I am so incredibly thankful to the folks at Tor who sent me a free copy of He Who Drowned the World by Shelly Parker-Chan in exchange for an honest review! Just so you’re aware, this is book two of the Radiant Emperor Duology, and there are spoilers ahead for the first book, She Who Became the Sun. If you haven’t read that book yet, proceed with caution!
He Who Drowned the World
By Shelley Parker-Chan | Goodreads
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…
CW (Taken from author’s note on Goodreads): Self harm, Suicidal ideation, Marital rapePregnancy loss, Drowning, Torture (not overly graphic), Child harm and death (young teen), Internalized homophobia, Ableist language.
Review of He Who Drowned the World
Fantasy Elements
In the first book, the fantasy elements were much more subtle, but I appreciated how in He Who Drowned the World, the magic is integrated even more with the plot. I don’t want to give much away, but the Mandate becomes even more integral to Zhu’s story arc in engaging ways.
Characters
For those who have read She Who Became the Sun, the juxtaposition between Zhu and Ouyang is immediately recognized and brought to its full height. So much of this book feels character driven, and it is the will of both Zhu and Ouyang that drives their armies forward towards their goal.
The characters and points of view constantly grapple with the wider expectations of the masculine and feminine, their past traumas, and their future goals. The writing is exceptional in how these elements are woven into each character, making for fully developed and multidimensional characters that pop from the page.
Themes
In the first book, the narrative constantly asked Zhu and Ouyang if they had what it took to get towards their goal; and the answer was a resounding yes.
Now that the characters know that they have what it takes, the narrative continues in this book to ask: can they really sacrifice everything to get what they want? This question is asked in a myriad of ways over and over as the price to success climbs higher.
This book (and by extension, this duology), is a phenomenal story that contains so much nuance and intrigue and intensity. This is one of my favorite duologies I’ve ever read, and I recommend it to those who enjoy historical fantasy with lots of political intrigue, and minor fantasy elements. For those who read the first one and enjoyed it, I definitely recommend finishing the duology. The conclusion felt right and the ending gave me such a satisfied sense of closure.
This book is now out!
Cover image: Photo on Unsplash
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