The Radiant Emperor duology is an absorbing pair of fantasy novels based in the fading years of Yuan Dynasty China. Whilst infused with the fantastic, the books draw heavily on real historical events. The story measures the fall of an empire and the rise of a single-minded leader whilst meditating on the timeless pull of ambition and the destructive nature of revenge.
What Is The Radiant Emperor Duology?
These books are set in the 1300s during the last years of the Yuan dynasty. The descendants of Ghengis Khan are gradually losing their grip on the imperial throne, and in the resulting power vacuum, many factions are jostling for position.
As the novel opens a girl’s world is in drought. There isn’t enough food for her and her father and brother. They are starving. Though quick-witted and resourceful, she is merely “the girl.” The brother, Zhu Chongba, is fated for greatness. The girl is invisible, obscured by her brother’s shadow. One day bandits come, kill the father, and leave Zhu Chongba and the girl for dead. Zhu Chongba succumbs to his wounds and despair. Only the girl remains. It is time for her to step into the light.
She seizes her brother’s fate. She will claim his greatness. “Zhu Chongba” rises and the girl’s secret life begins.
The books’ UK Covers
Why Read The Radiant Emperor Duology?
The scope of these books is impressive. Zhu’s Chongba rebirth begins in a monastery where she fights to maintain her secret but also asserts her will and independence on her masters. As her journey continues we are treated to the sweeping history of a China riven by internecine fighting. Somebody with the will and wits to do so may insert themselves into the gaps that appear as a result of the constant conflicts and bickering. Zhu Chongba makes herself useful — -indispensable — -and her star continues to rise.
It is easy to imagine that this is going to be a classic rags to riches, girl overcomes gender stereotypes to rise to the top sort of story, a modern Belgariad rooted in the fascinating history of late medieval China. To be honest, I’d totally read that story, but The Radiant Emperor is something altogether better.
This duology is about so much more than the rise of one person. There are a wealth of characters, all with ambition and myriad motivations. The machinations of imperial politics leave many victims in its wake. Many of them are looking for ways for scores to be settled.
The most notable of these is Ouyang, a former prince whose family was executed by the Great Khan. Ouyang was spared, but mutilated by being castrated. A eunuch, he was adopted by another high-ranking Mongol family, where he trained to become a fearsome fighter. He’s an exceptional warrior but shunned by everybody, bar his adoptive brother. Ouyang seethes with hatred for his oppressors and harbors thoughts of dark revenge.
Ouyang and Zhu are connected. One is a man who is considered as something lesser, and the other is a woman who is seen as a man, a woman whom society treats as something more than they would if they knew her true identity. This is Ouyang and Zhu’s story, and they will clash many times across the course of the books. Yet they are not the only players. Across China, there are people driven to reach the top. As much as anything this diptych is about the pitfalls of naked ambition.
Beyond a classic story of intrigue and battle, The Radiant King books offer a compelling examination of gender and sexuality. The players in the story often try to exploit both as they aim for the top. This treatment takes the book well beyond the “fantasy chosen one” narrative and delivers deep characterization that makes the reader root for more than one player at any given time. Simultaneously relishing their success whilst also being horrified at what they’ve done. These are not books for the squeamish.
Zhu and Ouyang will stop at nothing to get what they want, but who will succeed? More important to the culmination of the duology, what exactly constitutes success in this context? Will anybody live happily ever after?
I’d heard good things about She Became the Sun when I was offered the chance to review He Who Drowned The World, and I quickly picked up the first so that I would have the chance to review the other. I’m so glad that I did. Whilst not a fantasy in the traditional sense, the books have some intriguing fantasy concepts that are steeped in the Chinese mystical tradition. I also loved the books’ historical flavor. It’s a fascinating era once you start reading into it, which is exactly what reading The Radiant Emperor novels prompted me to do. It is also hard to overstate just how good the political intrigue aspects of the stories are too, particularly in He Who Drowned the World, which is entirely engrossing.
The series does seem to be concluded, but I hope Shelley Parker Chan returns to China at some point in the future. There’s lots of history and culture left to mine for yet more compelling stories. Whatever they decide, I can’t wait to read what comes next.
If you would like to pick up a copy of The Radiant King duology, you can do so here in the US and here in the UK. (Affiliate Links)
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I received a copy of this book in order to write this review.
