#xiranjayzhao

[high-quality-tiktoks]

🤷‍♂️publishing can’t ask us to write bestsellers for them on no money

[thereaderbee]

📚 What are some underrated books that you’ve read this year?? Happy Thursday, Bookworms … Have you read any books this year that you feel are underrated? I’ve read a few, and the first one that came to mind was *Iron Widow* by Xiran Jay Zhao! (Also, throwback photo because it was pouring rain yesterday and too dark to take photos.) I read this book back in January, and it’s so good. I don’t see it around much, but everyone should read it. I have the sequel preordered and I can’t wait to devour it. ❤️ What are some underhyped books that you loved this year?? 🌲 📚 🌲 📚 🌲 📚 #AlltheBookDec22 #MyFictionalMusings #CourtofReadingDec22 #Reaing ingintheWeb 🌲 📚 🌲 📚 🌲 📚 #ironwidow #xiranjayzhao #bookstack #yabooks #bookstagram #booksofinstagram #booknerd #booklover #bookphotography #books #reading #bookrecs #goodreads #bookobsessed #yafantasy #fantasybooks #bookcommunity #booksaremagic #readmorebooks #cozyreading #bookaesthetic #bookcommunity #readingisfundamental #fiction #readingtime #ilovebooks https://www.instagram.com/p/CmL_8INOkUi/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[queenofmagpies]

Just watching @xiranjayzhao receiving Hugo Award 2024 for their debut “Iron Widow”, against the odds of Chengdu incident aka self-censorship by Hugo administrators to appease Chinese government.

Congratulations to our Monarch!

[cant-think-of-anything-creative]

hi @xiranjayzhao I just finished Iron Widow (FANTASTIC time) and was looking through some fanart when I noticed that most of them don't depict Wu Zetian's bound feet (hypothesizing this is because of lack of reference or straight up not wanting to)

just wondering if that bothers you at all, and do you have a preference either way??

thanks for writing this amazing book!! eagerly awaiting Heavenly Tyrant :D

[tardisfireworks]

Can't believe Li Shimin, most commonly known as Emperor Wu Zetian's first husband, spent actual hours trouncing preteen gamers in @xiranjayzhao 's Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor

I love this book, it's great to reread too!

[pyxisbr-blog-blog]

A "Viúva de Ferro", da série "Entre sem bater".

O segredo para entender as mulheres está aqui.

A melhor indicação de um presente para elas nesta data hipócrita.

#ViuvadeFerro #Entresembater #XiranJayZhao #Hipocrisia #DiadaMulher

[taliejane]

Review: Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

I absolutely adored this book from the beginning! I don't usually go for fantasy or dystopia but this book is big in queer bookish spaces so I went for it. I wasn't disappointed!

The story takes place in a fictional dystopia, inspired by various historical Chinese epochs, where female concubines are routinely sacrificed in battle in order to fuel the futuristic war weaponry piloted only by men. Wu Zetian, inspired by the historical Chinese Empress, decides to enlist as a concubine with the intention of murdering the pilot who took her sister's life. However, in a world where power comes from mental fortitude rather than physical, she soon proves herself to be a powerful force to be reckoned with.

TW: Sexual assault, misogyny, alcoholism and Chinese foot binding.

Spoilerful review:

Wu Zetian immediately subverts expectations of a dystopian heroine, which had me hooked from the start. Whereas usually the Katniss Everdeens of the world are fighting to protect their family or loved ones, Zetian is motivated purely by revenge. Despite knowing it will condemn her entire family to death, despite knowing there are no hopes of survival for herself, she single-mindedly pursues the pilot who murdered her sister.

The pure rage that fuels her throughout the story was so addictive to read. I've seen criticisms of this book which lamented that her feminism was purely violent. So what? I've been sexually assaulted and my feelings afterwards were also violent. I also would have wanted horrible consequences for everyone who hurt me. Zetian gives catharsis to any reader who has ever just wanted to scream and rage against the seemingly untouchable forces in society that hurt them.

Her melodramatic inner monologue really worked for me too. She is an epic figure on an epic journey. The tone worked. Especially in contrast to the even-tempered rhetoric of the sages and strategists. Which is obviously just placating bullshit when they actively participate in a system which purposefully sacrifices girls.

I enjoyed the way the weaponry works in this story too. Despite having bound feet, Zetian is poweful because she is powerful in spirit. Maybe that allegory is too obvious for some people, but it really worked for me.

Her relationship to the two love interests was also a really nice counterbalance to the main narrative, and added some complexities to her understanding of her own world.

As someone who doesn't love sci-fi, I found the battle scenes easy enough to follow as well. That meant there weren't scenes were I lost interest and so I can comfortably recommend the book to other non-scifi or fantasy fans.

Where this books lost me a bit was the lore behind the 200 year old emporer. Maybe this was a problem with my own reading comprehension. I thought we needed more time with the nomads and the discovery of the 200 year old man??? for her victory to feel deserved. Maybe this was cut for the length of the book to be more typical but idk. Hopefully the sequel will give this more time.

Ultimately this was definitely a 4.5/5 read for me!

[ajtorres0]

QotD: If your mother's spirit was taken to an underworld, but the only way to save her was to allow a spirit to possess you, would you let it? Hola bookstagram, ever since I finished this book with the fam I've been wanting to talk to you guys about it for like EVAH! Haha and that is Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor and oh my goddess, this book was amazing! The humor, the characters, THE STORY! Seriously guys if you like Percy Jackson and anime, pick up this book, you will fall in love with Zack and adopt him like I did hehe. This book is also not afraid to hit you with the hard stuff which will only make you want to hug Zack even more. I seriously cannot WAIT for book 2. In fact, I hate that I have to wait because I want it nooooow! Anyone got the deets yet? Not to mention look at that gorgeous cover by @velinxi, can you just say AMAZING! 😍😍😍😍😍 Because I sure as heck can! Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor is by @xiranjayzhao . . . . #bookstagram #fantasybook #booksofig #readersofig #booknerd #booklover #bookworm #bookdragon #ilovebooks #bibliophile #bookcommunity #zacharyying #zyatde #xiranjayzhao #mgfantasy #mgbook #urbanfantasy #queerbook #middlegradebook #middlegradefantasy https://www.instagram.com/p/CpVaUvjLxaj/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[xlugger]

^that too. BH may have come up w/ the original idea, but one man cannot write/animate/voice act/orchestrate an entire show in a reasonable time frame AND have it be TV quality.

DP has flaws, but they're ones I can look past. (most of the good stuff is fandom created anyway)

still thinking abt whatever the FUCK that anon was on, like

DP almost NEVER gets official merch, and when it does it always looks ugly af. and since Nick owns the property and not BH, he makes a solid 0$ on it.

Also like, the best parts of DP are all the parts he didn't touch? the show's style was developed by Stephen Silver, and it's almost universally agreed S3 (the one Butch wrote) was the worst season by FAR. only thing he'd even VAUGELY profit off of is views on his 10 years later series, but the art's ugly/off model as shit and half the ideas are nonsensical and don't fit into canon well/are ooc for the charas.

idk much about HP but??? did you know anything b4 barging into my inbox?

[high-quality-tiktoks]

The screenwriters are my comrades and I fully understand how they feel🫡

[nadajamal11]

A small tent can't protect from the biting winter cold.

We urgently need your support now!

Donate to help us through this crisis 😭😭😭💔🍉

[fishthegenderwitch]

♥♥♥♥♥ to @endreal for tagging me in this!

relationship status: I already have too much and nothing to say here haha

favorite color: water colours: green, blue, purple, deep blue... I do not have a favourite SINGLE colour

three favorite foods: blueberries, fried chicken, vegetarian sushi

song stuck in my head: today is the first day in 3 months I HAVE NOT had a song running through my head constantly!

dream trip: Ireland, Wales, Scotland, Vietnam, and possibly re-entering Canada (if I have to come back) via Vancouver so I can meet some siblings

time: 14:14

anything I really want rn: a clean, clear work space and 5 days of no obligations so I can get to work on this ART PROJECT

last song: Dick This Big by Todrick Hall xD

last movie: Ocean’s Eight. The best of the Ocean’s films. (fite me)

currently watching: The Grand Budapest Hotel (PANACHE!)

currently reading: Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor by Xiran Jay Zhao, A Snake Falls to Earth by Darcie Little Badger, Encore in Death by JD Robb, A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik. I finished the other 3 I was reading sooner than these ones.

currently craving: blueberries and hugs and a phone call from a friend

----

I tag @labelleizzy, @gnomedyke, @zeatee, and @artoriusiv-unofficial, and @riez-n-shine to fill these out (But you are not obligated!) ♥♥♥♥♥

[isanarte]

50 Shades Of Red

Another commission for @xiranjayzhao about their Iron Widow book! This time a lil fun 50-shades meme about their Iron Widow sequel, Heavenly Tirant, I cannot wait until it's out this december!! I'm so hyped!!!

Patreon | Ko-fi| INPRNT

[lamaery]

soooo, on a vacation trip a week ago, I stumbled over @xiranjayzhao's Iron Widow in a book shop in Copenhagen and devoured it last weekend. It was quite the fun read. (And I am not that inclined to mechs 😄 but the rage filled female power fantasy and the setting felt rather refreshing to me) And after finishing the book I had to get at least some art out of my system. As usual it didn't end up what I really intended it to be in my head initially, but also, as usual it has to suffice for now or I'll never post it.

[drchucktingle]

dq

finally had time to get informed about @xiranjayzhao, rebecca f kuang and @neil-gaiman being removed from hugo ballot without explanation and hugos claiming they were 'disqualified' but not being able to say why. there is something about this that i think only i can say so here goes:

i philosophically believe my story SPACE RAPTOR BUTT INVASION deserved its nomination because of my views on art, but i also know my views are rare and extreme. my circumstances were very unique and strange, so consider this: EVEN SPACE RAPTOR BUTT INVASION WAS NOT DISQUALIFIED

look up the circumstances of my nomination if you are unfamiliar. apparently that was NOT enough for a disqualification but some mysterious thing about the work of @xiranjayzhao, rebecca f kuang and @neil-gaiman is?

again i am not saying i should have been disqualified and i could write a dang 50 page thesis on art theory and why i believe in my nomination, but compared against the current situation it says a LOT. i am very disturbed and saddened by the treatment of these authors.

[queerliblib]

Do you have a list of poly romances? I'm desperate to read actual in-text polyamorous stories and I keep coming up empty. QLL is phenomenal, thank y'all for everything you do!

hello! we are working on building up a list - purchasing a few more each month as we go, but we don’t have enough yet to post it up on Libby yet. however! i can give you a sneak peak from the drafts

Couplets by Maggie Miller

Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao @xiranjayzhao

The Hunger Pangs & Crewel Intentions by Joy Demorra @thebibliosphere

we’re also growing up our poly non-fic! a few titles we’ve already got include Multiamory, Polysecure, & Entwined: Essays on polyamory and creating home