What happens when a young girl, desperate to escape a life of servitude, claws her way into an elite military academy—only to find herself swept into a war that will test the limits of her humanity?
The Poppy War, the 2018 debut novel by R.F. Kuang, doesn’t just ask that question—it drags us readers through the harrowing answer.
Blending real Chinese history with high fantasy, The Poppy War is the first book in a trilogy that quickly became one of the most talked-about fantasy novel debuts of the decade.
But make no mistake: despite its young protagonist and the early academy setting, this is not really a young adult novel. This is a grimdark story inspired by unspeakable historical events—specifically, the Opium Wars, the Second Sino-Japanese War and the horrors of the rape of Nanking. It’s a novel about war, genocide, power, and the terrifying consequences of revenge blending the real-life implications of war with historical fiction and adult fantasy.
Kuang, who was only 20 when the book was published, brings an academic depth into it, drawing from intimate knowledge of history, mythology, and military strategy to create a world that feels both fantastical and frighteningly real.
In this post, we’ll take a deep dive into the first book of the trilogy, summarizing its key events, exploring its themes, and discussing what makes it such a compelling—if unsettling and at times truly heartbreaking—read.
But before we go any further, a trigger warning: this book, and by extension this article, tackle heavy, disturbing topics, including child abuse, very graphic violence, war crimes, sexual assault, genocide, addiction, and self-harm.
If you choose to read it, be prepared—Kuang does not hold back.
Also, many spoilers ahead.
One of the most intriguing aspects of The Poppy War is the immense worldbuilding. So let’s start with some general information to better understand the conflict at the heart of the story.
The world of The Poppy War is deeply inspired by Chinese history, particularly the rise and fall of dynasties, the Opium Wars, and the brutality of 20th-century conflicts. It is a land of fractured loyalties, divine powers, and an empire constantly at war—both with its neighbors and itself.
Nikan (representing China) is a vast empire once united under the legendary Red Emperor, who forged the nation from warring monastic states. Under his rule, Nikan flourished and took control of the island of Speer, home to a tribe of legendary warriors and shamans. But after his death, the empire crumbled into the Warring States Era, a period of endless civil war between twelve feuding provinces, each ruled by power-hungry warlords. Though an emperor remained on the throne, his rule was largely symbolic, and Nikan’s power declined.
Two devastating conflicts with the neighboring Federation of Mugen (representing real-life Japan) —the First and Second Poppy Wars—further weakened the empire. The First Poppy War, which occurred 65 years before the events of the novel, was triggered by Nikan’s attempts to crack down on the opium trade, a drug brought in by Mugenese merchants. The war ended in disaster, with Mugen seizing several Nikara territories, plunging Nikan into a humiliating period of decline.
The Second Poppy War, which took place 20 years before the novel begins, saw the rise of the Trifecta, three warlords with god-like powers who led a rebellion against Mugenese rule. However, Nikan’s liberation came at a terrible cost—Mugen retaliated by wiping out the entire population of Speer Island. In the years following the war, Empress Su Daji took control, but Nikan remained a weak and divided nation, still struggling with corruption, internal power struggles, and the lingering scars of war and nation-wide opium addiction.
As the novel begins, Nikan stands on the edge of yet another war, its people unaware that history is about to repeat itself in the most devastating way possible.
While Nikan struggles with political instability, it is also a land of forgotten gods and forbidden magic.
Shamanism, once widespread, has been reduced to myth in most of the world, suppressed by rulers who feared its power. Because Mugen and the western nation of Hesperia abandoned shamanism long ago in favor of technological progress, Nikan’s reliance on magic has left it at a severe disadvantage in war.
Shamans are those rare individuals who can access the Pantheon, a realm of gods who are not benevolent beings but fundamental forces of existence. These gods demand great sacrifices from those who call upon them, and their power can drive shamans to madness.
Fang Runin “Rin”, the trilogy’s main character, is a war orphan living in a poor southern Nikaran province. She’s being raised by an abusive opium-dealing foster family who plan an arranged marriage to an older man for their gain. Desperate to escape this harrowing reality, Rin throws herself into studying for the Keju, a famously difficult national exam that determines placement in the empire’s military. Against all odds, Rin manages to score high enough to earn admission to Sinegard Academy, the most prestigious military school in Nikan—a place normally reserved for the children of nobility.
Once at Sinegard, Rin quickly realizes she doesn’t belong there either. She is discriminated for her dark skin, provincial background, and lack of wealth. She finds some support in Kitay, a kind and brilliant strategist, but earns the immediate hostility of Nezha, a privileged and talented student from a powerful warlord family. She also struggles with the academy’s brutal curriculum. When Master Jun, the combat instructor, bans her from learning martial arts, she begins training in secret. This leads her to Jiang, the eccentric and seemingly unhinged Master of Lore.
As the first year ends, Rin faces her biggest bully Nezha, in the school’s combat tournament and manages to overpower him in front of the Empress. During their match, her rage manifests as something divine for the first time. Master Jiang steps in and urges her to pledge herself fully to his Lore class so she can learn to control her shamanic powers. Rin discovers that she is one of the two last surviving members of the Speerly race. She pledges herself to Jiang and spends the next two years under his tutelage.
Rin learns how to access the power of the gods through meditation and psychedelic drugs. But Jiang doesn't allow her to harness her god’s—the all-destructive Phoenix’s— power. Jiang instead tries to pull her toward a path of balance, emphasizing harmony with nature and avoiding violence. But Rin has no patience for his philosophy. She doesn’t just want knowledge—she needs power. She wants to use her abilities to help Nikan win the coming war against the Federation of Mugen.
Before Rin can harness or understand the vastness of her shamanic powers or their potential consequences, Mugen’s forces launch a brutal invasion marking the beginning of the third Poppy War. Sinegard is one of the first places attacked. In the brutal battle that erupts, many of Rin’s classmates die, and she is forced into real combat. Pushed to the edge, when Nezha is injured, she consumes poppy seeds that allow her to call the Phoenix’s power, burning a Mugenese general. But she cannot control this lethal furry. Jiang intervenes, ripping a hole in reality—an action that has its own terrible consequences—before disappearing.
In the aftermath, Rin is assigned to the Cike, the Militia’s 13th division—an infamous group of shamans and assassins. The Cike are seen as dangerous, uncontrollable, and ultimately expendable. Their leader is none other than Altan Trengsin, once Sinegard’s prodigal student, now a decorated commander. Atlan is the only other remaining Speerly except for Rin. Despite his brilliance, Altan carries deep scars from his past, having lost his people in genocide and experimented on in a Federation research facility as a child.
The rest of the Cike is a small but elite group of warriors, each possessing a unique connection to a god. Among them is Chaghan, Altan’s mysterious second-in-command who can traverse the spirit world.
Rin and the Cike are sent to the city of Khurdalain, a critical port under siege by the Federation. Under Altan’s influence, Rin becomes a skilled fighter, but she struggles to embrace her shamanic powers, fearing that summoning the Phoenix will destroy her mind. Her hesitation frustrates Altan, whose mentorship oscillates between tough love and outright cruelty. Rin sees him as a brother and leader—but also feels something deeper, something confused and unspoken. As Altan shoulders more of the war effort, he becomes increasingly reckless and volatile.
Rin is reunited with Nezha, who has changed drastically. No longer the arrogant bully from Sinegard, Nezha has become a hardened soldier, and the two develop a hesitant friendship forged in combat. Soon after, their worst fears come true—Mugen deploys chemical weapons, releasing toxic gas that massacres civilians and soldiers alike. Nezha is among the casualties and Rin believes him to be dead. Enraged with Altan for not saving him, Rin turns to Chaghan for help, determined to finally gain full control of her powers. Chagan leads her into the spirit world, where they engage in a divination ritual with powerful beings who reveal that the Federation has already advanced to Golyn Niis, Nikan’s central stronghold.
When the Cike arrive in Golyn Niis, the Federation has already razed it, slaughtering thousands in an unspeakable massacre. The streets are littered with mutilated corpses, civilians are strung up in grotesque displays, and survivors are left broken, brutalized, or worse. Rin’s old friend Kitay is among the few still alive, but he is forever changed by what he has witnessed.
Rin’s rage reaches its breaking point, but Altan is unraveling even faster. He decides to utilize an ancient, forbidden weapon—he plans to break into the Chuluu Korikh, a remote prison where shamans who lost control of themselves because of their gods are sealed away. He believes that by freeing them, he can turn them into an army.
At Chuluu Korikh, Rin and Altan find an unexpected prisoner: Jiang. He reveals that he locked himself away voluntarily after tearing a hole in the universe, recognizing that humans cannot wield godly power without horrible consequences. He warns Rin once again that the gods only demand chaos and destruction, they will not be able to control what they are about to unleash. But Altan refuses to listen. They free Feylen, a former Cike commander, only to find that he has lost all humanity—proving that Jiang was right.
Before they can regroup, the Federation ambushes them and captures Rin and Altan, taking them to a secret research facility. There, Dr. Shiro, the scientist responsible for Altan’s childhood torture, subjects them to brutal experiments. He reveals the ultimate betrayal: Empress Su Daji, the ruler of Nikan, has betrayed her own people, surrendering them to Mugen. After being injected with heroin, Altan and Rin commune with the spirits of the lost Speerlies who demand vengeance. Altan ultimately sacrifices himself as a distraction for Rin to escape by burning down the facility. Rin, is thrown into the sea.
She reaches the ruins of Speer Island, her ancestral homeland. Devastated and enraged she goes to the temple of the Phoenix. There she fully surrenders to her god’s power. She demands vengeance—not just against the Federation soldiers, but against the whole of Mugen. The Phoenix, which craves only destruction, and does not care about anything else at all, complies. In an act of godlike wrath, Rin summons a volcanic eruption that wipes out the entire island nation of Mugen, committing a genocide.
After losing consciousness, she awakens on a ship having been found by the remaining Cike and Kitay. Kitay is horrified by what she has done and tells her that she has become a monster. But Rin cannot really grasp the magnitude of what she has done, she doesn't even try.
The empire she fought for betrayed her. The leaders she trusted failed her. She has power now, and she will decide how it is used. The war is not over. It is only just beginning.
At first glance, The Poppy War might seem like a familiar fantasy book saga—an underdog rises to greatness and develops her magical powers through sheer determination and against all odds. But as the story progresses Rebecca F. Kuang challenges the traditional hero narrative, blurs the line between right and wrong, and asks difficult questions about power, morality, and what it truly means to win.
Let’s dive into some of the key themes that make The Poppy War such a powerful read.
The book is very much a military story with a heavy focus on warfare. However, Kuang deliberately strips war of any notion of romanticism or glory found in other historical fantasy narratives, depicting it as brutal, relentless, and dehumanizing.
Drawing from real mid-20th-century Chinese history the novel forces us readers to confront the unfiltered reality of colonialism—the mass suffering of civilians, the use of chemical weapons, and the horrors of human experimentation. Golyn Niis, the site of a Federation massacre, serves as a direct parallel to Nanjing, showing the horrifying, dehumanizing consequences of war.
Kuang explores how dehumanization is an inevitable component of warfare. Both sides of the story’s main conflict, Nikan and Mugen alike, teach their people to see the other as less than human. Each act of brutality however, begets another, each genocide creates new justifications for revenge. The novel vividly portrays the consequences of this mindset and by the end of the story, there is no moral high ground left—only the bitter reality that war does not create heroes, only survivors who have sacrificed their humanity to remain standing.
Who deserves power? Who decides what is right and wrong? Throughout The Poppy War, the concept of power is constantly questioned. At the beginning of the novel, power is something Rin craves as a means of escape. But power, as she soon learns, is not simply about skill or intelligence; it is about who wields it and at what cost.
The Empress Su Daji represents one form of power—ruthless, cunning, political, and self-serving. Meanwhile, the Federation itself wields power through terror and subjugation, using weapons like chemical gas and mass slaughter to exert dominance.
Rin, on the other hand, represents a different kind of power—raw, destructive, and deeply personal. By the end of the novel, she has power unlike anyone else, but her willingness to use it without restraint makes her as terrible as the tyrants that came before her.
This leaves readers with an unsettling question—was she right? Can mass destruction ever be justified in the name of vengeance?
While The Poppy War is deeply rooted in history and war, it also explores the mystical forces that shape its world. Shamanism is not just a source of power—it is a connection to the divine, but one that comes with dangerous consequences. The gods in this world are not benevolent; they are chaotic and destructive. Those who channel them risk losing their minds, bodies, and souls.
The novel raises complex questions about faith and power. Are the gods truly guiding their shamans, or are they simply forces of destruction using humans as vessels? Jiang warns Rin that the gods do not care about human morality. Yet, in times of war, people turn to them anyway—out of desperation, out of a need for control, or simply because no other options remain.
Rin’s relationship with the Phoenix embodies this struggle. She seeks its power to protect her country and avenge her people, but in doing so, she gives up more and more of herself.
Throughout the story, Kuang also emphasizes how history is rarely objective—rather, it is shaped, distorted, and weaponized by those in power.
From the moment Rin begins her formal education, she is taught a version of history carefully curated by the Nikara government. The empire presents itself as righteous and strong, yet its past is riddled with oppression, betrayals, and failures that are conveniently omitted from textbooks.
As Rin learns more about the true history of Nikan, it becomes clear that the empire has buried its own shameful acts. The Speerlies were not naturally bloodthirsty as they portray them but were deliberately addicted to opium to keep them subjugated. Furthermore, the Nikara government agreed to their annihilation because of racism and discrimination, in order to end the previous war.
Ultimately, The Poppy War argues that history is never just a record of the past—it is an ongoing battle over narrative and power. Those who control history control the future, and those who blindly accept history without questioning it risk becoming pawns or ruthless, self-serving leaders like the Empress.
Both personal and cultural identity is yet another significant theme, Kuang explores.
Rin’s identity is heavily shaped by rejection. As a dark-skinned, southerner peasant, she faces relentless discrimination at Sinegard. Even as she rises in the ranks, she never truly belongs—she is not accepted by the northern elite, nor does she feel kinship with the Nikara ruling class. Her discovery that she is one of the last surviving Speerlies forces her to reevaluate her sense of self. To embrace her identity, however, means embracing both power and oppression, betrayal and genocide. The novel suggests that identity is not just about personal choice but is deeply entangled with history, trauma, and cultural perception.
The Poppy War is not a comfortable read. It is a novel that forces us to confront the darkest aspects of human nature. There are no clear heroes, no easy moral conclusions, and no satisfying resolutions—just the grim reality that every choice has consequences, and power always comes at a cost. In the end, the first book of the trilogy leaves us with one lingering question: if war is inevitable, if suffering cannot be avoided, then what truly separates a hero from a villain?
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Not really. There is no romantic plotline in the first book. Rin does develop something close to infatuation with Altan and there is tension between her and Nezha once they reconnect, but romance is never the main focus of the narrative.
Yes, it is the first book in The Poppy War trilogy, followed by The Dragon Republic and The Burning God. Each book explores the consequences of Rin’s choices and the larger political struggles of the Nikara Empire.
Probably not. The Poppy War is grim, violent, and emotionally intense. It contains depictions of war crimes, addiction, and extreme brutality. If you prefer lighter fantasy, this book may not be the right fit for you.
First and foremost, Nina is a reader; she devours literature with gusto, from classic novels to contemporary poetry to graphic novels and everything in between. She believes that within each story, there's a universe waiting to be explored, and loves exploring with company. She's often found sharing her perspective on characters, plot twists, and literary themes with friends. When her friends get tired of listening to her ranting, she writes blog posts sharing her explorations with the other bookworms of the internet. In recent years she has developed an inexplicable addiction to matcha lattes, but has asked us not to talk about that.
