For no mortal creature by Keshe Chow

Keshe Chow’s latest book has an interesting premise. Like her previous novel The girl with no reflection, she again explores the idea of parallel worlds. This time, it is the afterworld. In her note to the reader she says the inspiration lay in the Chinese word ‘jian’ meaning ‘ghost of a ghost’. Could a ghost die? Could a ghost die more than once? The illustration inside the front of the book shows The Living Realm and The Death Realm, the latter having many levels deeper and deeper into darkness. The heroine of the story, Jia Yi finds herself discovering the different levels of the afterlife when she is stabbed by an enemy’s sword.

The twist is that Jia Yi discovers her secret power, only now revealed in death. Her community thought she was an ‘Empty’ without any special power, unlike the rest of them, each of whom had a unique magical ability. Now Jia Yi discovers she has the power of resurrection. She can come back to life, but each time afterwards, when she dies she enters a deeper level of the Death Realm. It may be that she will eventually descend so deep there will be no return.

For no mortal creature shares some commonalities with the science-fiction film Inception with its depiction of different levels of dream world. There are also strains of Wuthering Heights, with the intense relationship between Jia Yi and her wild orphaned childhood friend Lin recalling the passionate relationship of Catherine and Heathcliffe. In this novel there is also the triangular pull of love interest between Lin, Jia Yi, and the noble Prince Essien, though I find this a bit confusing as to how it was going to resolve.

Readers who enjoy romantic fantasy will most likely enjoy Keshe Chow’s novel with its intriguing thread of Chinese mythology, the swirl of emotions of love, grief, and betrayal, and the feisty heroine with her passion and determination to protect her people against ruthless conquerors.

Themes: Fantasy, Romance, Chinese mythology, Death, Ghosts, Magic.

Helen Eddy