by Mohala Cheng
雙陸 | Shuānglù Shuānglù is not for everyone. It is about games within games. Some chapters move slowly. Some chapters move fast. It is a story of patience and intricate layers. A sea queen lives in desert sands. An engineer has turned warlord. Centaurs debate whether humans have souls. Minor characters play major roles. Two healers on the far side of middle age must unite disparate peoples to save their worlds—when all they really want is a nice cup of júhuā. Will you enjoy Shuānglù? • If you enjoy a ten-course banquet, with the dishes balanced between sweet, sour, bitter, spicy, and salty—some taking a long time to enjoy and others slipping quickly down the throat... • If you enjoy watching the steam rise from your tea and filling your being with the fragrance before taking your first sip... • If you enjoy sitting at the edge of a mountain stream in the cool crystal peace of the morning, and then leaping into the excitement of reeling in the trout... • If you enjoy the contemplation of your opponent's game, and then swiftly making your final crushing move… I think you will enjoy Shuānglù. The Players & Their Games Shuānglù — Shěn Mèngwéi: The Shǐjūn and Master of the Chéng treats the treacherous frontier and his fortifications as a cold game of survival, calculating lives like pieces on a game board. He has waited five years for his diplomatic bride to make her first move. Tafl — Gáeth of Cladach na Sian: Born of the Sea People and schooled for her role as a diplomatic bride lives in the Western Tower of the Chéng and gazes out over rolling dunes instead of waves. Congkak — Shǒuzhēn: A weary Centaur healer, direct descendant of noble Chiron wants nothing more than to leave the bloodshed behind. Yet as empires collide, he finds himself unable to turn away from the wounded, forced to play a part in a war he despises. Gǎlahā — Cōng'ér: A farmer and herbalist captured in a centaur raid has mastered the art of quiet resilience. Escape from the herd is possible, but she faces a devastating reality: her village is gone, and her survival will be branded as treasonous collaboration.
