Thank you to Tordotcom for sending me a copy of The Water Outlaws in exchange for an honest review.
Lin Chong does her job as master arms instructor for the Emperor’s Army with her head down. It’s served her well so far, but everything changes when a powerful man starts paying attention to her, resulting in her exile. Branded a criminal and pursued by a relentless Imperial Marshall, she joins the Liangshan Bandits — a group of outlaws made of women and others on the fringes of society. Despite their criminal activities, they’re free thinkers and champions of the oppressed. As Lin Chong’s unlikely alliance with the Liangshan Bandits forms, they may have the potential to shatter a corrupt empire.
The Water Outlaws is a queer, feminist reimagining of The Water Margin, a classic work of Chinese literature. Through modern world-building in a medieval setting, author S.L. Huang has written a powerful novel about how those on the fringes can make history.
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One passage at the very start of The Water Outlaws sums up Lin Chong, the novel’s main protagonist, right away.
“The men respected her, she knew—she had no doubt of that. She ensured it. But no praise had ever been rained upon her for correctly doing her job, nor should it have been. Her reward for excellent conduct was that she was granted the chance to continue doing her job.
Gao Qiu’s praise made every small hair on her neck and back prickle.
He was singling her out. Lin Chong strove with every moment of every day to avoid being singled out.”
While Lin Chong has a high position in the empire, she’s fully aware that she’s still a woman. In the blink of an eye, Lin goes from an arns instructor in charge of 80,000 men, training women on the side, to a fugitive exile with nowhere to go. Huang instantly establishes that, while the women in this story hold more power than they may have in real life, it’s still an autocracy where just a few men make all the decisions.
By flipping the genders of most characters from The Water Margin, Huang showcases the oppression minorities experience. Although her main focus is on gender and sexuality, she also looks at class and ethnicity. There are plenty of deep injustices felt among the Liangshan Bandits. Every outlaw started as a victim of the corrupt imperial state they now fight against.
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Alongside the very real plights of women and minorities, Huang’s action sequences are a true highlight. The Water Outlaws is full of supernatural martial arts abilities reminiscent of the author’s Cas Russell books. As always, her stunt performer background shows in every visceral fight scene.
The Water Outlaws is an action-packed story of impossible odds. If you love historical fantasy with feminist and queer themes, you will love this book.
The Water Outlaws comes out on August 22, 2023, and is available for preorder from your local independent bookstore or Bookshop.org.
TW: cannibalism, death, murder, sexual violence/assault, sexism, torture, violence, war
https://www.geekgirlauthority.com/new-book-releases-august-15-2023/
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