She who Became the Sun by Shelly Parker-Chan
Hardcover, 416 pages
Published
July 20th 2021
by Tor Books
The best fiction is a result of an author thinking of a story that only they can tell. In the case of She Who Became the Sun, it is a story told multiple times but what makes this novel unique is the voice that put it together. I know nothing about Shelley Parker-Chan except what I read in the author bio, but I feel like I got to know her voice well in the pages of this debut novel. I have to repeat that, debut novel and it is a powerful well written Wuxia novel with a silk-punk fantasy edge. Not that there is any Lightness-kungfu there is not but this more or a modern progressive fantasy feel.
It is hard not to compare to Wuxia films but this book that has a historical fantasy feeling that a movie like Jet Li’s The Warlords had, but from a subtle but perfect queer point of view. I make fun of publishing marketing that often say “It is Gone Girl meets the Matrix” or some other silly combination but in the case of She Who Became the Sun saying Mulan meets Song Of Achilles is absolutely spot on. In the acknowledgments, the author said this came out of a group of friends brainstorming books they wanted but had not seen. Thanks for that. It is not just the story, this novel has a certain depth that many in this genre lack, and Parker-Chan is a good wordsmith who has a knack for moments of pretty prose that help the reader envision the world.
That starts in the opening paragraph. “All around there was nothing but bare yellow earth, cracked into a pattern of a turtle’s shell, and the sere bone smell of hot dust.” If that doesn’t put you in the environment of the story I don’t know what will.
In this re-telling of the Ming dynasty's founding starts in China in the 14th century still under Mongol rule. We open with a young brother and sister trying to survive drought and famine. The brother Zhu Chongba is told by a monk that he has a great destiny, he will become a great leader. Early in this book, this provides a powerful catalyst for the story.
“The fortune-teller was silent. The girl felt a chill drift over her. Her body broke out in chicken skin and she huddled lower, trying to get away from that dark touch of fear. The candle flame lashed.
Then, as if from a distance, she heard the fortune-teller say: "Nothing."
The girl felt a dull, deep pain. That was the seed within her, her fate, and she realized she had known it all along.”
My memory could be wrong but The Girl is never named. After Bandits raid their village and kill their father, it is Zhu who can’t hang with the despair. His sister, The girl takes his identity and lives as a boy becoming a monk and living in the temple. We only know her as Zhu. The other characters in the book know her as a boy.
You see where this is going. Pretending to be a man, a leader, a warrior and rising in the ranks through a series of adventures. This story has been told before but like I said it is the depth. It is the humble beginning, and various methods Zhu uses to rise. Powerful stuff.
You would think Mulan as a serious Trans narrative would have happened at this point. Yes, Mulan was always living as another gender but has the story ever gotten serious and deep about what that means.
“If you want a fate other than what Heaven gave you, you have to want that other fate. You have to struggle for it. Suffer for it.”
Here the novel is talking about more than gender, it is also about the hard work Zhu has to put in to reach the destiny that was promised to her brother. By taking his identity it was not handed to her. She trained as a monk, rose in the ranks of the rebellion, and lived as a man. Not something she so much wanted to do but felt the need to do, so as the story progresses Zhu also has to come to peace with who they want to be.
“She saw someone who seemed neither male nor female, but another substance entirely: something wholly and powerfully of its own kind. The promise of difference, made real.”
Early there is a great scene when the other monk she grew up tells her that he knew all along.
Xu Da shrugged. “What difference does it make it to me?” You’re my brother, whatever is under your clothes.”
I don’t want to oversell the trans narrative because it is a fun action and adventure story, with wonderful and powerfully written prose. So before I get into elements at the end of the book, this is a book I recommend to fantasy readers. Wuxia is the only fantasy I really enjoy so fans of Wuxia should also be interested. I would love to see a Mandarin-language movie of this novel. So yeah thumbs up and now back to the prose and most powerful moments of the book.
“Memories spooled through her like falling ribbon. Single moments, flickering faster and faster until they ran faster and faster until they ran together into a nightmare version of reality. She saw the plain, and the dark forest of the Yuan army’s spears.”
Powerful writing. This is a minor spoiler but it all comes together in a powerful moment in the final act when the Red Turban rebels capture the throne. All the struggle all the fighting…
The girl felt a dull, deep pain. That was the seed within her, her fate, and she realized she had known it all along.”
My memory could be wrong but The Girl is never named. After Bandits raid their village and kill their father, it is Zhu who can’t hang with the despair. His sister, The girl takes his identity and lives as a boy becoming a monk and living in the temple. We only know her as Zhu. The other characters in the book know her as a boy.
You see where this is going. Pretending to be a man, a leader, a warrior and rising in the ranks through a series of adventures. This story has been told before but like I said it is the depth. It is the humble beginning, and various methods Zhu uses to rise. Powerful stuff.
You would think Mulan as a serious Trans narrative would have happened at this point. Yes, Mulan was always living as another gender but has the story ever gotten serious and deep about what that means.
“If you want a fate other than what Heaven gave you, you have to want that other fate. You have to struggle for it. Suffer for it.”
Here the novel is talking about more than gender, it is also about the hard work Zhu has to put in to reach the destiny that was promised to her brother. By taking his identity it was not handed to her. She trained as a monk, rose in the ranks of the rebellion, and lived as a man. Not something she so much wanted to do but felt the need to do, so as the story progresses Zhu also has to come to peace with who they want to be.
“She saw someone who seemed neither male nor female, but another substance entirely: something wholly and powerfully of its own kind. The promise of difference, made real.”
Early there is a great scene when the other monk she grew up tells her that he knew all along.
Xu Da shrugged. “What difference does it make it to me?” You’re my brother, whatever is under your clothes.”
I don’t want to oversell the trans narrative because it is a fun action and adventure story, with wonderful and powerfully written prose. So before I get into elements at the end of the book, this is a book I recommend to fantasy readers. Wuxia is the only fantasy I really enjoy so fans of Wuxia should also be interested. I would love to see a Mandarin-language movie of this novel. So yeah thumbs up and now back to the prose and most powerful moments of the book.
“Memories spooled through her like falling ribbon. Single moments, flickering faster and faster until they ran faster and faster until they ran together into a nightmare version of reality. She saw the plain, and the dark forest of the Yuan army’s spears.”
Powerful writing. This is a minor spoiler but it all comes together in a powerful moment in the final act when the Red Turban rebels capture the throne. All the struggle all the fighting…
“Esen said, puzzled, “this is it?”
That seat of emperors, the symbol that the Red Turbans had so desperately sought, was nothing but a wooden chair scabbed with gold leaf like the fur of a mangy dog. Ouyang, watching Esen with an ache in his heart realized afresh that Esen had never been able to understand the values that made other people’s worlds so different from his own. He looked but he couldn’t see.”
After all the fantasy novels and films that are about struggling for thrones, or magic swords it was amazing to see a novel filled in intrigue, drama, and battles both small and grand build to a moment like this. They go on to argue about what the city means but I found this to be a powerful moment.
This is the first book and we know a new dynasty has been formed. As an origin story, it stands on its own but I am very interested to see where this goes. Shelly Parker-Chan is talented as hell. I am excited to see what comes next.
That seat of emperors, the symbol that the Red Turbans had so desperately sought, was nothing but a wooden chair scabbed with gold leaf like the fur of a mangy dog. Ouyang, watching Esen with an ache in his heart realized afresh that Esen had never been able to understand the values that made other people’s worlds so different from his own. He looked but he couldn’t see.”
After all the fantasy novels and films that are about struggling for thrones, or magic swords it was amazing to see a novel filled in intrigue, drama, and battles both small and grand build to a moment like this. They go on to argue about what the city means but I found this to be a powerful moment.
This is the first book and we know a new dynasty has been formed. As an origin story, it stands on its own but I am very interested to see where this goes. Shelly Parker-Chan is talented as hell. I am excited to see what comes next.
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