Book I: The Rat ? Trial of Cunning
The Zodiac Trials have begun. Twelve spirits descend to earth, each tested in a mortal kingdom where whispers of war and the greed of men threaten to tear the world apart. First among them is Rat ? clever, ambitious, restless ? who must prove that cunning is not trickery alone, but survival, strategy, and the spark that outwits brute strength.
When the Jade Emperor declares that every zodiac must walk among mortals to embody its virtue, Rat sees not just a challenge but an opportunity. Small and quick, often underestimated, he is determined to seize his place in the heavenly cycle. Yet the trial before him is harsher than he imagined.
He enters a kingdom poisoned by corruption: ministers who twist truth into weapons, generals who treat soldiers as pawns, nobles who hunger for power while common folk starve. In such a place, kindness falters and strength alone cannot prevail. But cunning? Cunning can turn rumor into shield, deceit into downfall, and weakness into advantage.
Beside him walk Ox, steady and patient; Tiger, fierce and unyielding; and other spirits who will watch, aid, or oppose him. But Rat's path is never straightforward. He must decide when cunning serves justice ? and when it crosses into betrayal. His tricks can free prisoners or bind him in chains; his wit can save lives or end them. And always, the question looms: is Rat merely sly, or truly wise?
From market stalls humming with gossip to palace courts heavy with intrigue, from shadowed prisons where truth is silenced to battlefields where cleverness outweighs steel, Rat navigates a labyrinth of lies, power, and fragile trust. Each decision he makes carries weight ? not only for his own trial, but for the fate of those mortals entangled in schemes larger than themselves. Each whisper could shift the balance. Each betrayal could unravel all.
Will Rat prove himself as Heaven's envoy ? turning cunning into a virtue that protects, liberates, and restores ? or will he fall prey to the shadows of deceit, branded sly but never wise?
Rich with myth, fable, and allegory, The Rat ? Trial of Cunning is the opening of the Zodiac Chronicles, a sweeping twelve-part epic that reimagines the legendary animals of the Chinese Zodiac as spiritual envoys tested in human kingdoms. Perfect for readers who love mythic fantasy, allegorical adventures, political intrigue, and stories that explore the razor's edge between survival and betrayal.
In this tale, discover:
- A mythic kingdom ruled by fear and lies
- A hero whose wit is his sharpest weapon
- Intrigue, reversals, and the high cost of trickery
- The eternal tension between cleverness and honor
- The first luminous thread in the great tapestry of the Zodiac
Enter the world of the Zodiac Trials. For in the hands of Rat, even the smallest pawprint may leave the deepest mark on Heaven and Earth.
