The Song of Achilles meets Mulan in He Who Drowned the World by Shelley Parker-Chan – a dazzling queer historical fantasy of war and destiny set in an epic alternate China, and sequel to Sunday Times bestselling She Who Became the Sun. ‘Magnificent in every way’ – Samantha Shannon, author of The Priory of the Orange Tree What would you give to win the world? Zhu Yuanzhang, the Radiant King, is riding high after a great victory. She’s torn southern China from its Mongol masters. Now she burns with a new desire: to crown herself emperor. However, she’s not the only one with imperial aspirations. Courtesan Madam Zhang wants the throne for her husband. And scorned scholar Wang Baoxiang yearns to bring the empire to its knees. So Zhu must gamble everything on a risky alliance with her old enemy: Ouyang, the brilliant but unstable eunuch general. All contenders will do anything and everything to win. But when desire and ambition have no limits, could the price be too high for even the most ruthless heart to bear? Praise for Shelley Parker-Chan: ‘Transcendent, heart-wrenching’ – Joanne Harris, author of Chocolat ‘As brilliant as Circe . . . a deft and dazzling triumph’ – Tasha Suri, author of The Jasmine Throne ‘Shelley Parker-Chan is a genius’ – Jen Williams, author of Talonsister
The Song of Achilles meets Mulan in He Who Drowned the World by Shelley Parker-Chan – a dazzling queer historical fantasy of war and destiny set in an epic alternate China, and sequel to Sunday Times bestselling She Who Became the Sun. ‘Magnificent in every way’ – Samantha Shannon, author of The Priory of the Orange Tree What would you give to win the world? Zhu Yuanzhang, the Radiant King, is riding high after a great victory. She’s torn southern China from its Mongol masters. Now she burns with a new desire: to crown herself emperor. However, she’s not the only one with imperial aspirations. Courtesan Madam Zhang wants the throne for her husband. And scorned scholar Wang Baoxiang yearns to bring the empire to its knees. So Zhu must gamble everything on a risky alliance with her old enemy: Ouyang, the brilliant but unstable eunuch general. All contenders will do anything and everything to win. But when desire and ambition have no limits, could the price be too high for even the most ruthless heart to bear? Praise for Shelley Parker-Chan: ‘Transcendent, heart-wrenching’ – Joanne Harris, author of Chocolat ‘As brilliant as Circe . . . a deft and dazzling triumph’ – Tasha Suri, author of The Jasmine Throne ‘Shelley Parker-Chan is a genius’ – Jen Williams, author of Talonsister
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Find He Who Drowned the World Shelley Parker-Chan in PDF, EPUB, ebook, audiobook, print, or library editions.
Find He Who Drowned the World Shelley Parker-Chan in PDF, EPUB, ebook, audiobook, print, or library editions.
2 books in catalog
Re-imagining fourteenth-century imperial history through a queer speculative lens brought major critical and commercial recognition to contemporary historical fantasy. Author Shelley Parker-Chan established their literary presence with a reinterpretation of the founding of the Ming Dynasty and the overthrow of Yuan rule.
Their debut novel, She Who Became the Sun, alongside its direct sequel He Who Drowned the World, forms The Radiant Emperor Duology. The series became a Sunday Times and USA Today bestseller, was translated into 15 languages, and garnered multiple international awards for speculative fiction.
Born in New Zealand to a Malaysian-Chinese mother and a white father, Parker-Chan grew up in Australia. Prior to embarking on a full-time fiction writing career, they spent nearly a decade working as a diplomat and international development adviser. In these roles, they focused on human rights, gender equality, and LGBTQ+ rights across Southeast Asia.
This extensive background in international development informed Parker-Chan's understanding of socio-political hierarchies, gender politics, and historical power dynamics. After receiving an Otherwise (Tiptree) Fellowship for speculative narrative, they published She Who Became the Sun in 2021. The novel won the 2022 Astounding Award for Best Debut as well as the British Fantasy Awards for Best Fantasy Novel and Best Newcomer. Parker-Chan's work has also been recognized as a finalist for the Lambda, Locus, Aurealis, Ditmar, and British Book Awards. They currently live in Melbourne, Australia.
Parker-Chan writes queer, lightly fantastical historical fiction that centers on high-stakes political intrigue, intense emotional conflict, and morally complex characters. Their work blends detailed historical research regarding medieval East Asia with subtle speculative elements to investigate themes of destiny, desire, bodily autonomy, and gender identity.
A prominent feature of Parker-Chan's storytelling is their focus on flawed characters making desperate choices in pursuit of power and survival. By exploring historical conflict through non-binary and queer perspectives, their narratives challenge conventional heroism and dissect the severe personal costs of ambition.
2 books in catalog
Re-imagining fourteenth-century imperial history through a queer speculative lens brought major critical and commercial recognition to contemporary historical fantasy. Author Shelley Parker-Chan established their literary presence with a reinterpretation of the founding of the Ming Dynasty and the overthrow of Yuan rule.
Their debut novel, She Who Became the Sun, alongside its direct sequel He Who Drowned the World, forms The Radiant Emperor Duology. The series became a Sunday Times and USA Today bestseller, was translated into 15 languages, and garnered multiple international awards for speculative fiction.
Born in New Zealand to a Malaysian-Chinese mother and a white father, Parker-Chan grew up in Australia. Prior to embarking on a full-time fiction writing career, they spent nearly a decade working as a diplomat and international development adviser. In these roles, they focused on human rights, gender equality, and LGBTQ+ rights across Southeast Asia.
This extensive background in international development informed Parker-Chan's understanding of socio-political hierarchies, gender politics, and historical power dynamics. After receiving an Otherwise (Tiptree) Fellowship for speculative narrative, they published She Who Became the Sun in 2021. The novel won the 2022 Astounding Award for Best Debut as well as the British Fantasy Awards for Best Fantasy Novel and Best Newcomer. Parker-Chan's work has also been recognized as a finalist for the Lambda, Locus, Aurealis, Ditmar, and British Book Awards. They currently live in Melbourne, Australia.
Parker-Chan writes queer, lightly fantastical historical fiction that centers on high-stakes political intrigue, intense emotional conflict, and morally complex characters. Their work blends detailed historical research regarding medieval East Asia with subtle speculative elements to investigate themes of destiny, desire, bodily autonomy, and gender identity.
A prominent feature of Parker-Chan's storytelling is their focus on flawed characters making desperate choices in pursuit of power and survival. By exploring historical conflict through non-binary and queer perspectives, their narratives challenge conventional heroism and dissect the severe personal costs of ambition.
The Radiant Emperor
The Radiant Emperor
