Silk and Song
Dana Stabenow
Published 2018
736 pages
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The Silk & Song trilogy is a historical fiction novel about a young woman of mixed race travelling the Silk Road from China to Europe in the 14th Century alongside an assorted group of loyal companions. It was originally three books, with the first published in 2014, but I definitely recommend reading all of them together as one edition, because the first ends on one hell of a cliffhanger. I had never heard of this author, who it seems is better known for her mystery series, but was given this by a friend and absolutely loved it – the first book in ages to keep me immersed for hours at a time.
Wu Johanna is the beloved only child of a wealthy Chinese merchant from Cambaluc in what is now Beijing. Thanks to her grandfather Marco Polo’s European genes, she has always been different, and allowed a freedom unusual for the times. When her father dies under suspicious circumstances, she flees from her wicked stepmother who wants control of the family business, and takes to the road with her foster brother and best friend Jaufre, and a magnificent white stallion who will obey only her. Across the unforgiving desert they will make new friends and encounter terrible danger as they seek a new life far away in the West…
This was much more of a fantasy epic than realistic idea of what life on the Silk Road as an orphaned teenager would’ve been like – there are plenty of swords, but no sorcery. Our protagonist is of course beautiful, athletic, musically gifted and super-smart – and naturally lucky – someone always shows up to rescue her in the nick of time, and despite most men lusting after her, manages to avoid being taken advantage of by any of her captors. Most unrealistic of all, she and her love interest hold off from jumping each others’ bones for literally years despite knowing how they feel about each other… Still, it mattered not – I was captivated by their adventures, loved the minor characters, enjoyed the snippets of real history and the atmospheric descriptions of the various cities they visit and was hugely entertained for all 700 pages. Recommended for fans of the Outlander and Clan of the Cave Bear series.
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