, in particular the shade pacting, in which practicers could harness the soul of an animal, then call on them to fight. The elemental pacting was also good, particularly metal. Otherwise, the worldbuilding was almost non-existent. Was ir urban fantasy? Was it WWII Japan? I got a sense of both of these, but it was never really clear. Every item of clothing worn and item of food eaten was explained in great detail, which was a nice touch, but a bit much. Sartorial fantasy? Culinary fantasy?

Like a good season-long anime

If you're an anime fan, and you love the type of magical worlds prevalent in Hayao Miyazaki movies, you will like Steel Crow Saga. The narration is top notch and the story is very entertaining and engrossing. Highly recommended!

A complex and beautiful tale

The narrator brings this story to life in a way that I'm not sure I would have gotten simply by reading it. It's a hard and lovely story of waring countries and the individuals impacted at all levels by colonialism. It sounds super serious as I write that but it ultimately is a story of finding humanity within centuries of distrust and blossoming love.

Story was good but glitchy

This story was good but the way it was written on some parts seem to jump into another chapter/ story, hard to explain. love scenes were tastefully done. The writer did very good introducing different cultural issues and problems that are faced with bias during war. There is a lesbian love story for those that dont like or dont mind that in a story as well as a women who would rather be referred to as a man.. details are not given for those but thought some people should know because that might influence their ratings for this book.I love how the writer incorporated all of this in the book..it was very tastefully done and was relevant to the characters. The story itself was unique and I would read/ listen to another book if it came out. It's not a gobble up book (at least not for me) but was nice.

All the fights, magic, beasts & romance you needed

Paul's second formal foray into storytelling solidly points to a wonderful future for readers of fantasy fiction. I also look forward to more performances by Kim Mai Guest. He really kicked in his world building muscles with this multi-asian kingdoms setting. The characters are rich & adoringly complex. Thank you for your moving tale of relationships and enemies.

slow start but excellent finish

I struggled with this book's somewhat slow start but I'm super glad I pushed through and kept reading.

Interesting Premise But...

Though the book had a strong start it began to lack uncertain places in the middle and towards the end. I found myself favoring Lee’s story more than the others, as she had the most interesting story arc (in my opinion). However, the story did wrap itself nicely when the four protagonists got together but I also felt it drag on the closer it got to the end. Kim Mai Guest makes this a bit more bearable with her narrative voice acting which gives each person their own voice.