Stars of Chaos: Sha Po Lang (Novel), Vol. 2

This was a DELIGHT! The stakes are so much higher now than they were before - both in terms of world events, and the relationship between Gu Yun and Chang Geng. 
First, on the happy(?) couple: they are not happy. At all. In fact, they are VERY confused, ESPECIALLY about their own feelings, and it is simultaneously hilarious and DELIGHTFULLY frustrating. Gu Yun is ESPECIALLY guilty of this, as Chang Geng seems to understand his own emotions much better than he did in the first volume. The trouble with Chang Geng is that he has the wu???ergu to deal with, and so frequently has to tamp down his feelings lest they get out of hand - which is certainly NOT helped by Gu Yun having the emotional comprehension of a toddler when anything concerns Chang Geng. This means that he has a tendency to miscommunicate with Chang Geng, who THEN interprets Gu Yun???s statements entirely differently. 
This stands in direct contrast to the way they work together during a crisis. Whenever something dangerous or deadly happens, they are in near-perfect synch. Gu Yun stands up front as the feared and revered Marquis of Anding, leader of the Black Iron Battalion, while Chang Geng acts in the background as the mild-mannered, seemingly innocuous Prince Yanbei, using his knowledge and carefully cultivated connections in the jianghu to ensure that any and all of Gu Yun???s plans succeed. Chang Geng???s almost uncanny ability to know what Gu Yun will do next (something that unnerves even Gu Yun himself), and Gu Yun???s own trust and faith in Chang Geng, make this partnership work, as two major events near the beginning and near the end of this volume show. 
While Gu Yun and Chang Geng???s interactions are thoroughly entertaining, the events that happen around them and push them to work together are just as fascinating, and really show off the worldbuilding the author is capable of. While there was plenty of steampunk imagery in the previous volume, there is even more of that in this volume, with larger and deadlier machines coming into play, especially towards the latter end of this volume. Interestingly, the consequences are brought sharply into view as well, with the use of the farming machines mentioned in the previous volume playing a key role in the events of the first half of this volume. 
There are also clear parallels drawn to actual Chinese history: specifically, that period in history when European colonial powers were racing against each other to ???open??? China to trade with the West. The author appears to be trying a kind of ???what if???? scenario with this series, playing around with the events of actual history and filtering it all through a steampunk lens. And so far, the author seems to be handling it very well, though whether or not Great Liang???s own colonial push in the lands of the ???barbarian??? tribespeople will be addressed remains to be seen. 
Overall, this volume more than lives up to the promise of its predecessor. It progresses the relationship between Gu Yun and Chang Geng in a way that???s supremely entertaining, while also incorporating the progress of said relationship with the events of the wider world they inhabit. With events ending on a bit of a cliffhanger in this volume, I???m definitely looking forward to seeing what happens in the third volume once I get my hands on it.