TPW: the magic system

[Ruth]

The magic system here seems a great example of an anti-Brandon Sanderson system as it doesn’t really obey his laws https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard_...
But it works anyway, and provides some very memorable scenes.
The magic seems very mysterious and unknowable, even horrifying (especially the (view spoiler)[ mountain scenes and the end (hide spoiler)] and the focus is less on limitations than on consequences. (Eg drug addiction)
The involvement of Gods reminded me a bit of The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms.

What do y’all make of it?

[John (Taloni)]

I didn't really think of it as a system.

(view spoiler)[The gods are there to be channeled or invoked by sensitives, and power comes at a price. It's down to native ability and willpower. (hide spoiler)]

[Nick]

I see several similarities between the shamans of Poppy War and the Berserkers of the old Norse culture. Berserkers were said to wear bear coats and fight as if they were in a trance. Several scholars think they may have induced their trance state with drugs.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berserker

[Oleksandr]

I think is wasn't intended as a system, it was just a plot device to represent some allusions, including nuclear bombing of Japan

[Rob, Roberator]

I prefer Sanderson style magic systems in my fantasy. I agree this wasn't much of a system. There is almost no explanation of what sort of powers the various gods give you beyond just the phoenix.

I like the idea of god-infused powers though. I just wish we got so more details about it.