The Poet Empress : The hotly anticipated standalone fantasy debut perfect for fans of R.F. Kuang and Madeline Miller performance art ’ New York Times‘Exhilarating’ BBC

’ New York Times‘Exhilarating’ BBC Radio 4 Front Row'Bloody fun

An instant classic showcasing the beauty of nature·

Yet the full story of what happened that day – and the ominous warning signs recognized but then ignored in the years before – has never been told

their origin in our genes and crucially how certain medical disorders give rise to them

the IRA and even Pablo Escobar

The Poet Empress : The hotly anticipated standalone fantasy debut perfect for fans of R.F. Kuang and Madeline Miller performance art ’ New York Times‘Exhilarating’ BBCAuthor: Tao, Shen Fantasy romance Published on 20 January 2026 by Orion Publishing Co (Gollancz) in the United Kingdom. Hardback 400 pages 241 x 163 x 36 638g '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 PATELTO KILL A MONSTER, SHE MUST BECOME ONE . . . As the emperor lays dying, the