Shangguan Wan'er: The Tang Dynasty's Turbulent Years

She bears the blood-soaked grudge of a family wiped out, yet is forced to help the very man who destroyed it become emperor. Trapped in the whirlpool of the imperial palace, she uses her writing to break free of the shackles of her station, transforming from a lowly palace servant into a powerful “Inner Court Secretary.” In Shangguan Wan'er's writing, one finds both the literary ambition to “weigh the worthies of the realm” and the political wisdom to balance competing forces. Her life brings her both the favor of Wu Zetian and the piercing pain of being branded. She pursues the pinnacle of power even as she struggles against the fickleness of fate. When talent meets political intrigue, and gratitude and vengeance intertwine with imperial power, she forges a path through the palace that no one else could replicate. At last, she uses her life as a brush to write the final, resounding chapter of her legend, leaving posterity to judge her merits and faults.