Fantasy

The Veiled Throne

The Veiled Throne

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  • Create Date：2022-01-07 08:51:38
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Ken Liu
  • ISBN：1784973300
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Summary

With the invasion of Dara complete， and the Wall of Storms breached， the world has opened to new possibilities for the gods and peoples of both empires as the sweeping saga of the award-winning Dandelion Dynasty continues in this third book of the “magnificent fantasy epic” （NPR）。

Princess Théra， once known as Empress Üna of Dara， entrusted the throne to her younger brother in order to journey to Ukyu-Gondé to war with the Lyucu。 She has crossed the fabled Wall of Storms with a fleet of advanced warships and ten thousand people。 Beset by adversity， Théra and her most trusted companions attempt to overcome every challenge by doing the most interesting thing。 But is not letting the past dictate the present always possible or even desirable？

In Dara， the Lyucu leadership as well as the surviving Dandelion Court bristle with rivalries as currents of power surge and ebb and perspectives spin and shift。 Here， parents and children， teachers and students， Empress and Pékyu， all nurture the seeds of plans that will take years to bloom。 Will tradition yield to new justifications for power？

Everywhere， the spirit of innovation dances like dandelion seeds on the wind， and the commoners， the forgotten， the ignored begin to engineer new solutions for a new age。

Ken Liu returns to the series that draws from a tradition of the great epics of our history from the Aeneid to the Romance on the Three Kingdoms and builds a new tale unsurpassed in its scope and ambition。

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Reviews

Brannigan ，

This is a First Reads review。 I have to say first off how talented Ken Liu is。 He’s created a fully fleshed out world with a very rich history， philosophies， and religion。 I could read a nonfiction history book about his made up world any day of the week。The cast of characters continues to grow and you immediately fall in love with most of them。 Liu puts them through hell and you feel it。 All that praise aside I personally feel the books have slowly gone down in regards to plot。 Book two frustra This is a First Reads review。 I have to say first off how talented Ken Liu is。 He’s created a fully fleshed out world with a very rich history， philosophies， and religion。 I could read a nonfiction history book about his made up world any day of the week。The cast of characters continues to grow and you immediately fall in love with most of them。 Liu puts them through hell and you feel it。 All that praise aside I personally feel the books have slowly gone down in regards to plot。 Book two frustrated me to no end with Jia and her plans。 Book three is no better。 Granted it shows how skilled Liu is that he can create such a real character you want to like but hate as well。 However it got so frustrating that all the other intelligent people got played so well。 I felt there should have been awareness a lot sooner。 The writing is amazing and the fact that I’m still mad about losing certain characters from Book two shows how invested you become。 Sadly I don’t know if I’m going to read book four soon。 I honestly think I need some time away to grieve and get over my frustration before jumping back into this world。 。。。more

Izzy ，

What a wait。Ken Liu writes as if I'm watching a dynastic series unfold on TV （for the most part）。 The innovative gadgets and gizmos he concocts are nothing short of marvelous- he's opened my eyes to a new world of silkpunk technology that I think I'll be looking out for more of。 Although the grand battle sequences of previous books were sorely missed， the political maneuverings of advisors and heroes alike served （somewhat） as verbal substitutes。As for the four stars， the positives greatly outwe What a wait。Ken Liu writes as if I'm watching a dynastic series unfold on TV （for the most part）。 The innovative gadgets and gizmos he concocts are nothing short of marvelous- he's opened my eyes to a new world of silkpunk technology that I think I'll be looking out for more of。 Although the grand battle sequences of previous books were sorely missed， the political maneuverings of advisors and heroes alike served （somewhat） as verbal substitutes。As for the four stars， the positives greatly outweigh the negatives:- The struggles of Thera and her family in Ukyu and Gonde were probably my favourite parts， although there's evident bias as Thera was always my favourite of Kuni's children （and I'm glad she got the most interesting， if burdensome， adventure out of all her siblings） （view spoiler）[and her children are obviously my favourite of that generation as well （hide spoiler）]- Tavanaki and Goztan are begrudgingly attaining more of my respect， and turning disdain for a character into wanting to see the story more from their POV is something only a skilled author can accomplish （although it might just be that the antagonizing Cutanrovo （of whom I am dearly anticipating the comeuppance of） makes the duo a far better alternative to root for in Ukyu-taasa）- Stories of past kings and famed warriors were neatly and interwoven well into the ongoing plot （especially the tale concerning a cupa match between Tiro kings。。。 "teeth on the board" is such a gruesomely vivid phrase， and I'm looking forward to seeing more of it used）- The author has written moments that moved my heart， of the love between parents and children， between lovers， between loyal servants and their masters， and so the list goes on。。。The negatives， which kept it from a five-star rating:- Perhaps unexpected， but Zomi， although I rooted for her in the second book， has been grating on my nerves in this one， shaping up to be almost as annoying as Cutanrovo is cruel。 Maybe the Farsight Secretary will be redeemed in my eyes in the next book， but we'll have to see- Might also just be me， but while the Restaurant Contest was intriguing and （most of） the characters in the Splendid Urn/Blossom Gang were a fun edition， this plotline was simultaneously far less interesting than the riveting incidents and sense of urgency elsewhere。 I can see what's trying to be said about finding delight during times of hardship， but it all felt like a distraction from the main stage; a detour that lasted too long that I think could have been shortened considerably， and precious pages used to cover other， more concerning plots。 I just couldn't find myself caring about the caricature that was Tiphan Huto， or even Kinri/Dandelion's "blossoming" romance， even if the majestic scenes and clever solutions to problems described were fascinating。 At times， I felt as if I was reading a different book。 Put it this way: everything else was akin to GoT （hate to use that comparison， but that's the most apparent one） machinations， while the Restaurant Competition feels like I'm watching a well-made episode of Food Wars。 Both great in their own ways， but I didn't come here expecting to see the latter; and I found I wasn't really in the mood for it， either， once the meal was overAs for my hopes in the final novel:- I missed Timu and wanted more out of him。 His parts are few and far between for any considerable impact， but I feel he deserves some agency other than simply existing as the pekyu's excuse to Dara legitimacy。 There's more to him， I feel， and we had the slightest show of that willpower in this book that I'm craving more of- Jia's plan， which feels oh-so （and also not quite so） secret。 She's a complicated character， and I sympathize for her plight- Fleshed-out villains to rival that of our heroes。 Cutanrovo and （view spoiler）[Volyu （hide spoiler）]， among others， do feel。。。 typical， to an extent。 Despicable， yes， but also typical- And obviously I'm looking forward to the sweeping battles and the showdowns to end all showdowns。 I want to see great minds clashing on battlefields larger， but no less difficult， than a zamiki board's， with calculation and feints and maybe even some sacrificial moves。。。One thing I can say with certainty， though， is that I'm excited for the last book in this magnificent series。 I just wonder who will make it out alive。 。。。more

Tex Henning ，

Enjoyable book， but there wasn't a lot lot of story progression or comeuppance for the evil characters。Most of the characters are in a worse place than they started。 Enjoyable book， but there wasn't a lot lot of story progression or comeuppance for the evil characters。Most of the characters are in a worse place than they started。 。。。more

James ，

3。5

Karen Cohn ，

The Veiled Throne is a complex saga that occurs over several decades， with events that occur both sequentially and simultaneously。 It is broken into four unequal sections， with the final section taking up roughly half the volume; between each section， the time frame jumps， as indicated at the beginning of each chapter。 The characters are complex， and I have to wonder if I missed something by reading this volume without reading the preceding two; despite that， the story was explicable， if convolu The Veiled Throne is a complex saga that occurs over several decades， with events that occur both sequentially and simultaneously。 It is broken into four unequal sections， with the final section taking up roughly half the volume; between each section， the time frame jumps， as indicated at the beginning of each chapter。 The characters are complex， and I have to wonder if I missed something by reading this volume without reading the preceding two; despite that， the story was explicable， if convoluted in places。I enjoyed this novel， and yet I felt that parts of it were told in too much detail; for example， there is a competition that is the primary event of the fourth section that is told in almost excruciating detail， which could have been completed without risk to the story in a much shorter section， with less specificity about the details of the competition。 I also found the jumps in time and location to be hard to follow， complicated by the characters' names; some are very similar， while other characters have multiple names， some of which are cultural and some of which are pseudonyms。 Despite that， however， this is a fascinating and rich novel， with story lines that I can only hope will be completed in the upcoming fourth volume。 This novel is recommended for those who like fantasy， especially fantasy set in pseudo-historical Asia。 。。。more

Tammie ，

This is series is an actual masterpiece and each book gets better and better。 Genuinely one of the most complex， nuanced， and well-developed worlds I've ever read and I cannot wait to see how Ken Liu wraps it all up in the final book。 This is series is an actual masterpiece and each book gets better and better。 Genuinely one of the most complex， nuanced， and well-developed worlds I've ever read and I cannot wait to see how Ken Liu wraps it all up in the final book。 。。。more

Bethany ，

3 starsThis review is based on an ARC e-audiobook received for free from Libro。fm。 I am not being paid to review this book and what I write here is my own opinion。 My rating scale is below。reviewI've heard that Ken Liu wrote one extraordinarily long third book in the Dandelion Dynasty series， and then broke it into two parts for publication， and that makes this book's structure seem a lot more sensical， as it feels like I've read half - or maybe two thirds - of a book lacking an ending。 Neverthe 3 starsThis review is based on an ARC e-audiobook received for free from Libro。fm。 I am not being paid to review this book and what I write here is my own opinion。 My rating scale is below。reviewI've heard that Ken Liu wrote one extraordinarily long third book in the Dandelion Dynasty series， and then broke it into two parts for publication， and that makes this book's structure seem a lot more sensical， as it feels like I've read half - or maybe two thirds - of a book lacking an ending。 Nevertheless， this book feels like the weakest of the series for the time being。 I sincerely hope that when I read the fourth and final book next year all will make sense and I will be less bothered by the things which bothered me about this installment。Having recently reread this series in order to be able to read this book with an idea of what was going on， I noted that there is definitely an underlying theme in each of them， and I think that for The Veiled Throne the theme is about the inadvertent harm that can be done by well-meaning people of privilege who seek to improve others and their lives by making those people more like them and thereby erasing important parts of their identities。Returning to Liu's world is a very real pleasure。 His skill as a writer makes both Dara and Lyucu characters believable and sympathetic even when they are infuriatingly stubborn or prejudiced or otherwise foolish。 In The Veiled Throne Liu moves the story ahead， forcing societal and technological advancement in his world which doesn't always sit well with the folks living there。 I like to think that the absurdly long section on a Best Restaurant in Town competition was a way for Liu to highlight the fact that technologies invented for or discovered because of the Dara-Lyucu war are being adapted to non-martial uses。I do not recommend picking up this book if you have not read the first two books in the series。 The first twenty minutes of listening are linguistic information and character lists， which is a long time to be listening to an audiobook without hearing any story。 Unfortunately， narrator Michael Kramer has a pleasant enough voice， but he speaks very， very slowly and that has something of a soporific effect。 The musical clips are a pleasant addition to the ambience where they occur。rating scale1 star - I was barely able to finish it。 I didn't like it。2 stars - It was okay。 I didn't dislike it。3 stars - It was interesting。 I liked it。4 stars - It was excellent。 I really liked it。5 stars - It was extraordinary。 I really hope the author wrote more things。 。。。more

Lena （Sufficiently Advanced Lena） ，

4。5。This one took an interesting turn but you can tell that is not tecnicaly book 3 but the first half of the final book。 But in my eyes Kin Liu can do no wrong

Mick ，

I got this book from the library。 It didn't appear to have been abused or damaged in any way， it looked quite new in fact。 During the reading the pages were literally falling out。 There was no glue or stitching holding the pages in the book。 It's one of the worst book bindings I've ever seen for a book with so many pages。 Gallery / Saga Press should be ashamed of themselves。 I returned the book after 200 pages read and explained the problem。 I didn't want them to blame me for the fact that it wa I got this book from the library。 It didn't appear to have been abused or damaged in any way， it looked quite new in fact。 During the reading the pages were literally falling out。 There was no glue or stitching holding the pages in the book。 It's one of the worst book bindings I've ever seen for a book with so many pages。 Gallery / Saga Press should be ashamed of themselves。 I returned the book after 200 pages read and explained the problem。 I didn't want them to blame me for the fact that it was falling apart。 I feel bad for Ken Liu。 It was starting to get interesting when I had to quit reading it。 Ken is a fine author and I've read many of his stories。 He needs to do a better job getting his stories published in print。 And after this book he should be looking for a new publisher。Ken Liu， I hope you see this。 You should be upset。 I'd be glad to tell you the library that will have to repair of replace that book。 。。。more

ken ，

The aspen wishes to stand still， but the wind does not stop。We love that which gives us heartache and difficulty。。。 Some of the most important decisions we make in life are not derived from reason， from weighing the fish， from an evaluation of the pros and cons—but from a simple leap of faith， of love that needs no evidence， apology， or argument。But all of it was tethered to the basics， to the love that can be held in a single heart。 A great lady once taught me that there's nothing abstract abou The aspen wishes to stand still， but the wind does not stop。We love that which gives us heartache and difficulty。。。 Some of the most important decisions we make in life are not derived from reason， from weighing the fish， from an evaluation of the pros and cons—but from a simple leap of faith， of love that needs no evidence， apology， or argument。But all of it was tethered to the basics， to the love that can be held in a single heart。 A great lady once taught me that there's nothing abstract about love: It requires the specific and the quotidian。Five years。 Five years in the making and not a moment of this whole narrative slackened its pull and draw until I am fully enveloped in the web of Ken Liu's storytelling。 This was one of the few times that I did not want a story to end （I think the other time was in Foundryside）。 I read back on my review for The Grace of Kings and I noticed how often I mentioned the gods。 Their diminished authority and prevalence in the narrative that is then further implied upon at the novel's end is of great interest to me。 Is Dara （and perhaps by extension， Ukyu-Gondé） going through postmodernity？ I look forward to that answer in the next book。The Veiled Throne focuses more on the Lyucu-Agon aspect of things， and the whole inter-mixing of cultures is a prominent theme， from Théra's political marriage and Kinri/Savo as a character。 It's interesting though—I trust Liu to tell the story that he carries inside of him， but I wonder where I am meant to side。 It's supposed to be complicated， I know， but the way Cutanrovo appeared made it almost too easy to side with the Dara side of the wall of storms， so to speak。 But， then again， the series focuses on the Dandelion Dynasty， so that might be where the answers lie。Another theme too， was the consideration of written language versus the fluidity of oral tradition。 It's amazing how the narrative balances this theme and it took Zomi's point on this conflict for me to accept the complexity。 I'm afraid I was far too much like the scholars and students who put too much stock on the written word when words themselves are slippery and omit the "entirety of the experience， of being alive here， in this moment"。I also want to thank Ken Liu for taking pity on me and saving Zomi's romantic pragmatism （yes， it's a thing） near the end， because when she said， "I suppose the love poets would call [our romance] a tragedy of ambition and vanity， for in their verses there is nothing grander than romance。 But Théra and I both understood that there are other grand ideals in this universe worth pursuing， and being apart is not the end of a love that is true"， I nearly lost it。My favourite arc had to be the cooking showdown。 It had the image of Cooking Master Boy burned in my head。 Also， the use of sous vide and the pressure cooker had me grinning the whole time。Oof， and I have a year to wait for the next and final book？ Can my heart handle it？ It's going to have to。（sidenote: I learned my lesson re: preorders， thanks to this book。 Don't preorder so far away！ You never know what would happen。 Say， imagine if your credit card info had to be replaced so you had to have this tiring back and forth with a Chapters-Indigo employee regarding your preorder—it's taxing to say the least。） 。。。more

Mark Espina ，

If you liked Wall of Storms more than Grace of Kings， this book is definitely for you。 Honestly， the NPR book review pretty sums up my thoughts so I'll just quote it here:"The Veiled Throne is not an easy book。 Not a coddling one。 It's not the most fun book of the trilogy to read。 But with the way it finds its balance in the series， it might be Liu's most interesting。" If you liked Wall of Storms more than Grace of Kings， this book is definitely for you。 Honestly， the NPR book review pretty sums up my thoughts so I'll just quote it here:"The Veiled Throne is not an easy book。 Not a coddling one。 It's not the most fun book of the trilogy to read。 But with the way it finds its balance in the series， it might be Liu's most interesting。" 。。。more

Lindsay ，

Regrettably， The Veiled Throne suffered from being the first half of the story that will be resolved by Speaking Bones in 2022。 It’s becoming well known that Ken Liu was unable to complete the conflict between Dara and the Lyucu within one volume and therefore split the narrative between these two books。 Unfortunately， I find it difficult to believe that the author made any significant adjustments to events of these books to ensure there was a satisfactory story arc told in each。 Instead The Vei Regrettably， The Veiled Throne suffered from being the first half of the story that will be resolved by Speaking Bones in 2022。 It’s becoming well known that Ken Liu was unable to complete the conflict between Dara and the Lyucu within one volume and therefore split the narrative between these two books。 Unfortunately， I find it difficult to believe that the author made any significant adjustments to events of these books to ensure there was a satisfactory story arc told in each。 Instead The Veiled Throne feels exactly like the book was split in equal halves， resulting in an inflated buildup with no satisfactory payoff。 The pacing of this book was intolerably slow which is felt intimately in the 1000 page count where multiple plot lines are introduced and developed， but often abandoned for hundreds of pages in favor of a seemingly random plot。 I’m vaguely referencing the 300 pages of the cooking competition plot that severely hampered my enjoyment of this entire story。 After seeing how the author intended for the events of this story to impact the larger plot I still feel like this could have been edited down or abbreviated in this book with an additional novella published separately for readers who actually wanted all this information。 Usually I find zero complaints for Ken Liu’s meandering development through the exquisite exploration of this world he has painstakingly gifted us readers， but needless to say I can’t appreciate this instance without reading the final installment。 Perhaps I will have to retract this entire review once I can read the fourth and final book and see how this all plays out。 Unfortunately， I’ll have to chalk this one up to a miss in the meantime and add it to my list of disappointing sequels for my favorite fantasy series。 。。。more

Victoria Law ，

Didn't grab me as much as the first book， but it might also be the content （war， strife， people terrorizing other people）。 Until I got to page 575 when the Blossom Gang and the gauntlet of an ultimate restaurant challenge was thrown down。 Didn't grab me as much as the first book， but it might also be the content （war， strife， people terrorizing other people）。 Until I got to page 575 when the Blossom Gang and the gauntlet of an ultimate restaurant challenge was thrown down。 。。。more

Jesús ，

3，5 stars。There were a couple of things that I didn't like， to be honest， but in general I really enjoyed the book， specially the second half， I'm looking forward the final book。（view spoiler）[Things that I didn't like: * The whale solution。 Maybe it's because it has been so long since I read the second one， but felt a bit Deus ex machina to me。 * I hate when， at the same time， unrelated things start to go wrong at the same time just to add tension。 * The destruction of the village was so cruel 3，5 stars。There were a couple of things that I didn't like， to be honest， but in general I really enjoyed the book， specially the second half， I'm looking forward the final book。（view spoiler）[Things that I didn't like: * The whale solution。 Maybe it's because it has been so long since I read the second one， but felt a bit Deus ex machina to me。 * I hate when， at the same time， unrelated things start to go wrong at the same time just to add tension。 * The destruction of the village was so cruel that it was hard to read。 Good job， because I guess this is the intended effect。Things that I specially liked: * Jia's machinations。 Sad to read， but really entertaining。 * The Blossom Gang * Goztan and Kinri arc（hide spoiler）] 。。。more

Lorraine ，

4 1/2 Stars。 The Veiled Throne seals Ken Liu as a brilliant writer in the genre of fantasy。 The books so far in The Dandelion Dynasty are a unique and powerful series that adds diversity and new themes into the epic fantasy genre。 Mr。 Liu has the ability to have each book focus more on particular characters， relegating some to more of a background role， but still weaving an amazing， cohesive story。 There are overarching themes in this book， such as do we judge our enemies with a broad sweeping b 4 1/2 Stars。 The Veiled Throne seals Ken Liu as a brilliant writer in the genre of fantasy。 The books so far in The Dandelion Dynasty are a unique and powerful series that adds diversity and new themes into the epic fantasy genre。 Mr。 Liu has the ability to have each book focus more on particular characters， relegating some to more of a background role， but still weaving an amazing， cohesive story。 There are overarching themes in this book， such as do we judge our enemies with a broad sweeping brush， or can we try to come to know them and respect them through the actions of a few？ How does a leader handle fanaticism within the ranks of their military？ To stay in power， how much is too much to commit？ How do we handle failure？ As these questions are raised， there are no easy answers。 In the Veiled Throne， Mr。 Liu addresses each one in subtle ways that the reader may not like at times， but certainly can understand why they act as they do。 There are brutal and violent scenes that are necessary to the plot of the story。 However， these scenes， while graphic， are not gratuitous nor simple there to shock the reader。 It drives home that war and occupation are not peaceful。 People suffer， and Mr。 Liu illustrates it perfectly。 Once again， he successfully uses flashback scenes that are captivating in themselves but set up an event that will come later in the book。 It is， quite simply， brilliant writing。 As with the other books， we also see the gods of Dara wielding their influence at times in the events that unfold。 I highly recommend not only The Veiled Throne but the entire Dandelion Dynasty series。 We know at the end of The Wall of Storms that both Kuni Gari and Pekyu Tenryo have died in the epic sea battle。 Before his death， he names his daughter， Princess Thera as his heir and Empress。 The daughter of Tenryo， Tanvanaki， will lead the Lyucu people who have control over part of the kingdom of Dara。 Gin Mazoti， the brilliant tactician， has also perished in the battle。 After the battle， and Empress Jia reach an agreement。 The Lyucu， with more numbers of warriors and more coming， will give the Empress one year before striking at the heart of the remaining kingdom。 This sets up The Veiled Throne for more intrigue， and the focus on the next generation with both Kuni， Gin， and Tenryo gone。 This was a strong point of the book， the passing of the torch。 The children of Kuni， with the exception of Timu， were not the focus of the previous books。 We now see them grown up and setting out to find their place in a kingdom under siege。 Likewise， Thera， is planning her future in Dara。 It is interesting to note that the heirs of the two powerful men are two powerful women。 Thera’s time as Empress is short-lived， as she ventures with her new husband， Takval， beyond the wall of storms to prevent more Lyucu from crossing the wall and reinforcing the Lyucu already in Dasu。 She leaves behind her lover， the brilliant scholar， Zomi Kidosu。 Thera and Zomi know this journey is more important than their feelings for each other。 While Thera is smart and resilient， she will face hardship she has never known。 Phyro， while now the Emperor， is preparing for battle， working in secret。 He has no desire to take the throne， leaving Empress Jia， his aunt-mother， in charge until he is ready to take his place。 Meanwhile， Timu， as we know is married to Tanvanki and has two children。 I once thought Princess Fara was never going to be more than a background character， however quite a bit of the book focuses on both her along with Timu， Thera， and Tanvanaki。 Will this generation be able to find a way to live in harmony， or will they repeat what their parents have done？ The focus on Fara was another point that worked very well for me。 She is the counter to her siblings， the one who seeks adventure beyond the confinement of the palace， and is one who certainly is more open-minded The characters have grown throughout the books。 They do not stagnate from how we first met them in The Grace of Kings。 Their arcs are becoming more and more interesting as the books progress。 Political intrigue was also a major part of this series， and this one is no different。 Preparing for a coming showdown with the Lyucu will take every resource and planning on the part of the political players in Dara。 Most notably is Empress Jia。 She is unrecognizable from the carefree woman we met in The Grace of Kings。 She is a complex character， secretive and planning something。 What it is， we are not privy to。 Not yet。 There is a large part of the book that focuses on Fara leaving the palace and using another name so she is not recognized。 She winds up helping a restaurant her father frequented before his time as Emperor。 The owner gets involved in a contest to find which is the best restaurant in Dara。 Helping them is Kinri， a young Lyucu man， saved from a death sentence by his mother， Gotzan Ryoto， and told to leave Lyucu territory to safety。 They are also aided by the Gang， a band of friends who are performers have various helpful skills。 This challenge， while seeming innocuous， was very important in symbolism。 Fara found her skills and matures while helping the restaurant。 She developed strong feelings for Kinri despite his Lyucu heritage。 Fara was able to see beyond the raging conflict， and looking at your enemy as if all are the same， is wrong。 Kinri was kind and the friendship he made were genuine， as were the feelings he， too， had for Fara。 Kinri plays a very important role and how this pans out is one of the more interesting parts of the book。 I’m hopeful to see more of him in the next book。 Tanvanaki faces her own struggles。 Gotzan was her friend and trusted Thane。 Through circumstances against their laws， it is Kinri who is sentenced to death。 Gotzan is reduced in power。 The Thane that takes her place is fanatical and bloodthirsty。 She carries out atrocities on the people of Dara under occupation without mercy。 Tanvanaki faces a difficult choice。 That choice is how far does she go to maintain control？ Many thanes side with ， and allowing her free reign keeps Tanvanaki in the Thanes good graces。 She does not agree with her actions but allows it。 Timu is relegated to little more than a figurehead and has little sway over his wife。 What is the moral thing to do？ This is a dilemma she faces and has yet to find her answer。 Overall Thoughts Once again， in The Veiled Throne， Ken Liu has written an absolutely magnificent novel。 This next entry into the Dandelion Dynasty series perfectly sets up the next book。 With the death of the previous main characters， Mr。 Liu has passed on the story seamlessly to the next generation on Thera， Phyro， Fara， Timu， Tanvanaki， and Kinri。 The arcs of the characters we have already continue to develop and surprise the readers in many ways。 Flashback chapters are successfully threaded into the narrative to serve as foreshadowing of an event that is revealed later in the book。 The Veiled Throne has many twists and surprises and did not see coming。 Diversity and representation is just as important in this book as in the others。 I find it refreshing that this series normalizes same sex marriage。 It is simply part of the story and never feels forced。 Some of the book is brutal and violent。 These episodes are necessary given the characters involved， and are never gratuitous or there to shock the reader。 Overall， I highly recommend The Veiled Throne and the entire Dandelion Dynasty Series。 。。。more

Mike ，

I love this series。 I can't wait until the next one but parts of this novel drove me crazy。 Maybe（I hope） it becomes relevant in the next book。 I love this series。 I can't wait until the next one but parts of this novel drove me crazy。 Maybe（I hope） it becomes relevant in the next book。 。。。more

Johnett ，

Wow…what a tome！ Glad to know there’ll be another book。 — js

Justin ，

3。5***This book was a bit of a let down for me。 I still love this world and Ken Liu's writing， but a significant part of the plot just didn't work for me。 There were some really great scenes that had me hooked， and then there were some plot threads that dragged on for way too long and bored me to tears。 However， I still can't wait to finish the series with the next book。 3。5***This book was a bit of a let down for me。 I still love this world and Ken Liu's writing， but a significant part of the plot just didn't work for me。 There were some really great scenes that had me hooked， and then there were some plot threads that dragged on for way too long and bored me to tears。 However， I still can't wait to finish the series with the next book。 。。。more

Yev ，

Each book in this series has been considerably different than the one that came before。 Will the fourth be as well？ Seems likely。 Unlike the first two books， there's no war， or really even much combat at all。 Instead， this entry focuses on a theme that's relatively common in Liu's short fiction， the immigrant experience。 The clash of cultures is shown from both sides。 A particular point of contention for the parents in either country is how the native culture seems to have a greater influence on Each book in this series has been considerably different than the one that came before。 Will the fourth be as well？ Seems likely。 Unlike the first two books， there's no war， or really even much combat at all。 Instead， this entry focuses on a theme that's relatively common in Liu's short fiction， the immigrant experience。 The clash of cultures is shown from both sides。 A particular point of contention for the parents in either country is how the native culture seems to have a greater influence on their children than their parenting。 As is to be expected these days for immigrants， there are also many refugees， who take boats and mostly drown。 They're escaping ethnic cleansing and servitude， yet most end up indefinitely held in detainment camps with squalid conditions。There's considerable discussion on the limitations of writing and reading， which is strongly reminiscent of Ted Chiang's "The Truth of Fact， The Truth of Feelings"。 Liu notes at the end of his story， "Single-Bit Error"， "Because this story addresses themes similar to those explored in Ted Chiang’s story， I sought and obtained Chiang’s permission before publication。" So that may well be the case here as well， though it's not necessarily so。 As with the second book， there's also discussion about educational reform。 Alongside this is an exploration of how ostensibly well-meaning reformers may think they know best for some marginalized group of people， but are oblivious to the feelings of those same people。 There's a lot more contemporary politics and lecturing than I remember from the first two books， which may bother some， but I don't mind at all when I'm enjoying it。For me Part One is the weakest， because it both takes place in the past and outside of Dara。 All the chapters outside of Dara interest me less， though I still enjoy them quite a bit。 It took me a lot longer than I thought it'd take for me to really get into it。 Part Four， the final part， is when I really started enjoying myself。 Until then I had been thinking that I may have to rate it as only being very good， or maybe even just good， rather than great。 The parts aren't equal though。 Part Four is 46% of the book， which is roughly 500 pages。 A large part of this final part is a cooking contest between two restaurants to determine who is the best in town。 The contest involves more than just cooking and is an exhibition of silkpunk， which is what Liu calls this series。 This was a case of "I didn't know I wanted this" and was the best part of the book for me。 。。。more

Rachel （TheShadesofOrange） ，

4。0 StarsThis was another solid entry in one of my favourite fantasy series。 Admittedly， it took me a while to get back into this one， but eventually I was pulled back into this wonderful world。 I did not expect the cooking element， but I absolutely loved that aspect of the story。 I'm really looking to seeing how the series will end in the final book。 4。0 StarsThis was another solid entry in one of my favourite fantasy series。 Admittedly， it took me a while to get back into this one， but eventually I was pulled back into this wonderful world。 I did not expect the cooking element， but I absolutely loved that aspect of the story。 I'm really looking to seeing how the series will end in the final book。 。。。more

Andy W ，

As a compulsive political speculative fiction reader， I read this book in two days， but I would hesitate to recommend it to others because， at the end， you find out 'The Veiled Throne and Speaking Bones were conceived of as one continuous narrative， and should be read as such。' Great， I love reading instructions that come at the end of the book。 There is little resolution or payoff found in any of the stories or arcs in this book， but the world of Dara remains a wonderful place to be immersed in As a compulsive political speculative fiction reader， I read this book in two days， but I would hesitate to recommend it to others because， at the end， you find out 'The Veiled Throne and Speaking Bones were conceived of as one continuous narrative， and should be read as such。' Great， I love reading instructions that come at the end of the book。 There is little resolution or payoff found in any of the stories or arcs in this book， but the world of Dara remains a wonderful place to be immersed in and Liu's trademark digressions are consistently entertaining and enlightening。 。。。more

Karthik Soora ，

I just loved it。 Ken is so good at world building， but even more， there's so much love for his characters， his world， and just humanity （the beautiful， the terrible， and the truly righteous） in his work。 You can tell how passionate he is about the subject matter， and I could not put the book down。 I teared up at several points。I can see why some folks are frustrated because the narrative is a bit disjointed as he switches perspectives with so many characters， but I thought it was totally fine。 5 I just loved it。 Ken is so good at world building， but even more， there's so much love for his characters， his world， and just humanity （the beautiful， the terrible， and the truly righteous） in his work。 You can tell how passionate he is about the subject matter， and I could not put the book down。 I teared up at several points。I can see why some folks are frustrated because the narrative is a bit disjointed as he switches perspectives with so many characters， but I thought it was totally fine。 5/5 。。。more

Yanique Gillana ，

5 Stars I am grateful to Gallery Books， Saga Press for sending me an advanced copy of this book for review。What a stunning third installment to a series。 This story just gets better with each book and I'm loving it。 As a third in a series， it's amazing how Liu manages to still introduce new concepts， further expand the world， and take us to unexpected places。 This is a balanced， evenly paced series that I just can't get enough of。Some things in this story have been very consistent， and the thin 5 Stars I am grateful to Gallery Books， Saga Press for sending me an advanced copy of this book for review。What a stunning third installment to a series。 This story just gets better with each book and I'm loving it。 As a third in a series， it's amazing how Liu manages to still introduce new concepts， further expand the world， and take us to unexpected places。 This is a balanced， evenly paced series that I just can't get enough of。Some things in this story have been very consistent， and the thing that stands out the most to me are the female characters。 This man knows how to write complex and convincing women。 From book one we have an interesting mix of characters （especially female characters） who are in various positions in society， have different motivations， different levels of influence， and differences in morality。 The characters feel authentic and distinct。 Every action they take makes sense for the individual， and it never feels like characters are doing things just to move the plot in a certain direction。This series approaches the story from many angles， and the perspectives we get weave a rich canvas of this world Liu has crafted。 The historical influences are strong in the series， but it does not use them as a crutch。 Liu builds suspense and surprises us at every turn。 The scenarios feel realistic， the relationships feel human， the stakes feel high。。。。。 This is what you want in a high fantasy。Technology。 This is not something that I look for in my high-fantasy books， because （unless it's also sci-fi） the authors usually don't introduce anything complex， or depend on basic descriptions or the reader's understanding of basic machinery。 This series; however， it wonderfully technical。 We get to see all the political machinations of the plot， but also how new technologies are developed， how things work， how battles are strategized。 Just wonderful。 This series is stunning and I would recommend it to fans of high fantasy， political intrigue， large casts or characters， epic narratives， and science fiction （seriously）。 。。。more

Tim McKay ，

Disappointed， the first two books were so entertaining。

Katy ，

4。75 starsthoughts:-ken liu kills it with the themes as always-i think this book has the weakest plot of the series so far （because it feels like the first half of a big book） but the best character work-takval 100% has bi wife energy-tanto and rokiri precious babies uwu-the hype for book 4 is UNREAL - the payoff for some of the plot threads is going to be insane-love love love the blossom gang， kinri and dandelion-jia was unhinged in book 2 but off the rails in this one T_T-the "climax" is so u 4。75 starsthoughts:-ken liu kills it with the themes as always-i think this book has the weakest plot of the series so far （because it feels like the first half of a big book） but the best character work-takval 100% has bi wife energy-tanto and rokiri precious babies uwu-the hype for book 4 is UNREAL - the payoff for some of the plot threads is going to be insane-love love love the blossom gang， kinri and dandelion-jia was unhinged in book 2 but off the rails in this one T_T-the "climax" is so unexpected and very different in tone from the first two books but i loved it 。。。more

Pau ，

4。5 porque me ha gustado un pelín menos que los otros pero ufffffffffff

Galen Strickland ，

True rating would be closer to 3。5I did enjoy it， or at least parts of it， but all the books in this series need some heavy edits。http://templetongate。net/dandelion-dy。。。 True rating would be closer to 3。5I did enjoy it， or at least parts of it， but all the books in this series need some heavy edits。http://templetongate。net/dandelion-dy。。。 。。。more

Caleb M。 ，

First and foremost I wanna say how blessed and privileged I feel to be able to get an ARC of this book。 I’ve never received one this prolific before and I cannot describe how thankful I am。 And the fact that this is one of my favorite series from one of my favorite authors is just amazing。 Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for the free copy。 On to the review。 It was hard for me to get started in this book。 Having essentially a whole brand new cast of characters it was in some way a new series。 I First and foremost I wanna say how blessed and privileged I feel to be able to get an ARC of this book。 I’ve never received one this prolific before and I cannot describe how thankful I am。 And the fact that this is one of my favorite series from one of my favorite authors is just amazing。 Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for the free copy。 On to the review。 It was hard for me to get started in this book。 Having essentially a whole brand new cast of characters it was in some way a new series。 It’s not， and it’s all connected， but it still felt that way for the first little bit。 But as with all good books once it gets going， it gets going。 I once again found myself connected to， and caring for numerous characters。This entry into the Dandelion Dynasty was split into basically 3 parts from my point of view。 The first part we followed Thera and crew， the second part followed the awful Cutanrovo， and the third part was following the Blossom Gang。 At the end of every part it felt weird to get into the next one。 It’s this bittersweet wonderful timing of caring and cannot wait to see what happens to who you’re following， to then move into the next section of the book。 On one hand this feels brilliant， and on the other it’s frustrating。 This book reminded my a lot more of The Grace of Kings than it did The Wall of Storms。 As we are getting to know more characters and there is a lot of setup。 It’s extremely well done and Liu continues to show me why his writing and me just vibe together。 I love how he puts words together and tells his story。 He writes in an unconventional way and it can be a little more difficult to read at times， but if you just slow down and read the story there is a deep treat on how it connects you tothe world and it’s characters。 Everything is so intricate in this book （and series） and I love it。 The world building is pretty much second to none。 There might be worlds you like or enjoy more， but none that are so well thought out and taken such good care of。 I don’t feel like this place is fake， I feel like this is a real story from another multiverse or something and Liu is just bringing this story to us in this version of earth that we’re on。 With that being said his writing isn’t going to be for everyone， but I do think that everyone should give it a chance， because if it is for you， there is something truly special to behold here。 With this book being a big set up in some ways makes me through the roof excited for the next entry into this series。 It’s gonna be bonkers good and I can’t wait to see if it ends up being even better than The Wall of Storms。 We have a REALLY BAD villain， the best kind， and we have people we’re rooting for， and people we want to see what decisions they end up making。 Loyalties that are up in question and I’m here for all of it。 This is my favorite series out there right now and possibly my favorite series ever。 Still trying to decide 🙂 I cannot wait for more。 。。。more

Kevin James ，

4 stars， probably the weakest entry in the series thus far but still quite a strong bookThe return of the Dandelion Dynasty is something I’ve been waiting for eagerly for many years。 Everything I know and love about the series is still here on fine display: great characters， interweaving stories that paint complex social situations， fascinating mechanical innovations， endless debates about political philosophy。 It’s nice to have a new entry of a series I love。 Liu’s character work in particular 4 stars， probably the weakest entry in the series thus far but still quite a strong bookThe return of the Dandelion Dynasty is something I’ve been waiting for eagerly for many years。 Everything I know and love about the series is still here on fine display: great characters， interweaving stories that paint complex social situations， fascinating mechanical innovations， endless debates about political philosophy。 It’s nice to have a new entry of a series I love。 Liu’s character work in particular only seems to get better and better and he continually surprises me with his ability to introduce new characters that keep being as compelling as the old characters or to reframe old characters in ways that make them take on new life。 That said， this book is probably the weakest entry of the series thus far， partially due to having been split into two volumes for publishing。 The split works better than I’d hoped （and certainly better than other recent split books like Dresden Files’ Peace Talks and Battle Ground） with a very poignant cliffhanger but it’s easy to see where Liu has struggled to make this book as cohesive as the other entries。The big issue here is with pacing and economy of storytelling。 Liu has always excelled at economy of storytelling in the previous books， ably hopping around decades and dozens of perspectives quite nimbly。 Here though， the ball has been dropped。 Certain unimportant elements are given far， far too much attention and page space。 Did there need to be a several hundred-page interlude subplot about a best restaurant competition？ Probably not judging by the scene where literal gods argue amongst themselves over whether or not it makes sense that we’re spending so much time here within the book。 And while the Great Dara Bake Off is well-written enough to still be enjoyable， that scattershot focus， even when it does eventually loop back into the main narrative， does cause the book to drag significantly in places。 I imagine this will be the biggest point of contention because the third book was split in two because it was too big for one volume but there does seem to be a fair bit of fluff lying around that could have been tightened up。However， at other times the slower pacing makes for really stunning moments。 Liu’s emotional storytelling has never been better and the way he lets complex social interactions build up into unexpected outcomes is masterful。 Many of the best parts of the book center on culture clash as multiple parties from Dara and the Lyucu struggle to figure out how to live together。 The various political interests pulling the rulers in different directions and forcing them into unexpected actions。 You will read through multiple chapters of slow， tense build up of political jockeying that eventually explodes into truly tragic outcomes that you’ve watched coming the whole time。 It’s quite affecting and I don’t know if I’ve ever seen anything else quite like it in fantasy storytelling before。Overall， this book has some of Liu’s best writing but also some of his worst meandering。 I ultimately still enjoyed enough of this book that I think a lot of it still works but I’m guessing this will ultimately be the most contentious book in the series when the general public finally reads it。Thanks to NetGalley for providing me an eARC to review。 。。。more

Eliza ，

The last 60% was unstoppable。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Veiled Throne

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Veiled Throne&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Veiled Throne&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0