The Girl with No Face
The Daoshi Chronicles, Book Two
-
- $23.99
-
- $23.99
Publisher Description
*Winner--First Prize in the Colorado Authors League Award, Science Fiction and Fantasy Category!*
The adventures of Li-lin, a Daoist priestess with the unique ability to see the spirit world, continue in the thrilling follow-up to the critically-acclaimed historical urban fantasy The Girl with Ghost Eyes.
It’s the end of the Nineteenth Century. San Francisco’s cobblestone streets are haunted, but Chinatown has an unlikely protector in a young Daoist priestess named Li-lin. Using only her martial arts training, spiritual magic, a sword made from peachwood, and the walking, talking spirit of a human eye, Li-lin stands alone to defend her immigrant community from supernatural threats.
But when the body of a young girl is brought to the deadhouse Li-lin oversees for a local group of gangsters, she faces her most bewildering—and potentially dangerous—assignment yet. The nine-year-old has died from suffocation . . . specifically by flowers growing out of her nose and mouth. Li-lin suspects Gong Tau, a dirty and primitive form of dark magic. But who is behind the spell, and why, will take her on a perilous journey deep into a dangerous world of ghosts and spirits.
With hard historical realism and meticulously researched depictions of Chinese monsters and magic that have never been written about in the English language, The Girl with No Face draws from the action-packed cinema of Hong Kong to create a compelling and unforgettable tale of historical fantasy and Chinese lore.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Boroson's second Daoshi historical fantasy (after The Girl with Ghost Eyes) again brings Chinese folklore vibrantly to life. Young Daoist priestess and martial artist Xian Li-lin, working as a bodyguard and priestess for a tong in late-19th-century San Francisco, takes on the job of discovering the person who killed a young girl by means of a vampire plant. Her search leads her to Xu Shengdian, a gambler who attempts to enslave her with a love spell. After defeating him and escaping, Li-lin seeks out her father, Xian Zhengying, a Daoist priest of the highest level, to remove the curse. Together with Shuai Hu, a three-tailed tiger living as a Buddhist monk, they journey on a spirit railway to thwart the plans of the Ghost Magistrate, Xu Shengdian's ancestor, who is scheming to become the local Earth God. Boroson endows Li-lin with courage and quick wit along with her magical and martial skills, allowing her to triumph over formidable enemies. Elements of Chinese culture are integrated naturally into the story, and the imagery can be breathtaking. Readers will be delighted that this exhilarating chronicle ends with the promise of more adventures in store for Li-lin and her allies.
Customer Reviews
Interesting read
I loved this book. It was refreshing to read a Chinese cultural story.