By: Phone Min Thant, Staff Writer
Content warning: brief mentions of murder and war.
Those familiar with Chinese history are probably no stranger to Empress Wu Zetian, the only legitimate empress of The Middle Kingdom. But, did you know there is a connection between Zetian and SFU? This connection is none other than Xiran Jay Zhao (the name may be familiar for those who frequent BookTok), an SFU health sciences alum whose fictionalized sci-fi duology reimagines Zetian. Their books, Iron Widow and Heavenly Tyrant, have both achieved number one spots on the New York Times bestsellers lists.
To put into perspective why the books are so popular, imagine medieval China and Gundam robots in the same universe, at the same time — exciting already, right? Set against the backdrop of a war against aliens in the fictional nation of Huaxia, Zetian is a pilot serving in Huaxia’s military-run patriarchy which takes pride in pairing boys and girls in piloting mechs together. The downside? The boys are treated as military heroes and the girls as concubines of their co-pilots.
Iron Widow follows Zetian’s quest for vengeance for her younger sister, who has been murdered by her co-pilot. What comes afterward is a tale of retribution filled with assassinations, betrayals, love triangles, violence, and a whole lot of moral greyness.
I’m an avid reader of fictional retellings of history, but Iron Widow stands out for a few reasons. Firstly, there is no lengthy dwelling on any one theme. If the plot orients too much towards love, an action-packed battle sequence jumps in. Too much battlefield violence? You will be put on the edge of a different type of seat through the many instances of political intrigue.
“From corrupt governments with hidden agendas to gods, psychic powers, and robot battles, Zhao expertly constructs the environment that Zetian has found herself in, explaining controversial decisions she takes as the story progresses.”
Next, the world building is spectacular. From corrupt governments with hidden agendas to gods, psychic powers, and robot battles, Zhao expertly constructs the environment that Zetian has found herself in, explaining controversial decisions she takes as the story progresses. Since the protagonist herself is morally questionable throughout the story, the rich world-building helped me understand some of the decisions she made and allowed me to sympathize with her. It’s always tiring trying to find out whether your favourite morally-questionable hero has a spontaneous villain arc, right? Apart from how the characters are written, I think this is due to Zhao’s ability to maintain a good balance between historical inspiration, mythology, and the plotline. There’s no overwhelming reliance on a single issue, which I think is a refreshing way to handle historical fiction.
Lastly, Iron Widow handles the overarching issue of gender equality so well. It shows that feminism isn’t only about righteousness and a desire for change. Zetian possesses those traits for sure, but she is also driven by her personal ambitions. It shows that the pursuit of equality may sometimes be difficult and contested. Zetian manipulates and betrays other pilots, kills her conservative family, and engages in acts like torture.
Heavenly Tyrant is Iron Widow’s sequel, released in December 2024. Continuing the storyline after suffering a defeat, Zetian is now in control of Huaxia but finds herself sharing power with a resurrected Emperor-General. Heavenly Tyrant takes Zetian to the uncomfortable position where she can truly exercise power and authority and decide on changes that she wanted to bring about in book one.
While less intense than Iron Widow, the plotline still has twists and turns, especially as Zetian navigated her new-found (even forced) romance with the Emperor-General and her fight to give women more power in Huaxian society. What I liked about Heavenly Tyrant is its ability to show readers the politics of a revolution — how an idealistic protagonist finds herself making uneasy alliances to achieve her ultimate goals.
The second book, however, may feel a bit slower in some places to readers used to the rapidity of Iron Widow. There are certain parts of the book which focus on exploring key themes such as capitalism and communism. While it is important to understand the ideological concepts underlying the main theme of the book, some dialogue feels particularly simplified, which takes the readers away from the main plotline in my opinion.
I found Heavenly Tyrant extremely captivating at the end, especially with Zhao’s explicit focus on political intrigue and Zetian’s utilization of sex as a weapon to achieve her larger aims. While readers of Iron Widow may find the change in pace a bit divergent from book one, Heavenly Tyrant is still an exciting, interesting read nonetheless.
Iron Widow and Heavenly Tyrant are both available to borrow from the Vancouver Public Library.
