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This week, we turn back to fantasy for an in-depth look at R.F. Kuang's The Poppy War, a grimdark examination of power, war, and an alternative version of 20th Century China. In this episode, we discuss the real-world allegories and the ways in which Kuang plays with history of the Second Sino-Japanese War and Mao Zedong in particular, as well as the perils and prospects of using a Corruption Arc in a story.

CW for discussion of war crimes, including genocide, and drug use

Intro:
Pump Sting by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4251-pump-sting
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Outro:
Iron Bacon by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3925-iron-bacon
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/