The Poet Empress: The instant Sunday Times bestseller and BBC Radio 2 Book Club pick perfect for fans of R.F. Kuang and Madeline Miller
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*THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER**A BBC RADIO 2 BOOK CLUB PICK*
'This is a five star read for real' ROBIN HOBB
'An impressive debut with real psychological depth' THE GUARDIAN
'Richly imagined and politically driven' THE I PAPER
'In a class of its own' THE DAILY MAIL
'It now holds a standard for fantasy standalones' GRIMDARK MAGAZINE
'An epic world of literomancy and magical dynasty' SFX
'Tao's prose gleams with poetic precision' PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
'Full of page-turning suspense' KIRKUS
'An intricate study of court politics' LIBRARY JOURNAL
'This dark fantasy stands out among the plethora of romantasy' BOOKLIST
'Vicious, gorgeous, and fiercely haunting' CHLOE GONG
'Sublime' AMELIE WEN ZHAO
'Enthralling' ANDREA STEWART
'Astounding' CHELSEA ABDULLAH
'Lyrical' K. X. SONG
'Devastating' KRITIKA H. RAO
'Fantasy at its best' VAISHNAVI PATEL TO KILL A MONSTER, SHE MUST BECOME ONE . . .
As the emperor lays dying, the once-great Azalea Dynasty plunges towards civil war. While its princes plot for power, a more hidden war - to become the next empress - occupies the imperial court.
Wei Yin - peasant girl turned concubine to the cruel Prince Terren - has already endured unimaginable suffering. Ripped from her family, she has no title, no allies, and no escape. But she does have a secret . . .
In the shadows of the palace, surrounded by enemies, she is learning a skill forbidden to women. Because when words are weapons and poetry holds an ancient magic, the fate of a girl - and a nation - can both be rewritten. All she has to do is compose the perfect poem - a tale so powerful, it can kill any man, even the next emperor.
The epic political arena of The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang meets the intimate tragedy and luscious language of The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller in this sensational debut novel by visionary new talent Shen Tao, unmissable for die-hard genre fans as well as readers of literary fiction looking to make their first foray into fantasy.
Read MorePraise for The Poet Empress
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It's hard to overstate how calmly authoritative and finely judged this debut is. Gorgeous settings, outstanding characters and tremendous narrative drive put it in a class of its own - The Daily Mail
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This impressive debut is set in a fantastical version of ancient China where poetry is a magical art, and the right to rule is established by physically subduing a dragon . . . A powerful, engaging story with real psychological depth as well as convincing worldbuilding rooted in Chinese history - The Guardian
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This epic fantasy rooted in poetry follows a peasant girl trapped in an imperial court. Richly imagined and politically driven, it combines intrigue with a focused emotional arc about survival, language and agency - The i Paper
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A book filled with complicated characters, power plays and familial love, set in an epic world of literomancy and magical dynasty. Wei is enthralled and corrupted by the power she gains, but never loses sight of the ordinary families struggling to survive far from palace life - SFX
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The very definition of an epic. The Poet Empress draws its world with sharp clarity, its characters with astounding depth, and its magic with flawless precision. Vicious, gorgeous, and fiercely haunting until the end - Chloe Gong, New York Times bestselling author of Immortal Longings
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I have rarely had such a breathless reading experience . . . Terrifying and enthralling! - Andrea Stewart, Sunday Times bestselling author
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