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'To possess the Mandate of Heaven, the female monk Zhu will do anything
'"I refuse to be nothing"
'In a famine-stricken village on a dusty yellow plain, two children are given two fates. A boy, greatness. A girl, nothingness
'In 1345, China lies under harsh Mongol rule. For the starving peasants of the Central Plains, greatness is something found only in stories. When the Zhu family's eighth-born son, Zhu Chongba, is given a fate of greatness, everyone is mystified as to how it will come to pass. The fate of nothingness received by the family's clever and capable second daughter, on the other hand, is only as expected.
'When a bandit attack orphans the two children, though, it is Zhu Chongba who succumbs to despair and dies. Desperate to escape her own fated death, the girl uses her brother's identity to enter a monastery as a young male novice. There, propelled by her burning desire to survive, Zhu learns she is capable of doing whatever it takes, no matter how callous, to stay hidden from her fate.
'After her sanctuary is destroyed for supporting the rebellion against Mongol rule, Zhu takes the chance to claim another future altogether: her brother's abandoned greatness.' (Publication summary)
'Shelley Parker-Chan was born in New Zealand and is of Malaysian-Chinese heritage. They studied engineering and anthropology, and did graduate work on war crimes and restorative justice. Parker-Chan was an international development advisor on issues of human rights, gender equality, and LGBTQ+ rights in Southeast Asia, and worked extensively in several countries in Asia. They now live in Melbourne, Australia.
'Debut She Who Became the Sun appeared in 2021, launching the Radiant Emperor duology, and was followed by sequel He Who Drowned the World (2023). The first volume won Best Fantasy Novel in the British Fantasy Awards, was runner-up for the Locus Award for First Novel, and was nominated for Hugo, Dragon, and Otherwise Awards. Parker-Chan won the Astounding Award and the Sydney J. Bounds Award for Best Newcomer in 2022.' (Introduction)
'Australian Shelley Parker-Chan’s historical fantasy has won a Hugo Award for Best New Writer and two British Fantasy Awards.'
'Australian Shelley Parker-Chan’s historical fantasy has won a Hugo Award for Best New Writer and two British Fantasy Awards.'
'Shelley Parker-Chan was born in New Zealand and is of Malaysian-Chinese heritage. They studied engineering and anthropology, and did graduate work on war crimes and restorative justice. Parker-Chan was an international development advisor on issues of human rights, gender equality, and LGBTQ+ rights in Southeast Asia, and worked extensively in several countries in Asia. They now live in Melbourne, Australia.
'Debut She Who Became the Sun appeared in 2021, launching the Radiant Emperor duology, and was followed by sequel He Who Drowned the World (2023). The first volume won Best Fantasy Novel in the British Fantasy Awards, was runner-up for the Locus Award for First Novel, and was nominated for Hugo, Dragon, and Otherwise Awards. Parker-Chan won the Astounding Award and the Sydney J. Bounds Award for Best Newcomer in 2022.' (Introduction)
