Book review: Fire Dragon, by M. Kei

Cover of Fire DragonKei, M. Fire Dragon. Keibooks, 2012. $15.00. 315p. PB. 9780615597706.

Set in an exotic, magical land, possibly based China or Japan, Kei’s Fire Dragon follows Shuibai, a bucket-maker from a family of untouchables, as he goes from lowly outcast treated like dirt by his mother because he left the family bucket business to powerful Fire Chief of the Lower Marsh. In a culture in which women are respected and men are not, yet rulers are often males, Shuibai knows his place as the lowest of the low in his family of all women, in his community of poor people, and in the country as an untouchable due to his work with leather.

Shuibai was never interested in women or men and was content with his life though, like nearly everyone, he yearned for more. All this changed one day when he was appointed Fire Warden. Rather than simply maintaining the status quo, Shuibai makes fire fighting better through his earnestness, caring, experimenting, ideas, and tenacity. Along the way, Shuibai encounters smuggling and murder among other illegal activities that he must stop. Through his experiences, Shuibai learns of himself as a leader, as a friend, and eventually as a lover of Zashi, the lame and scarred firewatcher from a nearby town.

Although the book has limited LGBT content, the story of finding oneself, of being true to one’s beliefs and standards, and crossing lines set by tradition makes Fire Dragon worth reading for anyone questioning their own actions or desires. Suitable for teenagers and adults, this fictional fantasy novel will appeal to those who enjoy inventions, class boundaries, firefighting, and political confusion.

Reviewer: s.n.

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