IMMORTAL LONGINGS by Chloe Gong (BOOK REVIEW)
“San-Er functions as a world of its own—half a million inhabitants crammed into each square mile, again and again. The needle-thin alleys between every building sag, the earthen ground always muddy because it is sweating with overexertion. Prostitutes and temple priests share the same doorway; drug addicts and schoolteachers nap under the same awning. It makes sense that the only space protected from builders and squatters is the roaring coliseum, under the vigilant eye of royalty and untouched by the desperate expansion pressing in on its walls.”
Inside the kingdom of Talin lies two capital twin cities, San-Er. These two cities were formally separated but merged together when Princess Calla Tuoleimi massacred her own parents and brought down the throne of Er. Now in hiding, Calla awaits in the shadows biding her time and plotting her last scheme to bring down the remaining monarchy in San-Er and free the people of the tyrant ruler, King Kasa—her uncle. Yet King Kasa has become a recluse seeking solace behind the safety of his palace walls where guards watch him day and night. Every year San-Er hosts a game where eighty-eight competitors, many with the ability to jump between bodies, enter to fight to the death until only one remaining victor is left winning riches beyond their imagination. Having very little else in the form of entertainment, thousands will flock to the city’s Coliseum to watch the Daqun, where the game and the bloodbath begins. On the last day of the game, the Juedou, King Kasa always makes a rare appearance to greet the winner, present them their prize and host a banquet, and so if Calla can win this would present the perfect opportunity to finally kill him. The only problem is there is another, a highly skilled jumper, who is also desperate to win. Anton Makusa is an exiled noble, he and his lover Otta Avia, were thrown out of the palace and now Otta lies in a coma ridden by the yaisu sickness. The medical bills are high and the only means Anton has of saving her is by winning the games. Then there is the King’s adopted son August who also wants to rid Talin of tyranny and build a fairer, more prosperous society. He finds an ally in Calla, but as she also forms a precarious alliance with Anton, her loyalties are pulled in different directions. Every kill she makes draws her closer to the end where she will finally have to make a decision.
Chloe Gong’s adult fantasy debut sizzles with dramatic tension, twisted characters and a deadly game for power. Immortal Longings is a fast paced, gripping dystopian fantasy with politics, secrets and obsession.
From the very beginning, Gong’s prose is razor sharp. The third person narration is in present tense giving an effective tension-filled atmosphere and sense of immediacy which hums throughout. Every scene is on edge, and every description feels cinematic. This addictively drew me in as Gong’s superbly brings the cities of San-Er so vividly to life. Talin in essence is a dystopian kingdom with San-Er being inspired by the Kowloon Walled City of 1990s Hong Kong, which I had very little knowledge of but after reading this book I decided to do some eye-opening research. Gong depicts the cities with such realistic clarity that it hits all your senses. You can almost feel the pulsating crowded streets, see the stacked upon buildings cramped together, bursting at the seams, you can almost smell the stench of poverty as overpopulation breeds diseases, squalor, starvation and desperation. Brothels, drug houses, gambling dens offer escape, but in turn build up more debt. Whilst King Kasa lives in opulence, neglecting his subjects, punishing those who cannot pay taxes by burning the outer cities to the ground, whilst the high-class and the nobility look out upon the cities and see a world of opportunities, the poor struggle to survive another day.
“Calla Tuoleimi, princess of Er. She could do nothing on a throne, but she can do everything with a sword in her hand.”
Each character’s dialogue is also cutting, laced with insinuations and much cynicism. Character’s are mostly distinguishable by their vivid eye colour, in hues ranging from golden to orange, purple to silver and rare black; more attention is paid to a person’s eyes than detailed descriptions of their bodies because in a world where anyone can inhabit any body, physical appearances matter little. As dramatic as their eye colours are, so too are their personalities. Every main character in this book falls into the anti-hero category—they are complex, violent, messy, impulsive and obsessive. Sometimes they did err on the side of too melodramatic, a touch too theatrical, especially towards the end. However personally I found this to be entertaining, almost as if I was watching these key players on a stage. It was deliciously twisted how they all wanted to seize power but for different reasons, even if they were lying to themselves about their own true motivations.
After all, Immortal Longings is loosely inspired by Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra, though it doesn’t follow the narrative of the play, it does portray the character dynamics and depicts a rising empire. Calla is ruthless, she will kill any opponent because her mission to rid San-Er of a tyrant is her highest priority—kill a few to save the many. Though she may pretend, though she may justify every killing, reminding herself of what San-Er will become without King Kasa, she does feel guilt of a sort, there is sorrow behind her golden eyes. Every deed she has committed since her childhood scars her on the inside until she begins to unravel. I love the way Anton sees through Calla, questions her true intent, because he is a character who is so self aware—he knows his reasons are self-serving and sees no wrong in that. Anton isn’t seeking to be a noble hero, he’s seeking to protect what he loves and gain what he needs. Through August’s character I found the discourse of power, leadership and delivering a fairer system for those in poverty, absolutely fascinating. Anton has grand notions of creating change, of leading the people of San-Er into a brighter, prosperous future, but once he gains power how long will that drive last? How long until ultimate power corrupts his ideals?
“Calla has never claimed to be good. She has never wanted to be good. But she seeks it in every corner of the twin cities, a sign that goodness is something Talin is capable of. Every day, she wakes up and she begs for what she has done to mean something, for the kingdom to tell her she is right to believe it could be honorable, that it’s befitting to spill blood until there is nothing left of her, until all the pieces are gone, until she cannot feel this twinge of doubt each time her blade slips in and out. There is peace at the end of this. There must be.”
Though I have seen some readers compare the game within the book to The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, personally I found the concept reminiscent of the one found in the Japanese novel Battle Royale by Kōshun Takami, which was adapted into a film in 2000. Having watched the film I immediately saw the similarities; both have a set number of contestants who fight to the death with only one winner left standing, both have minimal rules and revel in utter chaos. The game within Immortal Longings sees each contestant given wristbands with a chip inside providing them with an identity number, making each player trackable. Once the game begins, the only strict rule is that players must check in on their wristbands every day or face elimination. They can fight each other with any weapon, swords, knives, chains, even a whip—as you can presume these games are a chaotic bloodbath and Gong does not shy away from the brutality. In a kingdom riddled with poverty and starvation, any chance of gaining wealth is better than no chance at all. Yet what sets these games apart from both Battle Royale and The Hunger Games is the incorporation of Gong’s amazingly crafted jumping ability. Though the palace has made this illegal, many still partake as there is very little way to police it. Every human body is a vessel for other people to invade using their qi, though it is possible to resist another person’s qi from invading your body by fighting for control over the opponent’s qi, you have to be magnificently powerful to do this. Those who become lost between jumping bodies are forever stuck in the incorporeal space or will be subject to the yaisu sickness, making jumping too many times highly dangerous unless you’re skilled. Having this fantasy element coupled with the technology of the games made the whole novel much more exciting and delivered some rather twisted scenes.
In true Shakespearean fashion Gong ends her final act with high-drama, bloodshed and much to leave you gasping over. Immortal Longings is an edge-of-your-seat kind of read, the kind that is enticing and more than a little bit wicked.
“Anton feels the hot gush of blood on his hand. Feels it creep into every line of his palm, coat his skin as another stain impossible to clean off. He has ended so many lives, put on and washed off layer after layer of red. But these are not his hands, and this is not his body. Maybe there is no need to stop until he is reunited with his birth body, and only then will he start to count the infractions.”
ARC provided by Kate at Hodderscape—thank you for the copy! All quotes are taken from an early ARC and are subject to change upon publication.