We chat with author Tao Wong about The First War, which follows an ambitious young man who is torn between his pursuit of immortality and his war-threatened family in this gripping novel in the A Thousand Li epic progression fantasy series.
Hi, Tao! Welcome back! We spoke earlier in the year, so how has 2026 been for you?
Overall, amazing! It’s such a treat to see the A Thousand Li books in bookstores everywhere as well as get so much support from readers everywhere. I can’t wait for readers to get a chance to go through the first full arc of the A Thousand Li series.
The First War is the third installment in your Thousand Li series and it’s out November 10th ! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Chinese warfare with magical cultivators
For those who haven’t picked up the series, what can readers expect?
The A Thousand Li series is about a farmer’s journey to immortality. Long Wu Ying is drawn into the prestigious Verdant Green Waters cultivation in an effort to improve mind, body and soul in an attempt to reach immortality. However, competition for resources and training is cutthroat and Wu Ying’s a farmer amongst nobles and scholars, leaving him at a severe disadvantage.
And for those who have, what’s to come in The First War?
Long Wu Ying, our titular protagonist has been drawn – reluctantly – into the war between the kingdoms of Shen and Wei. To protect his parents and his friends in his hometown, Wu Ying must undertake a dangerous retrieval mission of a storied cultivation technique behind enemy lines.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring further?
There’s a siege section in the the First War that I really enjoyed writing, mostly because of the amount of research I had to do into dynastic wars. While the majority of the information I read did not make it in, it did influence a number of the scenes and how it played out.
Of course, the fun part of writing fantasy with powerful cultivators is that you can then extend the logic of ‘magic’ to your work, revising how battles would be fought because of that.
How do you keep earlier characters and relationships relevant as the world expands and the stakes increase?
I like bringing earlier characters and relationships along, reintroducing them in the next book or two. The challenge, especially with a progression fantasy work where characters are growing stronger, is balancing growth of all the characters, or making those that aren’t able to keep up relevant. In that case, basing relationships on more than just usefulness to the characters but through emotional ties s important.
Did you face any challenges whilst writing this installment? How did you overcome them?
For the A Thousand Li series, one of the hardest aspects is balancing the philosophical side of Daoist beliefs alongside the needs of a stronger story structure where characters have to be proactive. It helps that Wu Ying is early in his journey here, so The First War is written around one of the lessons that I wanted him to learn.
Threading that lesson through the story, once I knew what it was, was trickier since I didn’t want it to be too obvious till the end.
Which part of the worldbuilding do you most enjoy exploring?
I’m a big history buff, so I love reading about different points of history, different aspects of it. Anything from food to clothing to jewelry and, yes, martial strategy and warfare. This is a bit of a challenge when you’re looking at China, of course, because of the vast dynastic history available; and so I have to be careful not to delve too deply. At the same time, it’s taking this history, assessing how it might change based off the ‘magic’ – cultivation and the presence of immortals and spirit beasts – and then applying it is a ton of fun.
What’s next for you?
I’m working on the final edits for The Blade that Remains that comes out with Ace Books in April next year. That’s my first pure traditional publishing work, and I’m really excited to see how people react to it.
Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up soon? Any you’ve got your eye on that are releasing in 2027?
For reading soon, All the Skills by Honour Rae is a fun card-slotting LitRPG series that I’m looking forward to reading very soon.
For 2027, the French Ambassador by Christian Cameron comes out in May next year, and that’s the sequel to the Ventian Heretic. Historical fiction, but with such a voicy, well research fencer and problem solver of a protagonist that it’s a breeze to read.
