He Who Drowned the World, Shelley ParkerChan
He Who Drowned the World, Shelley ParkerChan
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He Who Drowned the World
A Novel

Author: Shelley Parker-Chan

Narrator: Natalie Naudus

Unabridged: 18 hr 57 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 08/22/2023


Synopsis

"Narrator Natalie Naudus is an admirable guide through a complicated plot with multiple points of view...She illuminates the few tender moments amid the overall violence and sets a quick, smooth pace that never lags." —AudioFile

The sequel and series conclusion to She Who Became the Sun, the accomplished, poetic debut of war and destiny, sweeping across an epic alternate China. Mulan meets The Song of Achilles.

How much would you give to win the world?

Zhu Yuanzhang, the Radiant King, is riding high after her victory that tore southern China from its Mongol masters. Now she burns with a new desire: to seize the throne and crown herself emperor.

But Zhu isn’t the only one with imperial ambitions. Her neighbor in the south, the courtesan Madam Zhang, wants the throne for her husband—and she’s strong enough to wipe Zhu off the map. To stay in the game, Zhu will have to gamble everything on a risky alliance with an old enemy: the talented but unstable eunuch general Ouyang, who has already sacrificed everything for a chance at revenge on his father’s killer, the Great Khan.

Unbeknownst to the southerners, a new contender is even closer to the throne. The scorned scholar Wang Baoxiang has maneuvered his way into the capital, and his lethal court games threaten to bring the empire to its knees. For Baoxiang also desires revenge: to become the most degenerate Great Khan in history—and in so doing, make a mockery of every value his Mongol warrior family loved more than him.

All the contenders are determined to do whatever it takes to win. But when desire is the size of the world, the price could be too much for even the most ruthless heart to bear…

A Macmillan Audio production from Tor Books.

About Shelley Parker-Chan

Shelley Parker-Chan is an Asian-Australian former international development adviser who worked on human rights, gender equality and LGBTQ rights in Southeast Asia. Their debut historical fantasy novel She Who Became the Sun was a #1 Sunday Times bestseller and has been translated into 12 languages. Parker-Chan is a winner of the Astounding Award, and the British Fantasy Awards for Best Fantasy Novel and Best Newcomer. They have also been a finalist for the Lambda, Locus, Aurealis, Ditmar, and British Book Awards. They live in Melbourne, Australia.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Rebecca on September 08, 2023

This is by any metric a 5 star read. An incredible feat, especially for a sophomore effort.* The plotting is intricate and pays off in spades, the characters are complex and driven (many are wonderfully subversively queer), both the battle scenes and the intimate emotional scenes will have you holdi......more

Goodreads review by jessica on October 10, 2023

although i really enjoyed and felt actively engaged while reading ‘she who became the sun,’ i suffered a major disconnect with the concluding sequel. its unfortunate because SPCs writing is just as exceptional as ever. and the fantasy elements set in a intriguing place and period of time are a real......more

Goodreads review by Bella on March 14, 2024

actual rating: 4.5 stars......more

Goodreads review by Melanie on February 18, 2024

ARC provided by Tor! (thank you so very much!) She Who Became the Sun ★★★★★ favorite 2023 publication <3 truly this duology is everything to me trigger and content warnings: war, colonization, grief, death, murder, self harm, homophobia, f slur, vomit, torture, slavery, fire, captivity, blood, bullyin......more

Goodreads review by Baba Yaga Reads on May 21, 2023

Reading She Who Became the Sun, I repeatedly felt the urge to grab the main characters by the collar and yell, “for the love of god, get some fucking help”. The sequel excited no such compassionate impulse in me; instead, I was left wondering if bathing in holy water would be a viable solution to ex......more


Awards

  • Washington Post Best Books of the Year
  • Locus Awards - Nominee
  • Dragon Awards