I really, really like the idea of a urban fantasy set in Hong Kong, but I have to admit I was massively turned off by the books by reading the backcover copy. I have no idea how accurate these are, but the description of a war between the deities and the demons from Hell just feels... very silly, I guess? Like it was lifted straight from a Christian conception of the universe instead of actually stopping and thinking about the place of Hell in Chinese beliefs. Is the demon/god dichotomy what actually happens in the books?
(I admit I was also turned off by a blog post I saw somewhere where Kylie Chan demonstrated she hadn't understood Chinese culture at all--can't remember the specifics, but she was complaining about how greeting every family member by title instead of by first name was such a quaint and backward custom. My blood shot up at that point)
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2012-10-15 07:45 pm (UTC)I really, really like the idea of a urban fantasy set in Hong Kong, but I have to admit I was massively turned off by the books by reading the backcover copy. I have no idea how accurate these are, but the description of a war between the deities and the demons from Hell just feels... very silly, I guess? Like it was lifted straight from a Christian conception of the universe instead of actually stopping and thinking about the place of Hell in Chinese beliefs. Is the demon/god dichotomy what actually happens in the books?
(I admit I was also turned off by a blog post I saw somewhere where Kylie Chan demonstrated she hadn't understood Chinese culture at all--can't remember the specifics, but she was complaining about how greeting every family member by title instead of by first name was such a quaint and backward custom. My blood shot up at that point)