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Heavenly Tyrant

Iron Widow, Book 2

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Heavenly Tyrant

Written by: Xiran Jay Zhao
Narrated by: Rong Fu
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About this listen

Instant #1 New York Times Bestseller!

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 listeners.

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?

©2023 Xiran Jay Zhao (P)2023 Tundra Books
Literature & Fiction Science Fiction & Fantasy

What the critics say

"Returning fans will find many things to love in this cathartic power fantasy." School Library Journal

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Great Second Act

Similar to Iron Widow, the final thrust of Act 3 is where action truly turns up and follows a sci-fi theme familiar to the current reader. Act 1&2 are, I would say, a little slower than IW was. There are high points of course, but the books loses momentum a few times in the duldrums of the transformation of Marxism into Stalinism and resistance to it. There are many aspects of this story miserably reflective of our modern world and the utter futility of it in the face of greater challenges.

As with last book, the direction of the next installment is utterly impossible to predict which is nice.

Audio book reader was... awkward in their attempts at achieving different accents.

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Phenomenal read!

Zhao Xiran never disappoints! I was at the edge of my seat the entire book! I’m so overjoyed to know that we’ll be seeing what Wu Zetian does next

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