Lee, the author, is writing an RPG for this setting (link to his site about it). He claims it to be based on Fate and Dog Eat Dog. The latter is a game of colonisation and assimilation. How do you think these ideas will reflect the themes of the book?

The best SF holds a mirror up to our world. What does this book say about our culture? Does the fact that it's a Korean book but still understandable by North Americans and Europeans say something about cultural homogeneity?

"Formation instinct" is a key feature of Kel culture. What do you think of this conditioning? Were its consequences believable in the book? What does this book say about loyalty versus conscience? How to Cheris and Jedao differently relate to the ideals of loyalty and conscience, and how does that change through the book?

Is Jedao actually mad?

Did this work? Did you need more worldbuilding? More exposition? If so, what? Or were you happy that what we got was sufficient for the story? And, of what we saw, was it compelling, consistent, and enticing?

• Spirit that achieves great power through great longevity
• Power of shapeshifting, trickery
• Evil, known for possessing humans
• yeowoo guseul , small shards made of knowledge

Jedao shares many features of the nine-tailed fox. Did you know about this creatures before the book? Does your knowledge of it (either then or now) enhance your understanding of the book?

And, what do you think of Jedao's plan for overthrowing the system?

Yoon’s hobbies include composing music, art, and destroying the reader. He lives in Louisiana with his family and an extremely lazy catten.

When Captain Kel Cheris of the hexarchate is disgraced for her unconventional tactics, Kel Command gives her a chance to redeem herself by retaking the Fortress of Scattered Needles from the heretics. Cheris’s career isn’t the only thing at stake: if the fortress falls, the hexarchate itself might be next.

Cheris’s best hope is to ally with the undead tactician Shuos Jedao. The good news is that Jedao has never lost a battle, and he may be the only one who can figure out how to successfully besiege the fortress. The bad news is that Jedao went mad in his first life and massacred two armies, one of them his own.

As the siege wears on, Cheris must decide how far she can trust Jedao – because she might be his next victim.

‘Starship Troopers meets Apocalypse Now – and they’ve put Kurtz in charge... An unmissable debut.’ - Stephen Baxter

‘I love Yoon’s work! Full of battles and political intrigue, in a beautifully built far-future that manages to be human and alien at the same time.’ - Ann Leckie