Stars of Chaos: Sha Po Lang (Novel) Vol. 2

The second volume of the Chinese steampunk series Stars of Chaos: Sha Po Lang starts with a four-year time jump, which is a good decision. Chang Geng, the fourth prince of the empire, is now twenty and has grown into a fine young man. He’s spent the intervening years studying everything possible from martial arts and military tactics to medicine and accounting. All this for his godfather Gu Yun, because nothing has diminished his infatuation with the military genius marquis.For his part, Gu Yun has spent the four years securing the silk road to bolster the economics and the coffers of the empire. But despite his efforts, the country is getting poorer and more unstable.The two reunite by chance and from there on, they’re constantly dealing with a disaster after another. First, it’s bandits smuggling violet gold, the coveted substance powering the mechanical devices, which has larger political implications. Then it’s the inner politics of the empire, which leads to the emperor falling out with Gu Yun. And before they know it, there’s an invading army outside the empire’s borders.During all this, Chang Geng and Gu Yun work side by side. The younger man has a sharp mind and has travelled all over the country, getting a good understanding of how things are. It constantly baffles his godfather, but he soon learns to rely on Chang Geng’s suggestions. The men grow to be more or less equal in standing, although Chang Geng takes a role of a caretaker, looking after Gu Yun who still suffers from the effects of a poisoning.But there’s tension between them too. Chang Geng makes his feelings known to Gu Yun, who cannot accept them. They keep throwing him off though, forcing him to see the younger man in a new light. The romance didn’t go anywhere yet, but it had a nudge to the right direction.Mostly, the narrative was dominated by politics and war. It’s a confusing mess and would’ve benefited from a map to clear some things out, but well-written and fast-paced, keeping the reader’s interest. The volume ends at a difficult place for the empire and the pair. I’ll definitely need to read on to find out how they’ll solve everything.

Great book. The author is amazing and story line is very engaging

This novel is thrilling to the very ending sentence. The characters have matured in their personalities from the first novel. The descriptive serenely and action pulls the reader in so easily that you’ll think you are there fighting alongside the soldiers or taking a stroll in a vibrant city. I would recommend this series to anyone who enjoys unfolding mysteries that play out behind the scenes of whatever action is happening right in front of you. I can’t wait for the next novel in the series.

Love Priest, Love the story. Seven Seas Entertainment is quality as usual! Waiting impatiently for volume 3!

I can’t wait for the third book to be translated! Priest is such and amazing author and always delivers. Already looking forward to rereading this one

Received in good condition

It arrived in excellent condition, I had no problems, thank you very much 💕

I read it in one day I could not put it down ,happy my husband can cook and clean on his own because I ignore him completely because of this book . Looking forward to the next one...

Maravilhoso, dramático e engajante. Se você está procurando uma obra com ação, política e romance com taboo esse livro é pra você! Eu gosto da escrita do autor, flui bem mesmo quando se trata de políticagem. Outro ponto positivo é o sarcasmo do livro e dos personagens. Super recomendo!

Entrega rápida e em boas condições de acondicionamento.

This is the second volume in this series by a fantastic author and I'm glad I can get Danmei novels from amazon however the volumes are not linked in a series which makes them to not be grouped together on Kindle so I have the volumes all over my kindle library and I have to search our scroll to find them. That is lacking from Amazon