New Book Spotlight

A Palace Near the Wind

A mini-interview with Ai Jiang

Tell us about your new book?

It is an exploration on the impacts of industrialism on nature, the loss and gain of culture, migration, and colonization, climate commentary through a secondary world dark science fantasy with the vibes of Studio Ghibli, Mortal Engines, Shadow and Bone.

From a rising star author, a richly inventive, brutal and beautiful science-fantasy novella. A story of family, loss, oppression and rebellion 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

Sometimes called Wind Walkers for their ability to command the wind, unlike their human rulers, the Feng people have bark faces, carved limbs, arms of braided branches, and hair of needle threads. Bound by duty and tradition, Liu Lufeng, the eldest princess of the Feng royalty, is the next bride to the human king. The negotiation of bridewealth is the only way to stop the expansion of the humans so that the Feng can keep their lands, people, and culture intact. As the eldest, Lufeng should be the next in line to lead the people of Feng, and in the past, that made her sisters disposable. Thankful that her youngest sister, Chuiliu, is too young for a sacrificial marriage, she steps in with plans to kill the king to finally stop the marriages.

But when she starts to uncover the truth about her peoples’ origins and realizes Chuiliu will never be safe from the humans, 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.

A powerfully imaginative, compelling story of a young woman seeking to save her family and her home, as well as a devastating meditation on the destruction of the natural world for the sake of an industrial future.

What aspect of the book was the most fun to write?

I would say the genre blending elements—of mixing the technological and familiar with the more whimsical and fantastical to make the world feel both completely removed from our own yet similar at the same time. Also, I would say matching the descriptions with our tree princess narrator in how she would see and describe the world.

If there is one emotion or theme that you would hope that the reader connects with, what would that be?

I would say the revelation that nothing is truly binary, that change both natural and unnatural is never truly good or evil, never either or.