Song of Silver, Flame Light Night delves deeply into Xianxia, going beyond traditional Chinese Mythology to follow the fight against colonialism.

---

Following Lan and Zen, Song of Silver, Flame Light Night explores a nation’s rise and fall of their kingdom and the dangerous magic that can either save them or destroy them from the inside out.

Storytelling

Thoroughly engaging, Song of Silver, Flame Light Night explores Chinese mythology. Then, however, Zhao goes a step further and delves into xianxia, a “growing subgenre of fantasy influenced by Chinese mythology, Taoism, Buddhism, Chinese martial arts, traditional Chinese medicine, Chinese folk religion, Chinese alchemy, and other traditional Chinese elements.”

Seeing all these different elements explored together rather than separately is very interesting. Readers are probably familiar with these elements and their concepts through various mediums. However, having them pulled together to form the magic system of the Last Kingdom made the story unique.

The language, detail, and history that Zhao trickles throughout the story make the magic vivid. We see how magic is used and why some forms are frowned upon.

Then there is the Elantian’s magic system. They draw magic from metal, which is very different from how the Last Kingdom used magic. The Elantian form of magic is frigid and impersonal. In contrast, the magic of the Last Kingdom is all about working with nature and drawing on one’s chi to do the magic work.

Colonialism

Song of Silver, Flame Light Night is, at its core, a story about colonialism.

The Last Kingdom came out after a civil war. Compared to previous reigns, it did not last as long. The Elantian’s are very much colonilzers. They invaded the realm and then began to strip it of its culture, forcing the native people to bend and forget their culture in favor of their names.

Lan and Zen’s names highlight that. Before, their names were different, but then they were forced to change their names to fit into the new culture.

Zhao uses characterization to highlight the different ways the people were affected by the invasion, making this an equal-parts character-driven story.

Characterization is critical here because the reader has to understand these characters and, at the very least, sympathize with them.

In the beginning, that is a little tough, given the stiffness of the characters. Zen is stiff, but as he becomes closer to Lan, bonding over unvoiced pain and loss, he becomes softer. He doesn’t lose his edge, but it is as though he finds something more to live for as if before, he was just going through the motions. And as Zhao explores his past, we learn more about the four demon gods, their power, and the darkness within Zen.

The same can be said for Lan, but for her, she takes a different approach. The more she learns about the practitioners and what her mother was working towards, she too becomes softer but does not lose her heart to vengeance or darkness. Much like Zen, she went through life just to survive. Eager to solve the mystery of the mark her mother left on her wrist, she learns to have a purpose. She meets the day with her head help up to carry on her mother’s work.

Seeing the different paths, these two characters take says a lot about how they were influenced by the Elantian invasion. One can either lose their heart to darkness and vengeance or fight with hope in their heart.

Final Thoughts

Song of Silver, Flame Like Night is a thrilling beginning to a new series. While a little slow to build, the tension and character dynamics develop wonderfully, allowing the magic system to shine.