''The Burning God'' is a grimdark fantasy novel by American writer

R. F. Kuang Rebecca F. Kuang is a Chinese-American fantasy writer. Her first novel, ''The Poppy War'', was released in 2018, followed by the sequels ''The Dragon Republic'' in 2019 and ''The Burning God'' in 2020. Kuang released a stand-alone novel, ''Babe ...

and published by

Harper Voyager HarperCollins Publishers LLC is one of the Big Five English-language publishing companies, alongside Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, and Macmillan. The company is headquartered in New York City and is a subsidiary of News Co ...

on November 17, 2020, as the third and final installment in her ''Poppy War'' trilogy.

Background

The book was published on November 17, 2020, by

. R. F. Kuang states in an interview with Andrew Liptak that Rin is based on

Mao Zedong Mao Zedong pronounced ; also romanised traditionally as Mao Tse-tung. (26 December 1893 – 9 September 1976), also known as Chairman Mao, was a Chinese communist revolutionary who was the founder of the People's Republic of China (PRC) ...

. In the book, Rin is now the leader of the Southern Coalition, which is going to war with Vaisra.

Reception

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of B ...

'' called the book "a satisfying if not happy end to the series." Similarly, ''

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fic ...

'' called it "A dark and devastating conclusion." ''

Booklist ''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is av ...

'' called the book "a poignant conclusion" and included the book on their list of the best science fiction, fantasy, and horror novels of 2021. ''

Library Journal ''Library Journal'' is an American trade publication for librarians. It was founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey. It reports news about the library world, emphasizing public libraries, and offers feature articles about aspects of professional prac ...

'' commented on the book, saying that it had "terrific, flawed characters, and amazing worldbuilding."

Elsa Sjunneson Elsa Sjunneson (born 1985) is an American speculative fiction writer, editor, media critic, and disability rights activist. She is a Hugo Award and Aurora Award winner through her editorial work on '' Uncanny Magazine''. Deafblind since birth, ...

reviewed the book and said that she was "frustrated by the depictions of disability in this book."

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Burning God, The 2020 science fiction novels Dark fantasy novels Books by R.F. Kuang