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:Intricate, 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 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 SongArt 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 RoadA stunningly assured and beautifully written fantasy.-Gareth L. Powell, author of Jitterbug and Future's EdgeAi 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 YesterdayPraise for A Palace Near the Wind:A Palace Near the Wind is lush, inventive, and original, breaking new ground on the border of science fiction and fantasy, with compelling characters, mystery, and world-saving sacrifice and determination.-Martha Wells, New York Times bestselling author of The Murderbot seriesEnchanting, mysterious, and strange, A Palace Near the Wind is a heartbreaking story of homecoming and self-discovery. Combining the best of folklore and science fiction, this eco-narrative on human greed and superhuman hope is not to be missed.-Kritika H. Rao, author of The Surviving SkyA fantastic and magical tale of survival and rebellion set against the backdrop of a struggle between nature and the forces of industry. Ai Jiang has written a beautiful and all too-fitting story that resonates with the choices we face in our times.-P. DjËlÌ Clark, author of The Dead Cat Tail Assassins and A Master of DjinnA breathtakingly imagined story of ecological disaster, torn families, betrayal, and hope. Unlike anything I've ever read before-like Ghibli retelling Tolkien through Chinese myth-with tree-like deities, political intrigue, wind magic, and mecha. Utterly enchanting.-A.Y. Chao, author of Shanghai ImmortalBeautifully written and intricately layered, this novella is part fairy tale and part tale of rebellion and hope. A compelling and complex story of court politics, hidden secrets, sacrifices, alliances, and characters fighting for their freedom.-A.C. Wise, author of Wendy, Darling and HookedHaunting and lovely, Jiang creates a world of wonder in A Palace Near the Wind. Your heart will break as Lufeng must give up her home, her beliefs, and her sense of family. You'll root for her as she builds her courage to forge a new future for herself, and those precious to her.-Julia Vee, co-author of The Phoenix Hoard trilogyElegant and otherworldly. A tale of family and duty, devotion and obligation - and the shattering secrets hidden in every past. A glorious new myth from a talented new voice.-A.G. Slatter, author of All the Murmuring Bones and The Briar Book of the DeadA beautiful, heart-rending parable about the ways grief and loss feed on the vitality of the living, eventually making ghosts of us all.-Gareth L. Powell, author of Stars and Bones and Future's EdgeA case study for the delicate balance and self-assuredness required in the straddling of two cultures The Straits Times