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What are your favorite TV shows?
To name a few, ‘The Office,’ ‘Utopia,’ and ‘Hercule Poirot’ with David Suchet.
The American adaptation of the British ‘The Office’ is a perfect satire of the hierarchy of the office space, and while businesses went paperless, their nature hasn’t changed. For a comedy writer like myself, it’s a source of inspiration.
The ‘Utopia’ series, this time the British original, became my favorite thanks to its striking nature visuals. The landscape shots remind me of the paintings of Van Gogh, who is a favorite painter of mine.
Hercule Poirot is one of the icons of the detective genre, both as its literary original written by Agatha Christie and a series character played by David Suchet. In my opinion, this is the example of a character built so well that they overtake the life of the actor themselves.
What is your favorite meal?
I’m quite a conservative eater. My favorite meal would be a bowl of fresh fruit. Any time of the year, I find them a perfect balance between sweet and healthy. Forced to choose from cooked meals, I’d go for a bowl of ramen. As one might notice, I have a sweet spot for bowls.
If you were to write a series of novels, what would it be about?
‘Prince of Blue Flowers’ is the first installment of such a series. While being a story itself, it sets the stage for a larger narrative. The theme of the series is the relationship between mortals and celestials, between luck and cunning, and between close ones and a higher purpose. It’s about finding the way through the world to become one’s true self.
Is there a writer you idolize? If so, who?
Frank Herbert, the author of ‘Dune,’ is one of my idols. He’s famous for his cult ‘Dune’ series, of which the first book was turned into a movie (actually, into several), and one more book was turned into a TV series (relatively unknown). I find it amazing that each of the six original Herbert books was written in a different subgenre of science fiction. It makes this hexalogy difficult to read for someone inclined to a specific genre, but it’s a total delight for a multi-genre reader like myself.
How did you come up with the title of this book?
As with most of my books, the title jumped on me when the first draft was about 80% complete. When the ending of the book was found, it was inevitable that the book should reflect the tool with which the ending is achieved. So, when one’s reading the ‘Prince of Blue Flowers,’ one would long to meet said prince. And, if we’re to believe my readers, they won’t be disappointed with the acquaintance.
Young boy Hatsukoi leaves his village to become a monk, only to find monastic life incredibly boring. With a new-found name and a new-found friend, Hatsukoi travels the countryside and plays tricks at the expense of corrupt, irate, greedy, and ignorant people. Nobles of all ranks—from petty governors to crown princes—fall victim to the boy’s wit and cunning.
As his tricks evolve from childhood frolics to elaborate cons, Hatsukoi grows as well. He learns not only the craft of his trade, but also its higher purpose.
Join Hatsukoi’s journey, laugh at his exploits, and learn with him.
Enjoy an Excerpt
Fragments
In ancient times, on the shores of the Eternal Ocean lay the country of Auyasku. The waves of the three seas cherished her sleep. The Silent Western Sea lulled her with whispers, and the Glacial Sea squeezed her tightly in its arms. Even the Sea of Great Storms was quiet off the coast of this cold land.
A white fur coat of snow hid Auyasku from the heat of the sun. On the hottest summer day, the bright beams of Celestial Luminary could not penetrate beneath the blankets and awaken Auyasku from her age-old slumber.
In the middle of the country rose a snowy mountain, and on its top was a wonderful rock. This rock was open to the beaming sun and moonlight, because tall trees did not grow on it; moss alone covered the stones, still barely warm from the sun.
And then, one day, the rock produced a stone egg. Later, a marten hatched from this egg, also made of stone, but endowed with limbs and all five senses.
The stone marten quickly learned to run about and hunt small game that hid in the snow. She also made friends with other animals that inhabited the endless fields of Auyasku: foxes, bears, wolves – even moles. And, of course, with other martens, her relatives. The mountain from which she came was called Marten Mountain because it served as a home to many martens.
One morning, when the sun appeared in the east and slowly rolled across the sky, the martens began to frolic around the rock, chasing one another. Having gambolled enough, they calmed down and, staring at the sun, began to talk – for, as the proverb goes, even animals can talk to each other.
About the Author:
In their books, Ryū Zhong explore challenges that humanity might face as our technology gets more and more complicated to the level where it becomes magic. Such a shift would force people to look towards religion and reinterpret realities that today, we call fairy tales.
Ryū Zhong were lucky to be born and grow in Asia. Now they live in Amsterdam, study Dutch, and adapt their writings to English.
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ReplyDeleteI liked the excerpt.
ReplyDeleteI meant to read Dune but never got around to it. One of these days I'll watch it on tv.
ReplyDeleteI like the cover. Looks great.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a wonderful book.
ReplyDelete