The Natural Engines Duology
by Ai Jiang

Reviewed by Galen Strickland
Posted July 22, 2025
Edits and Addendum on September 30, 2026

1. A Palace Near the Wind / 2. A River From the Sky

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My comments will be brief, but I will return to this page next year when the second book is published. Hopefully the wait won't be as long as this year. A Palace Near the Wind was published in April, but due to my shrinking book-buying budget, plus limiting review copy requests, I decided to wait for the library. It wasn't available from them until last Friday. It is a short novel, the first half of a duology. The stage has been set so to speak, but there is much about this world that has not been revealed, and some things might have been misdirection, or a misunderstanding on the part of the narrator.

The first-person narrator is Lady Liu Lufeng, the eldest daughter in her family. It puzzled me why she had not been the first one chosen to be wed to the King, but her mother, and then two younger sisters preceded her to the palace. She has had no contact with them since they departed, doesn't even know if they are still alive. Lufeng still lives in Feng with her youngest sister Chuiliu, along with Elder (her grandmother), and an aunt. Surely Elder would have told her if she had any information about her mother or other sisters. Lady Lufeng is not human. She is more like a plant species. She describes her feet more like roots, her arms like vines, her skin like bark, her hair like pine needles. She is a Wind Walker. Other regions are home to Land Wanderers, Water Shifters, and Desert Treaders. She thinks the King is human, but he is not, or at least wasn't, but I won't reveal more than that now.

She knew it was eventual, that she would be approached to negotiate her own bridewealth. She does not want to be wed to the King, but she does want to learn the fate of her family members, so relents and journeys to the Palace. Wind Walkers are able to move just from the force of the wind, no need for any other transport, but she is forced to use a Traveler, a mechanical device. Other technologies are seen at the Palace, ones she sees no need for. She is surprised she is able to wander the Palace at will, but later learns of the "orbs," surveillance cameras. Wind Walkers also do not eat, they are nourished as plants are, from the soil, air, and water, but Lufeng is expected to eat at the Palace. She is expected to eat meat, which sickens her. She wants to run away, back to Feng, to confront her grandmother about her purpose at the Palace, yet she knows if she doesn't find out the fate of her family she may never get another chance. Who can she trust, how will she get information about them? How will they be able to escape?

Poetically lyrical in Lufeng's view of the world, contrasted with remarkable technologies she never imagined. Lufeng had been sheltered in her earlier life, is still naïve. She is able to see her mother and sisters, but cannot understand why they are unwilling to abandon their new lives and go back to Feng. Perhaps they have resigned themselves to the inevitable, or maybe they are plotting something else. We know someone she thought could be an ally absolutely is not. That person might be controlling the King, yet also might be controlled by other forces. Who is behind all the technology, the engines, and what are their goals? What are their plans for Feng? I suspect I will be surprised by several reveals in the second book, or at least hope so. Some characters may have ulterior motives for their actions, which on the surface could be harmful to Lufeng and her kin, but may eventually prove their salvation. Recommended..

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Posted September 30, 2026
Another long delay, this time mainly due to so many other books to read. A River From the Sky came out in April, but my library has still not offered the hardcover, but it evenually showed up on Cloud Library. My comments will again be brief, not because I don't want to spoil anything, but rather that I'm not sure I could, since I was confused about a lot of things. A re-read of the first book, as well as the last few chapters of this one didn't help, especially concerning the motivations of various characters, as well as their eventual fate. I am not saying I did not like certain parts of the story, but I longed for more information. The first book is barely novel length, the second is a novella. No reason it couldn't have been longer, or extended to a trilogy. It is possible I am not perceptive enough, either missing or misunderstanding several things. For instance, there is a glossary at the start of this book, one which says the "Natural Engines" are the Wind Walkers from Feng, and the Water Shifters of Glace. Within the text they are sometimes referred to as gods. If that is the case, why have many of them been altered through alchemy to become "Natural Titans"? That seems to be a negation of the word natural.

Lufeng narrates only a few chapters, the majority of others are by her sister Sangshu, the youngest to have been sent to the Palace. Like two other sisters she had changed her name, but for a different reason. To her colleagues Sangshu is known as Waiting Sun. She had actually alchemized herself, transforming completely from her Feng nature. The Water Shifter known to Lufeng as Geyser, one who became her ally and helped her escape the Palace, is known to Waiting Sun as Exile Song. I was also confused about what was happening in Engine and Gear. I suppose some manufacturing process, but what and why was nebulous. The person Lufeng initially thought might be an ally was Zinc, but that was just an assumed name due to the corporation(?) he controlled, Z Inc. He appeared to be the mastermind of everything, controlling the King, as well as Engine and Gear. He was also known as the Iron Alchemist, the one responsible for altering those from Feng and Glace into Titans. To maintain his agenda he was also depleting the resources of Feng and Glace, essentially their air and water. Sounds a bit like the data centers cropping up everywhere these days, and Zinc could be a stand-in for those who want to be our tech overlords in the real world, with Feng and Glace the expoited workers. I won't get into the revelations about the King, and Lufeng's Elder, her grandmother. If what is said about Elder are true, it makes no sense she would not openly defy Zinc's agenda. In summation, I'll say I liked a lot of the ideas expressed, but the execution left a lot to be desired.

 

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