Reviewer: Ryan O’Boyle
Book: Iron Widow
Author: Xiran Jay Zhao
Patriarchy holds its participants hostage. It harms everyone involved, even those with the most privilege in the system. In Iron Widow, by Xiran Jay Zhao, the oppression of women threads its way through the breadth of civilization. The world is beset by monstrous creatures named Hundun that require science blended with magic mechs called Chrysalises to defeat. Men are raised to pilot the mechanical marvels from late teens to mid twenties, when they are no longer able to control them. Males get riches and acclaim as all of the fighting is televised, and they are hailed as heroes. Women, on the other hand, are tossed aside like refuse, churning through concubine sacrifices like lambs to slaughter. They are used for their energy and usually killed each time the Chrysalis is piloted. Wu Zetian does not exist to ameliorate men. She is too strong for that. A balancing act where the price of failure is death, she uses her rage as a bludgeon against the heavy hand of the government. Her strength makes her impossible to get rid of as a resource and she takes full advantage.
A jam-packed barrage of emotion, this book starts strong and finishes even stronger. Delving into polyamory, different sexualities, and the complicated art of war, Iron Widow pulls no punches. Science fiction at its best, I was enthralled the whole way through. I believe the fusion of giant mechs, monsters and real life subjects are blended seamlessly. As a male reader, the subject matter struck home. Whilst the world was fictional, these problems exist in real life, albeit not quite the same. The tale being told from the mind of a young woman entrenched deeply in a male dominated society gave me a new perspective. Xiran Jay Zhao masters the art of melding science fiction and topical subjects into a brilliant, engrossing novel.