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He Who Drowned the World cover art

He Who Drowned the World

Written by: Shelley Parker-Chan
Narrated by: Natalie Naudus
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Publisher's Summary

Long-listed, Washington Post Best Books of the Year 2023

The sequel and series conclusion to She Who Became the Sun, the accomplished, poetic debut of war and destiny, sweeping across an epic alternate China. Mulan meets The Song of Achilles.

How much would you give to win the world?

Zhu Yuanzhang, the Radiant King, is riding high after her victory that tore southern China from its Mongol masters. Now she burns with a new desire: to seize the throne and crown herself emperor.

But Zhu isn’t the only one with imperial ambitions. Her neighbor in the south, the courtesan Madam Zhang, wants the throne for her husband—and she’s strong enough to wipe Zhu off the map. To stay in the game, Zhu will have to gamble everything on a risky alliance with an old enemy: the talented but unstable eunuch general Ouyang, who has already sacrificed everything for a chance at revenge on his father’s killer, the Great Khan.

Unbeknownst to the southerners, a new contender is even closer to the throne. The scorned scholar Wang Baoxiang has maneuvered his way into the capital, and his lethal court games threaten to bring the empire to its knees. For Baoxiang also desires revenge: to become the most degenerate Great Khan in history—and in so doing, make a mockery of every value his Mongol warrior family loved more than him.

All the contenders are determined to do whatever it takes to win. But when desire is the size of the world, the price could be too much for even the most ruthless heart to bear…

A Macmillan Audio production from Tor Books.

©2023 Shelley Parker-Chan (P)2023 Macmillan Audio

What the critics say

"Natalie Naudus narrates the conclusion to The Radiant Emperor Duology.... Naudus...illuminates the few tender moments amid the overall violence and sets a quick, smooth pace that never lags." (AudioFile)

What listeners say about He Who Drowned the World

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It’s painfully beautiful and heart wrenching

I did not expect the direction that the story took, but it’s safe to say book 2 not only kept up with the first book but exceeded it, taking the story to a whole new height and depth. It’s an alternate historical fiction, so I already know how it would end, but not how it would get there. And even though there aren’t any true plot twists, since all the change in direction was made clear way ahead, it’s the resonance of the character’s emotions that delivers the kind of punch. It’s the portrayal of the characters’ emotions and turmoil that really pulls the attention, the description of grief and determination, the inner struggle behind the character choices and motivations, the guilt for the results, all fit together in a way that makes it feel both raw and intricate, all of that enhanced by Natalie’s amazing reading that makes everything feel so immersive. It’s just a wonderful experience, I felt myself hurt and love along with the characters, and I loved the book all the way through.

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