Xiran Jay Zhao’s Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor is set to release with Margaret K. McElderry Books on May 10, 2022.
Many thanks to Simon & Schuster & NetGalley for providing an e-ARC for review.
Xiran Jay Zhao proves to be a historical powerhouse in Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor, a stunning middle grade debut that tackles identity and belonging amidst the backdrop of an impending spiritual catastrophe.
Drawing from their love of Yu-Gi-Oh!, Zhao seamlessly drops the reader into twelve-year-old Zack’s world, one fueled by uncertainty as the teen navigates microaggressions in his undertaking to fit in and make friends as a Muslim Chinese American, made possible by Mythrealm, a hybrid mobile-headset augmented reality game that pairs the type advantage, status, and historical significance of Yu-Gi-Oh, with the catching and collecting aspect of Pokémon Go, where creatures are literally the stuff of legends.
While Zack is a member of the school’s Mythrealm team and has a dedicated group of “friends,” he is often othered, ostracized, and made the butt of many hurtful jokes at the expense of his heritage. He is hyper aware of his physical presentation and goes to great lengths to “fit in” by throwing away his mother’s home cooked lunches, pitching his voice lower, and hiding his identity – one that, in many ways, was ripped away from him to help him assimilate. Aside from his father’s role as a dissident against the Chinese government for speaking out about the treatment of minorities, specifically Uighur Muslims, and his mother’s incredible cooking, Zack knows little of his heritage or history, putting him at an unfamiliar crossroads when it comes to identity. With no knowledge of his Chinese roots, and no real place as an immigrant in America, the young teen flounders when he is approached by a new student, Simon Li, acclaimed international Mythrealm player and host to Tang Taizong, a historical legend who is often regarded as the co-founder of the Tang Dynasty.
Following their brief, history-filled meeting between classes, Zack is pressured to introduce his Mythrealm team to the new transfer so that one boy can “borrow” an extremely rare Chinese Water Dragon. During the intense physical altercation that follows, reality shifts into a modern contemporary fantasy, legends soaring to life alongside intense elemental bending (think Avatar the Last Airbender, but with video game health bars, qi meters, and summons), wherein Zack finds himself temporarily possessed by the spirit of Qin Shi Huang, First Emperor of China, and distant ancestor.
Afraid of the power – and lack of control – that Qin Shi Huang represents, Zack banishes the connection before it can form, forcing the spirit of the legendary emperor to bind to his portal lens, an augmented reality headset, instead. What unfolds thereafter is a thrilling adventure full of complicated emotions and rich historical significance when Zack finds himself propelled into a country he doesn’t know, on a quest he does not fully understand, after his mother is attacked by a demonic host duo who steal her spirit, leaving her in a comatose state. To save his mother, Zack must save China – which, unbeknownst to those outside of the influence of their ancestor-hosts – is in mortal peril thanks to the weakening of a plug that holds the spirits of the underworld at bay. To save China, Zack must strengthen his connection to the First Emperor and use that magic to reinforce the overwhelmed portal before the spirits gain the power to transcend the depths of the underworld during the Ghost Month.
Enter Qin Shi Huang, Tang Taizong, and Wu Zetian – and their hosts, Zachary Ying, Simon Li, and Melissa Wu respectively – as they navigate China in search of historical artifacts to bolster their ranks by strengthening the spirit bond between the First Emperor and Zack. The more the teen learns about his ancestry, the stronger the bond, resulting in a whirlwind of witty, yet informative history lessons told in conspiring tales during downtime between fast-paced heists that take the trio from the Shanghai Museum to the depths of the Pacific Ocean in search of the mythical island of Penglai.
It is in these miniature history lessons that Zhao truly shines, as they incorporate fact and fiction to breathe life into the very magic of the world, legends made real – not just in the physical manifestation Qin Shi Huang and his many enemies (historical figures interspersed throughout the novel in the form of possessed human hosts, made visible by the portal lens) – but in the magic itself. Tales – both real and imagined – shape the abilities available to portal lens users, making Zhao’s middle grade debut a wonder in the same vein as Neil Gaiman’s American Gods by revealing that legends have the ability to shape perception, myths manifesting – and shifting – due to human belief. We see these legends come to life firsthand, the AR spirits taking on unique abilities thanks to the power of their stories and popularity, blending their real-world historical achievements with fantasy as they draw from conspiracy theories and adaptations, seen most frequently in the varied mythos of Qin Shi Huang himself, whose status as a spirit is legendary: his historical significance generating incessant power in his name. To be a god, a legend – you must not be forgotten.
This is about your personal connection to me, not about you being Chinese enough, which is not something that can be measured. You claim Chinese heritage, that makes you Chinese. Knowledge of me is just a small part of Chinese culture, which is vast and different across the world, wherever Chinese people are. Why do you think I can speak American English? It’s because of Chinese Americans like you and your mother, who surely thinks of me as a cultural legend.
– excerpt from Xiran Jay Zhao’s Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor
The idea of spoken word bringing power manifests in a number of ways, seen in the attunement process required to strengthen the bond between ancestor and descendant. Zack’s fast-paced training is more than browsing Wikipedia and reading the humorous bios that appear alongside health bars in real time; it’s watching documentaries and adaptations, conversing with friends, and absorbing Qin Shi Huang’s memories through artifacts, which bear the First Emperor’s spiritual essence, or pò. It’s a lot for a twelve-year-old to handle, and we witness firsthand as Zack struggles to come to terms with his identity, overwhelmed with possibilities and emotions – guilt, shame, hope, jealousy – as he navigates a world that is equal parts fascinating and unfamiliar, unable to find himself as an Asian diaspora. In Zack, Zhao offers a glimpse at anxiety at the hands of your own identity, of being denied, othered, and lost in your own sense of self. While he may feel at home in small halal restaurants and in conversation with Melissa and Simon, who treat him with respect and understand him immediately, Zack is torn, desperate to return to his mother while simultaneously imagining life as it could have been.
Zhao navigates the warring emotions inside of Zack with incredible care, touching on difficult complexities of Zack’s heritage as a Hui Chinese American by encouraging him to accept and acknowledge his differences, despite the loneliness that he feels when compared directly to others. By learning about his ancestors, Zack is able to make informed decisions about himself as a young queer teen, and while the answers aren’t perfect, the trials that he faces along the tumultuous and unexpected journey across China in Qin Shi Huang’s name help to solidify his sense of self.
In facing down the possibility of death and destruction – of his mother, of himself, and of China – Zack learns to set boundaries and make independent decisions, learning to love himself first and foremost. By delving into Zack’s complicated history, Zhao deftly examines what it means to belong, exploring that which makes us something, with Qin Shi Huang providing important and insightful commentary throughout. There’s strength in knowing where you come from and how you belong, and Zhao provides that in spades through a gripping emotional journey that highlights the prejudice and opposition that Chinese minorities face, both within the country and beyond.
Zack couldn’t help but feel a little unnerved by all this talk of “standardization.” Whenever an emperor or country pushed for everyone to be the same or do the same, there were inevitably those who suffered because they couldn’t help but be different.
– excerpt from Xiran Jay Zhao’s Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor
While Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor is by no means an accurate portrayal of the strict political climate that is China, it does offer a wondrous history lesson on the people, places, and institutions that helped to shape the country (and the world), many of which, as we see directly in Zack, are not taught in the West. By pairing Chinese history and myth with popular culture – seen in the idea of AR gaming headsets, MMOs, and countless references from American Idol to Avatar the Last Airbender, Leeroy Jenkins to the Justice League, Xiran Jay Zhao continues their legacy, offering the perfect balance of shōnen anime vibes with real world lessons, told through the eyes of a fierce cast of relatable and vibrant characters.
Though Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor may be better suited to upper middle grade readers due to its intricate historical depth and scope, Zhao’s fast-paced, adventurous middle grade debut is nothing short of genius, a dedicated work of contemporary fantasy that breathes life into magic by diving headfirst into history, tradition and legend. Full of humor and heart, Zhao ends in a devastating cliffhanger that will have readers young and old clamoring for more of Zack’s adventures, because who doesn’t want more heated family drama that makes you question everything you thought you knew?
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