A Palace Near the Wind

From rising-star Ai Jiang, the first book in her Natural Engines series, A Palace Near the Wind is a richly inventive science-fantasy novella that blends mythic court intrigue with urgent environmental stakes. Liu Lufeng, the Feng princess, is bound by duty to wed the human king as her society's ongoing power balance with a expanding empire demands. The Feng—faces like bark, arms braided with branches, hair of needle threads—live in nature while negotiating birthright and survival. On the eve of the wedding, Lufeng plots to kill the king to halt centuries of forced union and destruction. Trapped in the great human palace, she uncovers unsettling truths about her people's origins and realizes safety may lie beyond loyalty to tradition. She must choose allies, risk the unknown, and fight to save her family and home—while reflecting on what it costs the world when industry encroaches on the natural world.