She Who Became the Sun

The Number One Sunday Times Bestseller

An immersive, historical fantasy set in 14th-century China, She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan is a queer tale of love, loss, betrayal and triumph.

'Magnificent in every way' – Samantha Shannon, author of The Priory of the Orange Tree

In a famine-stricken village on a dusty plain, a seer shows two children their fates. For a family’s eighth-born son, there’s greatness. For the second daughter, nothing.

In 1345, China lies restless under harsh Mongol rule. And when a bandit raid wipes out their home, the two children must somehow survive. Zhu Chongba despairs and gives in. But the girl resolves to overcome her destiny. So she takes on her dead brother’s identity – and begins her journey.

Can Zhu escape what is written in the stars, as rebellion sweeps the land? Can she claim her brother’s greatness – and rise, ruthlessly, to take the dragon throne?

This is a glorious tale from a powerful new voice.

She Who Became the Sun is a reimagining of the rise to power of Zhu Yuanzhang. Zhu was the real-life peasant rebel who expelled the Mongols, unified China under native rule, and became the founding Emperor of the Ming Dynasty.

‘Epic, tragic and gorgeous’ – Alix E. Harrow, author of The Ten Thousand Doors of January


Genre: Fantasy

"A gripping tale of rise to power, fate, betrayals and the bloody beginnings and endings of dynasties. Heartbreaking, stirring, haunting." - Aliette de Bodard

"Evocative and heartrending, Parker-Chan's debut is a poetic masterpiece about war, love, and identity.... It stabbed me through the heart then salted and set fire to the wound." - S A Chakraborty

"Parker-Chan unrolls the painted scroll of her epic tale with the control of a master storyteller, revealing a dazzling new world of fate, war, love and betrayal. Fantasy will never be the same." - Zen Cho

"She Who Became the Sun is an intense and sweeping epic that blurs the lines between rebellion and revenge, between fate and ambition, exposing the inherent violence of gendered ideologies and the traumas they create in ourselves and the world." - Tessa Gratton

"She Who Became the Sun is epic, tragic, and gorgeous. It will wreck you, and you will be grateful." - Alix E Harrow

"Zhu is a hero unlike any other - her propulsive desire to survive at any cost powers a glorious novel that encompasses grand betrayal, love, loss and triumph. An unforgettable debut." - A K Larkwood

"Instantly enthralling. Zhu is canny, charming, and ruthless as she claims her own fate in a richly detailed world, challenging dynasties and gender in the process." - Malinda Lo

"Shelley Parker-Chan's debut novel is a sweeping epic rendered in elegant prose. Arresting, beautiful, grand in scope and yet intimately poignant, readers will be drawn into this deftly written fantasy." - Rowenna Miller

"An exhilarating rise to power that takes you from palace to village to battlefield, in a world that is stunningly alive. Parker-Chan's exquisitely wrought prose brings light and nuance to the novel's immense themes of gender, power and fate. An instant classic." - C S Pacat

"An absolute stunner... The story, much like the characters, is ambitious and clever and the depth of emotion Parker-Chan is able to tap into without ever becoming maudlin is astounding... There's war and violence and betrayal (oh the betrayal) and destiny both embraced and defied. Incredible work. Cannot wait for the next one." - Rebecca Roanhorse

"Magnificent in every way. War, desire, vengeance, politics - Shelley Parker-Chan has perfectly measured each ingredient of this queer historical epic. Glinting with bright rays of wit and tenderness, yet unafraid to delve into the deep shadows of human ambition, She Who Became the Sun, like Zhu, is unquestionably destined for greatness." - Samantha Shannon

"Stunning, powerful and complex, there are no heroes in this tale, and people knowingly do terrible things. And you'll love them for it.... Parker-Chan is a major new voice in historical fantasy." - Anna Stephens