I’m thrilled to announce that Xijun J Chen has joined the agency with her stunning debut fantasy: EULOGY OF A TRAITOR QUEEN.
A brilliant tour de force inspired by a love of Wuxia and Chinese mythology, Eulogy explores the political landscape of a world divided by culture, history and race - and what it will take to ensure war doesn’t consume them all.
For readers of R. F. Kuang, Tasha Suri and Wesley Chu - the story explores how two women from countries divided by religious belief, cultural differences - and what it is that defines them - must come together for a shared ideal of saving their people from death.
A scholar building a world without magic.
A warrior who nearly destroyed it in the name of her God.
An alliance might save both their peoples from bloodshed...but at what cost?
Princess Toksa has been betrayed. Instead of a warrior's glory, her mission to conquer the Kingdom of Rhesa for the great Taian Empire ends in failure, dishonour, and the threat of the executioner’s axe. Now forced to fight for her life, she vows revenge on the brother she suspects of orchestrating her downfall.
The daughter of the Rhesan King, Rian, prefers chemistry and engineering to playing court politics. Yet when war threatens her kingdom, she’s sent to Taitun to secure a marriage alliance with the barbarian emperor. To gain the tyrant's favour, Rian must learn to wield the power of a divine relic capable of levelling mountains. A power she’d always shunned for fear it would cost her what she values most; her mind.
Taitun is a dangerous land. Hunger, desperation, and the ambitions of cutthroat courtiers threaten to plunge the Empire into turmoil. If they are to survive, Toksa and Rian must work together, not only to navigate the treacherous court and violent rebels, but to also win the favour of fickle Gods. If they succeed, they might just save both their homelands.
But in the face of conflicting duties and ambitions, an alliance is a fragile thing. One false move, even a stray touch of fingers, could prove fatal.
Xijun explains what inspired her to write about these two very different women: As a child, I was raised on Chinese historical and fantasy epics. I can still vividly remember sitting with my baby sister on our green velvet sofa, in the flat above my mum’s shop, watching old DVDs she'd brought from China. Journey to the West, Dream of the Red Chamber, and Legend of the Condor Heroes, to name a few favourites.
I fell in love with the gritty, sweeping battles, the quick-witted characters, the clever and wondrous magic systems. But what stayed with me most were the women. From maids and pirates, to scholars and scientists, to generals and empresses — women who, in a world that rarely made room for them, found ways to wield power on their own terms. Some were ruthless and calculating, like Wu Zetian and Wang Xifeng; others, like Xiaozhuang, were soft-spoken yet quietly unyielding. Each was formidable in her own way.
Author photo from a Chinese photoshoot - the series of which can be found here.
Eulogy was inspired by these women, in particular, the story of a Qing dynasty princess who was sent to marry a Mongolian Khan to stave off a war, only to become a powerful ruler in her own right. Her story embodies the question that lies at the heart of Eulogy: What does it take to reclaim your own power when the world has already decided your place for you?
At its core, the book is a celebration of culture and empowerment. I wanted to create an original world in which I could explore the rich, complex, and wonderfully varied cultures of China’s many ethnic groups, while telling a story about sacrifice and resilience, belonging and self-determination. About young women learning to stand tall in a world that is determined to make them small.
It's my way of sharing a part of my heritage — and the stories that captivated me as a child — with a broader audience.
About the Author: Xijun J Chen is a fantasy author who draws inspiration from her longstanding love of Chinese epics. Her writing explores themes of identity and empowerment, heavily influenced by her own journey toward embracing her heritage as a Chinese immigrant. She now lives by the coast in Newcastle with her husband and two fluffy, cat-shaped monsters.
You can find the author on Instagram here.