He Who Drowned The World by Shelley Parker-Chan

Book Review

Elloise Hopkins

From humble beginnings, and through much determination and sacrifice, Zhu became The Radiant King, Zhu Yuanzhang, though her mission is far from fulfilled. The Great Khan must be brought down, and to do so, Zhu will have to turn an old enemy into a friend and her wife into a playing piece. The only way to conquer General Zhang and his forces is to convince the eunuch general, Ouyang, to fight alongside her.

Esen-Temur is dead, and Ouyang is irrevocably changed for it. He wants nothing more than the Great Khan’s death, his desire for revenge stronger than any other. For Ouyang, it seems success may not lie exactly where he thinks it is.

Wang Baoxiang, or Prince of Henan as he is now, serves the Great Khan. Wang knows better than any that there is more than one mandate in the world. He is in the darkness of his anger, and he cannot keep it held in check much longer. He will bow and scrape, demean himself and do everything they expect of him, and from within the Khan’s great city, he will begin their end.

He Who Drowned The World begins with Zhu’s hasty journey to Bianling to convince General Ouyang to partner with her. As a protagonist, she remains strong on the page, her fierce optimism driving her forward. Through it all, she must play the part of The Radiant King and hide her true self. Her mandate allows her to see the heavy burdens Ouyang bears. That, and her absolute faith in her destiny, give her the ammunition she needs to expertly navigate his objections and drive her plan forward.

Exquisite characterisation is the absolute strength of this novel. Each of the key characters is so well-rounded, deviant, confident, and so set on their path as to leave the reader equal parts in admiration, repulsion and surprise as the story unfolds. None hesitate to make use of others and aggressively march towards their aims, regardless of the cost. All of that lends the book a pace that is underwritten with tension and desperation to succeed and keeps the reader wondering what levels they will stoop to next.

As a duology, the books work in perfect harmony with each other. The first is the bright tale of the rising heroine in a patriarchal and judgmental society, and the second is the dark and revealing depiction of the lengths our key players will go to in their desires to become emperor and crush all opposition. No method of controlling others is left unexplored, and the sacrifices for the greater good deliver shock and awe against a richly drawn historical backdrop.