I first encountered Xiran Jay Zhao via twitter when friends linked to her takedown of the 2020 Mulan film (well worth watching – the takedown, not the movie) so when I read that she was writing a novel that built on Medieval Chinese concepts with giant robots and monsters/kaiju I was obviously going to read it.
In Iron Widow we see a patriarchal society in which women are very much second class citizens. For most it’s marriage and hope you get a good husband. And a terrible ambition for some families is that their daughters are found to possess the skills to copilot a Chrysalis (a giant mecha) – it’s a death sentence for almost all girls but their families get money from it and the male pilots are legends who in the eyes of the population can do no wrong
After her sister dies at the hands of a pilot even before she enters a Chrysalis our here Wu Zetian enlists to be a concubine and avenge her sister. At this point things take a sharp turn as she possesses the mental fortitude and Qi levels to overcome her ‘weakness’ and ends up destroying her co-pilot mentally (her sister’s rapist and murderer). To keep her under control they pair her with another male rogue (Li Shimin) as they cannot afford to kill her – she’s too strong in the fight against the Hundun (the monsters). Over time her relationship strengthens with Li Shimin and she is also reunited with Gao Yizhi (her sort-of boyfriend). Together they work to reveal the truth that women’s capabilities are suppressed by the system – and worse, that their people are the true aggressors here and not the victims of an invasion. Fighting back sees things go from bad to worse with death a constant risk and a twist at the end that ensures a sequel was needed.
It’s a page-turner of a book which combines concepts well as the Chrysalises has a definite hint of both Jaegers from Pacific Rim, combined with a Transformer element, the names and some elements are historical Chinese. There’s also the fact that this is a book with a true and equal love triangle, always great to see that rather than fighting over a woman! If there’s a weakness it is that it felt a little too much like it was written for the screen, the pace is rapid and perhaps more time to reflect would be good
