Review Detail

In my experience, a lot historical fiction covers too-familiar topics. Tudors, WWII, American Pioneers. In this genre, there are standard go-to locations and time periods. So imagine how excited I was when I found a novel that covered a time and place I’ve never seen written about before. A wannabe-warrior Mongol princess who has a thing for Marco Polo sounded fantastic.

Initially, I was somewhat turned off from Daughter of Xanadu because Yang’s writing isn’t the best. I’m not a firm believe in show-don’t-tell, but I do think there are cases where it applies. Initially, Emmajin carefully reported every detail for the reader’s edification. Statements like “The scene was revolting” or “I was very sad” were common. Sure, those sentences get the point across, but they’re rather juvenile and boring.

Yang’s prose was also a bit stilted in the beginning of the novel. Example: “This Pope sounded ignorant, tactless, and confused. But Marco seemed to respect him. Marco's arm was covered in light hair.”

Serious conversation about the Pope in one sentence, then awkward observation about Marco Polo the next. That could have been handled better.

I didn’t start off as a fan of Emmajin, because she had this mindset where she seemed to believe that she, as a tomboy wannabe solider, was better than her sister, who wanted marriage and pretty clothes. I’m not okay with a main character hating on other women because they don’t share the same beliefs/goals she does. From there, it’s only too easy to wander into slut-shaming territory.

However, once Emmajin was accepted into the army and started some Mulan-esque boot camp stuff, I started to respect her more. (There was totally a moment where I wanted to burst out singing: "Let's get down to business to defeat the Huns!") She knew what she wanted and she wasn’t afraid to get it. At the same time, neither was she heartless or unapproachable. She was extremely loyal to her best friend and cousin, Suren, and her interactions with Marco Polo showed that she was still a confused teenage girl dealing with a case of puppy love.

Then, of course, comes the culmination of the novel: the Big Battle Scene. Having been assigned to the Mongol version of Special Ops, Emmajin goes south to confront invading Burmese. In true Mulan style, Emmajin saves the day with fireworks and her mad awesome mace-wielding skills, thereby earning the respect of her male comrades. However, Emmajin’s best friend/favorite cousin, Suren, dies in battle, and she has a complete change of heart.

After fighting (and single-handedly winning) the entire battle, Emmajin decides that WAR IS BAD.

Right about there, I started to get annoyed.

See, for a modern Western audience, the message that Peace Is Good is totally acceptable, and is one that readers will empathize with. However, we need to look at the situation in its historical context. Emmajin grew up in a culture where soldiers are the best of the best. In the Mongol empire, merchants and academics were not as revered as warriors or generals. Emmajin would have heard war stories from an early age, absorbed them and learned from them; Yang’s claims that Emmajin “wasn’t prepared” for the bloodshed aren’t very plausible when you consider her upbringing. It just doesn’t seem realistic to me that Emmajin would have spent her whole life dreaming of being a solider in her grandfather's army, only to freak out the first time she kills a man and sees blood. Yes, I completely understand that maybe, after the battle, she would have had a change of heart or rethought her position; however, Yang’s very politically correct portrayal of Emmajin’s 180-degree reversal was too extreme for me, and that entire personality shift was obviously colored by modern ideals and thought processes. We cannot measure the Mongols with modern American values.

Daughter of Xanadu was very much an up and down ride for me. I though it was a nice change of pace from most historical fiction (European royalty and WWII/holocaust stories). Dori Jones Yang gets a lot of credit for choosing a unique subject, and for creating a strong female protagonist, as well as a fast-paced plot. However, this was a book very much written with a Western audience in mind, and I fear that some of the content was not entirely in keeping with the Mongol Empire.