Iron Widow
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''Iron Widow'' is a 2021
young adult In medicine and the social sciences, a young adult is generally a person in the years following adolescence, sometimes with some overlap. Definitions and opinions on what qualifies as a young adult vary, with works such as Erik Erikson's stages ...
science fantasy file:Warhammer40kcosplay.jpg, Cosplay of a character from the ''Warhammer 40,000'' tabletop game; one critic has characterized the game's setting as "action-oriented science-fantasy." Science fantasy is a hybrid genre within speculative fiction ...
novel by Canadian writer Xiran Jay Zhao. The novel is a
mecha In science fiction, or mechs are giant robots or machines, typically depicted as piloted, humanoid walking vehicles. The term was first used in Japanese (language), Japanese after shortening the English loanword or , but the meaning in Japan ...
reimagining of the rise of China’s first and only female Emperor
Wu Zetian Wu Zetian (624 – 16 December 705), personal name Wu Zhao, was List of rulers of China#Tang dynasty, Empress of China from 660 to 705, ruling first through others and later in her own right. She ruled as queen consort , empress consort th ...
set in the nation of Huaxia, a futuristic reinterpretation of
Medieval China The history of China spans several millennia across a wide geographical area. Each region now considered part of the Chinese world has experienced periods of unity, fracture, prosperity, and strife. Chinese civilization first emerged in the Y ...
. ''Iron Widow'' is a ''New York Times'' Best Seller; , the book has remained on the list for 34 weeks. It won the 2021
BSFA Award The BSFA Awards are literary awards presented annually since 1970 by the British Science Fiction Association (BSFA) to honour works in the genre of science fiction. Nominees and winners are chosen based on a vote of BSFA members. More recently, m ...
for "Best Book for Younger Readers" and has been nominated for two 2022
Locus Award The Locus Awards are an annual set of literary awards voted on by readers of the science fiction and fantasy magazine '' Locus'', a monthly magazine based in Oakland, California. The awards are presented at an annual banquet. Originally a poll ...
s and the 2022
Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book The Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book is an award given annually to a book published for young adult readers in the field of science fiction or fantasy. The name of the award was chosen because a lodestar is "a star that guides or leads, ...
.


Background

In March 2020, Xiran Jay Zhao signed a two-book deal with Penguin Teen Canada for a reimagining of the rise of
Wu Zetian Wu Zetian (624 – 16 December 705), personal name Wu Zhao, was List of rulers of China#Tang dynasty, Empress of China from 660 to 705, ruling first through others and later in her own right. She ruled as queen consort , empress consort th ...
, the only female
emperor The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...
of China who ruled during the late 600s. Rock the Boat, the children's imprint of
Oneworld Publications Oneworld Publications is a British independent publishing firm founded in 1986 by Novin Doostdar and Juliet Mabey originally to publish accessible non-fiction by experts and academics for the general market. Based in London, it later added a li ...
, acquired the UK rights in May 2021. ''Iron Widow'', Zhao's
debut novel A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to pu ...
, was released on September 21, 2021. In an interview with ''
Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...
'', Zhao stated that "there's no other woman in Chinese history who had a rise through the harem as iconic as hers... It's been incredibly fun to reimagine her as instead a teenage peasant girl in an intensely misogynistic world who suddenly gains access to giant fighter mechas—how would she change her world?" Numerous
anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...
shows, such as ''
Neon Genesis Evangelion , also known as ''Evangelion'' or ''Eva'', is a Japanese mecha anime television series produced by Gainax and Tatsunoko Production, and directed by Hideaki Anno. It was broadcast on TV Tokyo and its affiliates from October 1995 to March 1 ...
'', ''
Digimon , short for "Digital Monsters" ( ''Dejitaru Monsutā''), is a Japanese media franchise, which encompasses virtual pet toys, anime, manga, video games, films, and a trading card game. The franchise focuses on the eponymous creatures who inhabit a ...
'', and ''
Attack on Titan is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hajime Isayama. It is set in a world where humanity is forced to live in cities surrounded by three enormous walls that protect them from gigantic man-eating humanoids referred to a ...
'' served as inspiration for ''Iron Widow''. In particular, Zhao in a
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thread said the story was written partly in response to their disappointment in the direction ''
DARLING in the FRANXX , abbreviated as , is a Japanese science fiction mecha romance anime television series co-produced by A-1 Pictures and Trigger and animated by Trigger and CloverWorks that premiered in January 2018. The series was announced at Trigger's ...
'' took in its later episodes.


Synopsis


Setting

The nation of Huaxia, a futuristic reimagining of Medieval China, is constantly under attack by alien creatures (
Hundun Hundun ( zh, c=混沌, p=Hùndùn, w=Hun4-tun4, l=muddled confusion) is both a "legendary faceless being" in Chinese mythology and the "primordial and central chaos" in Chinese cosmogony, comparable with the world egg. Linguistics ''Hundun' ...
s). Aided by mysterious and unseen gods (the Heavenly Council), humanity has recovered from a devastating attack ages ago that forced civilization to rebuild. Humans have learned to harvest the bodies of defeated Hunduns to create giant fighting
mecha In science fiction, or mechs are giant robots or machines, typically depicted as piloted, humanoid walking vehicles. The term was first used in Japanese (language), Japanese after shortening the English loanword or , but the meaning in Japan ...
s, called Chrysalises. Chrysalises are piloted by young men with high levels of spirit pressure who can release their qi, following the five classical Asian elements. Treated like celebrities by the media and adoring public, male pilots rely on "concubines", female pilots who supply them with additional qi at the cost of their own lives. Male-female pairings that don't risk the concubine's death are called Balanced Matches, but are rare and treated as celebrity marriages. The strongest male pilot in history was the legendary emperor Qin Zheng, rumored to be frozen in stasis within his Chrysalis, the
Yellow Dragon The Yellow Chinese dragon, Dragon () is the zoomorphic incarnation of the Yellow Emperor of the center of the universe in Chinese folk religion, Chinese religion and Chinese mythology, mythology. The Yellow Emperor or Yellow Deity was conceiv ...
, to stave off an illness until a cure could be found. The Hunduns have controlled the place where the Yellow Dragon is for centuries.


Plot

Wu Zetian Wu Zetian (624 – 16 December 705), personal name Wu Zhao, was List of rulers of China#Tang dynasty, Empress of China from 660 to 705, ruling first through others and later in her own right. She ruled as queen consort , empress consort th ...
enlists as a
concubine Concubinage is an interpersonal relationship, interpersonal and Intimate relationship, sexual relationship between two people in which the couple does not want to, or cannot, enter into a full marriage. Concubinage and marriage are often regarde ...
to avenge her older sister, who died after having enlisted but meeting her unexplained death before she ever got to co-pilot a Chrysalis. She resents her uncaring family, who only value their daughters for the money their deaths as concubines will fetch them. Despite being in love with a wealthy childhood friend, Gao Yizhi, she resolves to avenge her sister even if it will likely mean her death. Zetian successfully arranges to be paired with her sister's co-pilot,
Yang Guang Emperor Yang of Sui (隋煬帝, 569 – 11 April 618), personal name Yang Guang (), alternative name Ying (), Xianbei name Amo (), was the second emperor of the Sui dynasty of China. Emperor Yang's original name was Yang Ying, but he was rena ...
. While piloting, Zetian sees his memories of the many girls he's abused. Zetian overwhelms and kills him. Her survival has her branded a dangerous and rare "Iron Widow". Her spirit pressure now registers at extraordinarily high levels. Feared, but conscripted, she resolves to destroy the Chrysalis system and its reliance on the sacrifice of female pilots. To keep her under control, the army pairs her with their strongest male pilot: the conscripted criminal Li Shimin. She and Shimin are a Balanced Match, and their mental bond causes them to learn more about each other. Zetian discovers that Shimin is actually a gentle artist who murdered his family for gang raping a young woman and that the army forced his alcohol addiction to control him. Though their relationship starts as a show for the public, the two fall in love. When they are relocated to the capitol, Yizhi pulls strings to be able to assist their training, in an effort to keep Zetian alive. Yizhi helps Shimin break his addiction, and Zetian and Yizhi secretly rekindle their love. Yizhi, Shimin, and Zetian secretly enter a
polyamorous Polyamory () is the practice of, or the desire for, romantic relationships with more than one partner at the same time, with the informed consent of all partners involved. Some people who identify as polyamorous believe in consensual non-mono ...
relationship. After a heavily televised battle where Yizhi gives his qi to help them defeat a massive Hundun, Yizhi joins them in the Chrysalis. The three suspect that the Chrysalis system is biased toward the survival of the male pilots. Shimin and Zetian torture a high-ranking official, who confesses that girls are just as likely to have strong spirit pressure as boys, but the system is rigged to ensure the survival of the male pilot. During a counterattack in the lost territory, another Chrysalis attempts to kill them under secret orders from the government. Shimin ejects Zetian and Yizhi from the cockpit and pilots the Chrysalis alone, the strain of which kills him. Zetian desperately seeks out the rumored location of the Emperor Qin Zheng with the aid of nomads in the lost territory. She awakens Zheng from stasis and offers to cure his illness in exchange for piloting his Yellow Dragon, after which she easily defeats the Hunduns and the treacherous Chrysalis pilots. She then turns on the army and capitol, razing its central command tower, and exposing the truth of the co-pilot system to the media. Zetian establishes herself as the new ruler of Huaxia, "Empress Wu", and together with Yizhi, forces the surviving military and political powers to submit. Zetian attempts to retrieve Shimin's body, but the Heavenly Council has taken it. A secret government document reveals that Huaxia is not on Earth, but actually a colony on another planet. The Hunduns are the native species, defending themselves from invading humans. Before Zetian can share this horrifying information with the public, the Heavenly Council advise her that if she serves them, they will revive Shimin.


Characters

*
Wu Zetian Wu Zetian (624 – 16 December 705), personal name Wu Zhao, was List of rulers of China#Tang dynasty, Empress of China from 660 to 705, ruling first through others and later in her own right. She ruled as queen consort , empress consort th ...
: a peasant girl who becomes the titular "Iron Widow" and co-pilot for the
Vermilion Bird The Vermilion Bird ( zh, c=朱雀, p=Zhūquè) is one of the Four Symbols of the Chinese constellations. According to Wuxing (Chinese philosophy), Wu Xing, the Taoism, Taoist five elemental system, it represents the Fire (Wu Xing), Fire element, ...
Chrysalis. She seeks to topple the sexist society of
Huaxia ''Huaxia'' is a historical concept representing the Chinese nation, and came from the self-awareness of a common cultural ancestry by ancestral populations of the Han people. Etymology The earliest extant authentic attestation of the ''H ...
after her sister is sacrificed as a pilot. *
Li Shimin Emperor Taizong of Tang (28January 59810July 649), previously Prince of Qin, personal name Li Shimin, was the second Emperor of China, emperor of the Tang dynasty of China, ruling from 626 to 649. He is traditionally regarded as a co-founder ...
: the "Iron Demon", Wu Zetian's half-
Rongdi The Di or Beidi (Northern Di) were various ethnic groups who lived north of the Chinese (''Huaxia'') realms during the Zhou dynasty. Although initially described as nomadic, they seem to have practiced a mixed pastoral, agricultural, and hunting ...
co-pilot for the Vermilion Bird, a former death row inmate who was spared for having the strongest qi in the history of modern Huaxia. He is an alcoholic and has a tendency to lash out to express his anger, however he has a gentler and sensitive side underneath. * Gao Yizhi: Zetian and Shimin's love interest, the gentle and elegant fifth son of the biggest media mogul in Huaxia who forms
polyamorous Polyamory () is the practice of, or the desire for, romantic relationships with more than one partner at the same time, with the informed consent of all partners involved. Some people who identify as polyamorous believe in consensual non-mono ...
relationships with Zetian and Shimin and works to keep them alive against political forces that would have them disposed of. He is a
composite character In a work of media adapted from a real or fictional narrative, a composite character is a character based on more than one individual from the story. It is an example of dramatic license. Examples Film *'' The Wizard of Oz'' (1939): Glinda, Goo ...
inspired by several lovers of the historic Empress Wu. *
Gao Qiu Gao Qiu (1076?–1126) was a Chinese politician who lived during the Song dynasty and served in the court of Emperor Huizong. In the classical novel ''Water Margin'', he is fictionalised as one of the primary antagonists and a nemesis of the pr ...
: The richest media mogul in Huaxia and a corrupt businessman with underground ties to spread his influence. Initially dismissive, he eventually agrees to exclusive and lucrative media contracts to support Zetian and Shimin's public image. *
Sima Yi Sima Yi (; ; 179 CE7 September 251 CE), courtesy name Zhongda, was a Chinese military general, politician, and regent of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He formally began his political career in 208 under th ...
: A senior strategist and Zetian and Shimin's reluctant handler and trainer. *
An Lushan An Lushan (; 20th day of the 1st month (19 February) 703 – 29 January 757) was a Chinese military general and rebel leader during the Tang dynasty and is primarily known for instigating the An Lushan Rebellion which devastated China and kill ...
: Chief strategist for the Sui-Tang frontier. He treacherously seeks to remove Zetian and Shimin from battle by sending them on suicide missions and is later interrogated by the two for his knowledge of the Chrysalis pilot system. *
Dugu Qieluo Dugu Qieluo or Dugu Jialuo (; 544 – September 10, 602), formally Empress Wenxian (), was an empress of the Sui dynasty of China. She was the wife of Emperor Wen, who, on account of his love and respect for her, as well as an oath they made w ...
& Yang Jian: The female and male pilots, respectively, of the
White Tiger The white tiger (ashy tiger) is a leucistic morph of the tiger, typically the Bengal tiger. It is occasionally reported in the Indian wilderness. It has the typical black stripes of a tiger, but its coat is otherwise white or near-white, and ...
Chrysalis. Qieluo is cold and hostile toward Zetian's attempts at friendship. * Ma Xiuying &
Zhu Yuanzhang The Hongwu Emperor (21 October 1328– 24 June 1398), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Taizu of Ming, personal name Zhu Yuanzhang, courtesy name Guorui, was the founding emperor of the Ming dynasty, reigning from 1368 to 1398. In ...
: The female and male pilots, respectively, of the
Black Tortoise The Black Tortoise is one of the Four Symbols of the Chinese constellations. It is usually depicted as a tortoise intertwined with a snake. The character '' can mean 'martial' or 'warrior.' The two characters and do not have any literal mean ...
Chrysalis. Xiuying is initially friendly toward Zetian, offering advice, while Yuanzhang is openly hostile toward Shimin and Qieluo for their Rongdi heritage. * Emperor Qin Zheng: A legendary ruler of Huaxia and pilot of the Emperor-class Chrysalis the Yellow Dragon. Qin Zheng's spirit pressure is unmatched beyond any pilot in existence. He contracted a disease called flower pox and used the natural qi of the Kunlun Mountains to suspend himself in stasis until a cure could be found. Rumors say he remains there still, but the territory surrounding him has been lost to the Hunduns for over 200 years. *
Yang Guang Emperor Yang of Sui (隋煬帝, 569 – 11 April 618), personal name Yang Guang (), alternative name Ying (), Xianbei name Amo (), was the second emperor of the Sui dynasty of China. Emperor Yang's original name was Yang Ying, but he was rena ...
: the male pilot of the
Nine-Tailed Fox The nine-tailed fox () is a mythical fox entity originating from Chinese mythology. In Chinese folklores, foxes are depicted as spirits possessed of magic powers. These foxes are often depicted as mischievous, usually tricking other people, wi ...
Chrysalis, and the target of Wu Zetian's revenge for murdering her sister. *The Heavenly Council: The mysterious and unseen gods who aid Huaxia. They have never been seen in person or recorded, but they provided humanity with the lost technology to rebuild society after the Hunduns destroyed civilization. Defeated Hundun husks are harvested and given as offerings to the Heavenly Council or reshaped into Chrysalises. The ruling Sages take their orders from the Heavenly Council.


Reception

Jessica Singer, for ''
CBC News CBC News is the division of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the news gathering and production of news programs on the corporation's English-language operations, namely CBC Television, CBC Radio, CBC News Network, and CBC ...
'' in August 2021, highlighted the impact of
BookTok BookTok is a subcommunity on the social media platform TikTok that focuses on books and literature. This book club emerged in late 2019 as TikTok was becoming more popular. Members of this subcommunity, known as the BookTokers, make videos review ...
on sales of young adult fiction. Singer wrote that "books like ''Iron Widow'' by Canadian author Xiran Jay Zhao are already gaining popularity online, even before the book's release date in late September". Kara Savoy, Penguin Random House Canada's integrated marketing director, told Singer that "it's one of the books that we've really been sending out to Canadian influencers. When Xiran did an unboxing video of their advanced copies a few weeks ago n TikTok the pre-sale numbers in the U.S. went up 600 per cent that week". ''Iron Widow'' reached #1 in the Young Adult Hardcover category of ''New York Times'' Best Sellers in the first week after its release. The week of January 2, 2022, the book had slipped to #5 and had been on the ''New York Times'' Best Sellers for eleven weeks. , the book has remained on the ''New York Times'' Best Sellers for 28 weeks. The book received generally positive reviews, with commentators noting the queer and feminist themes. Linda Codega of ''
Tor.com ''Reactor'', formerly ''Tor.com'', is an online science fiction and fantasy magazine published by Tor Books, a division of Macmillan Publishers. The magazine publishes articles, reviews, original short fiction, re-reads and commentary on specul ...
'' stated that the "worldbuilding is imaginative and explosive, the strange mix of mecha battles and reimagined characters lighting up the fight scenes and adding a new mythology to historical fantasy" but that the book didn't go "far enough to examine the underlying
misogyny Misogyny () is hatred of, contempt for, or prejudice against Woman, women or girls. It is a form of sexism that can keep women at a lower social status than Man, men, thus maintaining the social roles of patriarchy. Misogyny has been wide ...
and transphobia" the characters faced from the oppressive society. Mimi Koehler of ''The Nerd Daily'', however, found the book "takes a deep dive into the unrelenting and unfair gender roles Wu Zetian's society tries to uphold at any cost and how that not only affects how people treat her but how she, in par, treats others," comparing it to ''
Pacific Rim The Pacific Rim comprises the lands around the rim of the Pacific Ocean. The '' Pacific Basin'' includes the Pacific Rim and the islands in the Pacific Ocean. The Pacific Rim roughly overlaps with the geological Pacific Ring of Fire. List ...
'' and ''
The Handmaid's Tale ''The Handmaid's Tale'' is a futuristic dystopian novel by Canadian author Margaret Atwood published in 1985. It is set in a near-future New England in a patriarchal, totalitarian theonomic state known as the Republic of Gilead, which has ...
''. The book was listed on multiple end-of-year roundups. ''
The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe,'' also known locally as ''the Globe'', is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Boston Globe'' is the oldest and largest daily new ...
'' included ''Iron Widow'' on their "Best Books of 2021" list and stated that the book is an "intense, feminist page-turner".
CBC Books CBC Arts () is the division of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation that creates and curates written articles, short documentaries, non-fiction series and interactive projects that represent the excellence of Canada's diverse artistic communitie ...
included it on their "The best Canadian middle-grade and YA books of 2021" list. ''
Business Insider ''Business Insider'' (stylized in all caps: BUSINESS INSIDER; known from 2021 to 2023 as INSIDER) is a New York City–based multinational financial and business news website founded in 2007. Since 2015, a majority stake in ''Business Inside ...
'' highlighted that the ''Iron Widow'' is on "The 20 most popular young adult reads of 2021" list based on
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reviewers.


Awards and nominations


Sequel

Zhao initially announced that the sequel, titled ''Heavenly Tyrant'', would be released in Spring 2023. However, they later announced that the release would be delayed to April 30, 2024, and it changed once more to December 24, 2024. They earlier hinted on their
Tumblr Tumblr (pronounced "tumbler") is a microblogging and Social networking service, social networking website founded by David Karp in 2007 and is owned by American company Automattic. The service allows users to post multimedia and other content ...
blog that the novel "will be a partial
Three Kingdoms The Three Kingdoms of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu dominated China from AD 220 to 280 following the end of the Han dynasty. This period was preceded by the Eastern Han dynasty and followed by the Jin dynasty (266–420), Western Jin dyna ...
retelling".


Film adaptation

In September 2022,
Picturestart Erik Feig is an American film producer. He is the CEO of the independent production company Picturestart, which he founded in 2019, and previously oversaw the film production and sales departments of Summit Entertainment, Lionsgate, and Sony Pict ...
optioned the film rights to ''Iron Widow''. It was announced that J.C. Lee was hired to write the screenplay and that the film will be produced by
Erik Feig Erik Feig is an American film producer. He is the CEO of the independent production company Picturestart, which he founded in 2019, and previously oversaw the film production and sales departments of Summit Entertainment, Lionsgate, and Sony Pict ...
, Jessica Switch and Julia Hammer.


References

{{reflist 2021 Canadian novels 2021 science fiction novels Asian-Canadian literature Canadian LGBTQ novels Canadian young adult novels LGBTQ-related young adult novels LGBTQ speculative fiction novels Mecha in literature Penguin Books books 2021 LGBTQ-related literary works