A Good Morning America Buzz Pick The dazzling historical novel about a legendary Chinese pirate queen, her fight to save her fleet from the forces allied against them, and the dangerous price of power. As Recommended By The TODAY Show * Washington Post * Goodreads * LitHub * Real Simple * Time * Popsugar * HuffPost * Los Angeles Times * Ms. Magazine * Book Riot * Elle.com * The Rumpus * Tor.com * Polygon * Debutiful * Electric Lit * Shondaland * When Shek Yeung sees a Portuguese sailor slay her husband, a feared pirate, she knows she must act swiftly or die. Instead of mourning, Shek Yeung launches a new plan: immediately marrying her husband's second-in-command, and agreeing to bear him a son and heir, in order to retain power over her half of the fleet. But as Shek Yeung vies for control over the army she knows she was born to lead, larger threats loom. The Chinese Emperor has charged a brutal, crafty nobleman with ridding the South China Seas of pirates, and the Europeans-tired of losing ships, men, and money to Shek Yeung's alliance-have new plans for the area. Even worse, Shek Yeung's cutthroat retributions create problems all their own. As Shek Yeung navigates new motherhood and the crises of leadership, she must decide how long she is willing to fight, and at what price, or risk losing her fleet, her new family, and even her life. A book of salt and grit, blood and sweat, Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea is an unmissable portrait of a woman who leads with the courage and ruthlessness of our darkest and most beloved heroes. “For anyone who loves pirates, historical fiction, and a strong heroine force . . . Turn to this book for swashbuckling adventures written with immersive, lyrical prose.” ― Qian Julie Wang, the TODAY Show “A captivating portrait of legendary 19th-century pirate queen Shek Yeung . . . [A] lyrically written high-seas adventure.” ― Time “A brutal and joyful celebration of an often-overlooked historical figure.” ― Shondaland, Best Books of Summer 2023 “The ambitious, suspenseful and kaleidoscopic adventure we all need this summer! In Chang-Eppig's capable hands, this is epic storytelling.” ― Ms. Magazine, May 2023 Reads for the Rest of Us “In this swashbuckling saga, the Chinese Emperor, colonial European forces and even the mythological sea goddess Ma-Zou attempt to thwart Shek Yeung's plans at every turn, and she must battle fiercely for the world she believes in.” ― The Washington Post “The strength of Chang-Eppig's book is the extensive research that colors it. Disparate historical events and details are woven into a continuous backdrop. The novel offers the pleasures of learning about the siege of Fort Zeelandia, coral houses in Taiwan and stilt houses in the Philippines, differences in junk construction, early grenades and smoke bombs, and the sea goddess Matsu.” ― New York Times Book Review “A rollicking 19th-century adventure on the South China Sea . . . The prose is lyrical and the plot is clever and serpentine, exploring questions of power, violence, gender, and fate. This is not to be missed.” ― Publishers Weekly, starred review “Rita Chang-Eppig's sharp, gritty first novel, Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea, takes readers on a high-seas adventure…This fascinating portrait of a woman determined to survive no matter the challenge will captivate readers' imaginations…Book clubs and solo readers alike should find much food for thought in this blend of high-stakes action and a complex character sketch of a fierce and wily leader.” ― Shelf Awareness “A lyrical tale of a legendary pirate queen and her struggle to maintain power in the South China Seas. Brimming with poetic language and vivid depictions of life in all its facets, Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea is a full-blooded, moving account of a woman's conflict with her past, present and future as she fights to keep one of the only things that she has left-her fleet.” ― Booktrib “The fascinating heroine of Chang-Eppig's dazzling debut is inspired by the real-life adventures of Shek Yeung, a badass Chinese pirate who commanded a powerful fleet on the South China Sea in the 19th century . . . Chang-Eppig's elegant prose flows nicely throughout this carefully plotted saga, which expertly weaves pointed commentary about gender roles, poverty, and colonization into swashbuckling adventure.” ― Library Journal “This heart-pounding high-seas adventure is also the moving story of a girl with no options who finds a way to survive, and the costs and consequences of that survival. Shek Yeung - a pirate queen, a mother, a ruthless killer and a loyal friend - is an unforgettable heroine whose journey will keep readers hooked from beginning to end.” ― Anna North, New York Times bestselling author of OUTLAWED “A powerful, gripping and vivid portrayal of one of history's most fascinating women, and the knife edge she had to walk to survive.” ― Samantha Shannon, New York Times bestselling author of THE PRIORY OF