The City Trilogy: Five Jade Disks, Defenders of the Dragon City, Tale of a Feather

by Hsi-kuo Chang, Shi-Kuo Chang (alternate Romanization of author), John Balcom (Translator)

Taiwan's most innovative science fiction writer presents three tales of intrigue, espionage, betrayal, political strife, time travel, and Chinese history and mysticism. After thousands of years of civil unrest and countless wars, the weary Huhui people of Sunlon City have once again succumbed to a ruthless and overpowering enemy. In "Five Jade Disks," the first book in the trilogy, the imperialistic Shan have enslaved the inhabitants of Sunlon City and imposed a harsh martial order. As the Shan fight to retain control of the restless Huhui natives, an unstable rebel alliance prepares to win back its homeland. Amidst the confusion of revolt, Miss Qi, a determined young girl, emerges as an unlikely leader. With the help of her friends and the loyal Green Snake Brotherhood, Miss Qi discovers that an ancient cult and its insidious and unusually powerful leader may hold the key to the rebels' victory -- or may yet be the cause of their undoing. As she rushes to put the pieces together, the rebels, divided by internal factions, strive to band together in a heroic attempt to overthrow the Shan.

The story continues in "Defenders of the Dragon City." The Shan have been defeated, but the victory celebrations of the Huhui are quickly brought to an end. After deserting Sunlon City, the Shan regroup and return for one final and bitter attempt to destroy the weakened rebel forces. During their exile, the Shan turn their aggressions against the indigenous races of the Huhui planet, a colorful mix of peaceful tribes resembling serpents, eagles, and leopards. Forced into the war to save their remaining territory, the indigenous peoples join the Huhui in their continuing struggle against the Shan.

The third novel, "Tale of a Feather," opens with images of chaos and devastation. The conflict with the Shan has left the city in flames, and refugees are fleeing in droves through the main gates. Taking advantage of the turmoil, a ruthless dictator assumes control of the weak interim government and begins a treacherous campaign to eliminate his adversaries. In this volatile atmosphere, Miss Qi continues her desperate search to discover the origin of the mysterious Bronze Statue Cult and come to terms with the dark power it wields over her people.

The trilogy, first published in Taiwan in the late 1980s and early 1990s and widely considered to be a modern classic, is now presented for the first time in English and in a single volume. In these allegorical tales, Chang confronts some of the most serious and divisive issues of our time, including the burden of history and the ravages of oppression, racism, and ethnic displacement.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, China

408 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Kevyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a quite tongue-in-cheek scifi trilogy by Taiwanese author Chang Hsi-kuo about (in my interpretation) cultural clashes, xenophobia, and war. It is filled with bizarre, feuding alien characters and odd social customs.

I find the humor very similar to Terry Pratchett, complete with many footnotes. John Balcom, the translator, found some unique ways to re-create the homophones so essential to the humor of the story.

This is not hard scifi, but more "fantastical" fiction set on an alien world. I enjoyed all three stories, especially the third which ties up loose ends.

[Karl Kindt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read reviews here by readers who say this novel is either poorly written or badly translated. I think it's neither. It's fable. It's satire. It's not supposed to read like a traditional novel. Read GULLIVER'S TRAVELS, which it most resembles. It's like that. Metaphor. Allegory. It was very different than most everything I've read, and for that I loved it.

[Brady Turpin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a trip of a trilogy. This book series seemed to have it all: time travel, interstellar warfare, clan warfare, aliens, strange technology, and even an evil spirit that rips through space and time. It was both deep and simple at the same time, and I'm still not sure how I feel about it all. Either way, Chang created a complex and profound world in which he based this story. Hats off to the Father of Taiwanese Sci-fi. I don't think this book is for everyone, but I enjoyed it. I look forward to reading them in the original Chinese in the future.

[Fleece]

from the beginning i thought a lot of the words and phrasing chosen was weird, and it has to be because of the translation, because if 十面埋伏 is Commonly Called ambush from all/ten sides then you shouldn't call it ten-sided ambush cos it sounds fucking stupid. so, it turns out most of it is really stiff and stilted.

really disappointed ): i haven't read too many, but so many chinese (i guess east asian in general?) books seem like they get the most unpoetic translators and ?!?!? why why why why why

oh also, re: the chu lu ru mu stuff in special symbols, it kept really taking me out of it because they would write the symbols but then put the pronunciation in parentheses (pa ren the sees) it was p much the opposite of immersion

[Fred · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had been wanting to read some translated science fiction, so when I saw this at my local library, it seemed like a good fit. It's translated from the Chinese. I actually only read the first short novel in this trilogy, Five Jade Discs. It was okay, if a little weird. I didn't jump to finish the other two stories, though.

[Jeff · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was hopeful that this would be good and while the story was unique and the characters were engaging, the story and characters stagnated after the first book. There were lots of lose ends and story lines that made no sense. The writing style was also sub-par but that might be the fault of the translator.

[Margo · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting read. My first of Taiwanese science fiction.