Iron Widow

 Book Title: Iron Widow

Author: Xiran Jay Zhao

Series: Iron Widow #1

Date Started: July 17th 2021

Date Completed: July 25th 2021

Genres: Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Historical, Action

Quality Rating: Four Stars

Enjoyment Rating: Four Star

Final Rating: Four Stars

Review:

◆ Thanks to NetGalley for this eBook copy for review ◆

Iron Widow was so, so much fun. It's marketed as Pacific Rim meets The Handmaid's Tale (I would say more Hunger Games), but honestly just the summary is enough to instantly sell it: a reimagining of the only Empress of China where massive metal creatures shaped as mythological beasts are piloted to fight invading hoards of aliens. But the corruption behind the scenes is more of a threat than the doom that approaches them from outside their walls.

I will admit that there are times when the book falls into cheesiness and might be slightly overdone, but it's such a cool way to explore Chinese cultural and mythological elements in both a historical and modern way that any little things that don't land perfectly are irrelevant. I love how and how rich the cultural influences were and how well the Chinese elements that might not be as well-known in the West were explained without info-dumping.

I also need to write about Zeitan herself, who is an utterly fantastic heroine. I'm going to parallel it to The Poppy War for the sole purpose of citing complex, questionable women who are humanised and that we are able to have empathy for. Also, shout out to the polyamorous relationship; I've never really seen it used before and quite honestly I'm not that familiar with it, but it was great.

It's so hard to articulate the modern contradictions for identifying as something and recognising (and accepting) the negative background and aspects of it, but Zhao does it. There are historically negative associations with being a woman; it doesn't mean femininity is bad. There are parts of Chinese culture that have hurt its people (one example criticised in this book is traditional foot-binding); that doesn't mean there aren't aspects that should be celebrated. Zhao fluently communicates that paradox, and it's genuinely moving and liberating.

Even aside from the politics, Iron Widow is just fun and exciting and engaging. If you also haven't seen Zhao's videos on Asian cultural influences in popular culture including Mulan, Avatar: The Last Airbender and Kung Fu Panda, then I highly recommend them. Her skill at picking up apart existing storytelling works is just as strong - if not rivalled - by her skill at creating her own.