Blood Over Bright Haven

Our book club has discussed what “dark academia” really means – is it merely an aesthetic, a trope, or something more? I think Blood Over Bright Haven (BOBH) is a perfect case study of what “dark academia” has evolved into, an examination of academia and elite institutions, since it was popularized by social media as an aesthetic. BOBH is a master stroke of character development and storytelling wrapped in scathing criticism of capitalism, misogyny, ambition, and (my personal favorite) academia.

From the very beginning, M.L. Wang grabs you and refuses to let go. The world of BOBH is dripping with lore – even between chapters, there are excerpts from Tiran’s sacred texts. I think one of Wang’s great talents is understanding when to give detail for the amazing world she has built and when to let the readers’ own imagination take over. There’s enough world-building for the city of Tiran to feel like its own character with its complicated history and host of problems to deal with. Here, you can see Wang’s evolution as a writer – BOBH doesn’t suffer as much from the lore dumps found in Sword of Kaigen, and the world-building is introduced more organically.

And unlike Sword of Kaigen, there is significantly more time spent on developing the unique magic system. Wang has crafted a magic system unlike anything else I’ve encountered. It’s intuitive, drawing on real-life examples, yet wholly innovative. Wang has also nailed Brandon Sanderson’s second law of magic: limitations > powers. Wang explores the limitations of the magic so thoroughly that it is inextricable from the plot’s progression and character motivations.

For characters… Sciona. I love her. I think some people will find her insufferable and unlikeable, but damn if she isn’t a compelling protagonist (and lowkey relatable). Through Sciona, Wang once again demonstrates that she is the queen of character work. It is incredible to watch Wang wrangle such a prickly character into someone worth rooting for. Sciona is every inch as vicious, headstrong, and insensitive as I would expect a lonely academic to be (especially a brilliant one). I loved how well Wang depicts the female experience in academia, from snippy comments to outright dismissal of Sciona’s capabilities despite her demonstrating otherwise. It makes Sciona’s penchant for unpleasantness more nuanced. Sciona’s unpleasantness also makes her evolution more interesting as she struggles to understand that oppression can come in multiple dimensions.

Thomil… What a sweetie – no notes. Thomil serves as an excellent foil to Sciona, but also as an equal protagonist. When he and Sciona come together, Wang delivers her best examination on the intersectionality of oppression and people’s capacity for good. I love myself a tragic character and Thomil delivers in spades.

If you thought Babel was heavy-handed and one-note in its criticisms of colonialism, misogyny, and academia, BOBH is less so. Wang’s criticisms employ the “show don’t tell” technique by letting her characters’ actions and their consequences speak for themselves.

Honestly, there is no better time to read BOBH than now, especially if you are in academia. I know academia is currently facing political headwinds, but that does not excuse it from being complicit in the systematic disenfranchisement and exploitation of outsiders or laborers who maintain it. BOBH is commentary on how scientific progress, innovation, and ambition can drive academics to complicity or ignorance so long as our own interests are served. Academia is inherently political, as it confers prestige and power, as much as we like to pretend otherwise. So yeah, go read this book because I think it’s real good and M.L. Wang deserves all the love she can get.

(I am also on my hands and knees begging my book club to read Blood Over Bright Haven.)