A Palace Near the Wind - (Natural Engines) by Ai Jiang (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Liu Lufeng is the eldest princess of the Feng royalty and, bound by duty and tradition, the next bride to the human king. With their bark faces, arms of braided branches and hair of needle threads, the Feng people live within nature, nurtured by the land. But they exist under the constant threat of human expansion, and the negotiation of bridewealth is the only way to stop-- or at least delay--the destruction of their home. Come her wedding day, Lufeng plans to kill the king and finally put an end to the marriages. Trapped in the great human palace in the run-up to the union, Lufeng begins to uncover the truth about her people's origins and realizes they will never be safe from the humans. So she must learn to let go of duty and tradition, choose her allies carefully, and risk the unknown in order to free her family and shape her own fate."--Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

From a rising-star author, winner of the both the Bram Stoker(R) and Nebula Awards, a richly inventive, brutal and beautiful science-fantasy novella. A story of family, loss, oppression and rebellion that will stay with you long after the final page. For readers of Nghi Vo's The Empress of Salt and Fortune, Neon Yang's The Black Tides of Heaven and Kritika H. Rao's The Surviving Sky.

Liu Lufeng is the eldest princess of the Feng royalty and, bound by duty and tradition, the next bride to the human king. With their bark faces, arms of braided branches and hair of needle threads, the Feng people live within nature, nurtured by the land. But they exist under the constant threat of human expansion, and the negotiation of bridewealth is the only way to stop-- or at least delay--the destruction of their home. Come her wedding day, Lufeng plans to kill the king and finally put an end to the marriages.

Trapped in the great human palace in the run-up to the union, Lufeng begins to uncover the truth about her people's origins and realizes they will never be safe from the humans. So she must learn to let go of duty and tradition, choose her allies carefully, and risk the unknown in order to free her family and shape her own fate.

From a rising-star author, winner of the both the Bram Stoker(R) and Nebula Awards, a richly inventive, brutal and beautiful story of family, loss, oppression and rebellion.

Review Quotes

Praise for A Palace Near the Wind:

"Enchanting, mysterious, and strange, A Palace Near the Wind is a heartbreaking story of homecoming and self-discovery. Combining the best of folklore and science fiction, this eco-narrative on human greed and superhuman hope is not to be missed."
Kritika H. Rao, author of The Surviving Sky

"A fantastic and magical tale of survival and rebellion set against the backdrop of a struggle between nature and the forces of industry. Ai Jiang has written a beautiful and all too-fitting story that resonates with the choices we face in our times."
P. Djèlí Clark, author of The Dead Cat Tail Assassins and A Master of Djinn

"A breathtakingly imagined story of ecological disaster, torn families, betrayal, and hope. Unlike anything I've ever read before--like Ghibli retelling Tolkien through Chinese myth--with tree-like deities, political intrigue, wind magic, and mecha. Utterly enchanting."
A.Y. Chao, author of Shanghai Immortal

"Beautifully written and intricately layered, this novella is part fairy tale and part tale of rebellion and hope. A compelling and complex story of court politics, hidden secrets, sacrifices, alliances, and characters fighting for their freedom."
A.C. Wise, author of Wendy, Darling and Hooked

"Haunting and lovely, Jiang creates a world of wonder in A Palace Near the Wind. Your heart will break as Lufeng must give up her home, her beliefs, and her sense of family. You'll root for her as she builds her courage to forge a new future for herself, and those precious to her."
Julia Vee, co-author of The Phoenix Hoard trilogy

"Elegant and otherworldly. A tale of family and duty, devotion and obligation - and the shattering secrets hidden in every past. A glorious new myth from a talented new voice."
A.G. Slatter, author of All the Murmuring Bones and The Briar Book of the Dead

"A beautiful, heart-rending parable about the ways grief and loss feed on the vitality of the living, eventually making ghosts of us all."
Gareth L. Powell, author of Stars and Bones and Future's Edge

About the Author

Ai Jiang is a Chinese-Canadian writer, winner of the Bram Stoker(R), Nebula and Ignyte Awards, and Hugo, Astounding, Locus, and BSFA Award finalist, and an immigrant from Changle, Fujian currently residing in Toronto, Ontario. Her work can be found in F&SF, The Dark, Uncanny, The Masters Review, among others. She is the recipient of Odyssey Workshop's 2022 Fresh Voices Scholarship and the author of Linghun and I AM AI. The first book of her novella duology, A Palace Near the Wind, is forthcoming 2025 with Titan Books. Find her on most social media platforms and for more information go to aijiang.ca.