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A review by alexiacambaling
The Ascent to Godhood by Neon Yang
5.0
I really need to write a final ‘Why You Should Read This Series’ post for the Tensorate series in order to fully explain why I love this series and highly recommend it to everyone. The best way I can explain why is that if you want a queer, Asian adult SFF series with fantastic world-building and doesn’t require you to read a brick of a book, then you should absolutely read this.
One of the things that I admire the most about the books is the fact that it’s not afraid to change styles in the way they present the story. For example, The Black Tides of Heaven is told through several years, The Red Threads of Fortune follows an older protagonist as they rebuild their life after a tragedy, The Descent of Monsters is like a police procedural told through reports and letters. The Ascent to Godhood is no different but it’s a little more different because it happens to be more like a drunken monologue. I wouldn’t have thought a drunken monologue would work as a book but JY Yang managed it perfectly.
This basically tells the story of Lady Han and the Protector, the mysterious ruler of the Tensorate who has served as the series’ villain. Here, we learn more about her and her past and how her circumstances shaped her into becoming who she is now. It’s also Lady Han’s story as she recalls how she came to be by the Protector’s side, how they become lovers and then enemies. As much as I love the Enemies to Lovers trope, I can’t help but be intrigued by Lovers to Enemies if only for the sheer angst and tragedy. Here, that’s exactly what we get and I’m here for it.
Lady Han and the Protector are two very interesting and complex characters, their narratives are pretty entwined but their relationship is a bit one-sided. The Protector pulls the strings and Lady Han does what she wants. Lady Han may be shrewd, cunning, and manipulative, but she still did learn from the Protector. Even Lady Han’s rebellion can’t be separated from the Protector and she had been complicit in many things that the Protector has done during her reign. Still, their relationship, as dominant as the Protector was, remained complex. This shows when Lady Han grieves even as her enemy lay dead. It’s a tragic love story about two women who make their own choices and have to live with them.
If you haven’t already, please read this series. I recommend The Black Tides of Heaven as a starting point although all novellas can work as standalones. If you have read the series, The Ascent to Godhood is a fantastic conclusion. It’s more contemplative and sometimes feel like more of a prequel, but I still recommend it. Overall, this series is a good example of the modern fantasy genre.
One of the things that I admire the most about the books is the fact that it’s not afraid to change styles in the way they present the story. For example, The Black Tides of Heaven is told through several years, The Red Threads of Fortune follows an older protagonist as they rebuild their life after a tragedy, The Descent of Monsters is like a police procedural told through reports and letters. The Ascent to Godhood is no different but it’s a little more different because it happens to be more like a drunken monologue. I wouldn’t have thought a drunken monologue would work as a book but JY Yang managed it perfectly.
This basically tells the story of Lady Han and the Protector, the mysterious ruler of the Tensorate who has served as the series’ villain. Here, we learn more about her and her past and how her circumstances shaped her into becoming who she is now. It’s also Lady Han’s story as she recalls how she came to be by the Protector’s side, how they become lovers and then enemies. As much as I love the Enemies to Lovers trope, I can’t help but be intrigued by Lovers to Enemies if only for the sheer angst and tragedy. Here, that’s exactly what we get and I’m here for it.
Lady Han and the Protector are two very interesting and complex characters, their narratives are pretty entwined but their relationship is a bit one-sided. The Protector pulls the strings and Lady Han does what she wants. Lady Han may be shrewd, cunning, and manipulative, but she still did learn from the Protector. Even Lady Han’s rebellion can’t be separated from the Protector and she had been complicit in many things that the Protector has done during her reign. Still, their relationship, as dominant as the Protector was, remained complex. This shows when Lady Han grieves even as her enemy lay dead. It’s a tragic love story about two women who make their own choices and have to live with them.
If you haven’t already, please read this series. I recommend The Black Tides of Heaven as a starting point although all novellas can work as standalones. If you have read the series, The Ascent to Godhood is a fantastic conclusion. It’s more contemplative and sometimes feel like more of a prequel, but I still recommend it. Overall, this series is a good example of the modern fantasy genre.