Empire in the Clouds

Ai Jiang is a Chinese-Canadian writer, winner of the Bram Stoker (R), Nebula and Ignyte Awards, and Hugo, Astounding, Locus, and BSFA Award finalist, and an immigrant from Changle, Fujian currently residing in Toronto, Ontario. Her work can be found in F&SF, The Dark, Uncanny, The Masters Review, among others. She is the recipient of Odyssey Workshop's 2022 Fresh Voices Scholarship and the author of Linghun and I AM AI. The first book of her novella duology, A Palace Near the Wind, is out now, with A River From the Sky coming in Spring 2026. Find her on most social media platforms and for more information go to aijiang.ca.

Praise for An Empire in the Clouds:Floating lotus cities, cyborg koi, and techno-mask face-changing opera contests are a few of the many wonders to be found in An Empire in the Clouds, a sumptuous, dazzlingly inventive, genre-blending tale set in a fraught, divided world.-Fonda Lee, author of The Last Contract of Isako and the Green Bone SagaA fascinating and original spectacle of powerful emotions and incredible vistas.-Adrian TchaikovskyIntricate, lush, and dangerous, An Empire in the Clouds will satisfy the most devout C-drama fans with its inventive backdrop and multi-layered games of deception! Ai Jiang is a worldbuilder on top of her game, this time bringing us the expansive worlds of Pio and Opera, different in every conceivable way but for the secrets they hold. Dive into their turbulent waters to find your answers, but beware, some truths are better left undisturbed.-A.D. Sui, Nebula Award-winning author of The Iron Garden SutraA stunningly assured and beautifully written fantasy.-Gareth L. Powell, author of Jitterbug and Future's EdgeA lush and inventive tale exploring duality in its many forms, beginning with the clash between lands: the ancient beauty of traditionalist Pio and the gritty neon of tech-obsessed Opera. Against this vibrant backdrop, Jiang deftly combines gorgeous prose, complex characters, and subtle commentary to build a powerful story about the ways we help and hurt each other-whether intentional or not. Don't miss this heartbreakingly beautiful debut novel from a rising star in speculative fiction!-Kelsea Yu, Shirley Jackson Award-nominated author of Demon SongAi Jiang masterfully paints two ideologically disparate but equally corrupt societies: a rigid traditionalist empire at odds with a cyberpunk dystopia in environmental collapse. A transportive story of rebellion and family tragedy, An Empire in the Clouds is deeply theatrical and lush, with a world rich enough to drown in.-Sara Omer, author of The Gryphon King and The Harpy KnightArt can change the world for good or ill. Jiang's stunning debut novel is a powerful reminder of as much as it celebrates the many ways we tell stories through dance, music, and visual culture.-A.C. Wise, author of The Ballad of Bone RoadAi Jiang has done it again, perfectly blending genres to create something vibrant and new. Mixing cyberpunk with the sensibilities of a Chinese period drama, this is an addictive, heart-stopping feast for the senses. It's experimental and introspective, while also boasting thrills and suspense aplenty. Jiang's intriguing philosophical style shines in the tale of a princess who must leave the home she's always known to free her family from oppression and death. Her quest explores the nature of freedom, expression, identity, and revolution in a unique world fused with tech and biology where-just like its mask-wearing inhabitants-nothing is quite what it appears. I was totally hooked. Absolutely loved it. This Opera hits all the high notes, and reads like the work of a true maestro. Bravo!-Frasier Armitage, reviewer at FanFiAddict and author of Time's Ellipse and New Yesterday