Xiran Jay Zhao

‘Fast-paced, furiously funny and utterly fantastic.’ A.F. Steadman ‘Culture and technology clash as Zachary Ying takes adventure to a new level!’ Kwame Mbalia Percy Jackson meets Yu-Gi-Oh in this hilarious, action-packed fantasy adventure. Zachary Ying has never had much chance to learn about his Chinese heritage. So when he’s chosen to host the spirit of the First Emperor of China for a vital mission, he is woefully unprepared. As a result, the emperor botches his attempt to possess Zack’s body and binds to his AR gaming headset instead. With the legendary tyrant yapping in his headset, Zack must journey across China to steal magical artifacts and defeat figures from history and myth. Using his newfound water dragon powers, can Zack complete the mission in time to save the mortal world?

After suffering devastating loss, Zetian finds herself at the seat of power in Huaxia. But her world is not as it seems, and revelations about an enemy more daunting than she imagined forces her to share her power with a dangerous man. Zetian must join this man in a dance of truth and lies to take down their common enemy.With perilous forces aiming to undermine Zetian at every turn, can she enact positive changes as a fair and just ruler? Or will she be forced to rely on fear and violence and succumb to her darker instincts in her quest for vengeance?

THE WAIT IS OVER. ZETIAN IS BACK WITH A VENGEANCE. 'Pulse-pounding, thought-provoking, ambitious and outrageous, this huge YA sci-fi tale amply delivers on the promise of the first volume.' Guardian, best new children's and teens books She is hated by both men and gods, and heaven and earth cannot allow her to exist. After suffering devastating loss and making drastic decisions, Zetian finds herself on the seat of power in Huaxia, but she has also learned that her world is not as it seems. Revelations about an enemy who dangles one of her loved ones as a hostage force Zetian to share power with a dangerous man she cannot simply depose. Despite their mutual dislike and distrust, the two must work together to take down their common enemy and stoke a revolution against the systems of exploitation that plague their world. However, power is not so easy to wield once seized, and a revolution is not so easy to control once unleashed. As Huaxia’s former elites strike back and the common people's fervour for justice turns bloody and paranoid, can Zetian remain a fair and just ruler? Or will she be forced to rely on fear and violence and succumb to her darker instincts in her quest for vengeance and liberation? THE EPIC SEQUEL TO IRON WIDOW. Praise for the series: ‘This is the historical-inspired, futuristic sci-fi mash-up of my wildest dreams.’ Chloe Gong ‘Raging against the patriarchy in spectacular style.’ Observer, best books of the year ‘Think The Handmaid’s Tale meets Pacific Rim and buckle up.’ Shelley Parker-Chan A New York Times bestseller, December 28, 2024

Percy Jackson meets Tristan Strong in this hilarious middle grade "edge-of-your-seat adventure" (James Ponti, New York Times bestselling author of City Spies) that follows a young boy as he journeys across China to seal the underworld shut and save the mortal realm.Zachary Ying never had many opportunities to learn about his Chinese heritage. His single mom was busy enough making sure they got by, and his schools never taught anything except Western history and myths. So Zack is woefully unprepared when he discovers he was born to host the spirit of the First Emperor of China for a vital mission: sealing the leaking portal to the Chinese underworld before the upcoming Ghost Month blows it wide open. The mission takes an immediate wrong turn when the First Emperor botches his attempt to possess Zack's body and binds to Zack's AR gaming headset instead, leading to a battle where Zack's mom's soul gets taken by demons. Now, with one of history's most infamous tyrants yapping in his headset, Zack must journey across China to heist magical artifacts and defeat figures from history and myth, all while learning to wield the emperor's incredible water dragon powers. And if Zack can't finish the mission in time, the spirits of the underworld will flood into the mortal realm, and he could lose his mom forever.

Instant New York Times No.1 Bestseller. A YA Pacific Rim meets the Handmaid’s Tale retelling of the rise of Wu Zetian, the only female emperor in Chinese history. I have no faith in love. Love cannot save me. I choose vengeance. The boys of Huaxia dream of pairing up with girls to pilot Chrysalises – giant transforming robots that battle aliens beyond the Great Wall. It doesn’t matter that their female co-pilots are expected to serve as concubines and often die from the mental strain. When 18-year-old Zetian offers herself up as a concubine-pilot, her plan is to assassinate the ace male pilot responsible for her sister’s death. But after miraculously surviving her first battle, Zetian sets her sights on a mightier goal. The time has come to stop more girls from being sacrificed. ‘This is the historical-inspired, futuristic sci-fi mash-up of my wildest dreams.’ Chloe Gong ‘Raging against the patriarchy in spectacular style.’ Observer, best books of the year ‘Zetian is unstoppable, and I dare you not to cheer her on.’ Elizabeth Lim, author of Spin the Dawn A New York Times bestseller, Oct 10 2021

Una hero na temeraria e indomable que, si no puede cambiar el mundo, le prender fuego. Los chicos de Huaxia sue an con ser emparejados con una chica para poder convertirse en pilotos de cris lidas, los gigantes mecanizados que se usan para luchar contra las criaturas que acechan al otro lado de la Gran Muralla. El mayor honor para una chica de Huaxia es que la seleccionen como piloto-concubina, aunque esto signifique una muerte segura. Cuando su hermana muere en una cris lida, Zetian le toma el relevo para vengarla. La revancha es r pida, brutal e... inesperada, y Zetian se gana el apelativo de la Viuda de Hierro; una temida mujer piloto que sacrifica a los hombres, y no al rev s, para propulsar las cris lidas. Para domar su inquietante pero valios sima fuerza mental, la emparejan con Li Shimin, el piloto m s fuerte y controvertido de todo el pa s. Pero, ahora que ha probado el poder, Zetian no se doblegar tan f cilmente. Aprovechar sus dones y su infamia para sobrevivir a un intento tras otro de acabar con su vida, hasta averiguar por qu el sistema de pilotos depende tanto de destruir la vida de las chicas... y arrasarlo para siempre. ENGLISH DESCRIPTION An instant #1 New York Times bestseller A Barnes & Noble's Best YA Fantasy & Adventure of 2021A New York Public Library Best Book for Teens (2021)A Canadian Children's Book Centre Favourite Book of the Year (2021)A Boston Globe Best Book of 2021A Cultured Vultures' "21 Best Books Of 2021" A 2021 Goodreads Choice Awards Nominee, Best Young Adult & Science FictionNominated for the Science Fiction Writers of America's Andre Norton Nebula Award for Middle Grade and Young Adult Fiction Pacific Rim meets The Handmaid's Tale in this blend of Chinese history and mecha science fiction for YA readers. The boys of Huaxia dream of pairing up with girls to pilot Chrysalises, giant transforming robots that can battle the mecha aliens that lurk beyond the Great Wall. It doesn't matter that the girls often die from the mental strain. When 18-year-old Zetian offers herself up as a concubine-pilot, it's to assassinate the ace male pilot responsible for her sister's death. But she gets her vengeance in a way nobody expected--she kills him through the psychic link between pilots and emerges from the cockpit unscathed. She is labeled an Iron Widow, a much-feared and much-silenced kind of female pilot who can sacrifice boys to power up Chrysalises instead.​ To tame her unnerving yet invaluable mental strength, she is paired up with Li Shimin, the strongest and most controversial male pilot in Huaxia​. But now that Zetian has had a taste of power, she will not cower so easily. She will miss no opportunity to leverage their combined might and infamy to survive attempt after attempt on her life, until she can figure out exactly why the pilot system works in its misogynist way--and stop more girls from being sacrificed.

THE WAIT IS OVER. ZETIAN IS BACK WITH A VENGEANCE. 'Pulse-pounding, thought-provoking, ambitious and outrageous, this huge YA sci-fi tale amply delivers on the promise of the first volume.' Guardian, best new children's and teens books She is hated by both men and gods, and heaven and earth cannot allow her to exist. After suffering devastating loss and making drastic decisions, Zetian finds herself on the seat of power in Huaxia, but she has also learned that her world is not as it seems. Revelations about an enemy who dangles one of her loved ones as a hostage force Zetian to share power with a dangerous man she cannot simply depose. Despite their mutual dislike and distrust, the two must work together to take down their common enemy and stoke a revolution against the systems of exploitation that plague their world. However, power is not so easy to wield once seized, and a revolution is not so easy to control once unleashed. As Huaxia’s former elites strike back and the common people's fervour for justice turns bloody and paranoid, can Zetian remain a fair and just ruler? Or will she be forced to rely on fear and violence and succumb to her darker instincts in her quest for vengeance and liberation? THE EPIC SEQUEL TO IRON WIDOW. Praise for the series: ‘This is the historical-inspired, futuristic sci-fi mash-up of my wildest dreams.’ Chloe Gong ‘Raging against the patriarchy in spectacular style.’ Observer, best books of the year ‘Think The Handmaid’s Tale meets Pacific Rim and buckle up.’ Shelley Parker-Chan A New York Times bestseller, December 28, 2024

Zetian must balance dangerous politics with a new quest for vengeance in the sequel to the #1 New York Times bestseller Iron Widow. Pacific Rim meets The Handmaid's Tale in this blend of Chinese history and mecha science fiction for YA readers.After suffering devastating loss and making drastic decisions, Zetian finds herself on the seat of power in Huaxia, but she has also learned that her world is not as it seems. Revelations about an enemy who dangles one of her loved ones as a hostage force Zetian to share power with a dangerous man she cannot simply depose. Despite their mutual dislike and distrust, the two must work together to take down their common enemy and stoke a revolution against the systems of exploitation that plague their world. However, power is not so easy to wield once seized, and a revolution is not so easy to control once unleashed. As Huaxia's former elites strike back and the common people's fervor for justice turns bloody and paranoid, can Zetian remain a fair and just ruler? Or will she be forced to rely on fear and violence and succumb to her darker instincts in her quest for vengeance and liberation?

The instant #1 New York Times bestseller, now available in a stunning new paperback look with bonus content. Pacific Rim meets The Handmaid's Tale in this blend of Chinese history and mecha science fiction for YA readers. The boys of Huaxia dream of pairing up with girls to pilot Chrysalises, giant transforming robots that can battle the aliens that lurk beyond the Great Wall of China. It doesn't matter that the girls die from the mental strain. When 18-year-old Zetian offers herself up as a concubine-pilot, it's to assassinate the ace male pilot responsible for her sister's death. But when she gets her vengeance, it becomes clear that she is an Iron Widow, a rare kind of female pilot who can sacrifice males to power up Chrysalises instead. To tame her frightening yet valuable mental strength, she is paired up with Li Shimin, the strongest male pilot in Huaxia, yet feared and ostracized for killing his father and brothers. But now that Zetian has had a taste of power, she will not cower so easily. She will take over instead, then leverage their combined strength to force her society to stop failing its women and girls. Or die trying.

Percy Jackson meets Tristan Strong in this hilarious middle grade "edge-of-your-seat adventure" (James Ponti, New York Times bestselling author of City Spies) that follows a young boy as he journeys across China to seal the underworld shut and save the mortal realm. Zachary Ying never had many opportunities to learn about his Chinese heritage. His single mom was busy enough making sure they got by, and his schools never taught anything except Western history and myths. So Zack is woefully unprepared when he discovers he was born to host the spirit of the First Emperor of China for a vital mission: sealing the leaking portal to the Chinese underworld before the upcoming Ghost Month blows it wide open. The mission takes an immediate wrong turn when the First Emperor botches his attempt to possess Zack's body and binds to Zack's AR gaming headset instead, leading to a battle where Zack's mom's soul gets taken by demons. Now, with one of history's most infamous tyrants yapping in his headset, Zack must journey across China to heist magical artifacts and defeat figures from history and myth, all while learning to wield the emperor's incredible water dragon powers. And if Zack can't finish the mission in time, the spirits of the underworld will flood into the mortal realm, and he could lose his mom forever.