The Bird That Drinks Blood
The Bird That Drinks Blood is an epic high fantasy novels by the South Korean author Lee Youngdo, set in the world of Lee's The Bird That Drinks Tears inhabited by four major races; humans; the powerful bird-like Rekon; the flame-wielding Tokkebi, and the reptilian Nhaga, who relinquish their hearts for immortality. The story takes place in the newly formed Arazi Empire, some 50 years after the events of the previous series.
As in The Bird That Drinks Tears, Lee continues to integrate elements of Korean folklore, history, and Old Korean languages. The ancient language of Arajit is modeled after Proto-Korean, and the Empire’s ranks and offices reflect systems from the Silla and Goryeo dynasties. Cultural details include main characters playing baduk and its terms reflected in chapter titles, as well as references to traditional games such as ssireum and yunnori.
Plot
The story unfolds during the reign of the emperor in the Neo Arajit Empire, a state ruled from the flying capital.The narrative depicts clashes between absolute power and free will, focusing on several key characters whose intertwined fates shape the unfolding conflict: Elsi, the Empire’s general-in-chief and Count of Kalido;, the daughter of the Margrave of Gyuriha and a human raised among Tokebi; Jimen, a Rekon warrior sworn to assassinate the emperor; and Asil, a one-eyed human girl who, alongside Jimen, seeks revenge after the emperor crushed the Rekons' bid for an independent nation. Central to these events is the emperor herself, a Nhaga sovereign whose absolute rule and machinations have plunged the Empire into strife despite an outward appearance of order.
The plot begins as Asil and Jimen, who both harbor deep resentment after their failed independence movement was brutally suppressed six years earlier, plan to assassinate the emperor. Meanwhile, Elsi, a decorated war hero and the Empire’s commander-in-chief, leads a campaign to subdue Gyuriha, whose leaders insist on maintaining the feudal tradition of swearing direct oaths of loyalty to the emperor, in contrast to the emperor’s demand for unconditional loyalty to the Empire.
Publishing
Serialization
As Lee's previous novels, such as Dragon Raja and The Bird That Drinks Tears, The Bird That Drinks Blood was also serialised on a text-only online service Hitel's serial forum, "from the Christmas of 2003 to Christmas of 2004, exactly a year." It is the last of Lee's works to be on the forum before Hitel's closure in 2007. As of August 2011, it is his longest work to date.Publication
Golden Bough, an imprint of Minumsa Publishing Group, has been Lee's publisher since 1998, and also runs an online community site for the fans of Lee's works. After The Bird That Drinks Blood was completed, in January 2005 the publisher called for volunteer "reader editors" at the website, to come meet the author at the publisher's office where they could talk about their requests and ideas about how the book should be printed. The Bird That Drinks Blood was published in July 2005 in 8 hardcover volumes. Each volume's title is as follows:- Volume 1: The Emperor Hunter
- Volume 2: The General-in-Chief of the Empire
- Volume 3: The Ruler of the Bloodshed
- Volume 4: The One That Wields Fire
- Volume 5: The Master of Balkene
- Volume 6: The Rekon That Walks in the Rain
- Volume 7: The One That Burns Self
- Volume 8: The One That Treads on The Sky
In June 2025, the publisher Golden Bough published a special 20th anniversary illustrated edition, featuring 62 artworks by Seongmin Baek known for his Korean painting style graphic novels. along with a new map, character lists, and a limited set including a miniature baduk board set with the Big Dipper and southern six stars patterns.