The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water by Zen Cho

The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water by Zen Cho is a standalone novella set in an asian fantasy world with, I think, Malaysian and Chinese influences. It is a delight, like most of Zen Cho's work.

Zen Cho returns with a found family wuxia fantasy that combines the vibrancy of old school martial arts movies with characters drawn from the margins of history.

A bandit walks into a coffeehouse, and it all goes downhill from there. Guet Imm, a young votary of the Order of the Pure Moon, joins up with an eclectic group of thieves (whether they like it or not) in order to protect a sacred object, and finds herself in a far more complicated situation than she could have ever imagined.

This story is about a disenfranchised nun joining a group of bandits on a smuggling job. Amusing hijinks ensue, as is to be expected from Zen Cho. I'm not sure I can say much more about the plot without spoilers, but it includes secrets, temples and a background war.

The characters are particularly excellent, with the nun forcing her way into the team of bandits and the bandits coming around to her presence in their own different ways. This is a novella that successfully has a detailed plot and strong characterisation.

I enjoyed it very much. I laughed and was delighted and it was exactly what I needed to lift my mood during pandemic lockdown times. I highly recommend it to all fantasy fans, especially readers who enjoy a bit of humour in their stories. Fans of Zen Cho should not hesitate to pick this one up and I hope it will make more readers into fans.

5 / 5 stars

First published: June 2020, Tor.com
Series: No
Format read: eARC
Source: Publisher via NetGalley