It is time to return to a world of prophecy, or at least a world where prophecies exist even if everyone seems to think they are currently broken. The Art of Destiny is the second book in the War Arts Saga by Wesley Chu and continues the adventures of Jian, the prophesized hero of the Tiandi. Picking up several years after the previous book, The Art of Prophecy, left off it shows Jian continuing his training under Laishi as they work on preparing him for the fulfillment of the prophecy where he is destined to kill the eternal khan. However, it is not easy as they are both wanted fugitives across the entire five states of enlightenment with a rather hefty bounty on their heads. At the same time, Sali works on protecting the rather fragile Nezra refugees while searching for some way to potentially cure her of the pull of the khan. Something she is reluctant to do if it means the return of the khan. Qisami meanwhile takes a job posing as a menial house worker and starts to potentially feel like she might have found a place to belong. Naturally, all of them end up embroiled in things far beyond their control with consequences for not just them but for their nations as well.
I like this series because the characters that function as the main protagonists are all so different. Laishi is this older semi-retired war artist who ended up reluctantly training the prophesized hero but has come to genuinely care about him in the process. Jian is this young man who often feels like his life is not his own and he struggles to know what it is he wants from his life. Sali is an older war artist who just wants her people to be free but has realized that in order to do so there has to be a fight and a change to the status quo, one that will more than likely be led by her which is not something he is prepared for. Qisami is a young woman who is technically a villain as she is an assassin who enjoys killing. At the same time she is a young woman who seems desperate to find a sense of belonging but doesn’t know where to find it. This creates a rather interesting cast of characters as they are on opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of age and personality. I rather like this as it also allows for multiple perspectives and viewpoints on events taking place. Each one is a fully developed character with their own unique viewpoint that is utterly different from the others so it creates some really incredible comparisons. In doing so it also allows for a more fully fleshed out story and plot line. Instead of only seeing things through the perspective of the prophesized hero, Jian, we also see events from other perspectives that allow us to have a more rounded view of what is going on. We don’t just get to see how Jian is training to supposedly kill the eternal khan but we also get to see how Sali is trying to prevent the return of the khan in the first place. I feel like this creates a more fleshed out universe and world that these characters inhabit. Overall, a great addition to the series and a book that gets four out of five stars from me.
This was a good book and a great example of a fantasy novel. I can definitely see where it would hold considerable appeal to readers who prefer that genre. It would also potentially hold appeal for readers who enjoy books about martial arts as that is a defining theme of the series as well with each of the protagonists being war artists or martial artists. I am not sure how well it would appeal to readers who prefer other genres but if it sounds interesting my recommendation will always be to try it out. In terms of age range this series is aimed and marketed at adults but outside of the violence that is present I don’t see why it could not be read by readers who are from the teen and young adult age ranges. There is limited mature content aside from the violence so I would have no issue with recommended it to slightly younger readers though I would refrain from recommending it to kids. It is a good series and I hope you would consider trying it. If you do feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.