She Who Became the Sun

In this story of an alternate history China, we follow the rise of Zhu. As a girl, her elder brother is promised greatness, and she is promised nothing. But soon after her father and brother are killed, and Zhu is alone in the world, in Mongol-conquered China. Zhu decides to follow the path of greatness that was promised her brother, by pretending to be him. She flees famine to a monastery where she becomes a monk. Greatness is in her path, even though she constantly clashes with Ouyang, a eunuch general of the Mongol army.

It's a delight to read, and so very queer. It plays with gender roles so interestingly. Zhu has to pretend to be male, but encourages another female character to 'desire', something that women just don't do. And there's Ouyang, castrated, beautiful as a woman, craving nothing but masculinity and his Prince.

Can't wait to read the sequel.

This was amazing. I had not heard of this book until it was nominated for the Hugo Award, and as a Hugo voter this year, I am trying to read as many of the finalists as I can. This looked like a book that I would not normally enjoy, but I gave it a shot.

Wow! This is one of the most enjoyable novels I've read in quite some time. Parker-Chan addresses gender identity in a unique way that offers insights for the present day, despite the book being placed in 1345. The evolution of the actions Zhu will take to claim her fate are a fantastic lens through which we can see the character changing. While this book is classified as fantasy, the fantasy elements are minimal, and mostly understated. This book is part 1 of a duology, but it has a satisfying conclusion. Having said that, I will be eagerly awaiting the final volume.