Book review: The Tournament Of Rising Tides and Blooming Flowers by Cameron Tuck

It was the title of this book that first drew me in. I was not entirely sure what to expect, but I imagined epic, stylised battles reminiscent of martial arts films such as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. After reading the blurb, my expectations shifted slightly, and I began picturing something closer to a Mortal Kombat-style tournament, with fighters of wildly different backgrounds and abilities competing against one another. It sounded like a very exciting premise.

Before discussing the novel itself, it is worth returning briefly to the blurb. The core idea is excellent. Every one hundred years, a mysterious figure known as the Chauffeur invites sixty-four remarkable individuals to compete in a brutal tournament where the winner receives a divine wish. It is a strong and intriguing concept.

However, the final line of the blurb gave me some pause: “This volume introduces the first 32 contestants.” This raised a concern that the book might consist of thirty-two separate short stories, one for each competitor. That idea could still work if handled well. After all, background stories for fighters such as Ryu from Street Fighter or characters from Mortal Kombat could certainly be entertaining.

The novel begins very much as I expected. The first three sections function as self-contained introductions to individual contestants. The first features an ageing war hero who now finds himself buried under paperwork rather than fighting monsters. The author cleverly compares battling monsters with battling bureaucracy, and the result is witty and engaging. The second fighter particularly captured my imagination. The story was well told and kept me guessing about how events might unfold. At one point the character produces a tool described very much like a diabolo, and I found myself hoping that this unusual object would become his chosen weapon. Unfortunately that idea did not develop further.

After these opening sections I expected the book to continue with similar mini stories for the remaining contestants. In practice, it does not follow such a clear pattern. Some characters receive fuller introductions, while others appear only briefly. There is also some overlap as the White Witch attempts to recruit her own fighters for the Tournament. By the end of the book, however, I struggled to remember who all thirty two contestants were. While I was somewhat relieved not to read thirty two completely separate mini stories, I also felt that the introductions were uneven and occasionally incomplete.

The prose itself is clear and easy to read. Descriptions are effective without becoming overly indulgent, and the individual character segments are generally engaging. There were, however, a few structural choices that affected my enjoyment.

The first is the constant shifting of point of view. Because the narrative moves between so many characters, it is difficult to form any meaningful attachment to them. A single section is rarely enough time to become invested in their story.

The second issue is the absence of traditional chapters. Instead, the text is divided into sections with small headings. This created some practical problems. When reading on an EPUB reader, closing the app meant losing my place because there were no chapter markers to return to. I often had to scroll through the book to find where I had stopped.

This also caused issues when using text to speech while running or driving. Without clear chapter breaks and with frequent perspective shifts, I occasionally found myself listening to a new viewpoint without realising it. This led to several confusing moments where I had to stop and check the text to understand where the section had changed.

Aside from the looming Tournament itself, the book does not feel as though it contains a central narrative. It functions primarily as a long introduction to the contestants. I frequently found myself wishing the story would move forward to the Tournament itself. If the second volume introduces the remaining 32 contestants, it may be quite some time before the actual competition begins.

The premise of the series is excellent, and several of the character segments are genuinely well written and engaging. However, the lack of an overarching storyline beyond the invitations to the Tournament made the overall experience feel somewhat slow for me.

Some readers may enjoy this kind of extended setup and may find the slow build rewarding once the Tournament finally begins. Personally, I am unlikely to read the second volume if it follows the same structure. I may instead wait until the story reaches the Tournament itself and begin there.