Prince of Blue Flowers
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.
Set in a Pan-Asian medieval fantasy world, this light and humorous story is full of adventures, action, and mischief. Join Hatsukoi’s journey, laugh at his exploits, and learn with him.
Ryu Zhong
‘Ryu’ means ‘dragon’ in Japanese, and ‘Zhong’ can be translated from Chinese as ‘liaison’. This amalgam of languages represents the fusion of cultures that characterises the writings of Ryu Zhong.
In their books, Ryu 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.
Ryu Zhong were lucky to be born and grow in Asia. Now they live in Amsterdam, study Dutch, and translate their writings to English.
Adventures of Takuan from Koto
Adventures of Takuan from Koto consists of three books — considered a complete series. The current recommended reading order for the series is provided below.
Reviews and Comments
The ‘Prince of Blue Flowers’ novel is an Asian fantasy adventure story. The protagonist of the story, a boy named Hatsukoi, goes to a monastery for his pranks, but soon runs away in search of adventure.
Magical Asia, in which the reader finds himself, is similar to medieval China, or rather, to the world of ‘lakes and rivers’ of the famous Chinese epics and ‘wuxia’ adventure novels. Swaggering dukes, greedy governors, arrogant princes, industrious peasants, wise monks, and wandering warriors inhabit this world. Gods are there as well, busy with their own worries and problems.