This week we are discussing Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao, Part II.
Content Warning!!! This book contains situations and subjects related to: toxic parental relationship, violence, torture, misogyny/sexism, attempted sexual assault, rape (mentioned/off-page).
Spoiler Warning!!! This post is full of spoilers for Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao.
Discussion:
Michaela: Hello friends and welcome to our second discussion of Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao. Listen friends, I am so into this book right now. This section felt so strong, I did not want to put the book down. Li Shimin is not quite what I expected and neither is Yizhi. I feel like there is a lot going on all at once but it's not really. We see Zetian get paired with Li Shimin, and I love the stark difference in his mind realm versus the one Zetian was in before. I’d like to know the meaning behind those differences. Also, I would love to know what Zetian’s looks like. It seems like you don’t really have control or even know what your own dream realm is like so I assume it depends heavily on who you are deep down and your feelings about life.
Jac: I was so sad to stop before the next section began. After we finished discussion one, we were chatting about Li Shimin and Michaela guessed that there was probably more to him and his “crime” than it seemed, and she was correct. I don’t fully understand Zetian’s determination to hate him after hearing what the motivations behind his crime was, but I also don’t live in that world and haven’t experienced what she has. It makes sense for her to feel the way she does. Of course, she’s coming around to him, and I think Yizhi beat her there.
Speaking of Yizhi - I was so shocked when he showed up! I was not expecting the story to go that direction at all. At first I was worried there was going to be a love triangle situation, which I don’t tend to enjoy much, but I’m honestly expecting the three of them to end up being in a polyamorous relationship. They make such a good team. When Yizhi gave his qi to the Vermillion Bird, I got goosebumps. He was exactly what Li Shimin and Zetian needed. He balances the two of them out. I’m loving the way their relationships are developing and I’m so excited to see what they can do when they really begin to work together seamlessly.
Michaela: I was also shocked at Yizhi’s reappearance. I thought maybe he’d come back at the end, maybe as a nod to Zetian’s past. But the story really took a left turn on me, I don’t hate it though. I loved the entire visualization of Zetian and Li Shimin coming together and then bringing Yizhi into the bird with them and his qì flowing around them. It was honestly such a beautiful scene amongst the chaos of battle. And it was in the rain even, can’t get more romantic than death, rain, and qì sharing can we?
Now, I am kind of confused and a little anxious about Yizhi’s family stuff. When we saw all his tattoos, it just feels like that is going to take us somewhere that may not be the nicest. It's either going to be a cog in their new triangle or it’ll be the perfect aid in getting the media on their side. We’ll just have to see on that one. The media presence in this story is really interesting to me because it truly feels so real, the amount of influence the media has over public opinion. Multiple characters talk about paying the media companies off to get a certain pilot more attention and therefore keep them in good standing for as long as they can. That is the most realistic thing in this whole story, paying off media to get better coverage. I’m interested to see how that plays out as well.
I would like to know just how many pilots there are. If we’re needing to pay media to keep them alive or to keep them from being sacrificed in battle then there must be so much more than what we’ve seen. That part I am a little confused about. But we also learned that pilots age out of being able to harness their qì well enough to pilot the Chrysalises at only 25. Why are we so eagerly sending pilots out to be conveniently slaughtered when we already have a limited number plus limited time with their powers? That is the dumbest shit this council decides to do. Also, simply shoving powerful women with someone they know they won’t match with when they could be so beneficial to this war. Like make it make sense, you can not. These old men need a real good session of…. re-organization we’ll say.
Jac: The media aspect of the story, and the way the battles are live streamed almost reminds me of The Hunger Games. It’s different, but the attitudes are the same. If the media loves you, if you can put on a good show, you’re more likely to survive. You have a good point about wondering how many pilots there are…. I think that no matter how dire the situation may be, the inherent misogyny in the culture prevents them from seeing women as talented and useful. I also don’t necessarily believe that the origin story of the hunduns is accurate… the fact that information is hoarded and distributed by the elite makes me very suspicious about the foundation of their government and the military.
My heart honestly breaks for Li Shimin. The alcohol seems like the only way he was able to live with himself for killing all of these girls. He clearly hates himself for it. I’m impatient to hear more about this partner of his that died. He’s been through so much trauma, and I think him and Zetian could really bond over that in a way that Yizhi probably can’t in the same way. Although, like you said, the tattoos have me wondering more about his family and how they’ll impact the way things unfold….
I’m already looking forward to re-reading this book and understanding more about the way that the hundun husks, qi channeling, and spirit metal work. It’s typical for me to struggle to comprehend how new magic or technology works in fantasy and sci fi, so this isn’t a knock on the writing by any means - but I don’t feel like I have as good a grasp on how everything works as I could. I’m sure it will all end up fleshed out a bit more as the series continues, though, also.
Michaela: Fully agree on the suspicions of the elite and the foundation of the government. Something is really messed up there. I feel like there is so much we do not know because we’re only really seeing the world through Zetian’s limited experience in it. I’m looking forward to learning more about that as we keep going.
I also don’t think I have a good understanding of how some things work in this world, mostly with qì and all the different types and how they can or cannot work together well. Also, confused on how they can all switch between energy types when they also have one that is theirs primarily. I struggle with that kind of stuff, particularly in sci-fi worlds, something about it is so hard for me to grasp when reading. And how the Chrysalises work, transform, and all of that, but I think that is less of me understanding it and more that we just haven’t been told through the narrative yet necessarily. The writing of this book, and many sci-fi stories, is very similar to high fantasy in that you just get thrown into the world, everything exists already, and usually all the characters already understand the basics of magic and society. So you’re kind of just left in the deep end with all the information and you just let it flow over you until it all finally clicks together in your head. I’m not quite there with this book as far as understanding those sci-fi elements, but I am still loving those elements, the story, and the characters. All in all this story has just sucked me all the way in. And this section ended on the worst cliffhanger, like I’m sure Zetian won’t die because this whole book is about her, but still I am so anxious to know what happens to all of them.
Jac: I’m sure she’ll end up being okay, but I can’t wait to keep reading. Now that we’re approaching the last part of the book, we know there’s going to be a big conflict soon, and I’m anxious to see what it is. I love reading, but part of me always wishes the characters would just be happy forever and not have to deal with hardship. Alas, that is not how storytelling goes.
Well, friends, that’s all for this week. We’ll see you next week for our final discussion of Iron Widow!
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