This was absolutely one of my favorite reads in 2021! Finally I've found
an author whose vibrant writing I want to study closely by
re-reading. The publisher compares her writing with that of Madeleine
Miller (I had read The Song of Achilles, and suffice it to say that
Miller's style was a little too fluffy for my taste). But Parker-Chan's
style resonates much more with me for its from-the-heart frankness and
deep vibrancy in depictions of human nature and emotions.
The novel is marketed as fantasy, but in fact the fantasy element is minimal. A more accurate description would be alternative history fiction with a dash of sapphic romance.
The history of Zhu Yuanzhang's legendary rise from peasant status to become a rebel leader who eventually ends the Mongol-ruled Yuan dynasty and takes the throne as the first Ming Emperor would be well-known to most ethnic Chinese readers.
This novel upends the gender of this iconic historical character and creates an epic story out of the premise "what if he were a she?"
A discerning reviewer has commented that the novel is probably targeted at a bilingual audience, as Chinese slang/profanities and aphorisms are sprinkled throughout the novel. I have to say that this interesting observation was one of the things that nudged me to pick up the novel sooner.
Many secondary characters are real historical characters (like Ming Empress Ma, Zhu's closest allies Xu Da and Chang Yuchun, Yuan Mongol warlord Chaghan Temur, his nephew Wang Baobao etc.) A search of history texts has revealed that Esen Temur was actually the brother of the Yuan prime minister Tuo Tuo (or Toqto'a) who was not related to Chaghan Temur, but is fictionalized in the novel to play the latter's eldest son.
The novel basically centers on Zhu's internal struggles at first with an assumed identity (she took her brother's identity to survive) and then with her own justification in trying to acquire the throne at all costs. The main character General Ouyang is an entirely fictional character, and much care has been put into molding this deliciously dangerous and tragic antagonist who is a eunuch general fighting for the Yuan Mongols and who is tortured by hatred and unattainable love. The Ma character (whom Zhu would eventually marry) is given a portrayal of personality very close to real history.
The plot twists around thrilling political machinations and internecine feuds in both the rebels camp and the Yuan camp as well as field battles that keep readers on their toes, while also delving deep into sexual urges of lesbian and gay lovers, with overarching themes of loyalty, betrayal, racial oppression, vengeance and compulsive-obsessive ambitions.
This was one of the best reads for me in 2021. I'm giving it 4.7 stars rounded up.
The novel is marketed as fantasy, but in fact the fantasy element is minimal. A more accurate description would be alternative history fiction with a dash of sapphic romance.
The history of Zhu Yuanzhang's legendary rise from peasant status to become a rebel leader who eventually ends the Mongol-ruled Yuan dynasty and takes the throne as the first Ming Emperor would be well-known to most ethnic Chinese readers.
This novel upends the gender of this iconic historical character and creates an epic story out of the premise "what if he were a she?"
A discerning reviewer has commented that the novel is probably targeted at a bilingual audience, as Chinese slang/profanities and aphorisms are sprinkled throughout the novel. I have to say that this interesting observation was one of the things that nudged me to pick up the novel sooner.
Many secondary characters are real historical characters (like Ming Empress Ma, Zhu's closest allies Xu Da and Chang Yuchun, Yuan Mongol warlord Chaghan Temur, his nephew Wang Baobao etc.) A search of history texts has revealed that Esen Temur was actually the brother of the Yuan prime minister Tuo Tuo (or Toqto'a) who was not related to Chaghan Temur, but is fictionalized in the novel to play the latter's eldest son.
The novel basically centers on Zhu's internal struggles at first with an assumed identity (she took her brother's identity to survive) and then with her own justification in trying to acquire the throne at all costs. The main character General Ouyang is an entirely fictional character, and much care has been put into molding this deliciously dangerous and tragic antagonist who is a eunuch general fighting for the Yuan Mongols and who is tortured by hatred and unattainable love. The Ma character (whom Zhu would eventually marry) is given a portrayal of personality very close to real history.
The plot twists around thrilling political machinations and internecine feuds in both the rebels camp and the Yuan camp as well as field battles that keep readers on their toes, while also delving deep into sexual urges of lesbian and gay lovers, with overarching themes of loyalty, betrayal, racial oppression, vengeance and compulsive-obsessive ambitions.
This was one of the best reads for me in 2021. I'm giving it 4.7 stars rounded up.
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