'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)