#7: Iron Widow
I have no faith in love. Love cannot save me.I choose vengeance.
Iron Widow
Xiran Jay Zhao
Year Published: 2021
Pages: 391
Genres: YA fiction, science fiction/fantasy
Topics: Feminism, Chinese history and myth, giant robots
Recognition:
Summary
The land of Huaxia is under constant attack by Hunduns, alien monsters that seem bent on destroying human civilization. To combat them, humans created the Chrysalises, giant battle mechas powered by the spiritual energy of their pilots. There's just one catch: Chrysalises require the energy of two people. In Huaxia's patriarchal society, all pilots are men, and women volunteer—or are offered—as concubines to provide pilots with their own spiritual energy to help power the Chrysalises. Most women only last one or two battles before the strain kills them.
When her older sister is killed by one of the Chrysalis pilots, Wu Zetian enlists as a concubine in a plot to kill the man who did it. But when she's forced into an unexpected battle, Zetian makes a shocking discovery: her spiritual energy is strong enough to overpower the male pilot, killing him in the process. The Chrysalis strategists and commanders dub her the "Iron Widow," forcing her to partner with Li Shimin, the most powerful Chrysalis pilot in Huaxia and a notorious barbarian and murderer.
Determined to end the brutal treatment of women, Zetian must learn to work together with Shimin (who is much more than he seems) to battle the Hunduns while also surviving the jealous and misogynistic schemes of her commanders and fellow pilots. As she becomes more powerful and famous, she uncovers long-buried secrets that will put her in a position to change Huaxia forever.
Iron Widow and Me
Iron Widow was, for me, very much a case of judging a book by its cover. I had seen it in science fiction and YA sections in bookstores for several years and was drawn to the artwork and intriguing title. I have a minor background in Mandarin and Chinese studies, and I thought a sci-fi action epic based on China's only true empress sounded awesome.
Which is a shame, because I didn't really like Iron Widow. I found the characters mostly flat and uninteresting, their motivations either unclear or inconsistent. I thought the novel was too fast paced to allow for much character development, and the world-building was vague. Zhao's incorporation of names and ideas from Chinese history and mythology is creative and interesting, but it's too scattershot for the reader to really learn anything. And the prose is often awkward and overblown, with much more telling than showing.
Still, the novel has been very popular, and if you're a fan of mecha anime and manga, there's a good chance you'll find more to like in it than I did. I might look into some of the manga the book is based off of, to see if my problem is more with the book or the entire genre.
Teaching Considerations
Young Adult: Zhao (who uses they/them pronouns) has been public about their frustration with YA book imprints and marketing, and they no longer personally advertise the book as YA. But it is still published under one of Penguin's YA imprints, and I would still classify this way, although toward the upper end of that age range: appropriate for 11th or 12th graders, 10th at the youngest.
Small Group or Individual Read: I have a lot of students who love anime and manga, and Iron Widow is heavily anime-inflected. I would want the book to be available to them, and it might spark a desire to find out more about the historical and mythical antecedents to some of the book's characters and ideas. If a group of students wanted to read it together as a small group, I would be all for that, but I don't think there's enough here to justify assigning it or teaching it as a whole class read.
Feminism and Patriarchy: Iron Widow's blunt feminist critiques might be helpful for starting discussions about life in a rigidly—and often violently—patriarchal society. The novel has drawn some comparisons to The Handmaid's Tale in its treatment of women as property, and it could serve as a good companion piece to that more classic novel, or just as a way to explore complex questions about the relative morality of violence in an inherently violent society.
Sensitive Content: Iron Widow contains quite a lot of bloody violence (against people, not just Hunduns and mechas) and discussions of sexual assault. It has some profanity, though not as much as other YA books for older teens. There's also a polyamorous relationship between three characters, but it's fairly tepid.
Read-Aloud Passages
- At the other end of the bridge, ... The needles pierce my spine. (pp. 61-63)
- This passage describes the terror Zetian feels the first time she is forced into a Chrysalis by one of the pilots. It's a kinetic scene, like many in Iron Widow, and it's a good illustration of Zetian's fear of being sacrificed to the male pilots like so many other concubines.
- Gao Qiu's cold stare seizes me at once. ... "So, Pilot Wu, are you one of them?" (pp. 260-263)
- This passage is a conversation between Zetian and Gao Qiu, her boyfriend's wealthy, chauvinistic father. Zetian feigns demureness to gain influence with him, but Gao Qiu isn't fooled, and he summarizes the sexist attitude that typifies Huaxia's ruling class. It's a strong passage for highlighting the misogynistic environment that Zetian must navigate and that she seeks to bring down.
Liked Iron Widow? Try These:
- Heavenly Tyrant by Xiran Jay Zhao (2024)
- Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card (1985)
- The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin (2015)
- The Poppy War by R. F. Kuang (2018)
Comments
Post a Comment