The bestselling novel from K.X. Song, The Night Ends with Fire, has some of my favorite tropes (forbidden romance for example.) It was delightful to learn that some of these tropes appear in C-dramas. I’m not as familiar with wuxia and xianxia but I’ve existed on tumblr long enough to become intrigued by posts and the recommendations that come across my feed.
If you’re a fan of C-drama or some of the exciting tropes that exist and thrive within them then Song’s book and the works she recommends might already be on your radar. But if like me, new to C-dramas and wanting to explore the genre more, then this list will be a perfect place to start.
K.X. Song shares her three favorite Asian fantasy novels below.
As someone who grew up watching Chinese wuxia and xianxia dramas, I have an unshakable fondness for certain C-drama tropes. There’s the definitive rooftop sparring scene, complete with flying robes and slashing swords, or the classic, “I must avenge my father.” On a higher level, there’s also a certain consistency in terms of narrative storytelling. For one, the scale ranges from epic to hugely ambitious. The romance is usually star-crossed or forbidden. And the narrative is almost always an emotional rollercoaster with hairpin twists and turns.
For all these reasons and more, I wrote The Night Ends With Fire as a love letter to the Chinese dramas I grew up watching, complete with mistaken identities, intense training montages, and forbidden romance (think: “we are enemies, but I will save you just this once”).
These days, I’m finding more and more Asian fantasy novels that capture the essence of the best Chinese historical dramas. The three novels I recommend below embody the ambition, theatrics, and addictive quality of a classic Chinese drama, making it impossible to stop reading until you find out what happens next.
Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan
For fans of love triangles, relatable heroines, and god and demons: This is a xianxia-esque drama about a young woman sets out to save her mother the moon goddess. The main character, Xingyin, is a quintessential C-drama heroine: charismatic, relatable, and incredibly earnest. The settings are beautiful, both in the heavenly and earthly realms. And, true to C-drama tradition, there is a love triangle that keeps you guessing until the end of book two. The duology is both romantic and spellbinding, making the reading experience feel like immersing yourself in a familiar C-drama and getting lost in an enchanting world of gods and demons.
Jade City by Fonda Lee
For fans of ensemble casts, found family, and mafia movies: This entire series is a masterclass in world-building. The magic system has far-reaching consequences for all areas of life. This includes international trade, military might, and even media and entertainment. And yet at its heart, this is a trilogy about a mafia family trying to maintain and rise in power. Watching the central cast of characters grow up and grow old together is a wondrous reading experience, and the scale of this series is unparalleled, with dozens of characters you grow to love and a timeline spanning decades.
She Who Became The Sun by Shelly Parker-Chan
For fans of beautiful prose, angst and pining, and historical retellings: Read this if you enjoy breathtaking, gorgeous prose that leaves you savoring each word. This is a gender-bent retelling of the rise of the Ming Dynasty emperor Zhu Yuanzhang. The protagonists, Zhu and Ouyang, experience no shortage of pain and suffering in their long and arduous quests, but the hardships they endure make their journey profoundly moving and poignant. This is a novel that will stay with me for a very long time.
The Night Ends with Fire by K.X. Song is available now in hardcover, audiobook and e-book
Image © 张宇坤. Featured image designed by Jon Negroni. Read more articles by Brianna Robinson here.
Brianna Robinson is a book publicist and Sarah Lawrence College alum. She lives in New York with too many books and two enthusiastic dachshunds. You can find her on twitter @blrobins2.
