- I'm not sure how to review HE WHO DROWNED THE WORLD beyond simply some incoherent screaming. It's somehow better than the first book? It left me completely shattered? I could have kept reading it forever?
- I won't go into too much plot detail because 1) so much happens and 2) a lot of it would constitute huge spoilers. But know that I was gripped from beginning to end, gasped out loud at several points, and once my spouse asked if I was okay and the answer was a wailing, "Noooo!"
- Simply put, this duology is a masterpiece. I can't wait to see what Parker-Chan does next.

I enjoyed the first book and was glad to have received a copy to read this one. This story was very well written just like the first one. It was a bit slow in the beginning but the ending was just a masterpiece. This is more of a dark-tone read and I enjoyed the dark feel of this book. We get to explore more in the world and learn more about the characters which this book is written in multiple povs. I do have to say that the multiple povs and many characters made the book confusing to read as I would forget who is who. There are new side characters from what I can remember of the first book and I liked most of them. There are quite a few sex scenes with of course romance but some are very dark and would recommend checking out trigger warnings. The ending was good but not enough for me. I’m told this is a duology but the way the story ended, I feel as though there is more. Parker-Chan is a fantastic writer and I have loved their work. I will be reading more of their books in the future, especially after this duology.

*this arc was sent to me by the publisher to give an honest review in return*

I absolutely fell in love with the first The Radiant Emperor book, She Who Became the Sun, in 2021 and have been eagerly awaiting and dreading the release of the final book in the duology, He Who Drowned the World. But I conquered myself and submerged myself back into 15th century China and came out with my world rocked. Thanks to Tor Books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Not to be trite, but with great power comes great responsibility. Zhu has stepped into the role of leader, and not just any leader. She is divinely sanctioned, inspiring those around her with fervent faith in her abilities. But the world is not hers yet and competitors are at every corner, each with their own measure of power. The emerging conflict is bloody and He Who Drowned the World as a result is a lot darker than its predecessor. Parker-Chan spares no one in this book and there is so much pain and anger shouting from the pages that is sometimes almost overwhelmed me. This is no book for the faint of heart. There is violence here, at every level, from the physical to the emotional and everything in between. What these characters are willing to do in the name of their destiny is horrendous at times, and as a reader you go through all of it with them. At times I worried this darkness would overwhelm the story, but Parker-Chan does have a plan for it, which becomes clear in the last third of the book. It's not just darkness, though. He Who Drowned the World expands the world of the story enormously, introducing new territories, characters, and powers. Through these new players, Parker-Chan continues their exploration of gender and power, taking it to new heights.

In He Who Drowned the World we continue the story of Zhu, chasing after her great destiny. Now that she has the Mandate of Heaven, she is surer than ever that greatness will be hers. But she is not the only one with a plan, or the only one with greatness in their future. As Zhu battles her way through China, she encounters friends and foes old and new, making alliances with some and breaking forever with others. As she comes closer to the throne, Zhu becomes confronted with the cost of greatness, with the sacrifice required for the ultimate victory. How much is she willing to sacrifice? How much control does she really have? I was totally gripped by He Who Drowned the World from the beginning. While She Who Became the Sun mostly focused on her, it also gave us the perspective of Ouyang and Ma. This continues in He Who Drowned the World, but we also get an insight into some other characters, like Baoxiang and Madame Zhang. This really expands the world of the books and gives the reader a sense of how many different things are at play. Zhu remains the beating heart of the book, although Ma comes out as a strong contender for a place in my heart as well. I missed Ma quite a bit in the first half of the book and was very glad (and scared for her) once she came back into focus.

Shelley Parker-Chan has really created something riveting and new with the Radiant Emperor duology. There is such a vibrancy to these books that you can't help but be keep going back to it. He Who Drowned the World definitely expands upon the first book and there is a lot happening. The pace is pretty quick, but it doesn't necessarily rush the plot. Rather, it moves steadily from one event to another, almost like a well-paced chess match. Baoxiang really came into his own as a character in this book, although I wasn't always entirely onboard with him. In the first half I also felt like I was losing Zhu a little, only to then realise that this was a part of the story. While her drive towards greatness was her entire raison d'etre in the first book, she now has a lot more in her life which she may not be willing to risk. Witnessing her having to confront this, being forced to make impossible choices, was rough but was also what made the book for me. The closer we got to the end, the more I worried about where she was heading and this really kept me stuck to the edge of my seat. This book deals with pain in a way I'd never read before and it wasn't always comfortable. I enjoy being challenged by books and He Who Drowned the World definitely did so. I have gained something from the experience, however, and have come out of it feeling a little lighter, somehow. I'm now heartbroken, however, that the duology is over and await Parker-Chan's next venture with bated breath.

He Who Drowned the World is an epic, dark, and almost mythological conclusion to the Radiant Emperor duology. Shelley Parker-Chan will take you to the very edge of what you can take, dangling salvation and greatness in front of you. I will definitely be rereading this duology in the years to come as I'm sure I'll keep discovering new things about it.

I don’t even know how to start, where to start, or feel that I’m even qualified to start, other than just to say yes! Yes to the intricately plotted story. Yes to the wonderfully queer characters. Yes to a layered epic historical fantasy that is so easy to follow. Don’t let the concept of historical political/war fiction turn you off from this duology. It is so much more than a war epic. It is a story following individuals surviving in a world where kindness has never existed. The world consists of different levels of despair fed by a game of politics throughout every echelon of society. It is harsh and it is brutal, and some are happy with the status quo. One individual leads a group attempting to gain authority to challenge this notion. The harshness of their reality is not without its brutality, often quite violently depicted, and gives rise to a desperate and urgent plot. The last 40% of the book is frankly anxiety inducing but as a reader Parker-Chan has given you no choice but to stick it out.

This one was a challenging but satisfying read but I’m now seeking to cleanse my palate with something a little fluffier in content.

Thank you to Tor for providing an advanced reading copy through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

(3.5, rounded to 4)

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor for allowing me to read this ARC!

Content Warning: violence, death, misogyny, rape, sexual assault, child abuse, homophobia, transphobia, torture, self harm.

Zhu Yuanzhang is so close to being on top of the world. After her shocking victory with her peasant uprising, Zhu has implemented herself as the Radiant King, and doesn't plan to stop there. Her old enemies, however, have not forgotten her -- and after her rise to power, she's created many new ones in the process, too. One of them is Madame Zhang, the former courtesan who is just as willing to claw her way up the ladder as Zhu is, and she's quickly becoming Zhu's most daunting opponent. In the hopes of overcoming Madame Zhang and making her way to Dadu, where she can seize the throne for herself, Zhu is forced to ally herself with General Ouyang, the very man who was once her fiercest competitor. But unbeknownst to any of these contenders, Wang Baoxiang -- Esen-Temur's scorned and ridiculed scholar brother -- has made his way back to the capital and, with his calculating maneuvers, may just bring the entire empire to its knees.

There are no words in the English language that could accurately describe how excited I have been for the sequel to She Who Became the Sun. It easily became one of my top books of the year, and it will forever remain inscribed in my mind and heart. Parker-Chan has created a world populated with characters who are truly morally gray, and they're never afraid to allow those characters to venture onto the path of darkness and destruction, which is explored much more in depth this time around. Although Zhu remains our protagonist, there's a much heavier focus on Baoxiang, the new Prince of Henan, who is -- much like my beloved General Ouyang -- exclusively fixated on vengeance.

Let's start by talking about the arc of my two favorite characters, Zhu and Ouyang. Zhu remains her usual indomitable self, following her ambitions selfishly and ruthlessly. Ouyang has, obviously, taken quite a few knocks, and it's evident in his character, even more so than before. However, I had the sinking feeling as I read this novel that, somehow, Zhu has taken more of backseat than before. That isn't to say that she doesn't get plenty of chapters, or that her arc is not completed, but to me, it seemed as if Parker-Chan was so enjoying Baoxiang's character and his chapters that they sort of put everyone else on the backburner. While I like Baoxiang well enough, and he's very interesting, the nucleus of everything being on him was a bit disappointing for me. Some of my problems with him arise later in the book, and truthfully, I can't discuss those issues without spoiling the ending of He Who Drowned the World. But, I think it'll have to do to say that while the novel seems intent on having us sympathize with him, I found that extremely difficult to do as the plot progressed.

Zhu is and always will be the shining star of the duology, and I greatly enjoyed seeing her growth -- this time around, she actually begins to experience emotions that she hasn't quite encountered before -- and it's just easy to root for her. Her decisions are, more often than not, painful in their mercenariness, and although she makes some choices towards the conclusion that were a bit hard for me to understand (or agree with), she is never not interesting, never the kind of character you wish was off the page. In fact, once again I must applaud Parker-Chan's fearlessness in making Zhu greedy, ruthless, and yet still somehow tender with those she loves. Zhu and Ouyang are posited as mirror images and, while this is undeniably true, He Who Drowned the World makes it more apparent than ever that Ouyang is an example of the path that Zhu could one day find herself on. Ma Xiuying, one of my other favorites, has an extremely complicated arc this time around, and one that I'm still not sure how to feel about.

One of the few flaws in She Who Became the Sun (if you can call it a flaw; it really is just my opinion) is how it underutilizes Ma during much of the book. She gleams constantly with potential, and while Ouyang, Baoxiang, and Zhu are, in many ways, twisted versions of one another, she stands out as being singular. In comparison to all of our main players, she retains a compassion and gentleness that serves to make her simultaneously stronger and more vulnerable to the game. Yet she has a very tiny bit part in this novel, up until the last act, and I can't help but feeling slightly -- I'm not even sure what the correct word would be. Put off, maybe. Maybe one day I'll be able to fully put into words how I feel about Ma's arc, but today isn't that day. All I can say for now is that it was not what I expected nor hoped to see for such an interesting character.

Parker-Chan's writing is gorgeous. This has stayed consistent throughout their books, and most likely will always be a feature of whatever they choose to write. The way they use language is with true craftmanship, and honestly, I'm quite envious of the absolutely stunning sentences they come up with. Just beautiful, and makes the reading fun and flow so well, regardless of the difficult topics being addressed.

And with the mention of difficult topics, there is something else I'd like to touch on. He Who Drowned the World very heavily features rape, sexual assault, and misogyny. Now, these elements are, of course, present within the first book as well, but here they've certainly been dialed up a few notches. We actually get a few on-page rape scenes, and while I don't have any qualms with reading or writing about dark, hard things (and I understand why some authors choose to include such scenes), at some point these things started to feel almost... gratuitous. I hate saying that, as I know that is not Parker-Chan's intention whatsoever, but there were some I particularly took issue with. This time around, it feels almost as if every single female character is being "brought down" or "degraded" by a depiction of rape or sexual assault. Again, I really can't get into it in detail without spoiling many of the big plot points, but it's something I felt remiss not to mention at all, especially since it was something weighing heavily on my mind as I read. The scenes themselves are not extremely graphic, and obviously they're not written to be titillating, but some of them verged on the border of being just too much. Despite Parker-Chan saying that they don't write "grimdark fantasy," this sometimes felt like just that. For me, it's simply an issue of wondering why we have to see all of them on-page. I think some of them could have taken course in the beginning or aftermath without taking anything away from what's going on.

In conclusion, I liked but did not love this book. This ended up being a slightly disappointing end to the duology for me, and while it contained many things I did love, in the end the issues I grappled with throughout my reading kept me from adoring it as a whole. With that being said, I do want to say I love Parker-Chan's writing and characters, and I really can't wait to see what else they come up with. I'll definitely be reading whatever they write next.

If you like:
- historic fantasy
- complicated gender identity
- strategy and emotional pain
- she who became the sun of course

Pick up the sequel, He Who Drowned the World by Shelley Parker Chan!

Nothing could have emotionally prepared me for this sequel. I adored the first book and this conclusion to the duology lived up to it. Parker-Chan is a beyond talented author and I am on the edge of my seat waiting to see what they do next. Might I suggest less emotional pain tho...

I have read several second-book-in-a-series books this year, and this one is one of the best so far. I care about the characters, which meant I was heavily invested in the plot and what happens to them. I appreciated the queer representation as well. Parker-Chan writes fight and romance scenes with equal intensity and I was impressed with the levels of investment that she inspired in me as I was reading.

This book is BLEAK. Oh my goodness everyone is traumatized and traumatizing and goodness gracious everyone is just AWFUL to each other in this book. Trigger warnings abound for this one: violence, assault, torture, self-harm, murder, sexual assault, etc. - just overall a bleak, passionate story that you'll still enjoy, just come prepared to be hurt along with everyone you're reading about. I appreciate books that don't always show people as "good." This story is an exceptional picture of the darker, dare I say realer, side of who people really are.

This book will hurt you and you will say thank you sir, may I have another. I am thankful to have had the chance to read it.

In my review of She Who Became the Sun, I characterized the book as “intense.” After reading its sequel, I have a new definition of the word. This book is gripping, challenging, and monumental in its portrayal of characters determined to win by whatever means necessary.

At the end of She Who Became the Sun, I was intrigued by the morally grey nature of Zhu and couldn’t pin down whether I liked complex Ouyang, or just wanted him to have a shred of happiness. I again applaud Shelley Parker-Chan for her ability to make characters so complex and layered that they feel authentic in a way that’s absolutely unsettling.

I was pleasantly surprised to see Baoxiang take more of a main character role, as he felt more like a backseat character in the first book. It only took a few pages for me to realize how intriguing his character is - deeply hurt, deeply distrusting, and dare I say deeply messed up. It felt like his character in book one was wearing a mask, even from the reader, and this was a masterful change.

I still have some reservations about the length. I like flowery writing, but sometimes the exposition and political worldbuilding felt long, and I just wanted to get back to the plot. Parker-Chan is an amazing writer overall, so this is more a personal preference.

Overall title could not be more fitting for this book. If She Who Became the Sun feels like a rising tide, then He Who Drowned the World is a tsunami here to destroy all our emotions.

He Who Drowned the World is fantastic followup to She Who Became the Sun. Very few works have ever captivated me in political atmosphere and cultural richness the way this duology has. There are many memories burned into my brain over the way the work handles ghosts, both as entities and metaphorical stand-ins.

That being said, He Who Drowned the World felt like a bit of a step back but I don't think this makes the work lesser by any means. Sometimes it's good to wind down from a climax and in this case I feel the action was sustained and worked well. I loved following Wang Baoxiang, but I deeply missed Zhu's POV chapters being so in-depth. It's really my only true complaint - I wanted less of Zhu in battle and more of that wicked wit and the wonderful interactions with others.

What I can say, and what I've said about She Who Became the Sun, is that the exploration of themes of gender and sexuality are so interesting and oftentimes gripping in a way I can't put to words. The intersectionality of religion and culture and sex and gender make for such a complicated but nuanced and important discussion. I also feel this book handles its dark content with brutal efficiency and yet incredible care. For that reason I think the gut punching by the end of the book hits harder.

By the end I felt so torn over these characters. I was angry. I was cheering. I was disgusted. I wanted to throw the book (I didn’t, physically, at least).

I can’t wait to see what lies ahead for this author. I think Parker-Chan has the potential to sweep the fantasy world buy pure storm.

He Who Drowned the World is part 2 of Shelley Parker Chan's Radiant Emperor Duology. Like it's predecessor, She Who Became the Sun, it is a shrewd exploration of gender coupled with a compelling portrayal of court and politics and military strategy set a the end of Mongol empire in 14th century China, leading up to the beginning of the Ming dynasty in 1368. This alternate history imagines Zhu Yaunzhang as assigned female at birth and assuming the identity of her brother to survive. The first installment Chronicles Zhu's rise to greatness. He Who Drowned the World continues to follow her as a The Radiant Emperor destined to rule all of China, exploring the cost of such a single-minded focus-not just to Zhu, but to those she cares for most.

As counterpoint to Zhu's story, we also follow General Ouyang and Lord Wang Boaxiang on their own journey's to power and revenge. Like Zhu, each is also outside the norm of masculinity (one a Eunuch the other unabashedly effeminate) and each are utterly consumed with their very personal missions. For all three, Parker-Chan explores the psyche of those who are willing to do anything to get what they want. When is the cost worth it? To what extent is it ever worth it? It's an amazing deep dive into the ugly side of winning and what it means to do what is necessary to win.

Though I do highly recommend this series, I also caution readers to check out content warning (violence, sexual assault and self harm among the them). These are deeply flawed characters acting in horrific ways towards others and themselves. And yet, Parker-Chan never allows us to lose sight of their humanity and the things outside their control that bring them to the place we find them. It's a glorious complicated mess that will make you think, but without any easy answers to placate the impact.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Tor for access to an eARC of this novel in exchange for a fair review.

This was a good sequel for She Who Become The Sun. I like the new conflict that was added in this book but I feel it did not pack the same intensity as the first book. The character development in this book was phenomenal and the book felt more character driven than plot driven.

This was an interesting follow up to "She Who Became the Sun," but it just didn't hold my interest as well as the first book did.
I enjoyed learning more about Wang Baoxiang, but missed Zhu Yuanzhang's perspectives. It seemed that most of her scenes involved her going from one battle to the next, with little of the charecter development I enjoyed so much in the first book.

Thank you to Net galley for an ebook in exchange for an honest review.

The Mandate of Heaven, an otherworldly flame, comes to individuals who have the potential to control the empire. The Mandate of Heaven has appeared in several individuals:

Zhu Yuanzhang, the young monk turned Radiant King, assembling her ragtag army to reclaim the South now has her sights set on the capitol. She knows that the best way to succeed would be to join forces with her former enemy, the eunuch general Ouyang. As Zhu climbs higher on the ladder of success, what won’t she do to achieve her goals?

Though former courtesan now queen Madam Zhang does not possess the Mandate of Heaven herself, her lover, the noble General Zhang does. But can she use her wiles to convince him to depose her idiotic husband Rice Bucket Zhang before Zhu Yuanzhang besieges her city?

And most surprisingly of all, the conniving scholar Wang Baoxiang, now Prince of Henan, has positioned himself closer to the throne than anyone. He does not use his Mandate of Heaven to succeed, no, he uses his own cunning to sow discord in the heart of the capitol itself. Baoxiang ingrates himself with the lonely Third Prince, the son of the Third Khan and becomes Vice Minister of Revenue. He finally starts to see his plans unfold, but does he have the heart to betray those who have helped him on his way?

He Who Drowned the World is a captivating sequel to She Who Became the Sun, showing just what lengths individuals will go to to attain power and to keep it.

This book was absolutely gripping! While the first book of this duology varied in its pacing, this book started off strong and never let up. At this point in the story, our main characters have fully embraced the idea that there's nothing they won't do (or hurt) for power and revenge, and they've gone absolutely unhinged. Watching these characters spiral out of control as their desires led to more and more suffering was SO entertaining and fascinating.

I honestly can't say that I love any of these characters at the end of the story, but I can say that I found most of them compelling and incredibly unique. We live in a society that is exploring the ideas of gender, identity, and sexuality, but placing these conversations in a setting such as ancient China really sheds new light on these important themes. I found myself rooting for Zhu and Ouyang to achieve their goals, because they really did overcome so many obstacles just by existing. However, their choices definitely made their lives a lot more difficult!

I honestly couldn't put this book down and flew through it so much more quickly than the first book. The writing is superb, the characters are so flawed and complex, and the story builds up to a huge climax! Thank you to Tor/Forge for the Advance Reader's Copy in exchange for an honest review!

This is a very dark book with terrible (as in bad people) characters doing terrible things to each other. But that is really the underlying message- is striving for your fate/destiny truly worth the cost? Or does there come a time when the costs are truly too high? I really appreciated Zhu’s growth as a character throughout this book. I think the relationships (or the lack thereof) also really builds the story. I would recommend this book, and obviously book 1, but just be prepared for a dark and thought provoking read.

I was absolutely riveted by Shelley Parker-Chan’s first novel, SHE WHO BECAME THE SUN–by the fierce strength of Zhu Chongba’s desire and how that propelled her to survive and then climb to the heights of power, by the insightful and fascinating gender interpretations, and by the incredibly compelling plot. So, I was excited to pick up this sequel, HE WHO DROWNED THE WORLD.

Unfortunately, I didn’t remember all the characters from the first novel, and the author’s opening summary (combined with the Wikipedia plot summary) didn’t sufficiently reorient me, so I spent the first part of the novel tangled in a nest of characters whose relationships and motivations I couldn’t quite parse. Zhu, my favorite character, didn’t have much page space until the very end of Part 1. (If you’re picking this up without rereading the first novel, I recommend reading this review to reacquaint yourself with the characters: http://strangehorizons.com/non-fiction/she-who-became-the-sun-by-shelley-parker-chan/.

As the novel progressed, however, I settled back into the relationships. The same queering look at gender that made the first novel so original and refreshing continues. Questions of gender roles–including what would today be defined as queer relationships and trans identities–are convincingly rendered inside the setting of late Yuan dynasty China.

Other aspects are slightly different: this novel goes further into the psyches of other contenders for the throne, such as Ouyang, Baoxiang, and Madame Zhang. There is a deep investigation of pain, self-hatred, and the desire for revenge–sometimes to such an extent that these dynamics threaten to overtake the novel. Zhu is present, but her intense will to power often takes the form of clever subterfuges and military campaigns. Some of those scenes, though, are breathtaking in the way they illustrate the pure strength of her will.

Although I was less interested in Ouyang and Baoxiang and wished for more of Zhu, I was still drawn into this world and kept turning the pages, appreciating the insightful interpretations of gender and the suspense of political machinations in Yuan dynasty China. I look forward to more from Shelley Parker-Chan.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was an amazing, worthy conclusion to Shelley Parker-Chan's debut duology. I was captivated from the very first word untilt the very last, extremely fitting sentence that came out of Zhu's mouth.

Parker-Chan is an absolute master at characterization. This book picks up where the first left off; Zhu has the mandate of heaven, and now has to defeat her rivals to become the true Emperor of China and begin a new dynasty. This book follows her defeating each man who stands in her way. My favorite part of the book was the last quarter. Ma, Zhu's wife, really gets her time to shine in this novel, and it was incredibly moving to see how much Zhu and the ones who trust and love her are willing to sacrifice in order to allow her to achieve her destiny of greatness. I would truly read anything Parker-Chan puts out after this masterpiece.

I enjoyed this book and I could not put it down. I really enjoyed the characters and the writing was really well done. It made you want to keep reading.

...once he let it out, it wouldn’t be just the world that was drowned, but himself.



In my review of She Who Became the Sun I said that opening scenes depicting the hunger actually served as a well-thought metaphor for Zhu's hunger to claim the greater destiny, to claim the power and the throne. And General Ouyang mirroring her in everything with the sheer determination and relentless pushing against the hardship, prejudices and mocking on his own destined path.
This book though, takes that up a notch, above the admiration you feel for their dedication and spirit and right into ugly, uncomfortable part of balance checks, of how much furthering their quests cost them. It's that realm where only a few dwell and that's what differentiate them from other contenders for the same prize: they will do whatever it takes and they are ready to give up anything for what they see as their destiny.
In a sense, Parker-Chan telegraphed that with ending of previous book where Zhu and Ouyang both committed harsh acts- they know it's not ok, but at the same time they know it's a crucial to bring them closer to their goal. So, yes, it costs them their love, their innocence, their personality, their pride, their body (if the scenes of sexual violence and exploitation are triggering, take caution, there are plenty and they are dark). Zhu simply does not see any obstacle as insurmountable on her way to claiming Great Yuan for herself. Her pov was the easiest to read and she seems the most put together, but in in all honesty, it's because she doesn't really dwell on her previous misdeeds or remorse which and without any doubt makes her the most ruthless character in this book. As for Ouyang, I will only say that reading his pain was the saddest part of the book and as perfectly they were mirroring each other, it's in this book that we see them diverging because Ouyang is anchorless. I always had a soft spot for him, and when your favorite hurt, you feel all the emotions book wants you to.
Which is where we have to mention other pretenders to imperial throne, who in their own path to the same goal with their own victories and failures depict the same as Zhu and Ouyang do: the heartbreak they are willing to endure and debasement of their own person for their goal.
As much as he was the part of previous installment, Wang Baoxiang was still a background character of Ouyang's arc. In this book, Parker- Chan gave him a bigger role, a perfect presentation of fighting on a cerebral level, not with armies on a field, but inside the court, causing havoc. He bodly steps into arena with his own arc and also takes away the title of the most self-loathing, and most angry and selfdesfructive cookie from Ouyang. Definitely the grimmest part of the book belong to him. Madam Zhang, the brain behind Zhang trading power is ambitious as all of them, but as woman she is weaponizing her beauty and charm to manipulate the men around her. It's the game you cannot have emotions involved in and when her fight is conducted by show of affections it's easier for feelings to get muddled in. All of these characters are broken beyond repair and some are handling it better than others.
That's what really makes this a much darker book than previous was. There are no heroes here, and perhaps the message on the wall is that there is no place for heroes on the throne.
I applaud author for showing the rawest and the worst from these characters. It's not pretty being in their heads, but it's what made it so compelling for me. If I would take issue with anything is the fact that previous book made so much effort of showing that predetermined gender roles are not so set in stone, while I feel this one kept insisting on them. The raised questions of identity by our characters and where they belong come second to their ambitions and aspirations which is ok, but I felt they were more intertwined in the first book.
If the previous book had all the exuberance of Chinese historical dramas, this one actually leans into that bēijù with how and where our characters ended. But trust me, Shelley Parker-Chan has a way with words so they made it beautiful to read.
Recommended.

She Who Became the Sun, Shelley Parker-Chan’s fantastical retelling of the rise of the Ming dynasty in China, was one of the buzziest books of 2021 and impressed me enough to land in the top third of my Hugo ballot. So the question wasn’t whether I would read the second half of the duology in He Who Drowned the World, just how soon I could get ahold of it.

[Note: He Who Drowned the World picks up shortly after the events of She Who Became the Sun and is impossible to review without referencing the general lay out the land at the end of the first book, though as always, I try to avoid specific spoilers.]

She Who Became the Sun was the story of Zhu Chongba, who stole her brother’s fated greatness and rose from starving, unwanted daughter to male-garbed monk to leadership within the Han rebellion against their Mongol overlords. But a secondary lead character was General Ouyang, a eunuch leading Mongol forces while biding his time to execute his revenge against those who killed his family and mutilated his body. He Who Drowned the World follows both characters, while adding a third major perspective character in Wang Baoxiang, a schemer whose power comes from his facility with account books and not with the sword. This may be Zhu’s duology, but it is Wang Baoxiang’s book. Finally, Madam Zhang rounds out the cast with a fourth major perspective character, alternately ally and enemy of the others as she uses the richness of her land and the military prowess of her lover to try to carve out as much power as she can.

The first book was an exploration of Zhu and Ouyang’s experiences of gender in a patriarchal society as much as it was anything else, with the political scheming staying mostly on the surface and the fantasy elements limited to an ill-explained Mandate of Heaven and an occasional ghost sighting. And book two certainly still has plenty to say about gender, with none of the four major perspective characters fitting the stereotype of traditional male leader, but it greatly expands the scheming and the fantasy elements. In many ways, it’s driven by the family ghosts—real and perceived—tormenting General Ouyang and Wang Baoxiang as they spiral farther and farther into their own internal abyss.

Make no mistake, this book is a train wreck, and it’s meant to be. Ouyang can fight, and Baoxiang can scheme, but their darkened and darkening minds lead them to destructive choices at nearly every turn. Their motivations are entirely explicable, and the combination of prowess within their own spheres and the torment of their pasts make for fairly compelling train wrecks. But there is little light to be found here.

Perhaps my biggest criticism concerns that little light that can be found. In the first book, Zhu Chongba proved to be as ruthless as anyone. And yet, she still fills something of a heroic role, seen by her followers—and to some extent, the narrative itself—as representing a hopeful alternative to the others struggling for power. And undoubtedly, she has a level of humility not shared by her rivals for power. But nevertheless, there were times I felt the narrative saw her as something more than she was.

One element of the first book that carries forward into the second is the inclusion of remarkably detailed sex scenes from the perspective of characters experiencing little-to-no sexual desire for their partners, though in He Who Drowned the World, it isn’t contained to one scene. It’s a fairly horny book, but with almost none of that horniness derived from the appetites of the perspective characters. These scenes run the gamut from entirely consensual to entirely nonconsensual, with a fair bit of ambiguous in-between, and the way the characters use their bodies in pursuit of their aims—and the ways this affects external perception—serves as a significant minor theme throughout the novel.

On the whole, it’s hard for me to imagine a fan of She Who Became the Sun not also loving He Who Drowned the World. The weaker scheming and fantastical subplots in the first book are buttressed in the second entry, but with no loss to the major theme of people striving for power in a society that scorns their failures of masculinity. There’s darkness aplenty, but none of that is new to a fan of the first book. There are times where I felt the narrative read the lead more optimistically than it should have, but there was enough excellent character work that this misstep was far from a deal-breaker.

Recommended if you like: exploration of gender in a patriarchal society, epics, train wrecks, She Who Became the Sun.

Overall rating: 17 of Tar Vol’s 20. Five stars on Goodreads.