Shelley Parker-ChanFantasy · Historical Fiction
She Who Became the Sun
Synopsis
In a China ruled by Mongols, a young girl receives a fate of nothingness, while her brother is destined for greatness. When tragedy strikes, she seizes his identity and destiny to survive, entering a monastery and learning to be ruthless. Driven by a desperate need to escape her fated end, she joins a rebellion, only to face a formidable enemy and the watchful eyes of Heaven, questioning if she can truly claim a future that was never hers.
Collected in
How it reads
Prose complexity 7/10
Content warnings (5)
Death Of A ParentTraumaTortureChild DeathViolence
Genres
Characters
Zhu ChongbaProtagonist
EsenSupporting
A Mongol prince, son of the lord Ouyang serves, and Ouyang's closest friend.
Ma XiuyingSupporting
The daughter of a rebel warlord, whose life becomes entwined with Zhu's.
Zhang ShideSupporting
A rival general of the powerful Zhang merchant family who also holds the Mandate of Heaven, making him a contender for power as the Yuan dynasty fractures.
Subjects
Places
Awards
- British Fantasy Award for Best Fantasy Novel2022
- British Fantasy Award for Best Newcomer2022
Frequently asked questions
Is this book part of a series?
This novel is the first installment of The Radiant Emperor duology, which concludes with the sequel titled He Who Drowned the World.
Is this story based on real historical figures?
The narrative is a reimagining of the life of Zhu Yuanzhang, the peasant rebel who rose to become the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty.
What awards has this book won?
She Who Became the Sun won the British Fantasy Award for Best Fantasy Novel and the Sydney J. Bounds Award for Best Newcomer (both awarded at the 2022 British Fantasy Awards). It was also a finalist for the Hugo Award for Best Novel, the Lambda Literary Award for Transgender Fiction, and the Locus Award for First Novel, among others.
