The Water OutlawsThe Water Outlaws
What it's about
Lin Chong trains the Emperor's soldiers in sword, spear and crossbow, and unlike her bolder friends she keeps her head down and does her job.
Why it's worth reading
It was a finalist for the Nebula Award.
You'll love it if you liked
The Grace of Kings
The Poppy War
BabelGood to know
It's fantasy.
By the numbers
- Readers22 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics24 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller18 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz37 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #418 of the 504 fantasy books we rank
- #424 of the 485 new books we rank
- #2659 of the 3,056 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Adventurous, Thought-provoking
If you like this, read next
The Tainted Cup
A Drop of Corruption
The Will of the Many
The Everlasting
Cloud Cuckoo Land
A Game of ThronesExplore the best-of lists
All 47 best-of lists →
Fantasy booksTop 25 · 504 ranked
New booksTop 25 · 485 rankedBooks of the 2020sTop 25 · 562 ranked
Mysteries and thrillersTop 25 · 623 ranked
Literary novelsTop 25 · 325 ranked
Pulitzer Prize-winning novelsTop 25 · 63 ranked
Memoirs and biographiesTop 25 · 290 ranked
Science fiction booksTop 25 · 333 rankedQuick answers
Is The Water Outlaws worth reading?
Yes. It was a finalist for the Nebula Award. It ranks #2,659 of the 3,056 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 58.7 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is The Water Outlaws about?
Lin Chong trains the Emperor's soldiers in sword, spear and crossbow, and unlike her bolder friends she keeps her head down and does her job.
How long does it take to read The Water Outlaws?
About 12 hours (496 pages), or about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after The Water Outlaws?
If you liked it, try The Grace of Kings by Ken Liu, The Poppy War by R. F. Kuang or Babel by R. F. Kuang.