Another DayBreak Magazine story, The Branding of Shu Mei Feng By Amanda Clark is set in China and Mongolia and follows the tale of the eponymous Shu Mei Feng.
It feels like a story of two halves: part one in China which is high tech and futuristic, with combustion engines banned and vertical farms feeding the cities, part two in Mongolia which is more traditional but with a sprinkling of futurism. The first half, the setup, is the part I liked the most, although the ending makes sense and ties the story up nicely. I think I’d like more of that future China.
The writing has good sense of place, the description particularly vivid in rural Mongolia, the Chinese section less so, but that may be because it’s high tech sheen rather than landscapes.
Shu Mei Feng is clearest as a character in a flashback to before the start of the story, in other parts she becomes a little overwhelmed by the plot as it barrels along.
Overall it’s another story that I found enjoyable to read, left me feeling upbeat and also wanting more of the story’s world.
DayBreak is publishing exactly the sort of stories I want to read at the moment.
I do read a lot of books but this Shu Mei Feng is kinda look interesting. I better try this. Thank you