Iron Widow

Instant New York Times No.1 Bestseller Science fiction and East Asian myth combine in this dazzling retelling of the rise of Wu Zetian, the only female emperor in Chinese history.‘This is the historical-inspired, futuristic sci-fi mash-up of my wildest dreams.’ Chloe Gong‘Raging against the patriarchy in spectacular style.’ Observer, best books of the year‘Think The Handmaid’s Tale meets Pacific Rim and buckle up.’ Shelley Parker-Chan‘Like its ferocious heroine, Iron Widow is brutal, bloodthirsty and full of rage.’  Julie C. DaoI have no faith in love. Love cannot save me. I choose vengeance.The boys of Huaxia dream of pairing up with girls to pilot Chrysalises – giant transforming robots that battle aliens beyond the Great Wall. It doesn’t matter that their female co-pilots are expected to serve as concubines and often die from the mental strain.When 18-year-old Zetian offers herself up as a concubine-pilot, her plan is to assassinate the ace male pilot responsible for her sister’s death. But after miraculously surviving her first battle, Zetian sets her sights on a mightier goal. The time has come to stop more girls from being sacrificed.

‘A ferociously original fusion of Chinese history and mecha sci-fi, this is a fast-paced thrill-ride.’, ‘Absolutely epic. This is the historical-inspired, futuristic sci-fi mash-up of my wildest dreams.’, ‘This wild anime-inspired reimagining of the biggest, baddest figures in Chinese history takes on the patriarchy and smashes it – with giant robots. Think The Handmaid’s Tale meets Pacific Rim and buckle up.’, ‘Like its ferocious heroine, Iron Widow is brutal, bloodthirsty and full of rage. Zetian’s fight to shatter patriarchal definitions of power makes for a truly thrilling read.’ , ‘In new publishing, fantasy with strong feminist themes dominated. Raging against the patriarchy in spectacular style is Iron Widow (Rock the Boat), in which Xiran Jay Zhao reimagines the life of China’s only female emperor in a fusion of history and sci-fi action.’ 

Xiran Jay Zhao (they/them) is a first-generation immigrant to Canada from small-town China. A recent graduate from Vancouver’s Simon Fraser University, they wrote sci-fi and fantasy books while they probably should’ve been studying more biochemical pathways. You can find them on Twitter @XiranJayZhao for daily shitposts, Instagram as xiranjayzhao for cosplays and very extra outfits and YouTube as Xiran Jay Zhao for videos about Chinese history and culture. Iron Widow was their novel, has sold in 11 territories worldwide and was an instant No.1 bestseller in the UK and US. They also have a middle grade novel called Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor. 

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