She Who Became the Sun - BookWyrm francophone

hardcover, 416 pages

Publié 19 juillet 2021 par Tor Books.

ISBN :: 978-1-250-62180-1

(1 critique)

To possess the Mandate of Heaven, the female monk Zhu will do anything

Mulan meets The Song of Achilles in a bold, queer, and lyrical reimagining of the rise of the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty from an amazing new voice in literary fantasy.

"I refuse to be nothing..."

In a famine-stricken village on a dusty yellow plain, two children are given two fates. A boy, greatness. A girl, nothingness...

In 1345, China lies under harsh Mongol rule. For the starving peasants of the Central Plains, greatness is something found only in stories. When the Zhu family's eighth-born son, Zhu Chongba, is given a fate of greatness, everyone is mystified as to how it will come to pass. The fate of nothingness received by the family's clever and capable second daughter, on the other hand, is only as expected.

When a bandit attack orphans the two children, though, it …

To possess the Mandate of Heaven, the female monk Zhu will do anything

Mulan meets The Song of Achilles in a bold, queer, and lyrical reimagining of the rise of the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty from an amazing new voice in literary fantasy.

"I refuse to be nothing..."

In a famine-stricken village on a dusty yellow plain, two children are given two fates. A boy, greatness. A girl, nothingness...

In 1345, China lies under harsh Mongol rule. For the starving peasants of the Central Plains, greatness is something found only in stories. When the Zhu family's eighth-born son, Zhu Chongba, is given a fate of greatness, everyone is mystified as to how it will come to pass. The fate of nothingness received by the family's clever and capable second daughter, on the other hand, is only as expected.

When a bandit attack orphans the two children, though, it is Zhu Chongba who succumbs to despair and dies. Desperate to escape her own fated death, the girl uses her brother's identity to enter a monastery as a young male novice. There, propelled by her burning desire to survive, Zhu learns she is capable of doing whatever it takes, no matter how callous, to stay hidden from her fate.

After her sanctuary is destroyed for supporting the rebellion against Mongol rule, Zhu uses takes the chance to claim another future altogether: her brother's abandoned greatness.

2 éditions

Kadomi@buecher.pnpde.social a publié une critique de She Who Became the Sun par Shelley Parker-Chan

Alternate China in the 14th century

5 étoiles

In this story of an alternate history China, we follow the rise of Zhu. As a girl, her elder brother is promised greatness, and she is promised nothing. But soon after her father and brother are killed, and Zhu is alone in the world, in Mongol-conquered China. Zhu decides to follow the path of greatness that was promised her brother, by pretending to be him. She flees famine to a monastery where she becomes a monk. Greatness is in her path, even though she constantly clashes with Ouyang, a eunuch general of the Mongol army.

It's a delight to read, and so very queer. It plays with gender roles so interestingly. Zhu has to pretend to be male, but encourages another female character to 'desire', something that women just don't do. And there's Ouyang, castrated, beautiful as a woman, craving nothing but masculinity and his Prince.

Can't wait to read …

In this story of an alternate history China, we follow the rise of Zhu. As a girl, her elder brother is promised greatness, and she is promised nothing. But soon after her father and brother are killed, and Zhu is alone in the world, in Mongol-conquered China. Zhu decides to follow the path of greatness that was promised her brother, by pretending to be him. She flees famine to a monastery where she becomes a monk. Greatness is in her path, even though she constantly clashes with Ouyang, a eunuch general of the Mongol army.

It's a delight to read, and so very queer. It plays with gender roles so interestingly. Zhu has to pretend to be male, but encourages another female character to 'desire', something that women just don't do. And there's Ouyang, castrated, beautiful as a woman, craving nothing but masculinity and his Prince.

Can't wait to read the sequel.