1
of
1
Oracle Bone
A Novel
Ratings/reviews counts are updated frequently.
Check link for latest rating. ( 70 ratings, 19 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still
learning, it may not be perfect - your
feedback is welcome!
Summary
Singapore-born Lydia Kwa reimagines Chinese mythology with a modern sensibility, blending historical fiction with supernatural intrigue.
Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$2999
Unit price
/
Unavailable
AVAILABLE WITH SUPPLIER
Ships from our Auckland warehouse within 4-6 weeks
Found a better price? Request a price match
Oracle Bone
$2999
Unit price
/
Unavailable
Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?
This novel will resonate with readers fascinated by historical fiction infused with magical realism and Chinese mythology. It appeals to those who appreciate richly woven narratives exploring spiritual themes, female empowerment, and complex characters within a vividly reimagined Tang dynasty backdrop.
Latest News
New Releases to add to your TBR this week (6th October)
With some huge new novels for Fiction, some incredible memoirs and cookbooks, plus some new...
Review: Threshing Day
Our Book Hero Ambassador @NZBookTokGirl is back with her latest read, and this time it’s...
Story to Screen - 7/10/2026
The Story to Screen Report is back! Sacha has rounded up the latest news from...
Why Two-Player Games Deserve a Spot on Your Shelf
You don’t need a whole group for a great game night! Amelia shares some of...
10 months in: My top 10 romantasy reads of the year so far!
We’re 10 months into the year, and I’ve already read some incredible romantasy books! From...
See moreHeart Sutra, the sacred Buddhistscripture. Meanwhile, as the mysteries and powers of the missing oracle boneare revealed, it remains to be seen whether Qilan will be able to stop Xie fromgaining possession of the magical bone, and at what cost.
Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and
still learning, it may not be perfect - your
feedback is welcome!
Description
Life in seventh-century China teems with magic, fox spirits, and demons; there is a fervent belief that the extraordinary resides within the lives of both commoners and royalty. During the years when the empress Wu Zhao gains ascendancy in the Tang court, her evil-minded lover Xie becomes obsessed with finding and possessing the oracle bone, a magical object that will bestow immortal powers on him.
Standing in his way is Qilan, an eccentric Daoist nun who rescues an orphaned girl named Ling from being sold into slavery. Qilan takes her under her wing, promising to train her so she may avenge her parents' murders. In another part of the city, a young monk named Harelip questions his faith and his attraction to other men as he helps the elder monk Xuanzang to complete his translation of the Heart Sutra, the sacred Buddhist scripture.
Meanwhile, as the mysteries and powers of the missing oracle bone are revealed, it remains to be seen whether Qilan will be able to stop Xie from gaining possession of the magical bone, and at what cost.
Oracle Bone, this extraordinary magic-realist novel by Singapore-born author Lydia Kwa, employs and subverts traditional tropes of Chinese mythology to tell a tale of greed, faith, and female empowerment with a wickedly modern sensibility.
Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?
Critics acclaim Oracle Bone for its vivid and immersive depiction of ancient Chang'an. Larissa Lai hails it as a "beautiful and moving dream" and a must-read for lovers of Chinese imperial history and storytelling traditions. Doretta Lau praises Kwa's prose as finely embroidered, crafting a wondrous world where magic feels tangible. Fred Wah describes the novel as an "oracular story" blending love, power, and the supernatural to reveal profound insights, underscoring the power of imagination in understanding our desires.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781551526997
Publisher: Arsenal Pulp Press
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 01 April 2018
Country: Canada
Imprint: Arsenal Pulp Press
Illustration: Illustrations
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 18.0mm
Width: 152.0mm
Height: 228.0mm
Weight: 318g
Pages: 256
About the Author
Lydia Kwa: Lydia Kwa is a writer and psychologist. She is the author of the novels This Place Called Absence (Amazon/Books in Canada First Novel Award finalist), The Walking Boy (Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize finalist), and Pulse, as well as two books of poetry, The Colours of Heroines and sinuous.
Also by Lydia Kwa
View all-
The Walking Boy
The Walking Boy is a quest novel set in early eighth-century Tang Dynasty China, in the final days of the rule of the first female Emperor Wu Zhao. The ailing hermit monk, Harelip, sends his disciple Baoshi on a pilgrimage from Mount Hua to Chang'an, the Western capital. Baoshi is the 'walking boy' charged with locating Harelip's missing former lover,...Paperback$3499Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks
More from Historical Fiction
View all-
The Parisian Chapter
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Library and The Librarians of Rue de Picardie comes a charming and cinematic novel following a young woman from Montana who lands a job in the American Library in Paris, where she discovers the power of storytelling and writes her own Parisian chapter.'Stirring and rich with detail' New York Times...Paperback$2999Elsewhere:$3499Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips tomorrow -
Inferno
AD 60. Nero Claudius Caesar is Emperor. He is feared for his temper. He is known to be intoxicated by the power he wields. And why not? The Roman Empire stretches from the wilds of Britain to the deserts of Parthia. Nero is god of all he surveys. Yet dangerous traitors lie close at hand. Generals commanding legions. Senators whispering...Paperback$3100Elsewhere:$3800Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips tomorrow -
Circle of Days
From the master of epic fiction comes the deeply human story of one of the world's greatest mysteries: the building of Stonehenge. A FLINT MINER WITH A GIFT Seft, a talented flint miner, walks the Great Plain in the high summer heat, to witness the rituals that signal the start of a new year. He is there to trade his...Hardback$4499Elsewhere:$6000Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips tomorrow -
The Soldier's Daughter
The heart-stopping new blockbuster by the bestselling author of The Fallen Woman. Violet Nash has grown up in the shadows of her father Charlie's shattered dreams. It's been years since he walked away from the battlefields of France, a WWI hero but his heart in tatters, only to see it broken all over again in the worst way possible. In...Paperback$2999Elsewhere:$3800Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips tomorrow -
The Girl with the Suitcase
The enthralling new novel from the 10-million-copy, No. 1 bestselling author. London 1941 When Mary meets a glamorous stranger named Elizabeth, she realises their lives couldn't be more different. But when an air raid forces them to take shelter underground, Mary's life is set to change forever. After waking up in hospital, injured but alive, the nurse mistakes her for...Paperback$2999Elsewhere:$3800Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips tomorrow -
The Lost Bookshop
Evie Woods' stunning new novel The Story Collector is available now. The Echo of Old Books meets The Lost Apothecary in this evocative and charming novel full of mystery and secrets. ‘The thing about books,’ she said ‘is that they help you to imagine a life bigger and better than you could ever dream of.’ On a quiet street in...Paperback$2200Elsewhere:$2500Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips tomorrow -
All the Diamonds in Paris
Kristin Harmel is firmly in the top echelon of WW2 storytellers - HEATHER MORRIS A master storyteller - SANTA MONTEFIORE The best at sweeping historical drama - KELLY HARMS A dazzling diamond of a novel - HAZEL GAYNOR * Paris, 1942: Anabel Martinet is a jewel thief, descended from a family that has spent centuries stealing from the unkind and...Paperback$2999Elsewhere:$3799Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips tomorrow -
The Listeners
‘By turns a beautiful love story, a fascinating glimpse into the horrors of history and a haunting tale of loyalty and courage. A marvel of storytelling’ CHRIS WHITAKER, bestselling author of All the Colours of the Dark The Avallon Hotel offers unrivalled luxury in the wild Appalachian Mountains, its curative sweetwater washing away the troubles of high society. June 'Hoss'...Paperback$3600Elsewhere:$3799Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips tomorrow -
Atmosphere
The new novel by the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Daisy Jones & The Six. An epic novel set against the backdrop of the 1980s space shuttle programme and the extraordinary lengths we go to live and love beyond our limits. In the summer of 1980, astrophysics professor Joan Goodwin begins...Paperback$3200Elsewhere:$3800Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips tomorrow -
The Song of Achilles
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller is a brilliantly crafted retelling of the ancient Greek epic of Achilles and Patroclus, transforming the classical myth into a profoundly moving love story. Set against the richly depicted backdrop of Greece during the heroically tumultuous age, the narrative follows Patroclus, an awkward and exiled young prince, who is taken to the court...Paperback$2100Elsewhere:$3999Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips tomorrow -
Mythos
Mythos by Stephen Fry is a compelling retelling of the classic Greek myths, reimagined with a wit and elegance that only Fry can deliver. This volume transports the reader to a world where mortals intertwine with the divine, and the timeless tales unfold in a spellbinding narrative that captures the imagination. From the cosmogony—the birth of the cosmos—to the exploits...Paperback$2200Elsewhere:$3000Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips tomorrow -
The Four Winds
Kristin Hannah is a classic storyteller and The Four Winds sees her at the top of her game - Matt Haig Powerful and compelling - Delia Owens, number one international bestselling author of Where the Crawdads Sing A story of love, family, unbreakable bonds, bravery and hope. I loved this book so much! - Christy Lefteri, bestselling author of The...Paperback$2000Elsewhere:$2499Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips tomorrow
Why buy from us?
Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!
Service & Delivery
Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 100,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.
Auckland Bookstore
We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.
Our Gifting Service
Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.
Historical Fiction lists from the team
Explore our curated lists from our heroes to find your next read!
