The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water by Zen Cho
Publisher – Tor
Published – Out Now
Price –£15.99 Hardback £6.96 Kindle eBook
Zen Cho returns with a found family wuxia fantasy that combines the vibrancy of old school martial arts movies with characters drawn from the margins of history. A bandit walks into a coffee house, and it all goes downhill from there. Guet Imm, a young votary of the Order of the Pure Moon, joins up with an eclectic group of thieves (whether they like it or not) in order to protect a sacred object, and finds herself in a far more complicated situation than she could have ever imagined.
To paraphrase Jane Austen but it is a truth universally acknowledged that a bar in a genre novel must be in need of a fight scene. From Cantinas in Star Wars to the Broken/Mended Drum in discworld we all know the moment the noise stops, potentially a piano player stops and trouble looms. This becomes the starting point for Zen Cho’s excellent fantasy adventure The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water where a bar fight starts an adventure that involves bandits, treasures and magic.
An angry customer claiming his waitress hexed him and covered him with his drink. This attracts the attention of a infamous bandit Lau Fung Cheung having a quiet drink and hoping no one knows his wanted picture is hanging on the wall. Attracting the attention of another of the bandit gang Tet Sing- furniture is broken as is customary. Later on, the bandits gather and argue over what to do next when they are visited by the waitress who is revealed to be Guet Imm a member of the religious Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water. They agree to ravel together as the bandits have mysterious work to perform. Slowly the group gets to know one another which impacts existing relationships and also reveals hidden secrets. Ultimately though bandits in a hostile land will need to fight but they may need a miracle to help.
What I loved about this story is the way the story changes shape with each scene – bar fight, comedy encounters, betrayals and escapes yet as we travel along with the gang, we actually see that it is an incredibly well plotted and well told story setting up it’s finale right from the start. Cho in novella form tells you in miniature a tale of a land descended into chaos, religious persecution, lost souls, and a tad of redemption. Each little scene adds to what the reader understands about the world these characters are in. It has depth and a sense that there is so much more to explore out there.
In terms of characters if you’ve ever seen a wuxia series or film you may recognise the bandits as a mix of personalities that can move to bantering guys to fighters in a scene. Some only in it for the money while others have pasts they want to get away from. Guet Imm unsettles that balance in particular the impact she has on Tet Sang and Fung Cheung drives that tension. This tale plays with gender roles in a delightful way and its acceptance of people being who they need to be is remarkably progressive. There is a wider theme in this story of people changing and embracing that change which really works for al the min characters.
On top of this is a lot of action and intrigue as we discover more about Guet Imm’s Order and what secrets they were hiding from people. Expect battles and escapes in streets and the countryside with a fascinating powerful use of magic when required – never doubt a nun! There is a lot to discover and enjoy but it does leave room for future adventures and I would certainly not refuse another trip to this world.
Funny, smart, surprising and fast paced this was a hugely enjoyable read with food for thought on gender as wel. Zen Cho is an author I have always enjoyed and will continually be on the lookout for more tales from. Well worth you hunting this down.
