I was immediately enchanted by the gorgeous coloring of the cover for this book.

In a world where dragons can be kept as designer pets, Eli, a student in the local university, and Kai, a sick young man trying to spare his family, come together to try and take care of all the dragons abandoned when people realize that they require more care.

This was a short and wonderful read. We get such a great sense of the world so quickly, without awkward info dumps. The alternate Beijing of this story is dealing with numerous crises; climate change has peaked with dangerous heats and pollution, a new lung disease with a nearly 100% fatality rate, and pet dragons being abandoned throughout the city. The characterization was also great, and the romance was just enough for me.

But what I really loved about this book was its lesson. Between Eli, a somewhat privileged young man, and Kai, who has suffered an enormous amount, we get a great discussion. The two of them talk about the ills of the world and what can or should be done, especially as individuals. It brings to mind the story of the young girl throwing beached starfish back into the ocean. “It made a difference to that one.” Systemic overhauls are often needed for big societal issues, but that shouldn’t diminish or remove the need for individual actions on a smaller scale.

Not only would I love to see more of this particular world, but I will definitely be seeking out more of Zhang’s work.

Thanks to NetGalley and Stelliform Press for this ARC.

I really enjoyed reading this story, it has everything in it to bring out the best in ourselves and to try harder each day to keep our planet in good condition. Certainly, the situations portrayed in the book are a reflection of what might happen to our species and the rest of the living organisms that inhabit the Earth. A future that seems not so distant anymore. I believe this book is perfect for middle-grade and young readers because they are the ones who can inspire their families to do something more for our environment. The story had a deep impact on me, the way it is written makes you feel that there is still hope, even though the book depicts an awful situation, you can still feel the strength to do something good in order to prevent this agonizing future.

3.5 stars

I'm not super into novellas because the story usually ends up feeling incomplete and underdeveloped to me, but I actually really liked this one. It's compelling and thoughtful, with very vivid writing. I do kind of wish it was a full-length novel because there's so much to explore in this alternate version of Beijing (and I would've loved to read more about the main characters and their development as individuals and as a couple), but I still loved the story and themes. I'll definitely keep an eye out for the author's future work.

I was really into this story of an alternate world with dragons and related illnesses, and really enjoying the details and the lovely characterization, and the developing relationship between the characters. Then it just ended! I kept double checking whether something was wrong with my copy.

Real Rating: 4.5* of five

The entire world is burning up...including the people in it.

We are in an alt-Beijing in a future based on today. Climate change has gone into overdrive, and Beijing's famously poor air quality has never been worse...or warmer. There is a new lung disease, fatality rate as close to one hundred percent as to be indistinguishable, called "shaolong" or burning lung.

Oh...and dragons are real, and are very common in Beijing. Little dragons, not like the hulking fire drakes that medieval Europeans hunted to extinction. Small, delicate, beautiful...but not particularly valued. In fact they're used much as cocks are, for dragon fights. (While this isn't gone into in detail, it leads me to remind thoose sensitive to animal harm that this factor exists.)

Eli comes to Beijing from the USA. He is a mixed-race Black and Chinese diasporan child with a working grasp of Mandarin and a strong desire to make his mark in biomedicine. Kai is a dying victim of shaolong who meets handsome, healthy Eli when he comes into Kai's...well..."job" implies he gets paid which he does not...position at a dragon sales shop-cum-dragon fight ring. Their attraction is mutual but stuttering at its start: Eli can't help noticing Kai's illness and thus sets up the pity dynamic...unintentionally, of course, but inevitably...which makes Kai resist his reciprocal feelings for Eli.

Their dance of approach and stillness and retreat and stillness was beautifully handled, while never leading to a Conclusion. They are involved...in a coupling-type thing...and it's making them both happy...today. The way we're left at the end of the story, that is all we can expect to hear about these young men. I would like to say aloud that I would love to read more stories set in this world because its depth-of-field in this novella is amazing and has not come remotely close to exhausting the possibilities it contains. What does it mean to fall in love with someone who is dying? What kind of world can you, the healthy one, believe in once you've realized he will die before you? Not things I'd know about at all....

I did not expect to think the AIDS parallels were particularly well-done or even necessary. I was wrong. The story is very much enriched by the author's quiet acknowledgment that these men face a short future and a rough road to the end. Nothing is made of that, as in there are no set pieces built around it, but it pervades their oddly tender yet standoffish dynamic.

Anyone who can make the Bird's Nest from the 2008 Beijing Olympics into a ratty-tatty old hulk where wild dragons swarm is someone who needs to delve far more deeply into this world they have made. The details that bring it to life...the drought causing the poor to pay so much for water while there are still fountains in the wealthy part of town, for example...made my greedy little story bandit within coo and gurgle.

This is the second novella I've read from Stelliform Press (after The Impossible Resurrection of Grief, reviewed here), and they have both been excellent cli-fic books with stellar (!) production and design values. It is clear that this press has a very well-defined mission and is using the best kind of writing...tense, intense, high-stakes storytelling...to get your attention. You will enjoy the trip even while you're unhappy with the implied destination.

More, please. Soon, please.

TL;DR: After the Dragons is a sweet, queer coming-of-age love story backdropped by a mildly-fantastical, heavily-polluted Beijing where discarded dragons die on the streets and ailing people suffer from a fatal respiratory disease. A sweet, quaint little story worth spending an afternoon immersed in, but don’t expect a deep or satisfying story arc. My rating: 3 of 5 stars.

Eli, a young Afro-Chinese American student travels to Beijing in the wake of his maternal grandmother’s death of shaolong, a chronic and eventually fatal respiratory illness resulting from long-term exposure to heavy air pollution. Wracked by guilt and regret over his grandmother dying alone, Eli throws himself into his research at an immunology lab that studies dragons. Yes, in this fantastical version of Beijing dragons are real. But rather than revereing and protecting these radiant and not-so-mythical creatures, dragons are bought and sold as status symbol pets by the rich and discarded on the streets when they prove too troublesome to domesticate and care for. Young college dropout Kai puts all his meager resources towards rescuing and rehabilitating the dragons he finds on the streets of Beijing.

When Eli and Kai meet at a dragon fight put on by Kai’s employer, Eli is immediately drawn to the standoffish Kai. The young men grow closer through their shared interest in dragons. But something is off. Kai is sick with shaolong, the same disease that killed Eli’s grandmother. And like her, he won’t accept any help.

Eli’s love is as innocent and saccharine and all-engrossing as any first love. If you love a sweet, sappy young love romance, you’ll enjoy After the Dragons. It is much more the story of a queer boy coming to terms with grief, his cultural heritage, and his sexuality than it is a fantasy about dragons. The characters and their internal struggles are definitely the focus. I wanted much more plot-driven development of shaolong and the dragons. Perhaps that’s why something about the ending lacked resolution for me. The story arc just felt incomplete, especially since the marketing blurb seemed to promise more in the way of plot and world-building.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Stelliform Press for giving me advance access to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

extremely interesting story with two very complex characters! i loved the nuance behind each character’s thoughts and values especially kai. moreover, the lore twisted throughout modern day china was so wonderful to see. i do wish that there had been a more active plot when it came to the climax of the book itself but i still enjoyed it nonetheless.

rep: chinese gay mc with chronic illness, mlm afro-chinese-american mc

After the dragons is a medium paced, low fantasy set in beijing that follows Kai and Eli, with a sweet romantic subplot and themes of animal activism and climate change. The dragons were the part that had really intrigued me and I liked Kai taking care of them and the science parts ie discussions on immunology and I really loved Kai's converations and relationship with his mom.

The conversations were realistic for teenagers but I would've still preferred more tension and minor changes dialogue since I struggle with slow books.

I liked both of the alternating pov's, they were distinct and the story was easily accessible although it took me some time to get through it. I didn't fall in love with it but it was a really nice read and I liked it a lot.

After the Dragons is quiet, thoughtful, and, above all, kind. It’s not easy to do right by one another, especially when we’re put in hard places without clear answers. Death, and how we face it, matters.

Zhang transports us to a near-future world where tiny dragons flit across the skies in a hazy, polluted Beijing. Climate change has caused air quality to plummet… and related health problems to spike. Kai, a young man who rescues abandoned dragons from the streets, is terminally ill with Shaolong—a disease caused by extended exposure to poor air quality. He’s withdrawn into himself, distanced from his family, and has given his all to his rescue efforts while waiting to die.

His plans to fade away are interrupted when Eli, a young researcher from the United States in Beijing for a summer program, enters his life. The two orbit each other, warily at first, but growing slowly but surely closer to one another. While they both may be imperfect, they’re also two people who are fundamentally kind. They find themselves paralyzed when put into positions where they may cause hurt or pain to others, and they struggle to open up emotionally given the high risks involved.

This is truly a slice of life novel in that it’s small slice of their lives. Eli and Kai haven’t figured everything out by the end. They’ve worked through a lot, certainly, and it’s clear that their future is going to be a loving one, but they also have difficult choices ahead. Kai’s illness isn’t going away, and Eli still carries his own baggage. The ending is appropriately open-ended: there are no right answers, and Zhang doesn’t pretend to have them.

Actual rating is 3.5 stars!

After the Dragons is a quiet, intimate, urban fantasy. It follows two young men, Kai and Eli, and their unlikely partnership as it becomes something more. Zhang's writing is incredibly atmospheric, so much so that at times it felt like if I looked out my window I would see dragons dotting the telephone wires.

The atmosphere and the writing are two of the novel's greatest strengths, but I most enjoyed the difficult topics Zhang touches on. The devastating impact of climate change, pollution, chronic illness, identity, and grief just to name a few. There's also the commodification and desecration of dragons. How humans take and they taint–a concept illustrated by dragons fighting in an arena and humans betting on them ala dogfighting. Zhang discusses these important issues but doesn't offer a wealth of solutions. Her world is painfully realistic, gritty, and melancholic.

But that doesn't mean the book is without hope, however uncertain that hope may be. For the dragons, for the world, and for Kai and Eli.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this arc in exchange for my honest review.

My thanks to Net galley and the publisher for granting me access to an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is truly such a magical, sweet, melancholy read. While the prominent role of dragons in this world, place the book solidly in the realm of Urban Fantasy, I would argue that readers of magical realism would definitely also enjoy this book greatly as the focus is 99% on characters and their fears, anxieties, relationships.
It's a queer fantasy set in a somewhat future Beijing that is feeling the consequences of pollution in the rise of water cost and the surge of a chronic, often fatal, disease called shaolong.
The relationship in this book was masterfully crafted. It is not an instant love at first sight relationship, but a hard fought one where both sides have to be willing to confront difficult sides to their lives or to their past experiences. Thus we examine such things as the loss of family, fear for the future, fear of opening up, difficulties of coming out, ...
One of the aspects we zoom in on is the chronic illness that one of our protagonists has contracted. While seeking treatment is a big point of contention in this budding relationship, I love the constant reinforcement of the message that seeking medical help or not is ultimately his decision and that while the people closest to him might not agree, if he should choose to decide against it, those around him should learn to accept that. His body, his choice.

As you can tell from this small discussion of some aspects of the novel, it very much feels more like a realistic read than a speculative one, though those elements were definitely there. I loved the dragon and the use of their Chinese names. The imagery of dragons is tied up with China and seeing these dragons that have grown small over time and have gone from being revered at temples to becoming discarded pets really set a tone for this world.

Overall, this is a lovely read, set in a location you don't often get to see in speculative fiction. Would love to see what this author will come out with in the future as this was a beautifully atmospheric read that delivered a well nuanced storyline where a lot of topics were handled delicately and respectfully.

This book was everything. While short, it also felt very refreshing and real. Set in a near future Beijing plagued by pollution and water shortages, it’s gay and has dragons. I absolutely loved it and if the premise sounds good to you definitely pick it up when it comes out 🥰

After the Dragons is a subtle, tender love story set in a near-future Beijing in which dragons are as real as the climate change which has brought drought to the city. I really liked the prickly, affectionate relationship between Kai and Eli, and the strong sense of atmosphere of this book. Full review to appear on Smart Bitches Trashy Books.

DNF -did not finish. I decided not to keep reading this novel because I did not connect with the writing and plot. Thank you, netgalley and publisher for the early copy.

This tender and honest novella is one of my favorite reads of this year. Over the course of the story, I found myself slowly falling in love with the characters and their kind yet stubborn personalities. The growth of the two boy’s relationship, Kai and Eli, was one of my favorite aspects of the story. It starts off as a tentative friendship. Eli is a lab intern who is studying the effects of the disease shaolong. Kai dedicates his whole self to rescuing these small dragons who have been neglected and abandoned by a careless society. Often to his own detriment. As Kai continues to care for these creatures, Eli finds himself worrying more and more about Kai’s own wellbeing.

The writing of this story is stunning. I found myself highlighting passages and rereading sentences just so I could feel their impact wash over me once again. Zhang addresses heavy issues such as grief, identity, and climate change in a way that is true to our world today. The story arc and pacing are very well done for a novella length story. I felt myself dreading the end of the story simply because I didn’t want it to end.

"After the Dragons": 4⭐

(Unpaid Review: thank you to @netgalley, @cynthiazhang and the publishers for allowing me to read this eArc copy in exchange for a review).

This book was so atmospherical. I felt like I was living with dragons in modern-day Beijing. The subject of falling in love while going through grief really tied me up to this book. There's chinese and lgbtq representation, which I absolutely love! We stan a book so different and with such beautiful settings.

I could not finish this book. The very beginning had me off from the start and I just couldn't finish. The world building was absolutely terrible and it was just soo confusing. Maybe I will try and pick it back up at another time.

The led me to expect more of an adventure, but that aside, I found this to be a sharply realized, moody alt-China, in which dragons are a part of a seriously drought-threatened culture.

Central, however, are not the dragons, but two guys who develop a relationship--one is a biracial researcher, the other an animal lover. The lens is appropriately smoky, creating a moody read, with vivid descriptions. The pacing is slow, and thoughtful. A gay-positive, interesting take on a China that never was.

If I had a complaint it would be that the emotional arc is somewhat muted, but this writer wields an admirably descriptive pen and I look forward to more from her.

I seem to have picked this up mostly on a whim and for the promise of dragons, because I didn’t know much about it going in. Which was quite nice, actually: I wasn’t looking for the love story, wasn’t expecting the discussions of chronic illness, responsibility, family, etc. I just knew there were dragons, and I wasn’t disappointed there!

If you’re looking for Western-style dragons, of course, you might find this disappointing. So too if you’re wanting huge dragons that rule the skies. The dragons of this alternate world are small, stunted by pollution, and used and abused by humans for fights and as pets. Kai cares deeply about dragons, carefully taking them in and splicing their broken wings, disinfecting their cuts, and trying to bring them back to health. Eli is in Beijing to study and do research, but his supervisor drags him out to the dragon fights — which is where he meets Kai. They’re instantly antagonistic, not dramatically so, but because Eli wants to help and heal, and Kai refuses to be pitied.

The love story that develops is a quiet one, wrapped around Kai’s concern for the dragons and Eli’s exploration of some of his family roots. It feels a very tender story: there are no huge dramatic events, but a normal and healthy relationship that’s trying to find room for both parties, and find a balance.

As a warning, the ending is not a “Happy Ever After” but a “Happy For Now”; much can happen, given Kai’s illness and the plans he makes. The future isn’t wrapped up neatly in a bow — but nonetheless the story is one of hope.

I adored this read! It was everything I was hoping for and more. The characters, development and gentle writing crafts such a nuanced three dimensional story. The implement of dragons into every day life Beijing I adored as well. Urban fantasy elements are always welcome and it added such a nice twist to the story.
The themes are very relevant to today, but aren’t presented in a way that was depressing to read about. It was distanced enough from our real world I could still escape into the fantasy.
The building relationship was a highlight! I found it very believable and well crafted. I often found myself smiling at the unique interactions between Eli and Kai.