It is the sequel to the author's 2021 British Fantasy Award-winning debut, She Who Became the Sun, and completes the The Radiant Emperor Duology.
[1] The novel continues the story of She Who Became the Sun, in which Zhu Chongba, a peasant girl in 14th century China, assumes her dead brother's identity and his promise of greatness in order to escape the "nothingness" of her own fate.
Seeking refuge in a monastery, Zhu Chongba maintains the deception, slowly gains status, rises to power, joins the Red Turbans when the monastery is destroyed, then, having eliminated her adversaries one by one, eventually occupies the capital, and having succeeded in summoning the Mandate of Heaven (which in this series appears as a physical manifestation of fire) is finally crowned King.
Meanwhile, the scholar, Wang Baoxiang has also found his way into the capital, and plans through a series of lethal intrigues to bring the empire to its knees.
"[5] Reviewers have praised He Who Drowned the World for its vivid writing, uncompromising characterization and innovative treatment of the themes of gender and power.